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Sparks the Rescue: From Maine to Mainstream

Sparks1Alex Roy barely has time to talk.

He’s busy packing.  Again.  He just wound up a series of shows yet tomorrow Alex and his band, Sparks The Rescue, heads back out on the road.  This time it’s the Lab Apparel-sponsored Bring Me Home Tour, a 19-date run that will run through the end of April.  Not long after that ends, they join the Vans Warped Tour for 21 dates that take them all over the country.

It’s been like this for lead singer/guitarist Alex and his Sparks The Rescue bandmates since signing with Fearless Records last year, who released an updated version of their first LP, “Eyes to the Sun.”

A tour with The Morning Of, Ian Walsh, and We Are The In-Crowd soon opened the door to a short European tour with the popular All-American Rejects, giving Sparks their first true taste of the ‘big time.’

“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been amazing.”

Oh, and let’s not overlook their video for “We Love Like Vampires,” which has been getting a lot of buzz on MTV.COM, or the fact they landed tracks on MTV shows The Hills and Real World: Cancun, 2009.They also did a seven-week cross-country tour with Hit The Lights, and even won MTV/Garnier Fructis’s “I Want My Music On MTV! Competition” for a chance to play at mtvU’s 2009 Woodie Awards.

It’s safe to say, ‘whirlwind’ is an understatement.

Continue reading “Sparks the Rescue: From Maine to Mainstream”

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Special Offer: Amazing Savings on SONAR at Guitar Center

SONAR 8.5 ProducerGuitar Center’s Green Tag Savings Event is back! This weekend only, you can save $100 instantly on SONAR 8.5 Producer, plus receive an extra $50 off with coupon. Why should you upgrade to SONAR 8.5? The latest version of SONAR has all of the innovations, instruments and effects that were included in version 8 plus a host of new features including:

• Matrix View – simple and flexible cell-based, non-linear audio and MIDI arranging with live triggering capability
• Session Drummer 3 – Cakewalk’s virtual instrument for easy and fast creation of drum tracks with a new UI, stellar sounding kits and patterns from top sound designers and drummers
• PX-64 Percussion Strip – seven-stage processor designed specifically for use with drums and percussion
• VX-64 Vocal Strip – seven-stage processor optimized for shaping and sculpting vocal tracks

Don’t wait! Hurry on over to GuitarCenter.com to get unbelievable savings on all your music studio needs.

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Songwriter Raul Midon Produces Music with Cake-Talking Technology

raul modinNew York City singer-songwriter, Raul Midon celebrates the release of his latest album, Synthesis, which hits stores in the US today. Blinded as an infant, Raul was first introduced to music by his father, often listening to the uncomparable Beethoven, Mozart, John Cage, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. After studying music at a school for the blind and later graduating from the University of Miami’s prestigious jazz program, Raul was hired as a backup singer for Latin-music moguls including Julio and Enrique Inglesias, Shakira, and Ricky Martin. In 2002, Raul moved to the Big Apple to pursue a solo career, playing guitar and writing his own music. His debut album, State of Mind, was released in 2005 on Capitol Records and was produced by industry veteran, Arif Mardin.

Since then, Raul has recorded and produced demos in his SONAR-based home studio using Dancing Dot’s Cake-Talking assistive technology (scripts in JAWS for Windows). The program speaks SONAR settings or parameters to the user, making it easier for visually-impaired musicians to record their instruments, apply effects, and render high-quality, professional recordings. Watch the video below to see how Raul used Cake-Talking in the making of his sophomore album, Synthesis:

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MusicTech Focus Dedicates Latest Issue to SONAR

SONAR 8 FocusEverything you ever wanted to know about SONAR is now encased in a 132-page full-color guidebook! From cover to cover, this exclusive magazine is the most comprehensive guide to SONAR in print (besides SONAR 8! Power) – a must have whether you’re a SONAR user, or thinking of becoming one!

Packed with 100% SONAR content, this magazine features exclusive interviews with A-list SONAR users – from Shawn Clement to the world famous Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee – highlighting how they using SONAR 8.5 everyday for work. From tracking to mastering, this magazine is teeming with tips and tricks on SONAR’s expansive set of features including 17 SONAR workshops on Beatscape, Step Sequencer 2.0, Session Drummer 3, Z3TA+, Media Browser, Using ACT with your favorite controllers, Film Scoring, Recording Vocals and more! There’s also a FREE DVD packed full of video tutorials, loops, demos and tutorials. 

Don’t miss out on this exclusive help guide!

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Create Record Label, High-Quality Productions With SONAR 8.5

MatrixViewFor Chris Maguire, upgrading his DAW to SONAR 8.5 was a no brainer. For $99, Chris made the move from SONAR 8.0 Producer and immediately began to see the improvements made to the DAW’s feature set and functionality.  In his review at Altsounds.com, Chris explains how he used the VX-64 Vocal Strip, PX-64 Percussion Strip and the Matrix view (the brand new mixing and arranging tools in SONAR 8.5) to create high-end, professional sounding productions.

To Chris, these three additions to SONAR 8.5 alone, “were worth the upgrade price so when you throw in all the other updates, tweaks and functionality you get for your money, there should be no question (to upgrade to SONAR 8.5).”

Read Chris’s full analysis of  SONAR 8.5 at Altsounds.com.

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New V-Studio 700 E-Book Gives You A Closer Look

eBook-V-Studio-700Cakewalk announces today the availability of a new eBook by Scott R. Garrigus – author of the “SONAR Power!” Book Series – that will cover the ins and outs of the SONAR V-Studio 700 music production system. Cakewalk V-Studio 700: A Closer Look is a free electronic book discussing basic and advanced functions of the V-Studio 700 such as: Getting to Know the V-Studio 700, Recording with the V-Studio 700, Composing with the V-Studio 700, Editing with the V-Studio 700, Mixing with the V-Studio 700 and more.

The 40+-page eBook is an easy to read overview on how to get the most from the V-Studio 700, and comes with numerous screenshots, tips, and tricks in easy-to-digest chapters and call-out sections in the style of the …For Dummies line of tutorial books.  It’s available as a downloadable PDF, with embedded hotlinks for pursuing additional information on key topics.

Cakewalk V-Studio 700: A Closer Look is available as a free download in PDF format at http://www.cakewalk.com/media/Ebook/vs700.asp.

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IMSTA Holds Songwriting Contest: Perform Live for AKON & Win A Record Deal

HitLab LogoIMSTA (International Music Software Trade Association) has partnered with AKON’s Hitlab to give professional musicians a chance at their big break!  Submit your original tracks as high quality demos or master recordings to the  IMSTA Song Competition for you chance to win killer prizes.

Your song will be analyzed and scored based on the 78 different variables by HITLAB’s proprietary Dynamic Hit Scoring (DHS) technology. The winner of the IMSTA Song Competition will perform in front of AKON and other music industry heavyweights at the upcoming HITLAB Showcase and could win a deal with a major record label. Runners up will receive recording software bundles from the industry’s top manufacturers. The competition runs through May 31, 2010. We are pleased to bring you this special opportunity as part of our membership with IMSTA.

Learn more about the IMSTA Song Competition

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Northeastern University Professor Teaches SONAR in Ghana

sonar5Head of the Music Technology program at Northeastern University, Dennis Miller and his wife, Susan, are spending spring semester in Ghana working as visiting professors for a local university. This trip marks the couple’s second trip to Ghana, having first visited the country in 2004.

The pair will spend 150 days working on the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in the city of Kumasi. KNUST offers various music and arts courses through the Center of Cultural Research and African Studies. These courses include Keyboard Skills, Music Theory, Drumming, Ghanian Dance, Performing Arts Traditions of West Africa, Sound Engineering, and Music Technology.  Dennis is teaching two classes at the university in Digital Media Production and Digital Animation while Susan, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, is working in the department of theoretical biology, supervising a lecture hall and lab.

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Dennis’s Digital Media Production course introduces students to digital audio, discussing MIDI, how to do basic editing with tracks, load and change patches in soft-synths, adjust tempo and dynamics, and more. They are also learning about sequencing in SONAR 8.5 Producer. Dennis provided each student with basic step-by-step tutorials to help them learn the program. He also made each student a DVD that includes copies of SONAR, project demos, articles and assignment files.

Continue reading “Northeastern University Professor Teaches SONAR in Ghana”

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Using Multiple MIDI Controllers in SONAR

cakewalk_tips-sm1Managing input from multiple MIDI devices, such as keyboard controllers and drum pads, through your DAW can be frustrating. Staying on top of all the cabling, routing and software settings is enough to make you throw in the towel and go back to point and click.

However, with SONAR, you can choose individual MIDI input ports and channels for each of your MIDI tracks. This means that you can use several different MIDI controllers simultaneously, each triggering its own synth or controller parameters. You can also choose to trigger several different synths, each on its own track, with just one MIDI controller.

The following tech tip will walk you through these common multi-controller scenarios using SONAR.

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Receive Instant Savings On SONAR 8.5

Thinking about upgrading your DAW to SONAR 8.5? Now may be the best time to do so! As a leading choice in music production software for professional musicians worldwide, SONAR 8.5 has everything you need to compose, record, edit, mix and master your music. Its extensive array of virtual instruments and audio effects, gives you the freedom to create all sorts of compositions. While its double-precision, 64-bit audio engine and unwavering Windows support, gives you more power to play!

    S8 5_$100rebate_420x229

When you purchase SONAR 8.5 Studio or Producer during the month of March at select retailers, you will receive a $100 instant rebate. Click on over to Cakewalk’s Special Offers page to enjoy your new studio today!