Shawn Clement Recognized for Epic Sci-Fi Soundtrack

shawn-clementComposer of fan favorites including Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and American Idol, Shawn Clement gears up for an exciting year as Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey hits theaters with galactic force!

As featured in a recent issue of ASCAP’s Playback magazine, Shawn says ‘this is one of the more fulfilling gigs that I’ve ever done.”

To record the film’s dramatic score, Shawn worked with George Lucas’ legendary Skywalker Sound (the production house responsible for the Star Wars films) and the San Franscisco Symphony. He scored the 3-D, fully animated, feature length film using SONAR with an 82-piece orchestra  and real NASA-discovered space sounds.

Quantum Quest takes viewers on a solar safari through space as Dave, a photon living on the sun, gets caught in a battle between the forces of good and evil. Dave must journey through the solar system to find his way to the Cassini Space Craft before his friends and the universe are destroyed forever.

Click here to view exclusive pictures from the Quantum Quest scoring session

Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey will land in theaters in early 2010.

Ultimate Guide to Cakewalk Synths Gets Facelift

cakewalk synthsCakewalk synthesizers are among the most commonly used software synthesizers in the business. Rapture, Dimension Pro and Z3TA+ are capable of creating powerhouse sounds that will turn your music into sonic masterpieces and Simon Cann wants to take your music production to that level.

In his guide, Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User (2nd Edition), Simon Cann will help you understand the basics of synthesizer programming and teach you how to utilize Cakewalk’s synthesizers to their full potential. Since the first edition of this book was released in 2006, Cakewalk has added four new synthesizers to the product line including Session Drummer 3, Beatscape, Dimension Pro, and Rapture.  The updated book begins with an overview of the general principles of music synthesis and sound creation — covering oscillators, different synthesis methods, filters, envelopes, LFOs, and effects — and then shows you how to make your own sounds with Cakewalk’s new instruments and incorporate them into your own productions.

In addition, Simon has included a free download package with the purchase of Cakewalk Synthesizers covering a wealth of information on the .SFZ format.

Visit Simon Cann’s website to pre-order your copy today.

Master of Digital Arts, Justin Lassen Releases First Limited Edition Album

SynaethesiaA master of the digital arts, Justin Lassen continues to dominate a new realm of creativity, composing music to computer-generated graphic art. With the help of his PCAudioLabs digital audio workstation with an Intel Core i7 processor, SONAR 8.5 and various media editing tools, Justin gives life to the one dimensional art forms.

Recently, Justin released Synaesthesia, a series of his latest works which has gained high acclaim throughout the fine art and technology industries, even landing him a spot in Intel’s Visual Andrenaline magazine. Synaesthesia matches Justin’s  hauntingly beautiful music with still images created by well-known graphic designers including Alex Ruiz (The Simpsons) and Nykolai Aleksander.

After 4 years in the making, Justin introduces his first dual-disc limited edition collector’s album, Synaesthesia II (Nihil Records / Big Cartel), featuring 2 hours and 38 tracks of pure genius*! This new album compliments some of Justin’s best works with world-reknown CG artists. Visit the Synaesthesia Myspace page to hear a sampling of tracks from Synaesthesia II.

* Purchase one of the first 200 copies and your CD will be hand signed by Justin!

Huge Savings on Gifts for Musicians During Cakewalk's Holiday Sale

Kick off the holidays with enormous savings on popular products from Cakewalk, Native Instruments, IK Multimedia, and more. Get a heads start on your holiday shopping as these specials are available for a limited time only! Along with savings of over 80% on select products, you can also download free plug-ins, get special discounts on PCAudioLabs computers, and much more.

Holiday Banner-Cakewalk

Need some ideas for gift-giving this year? Click on over to Cakewalk’s Holiday Gift Guide to find the perfect gift for the music lovers in your life.

Shop and Save today at Cakewalk.com

Cakewalk Offers Free Synths & FX Plugins

square1Yes, it’s true. Cakewalk is now offering our classic synths and effects processors for FREE Topping the list of the ’90s classics is the SFZ+ and Square I synths.  The Cakewalk Audio FX series of effects plug-ins are also now available for no charge via the Cakewalk online store.

SFZ+ is rgc:audio’s revolutionary SoundFont player sample-playback engine, packed in a professional VST/DXi instrument.  Outstanding sound quality, stereo built-in effects, adjustable CPU/quality settings to adjust it to your hardware, fully multitimbral operation, multiple stereo outputs, several loading modes including direct-from-disk streaming and a beautiful interface make sfz+ the perfect choice for SoundFont users and professional composers.

Square I offers the warmness and classic sound of the vintage analog synthesizers, combined with the fidelity and precision of a VST instrument.  A simple synthesizer, oriented to the serious music enthusiast. High quality sound with a warm and easy layout, perfect to learn synth programming: all controls in one panel for instant access, clear and distinctive sections. The built-in effects add depth to the sound and convenience to the sound programming.

Cakewalk Audio FX 1 is a series of real-time audio processing plug-ins. All Cakewalk Audio FX plug-ins are Microsoft DirectX- compatible, allowing you to use them with any digital audio software that supports DirectX – including Cakewalk SONAR and other Cakewalk applications.

Looking for a way to warmup your digital audio – but can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on vintage analog or tube gear?  Now you can with Cakewalk Audio FX 2.  Created by precise measurement and analysis, Audio FX 2 uses advanced processing algorithms to apply the classic sound and warmth of several different vintage guitar amplifiers and analog tape decks to your digital audio.

Now you can make audio tracks sound like they were recorded in almost any room you can imagine. Cakewalk Audio FX 3 SoundStage allows you to design acoustic environments in which to play back digital audio, resulting in unique, realistic reverb. Audio FX 3 Features Two Views: Performer’s View and Room View. To create the perfect room, just click and drag your mouse to move walls and change ceiling height. Choose from different microphones, and place them inside the room. Then assign each audio track to different “performer” positions to hear custom reverb on each track. When you’re finished, save your soundstage for other sessions, or use as a template for other designs. Audio FX 3 includes ready-to-use soundstages too.

Visit the Cakewalk Online Store for more hot deals this holiday season!

DJ Johnny Juice Joins Cakewalk V-Studio Tour

VS100_Artist_JuiceAs the Fall V-Studio Tour featuring SONAR 8.5 heats up, we are pleased to announce that Cakewalk artist, DJ Johnny Juice of Public Enemy fame will be on hand to partake in the V-Studio and SONAR 8.5 demos during tonight’s Guitar Center – Manhattan tour date.

Cakewalk Product Specialist Rich Curtis will be including DJ Johnny Juice in his demos as Juice talks about his long-standing relationship with Cakewalk and how he incorporates Cakewalk in his productions. Additionally, DJ Johnny Juice will be talking about his latest track “I am a king” featuring none other than hip hop legend DMC.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Guitar Center Manhattan
25 W. 14th Street
Manhattan, NY
(212) 463 – 7500
Time: 6:00 – 8:00PM

Plus: Tony Grund from IK Multimedia will be on hand to show off their latest mastering software, T-RackS 3 and how it works in conjunction with SONAR 8.5. All event attendees will receive a complimentary copy of IK Multimedia’s T-RackS EQ, plus if you purchase a V-Studio 700, or a V-Studio 100 the night of the event you will receive a $100 mail-in rebate.

Register for this and other V-Studio Tour  events today!

Learn SONAR Online with BerkleeMusic.com

Berklee-Online-LogoBerkleemusic.com, the online continuing education division of Berklee College of Music, offers SONAR online courses and certificate programs for all skill levels. Master ascpects of multi-track recording using MIDI, audio, loops and plug-in effects using SONAR.

By the end of the course, you will learn:

– The basics of SONAR’s configuration, audio file types and user interface
– How to use soft-synths to record and mix your MIDI performance
– Professional mixing techniques using SONAR’s mixing console
– Audio editing techniques using SONAR
– How to use SONAR’s Groove Clips with MIDI and audio
– The signal flow in the SONAR mixing console
– ReWire and the benefits of using other software application with SONAR as the host.

Enrollment is now open for the Winter term, beginning January 11, 2010.

Learn more about Berklee’s SONAR course as told by the instructor, Steve MacLean.

Get a free SONAR lesson today

Cakewalk Launches Holiday Gift Guide for Musicians

GiftGuideIt’s that time of the year again! Time to show family and friends just how much they mean to you with a gift from the heart. This year, you don’t have to go far to find the perfect present for the music lover in your life. We’ve created our own Holiday Gift Guide to make the process of gift shopping much easier.

Visit Cakewalk.com today to see our list of recommended products for singer-songwriters, DJs, record collectors and Guitar Hero fanatics. Plus, reward yourself with a treat and check out our Holiday upgrade bundles for existing Cakewalk customers.

Voting Now Open for Cakewalk's 'Your Music Anytime, Anyplace' Songwriting Contest

OurStage_420x229Inspiration can happen anytime, anyplace and we want to make it easier for you to capture those ideas as they happen. Cakewalk has come together with Intel  to provide some of the best songwriters and producers on the Ourstage circuit with an ultimate mobile studio!

Now through November 21, 2009,  log on to Ourstage.com and submit your original music to enter. The Top 20 submissions in the Rock and Urban genres will be selected by music fans. Out of those 20, six winners (three in each genre) will be chosen by our panel of industry professionals and will receive a complete mobile music production studio worth over $3,000 including:

• Intel Core i7 Mobile processor-powered laptop
• Cakewalk’s V-Studio 100 portable recording solution
• SONAR 8.5 Producer digital audio workstation
• Rapture virtual instrument
• Cakewalk MA-15D studio monitors

Continue reading “Voting Now Open for Cakewalk's 'Your Music Anytime, Anyplace' Songwriting Contest”

Live from AES 2009: Winksound.com Gets Closer Look at V-Studio 100

winksoundWinksound.com is a brand new social video networking site, offering audio enthusiasts free video tips and tutorials on music production. Got a question? Feel free to send it in video form to the Winksound team. Not only will they answer it, you could be featured in one of their segments!

Last month at the 2009 AES Show, Winksound team member, Justin, caught up with Cakewalk Product Specialist Rich Curtis to get a closer look at the portable music production studio, V-Studio 100.