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Idol Finalist Scott MacIntyre Vies for Next Seat

As we get closer to this week’s American Idol episodes, we can’t help but note the viewing audience’s fascination with Scott MacIntyre, the young, blind contestant from Scottsdale, Arizona. Each week, Scott plows his way through the competition, doing a stellar job both singing and performing. As one of AI‘s Top 10 finalists this season, Scott will tour cross-country with the other 9 finalists this summer.

While Cakewalk doesn’t root for any one performer, we have a soft spot in our hearts for Scott. In fact, we have worked with a number of visually-impaired musicians, from Ray Charles to ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover’s Patrick Henry Hughes, through SONAR’s assistive technology. We wish Scott the best of luck as he continues with the show.

Follow Scott MacIntyre’s Journey here.

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Britain's Pub Landlord Composes Music for U.K. Tour

British Comedian Al Murray ends every show with a song and dance. On this year’s tour, he’s featuring a self-composed track, “Broken Britain Boogie” as the finale.

The track was recorded and produced using SONAR with V-Drums and legendary guitarist Brian May (Queen) makes a guest appearance. The track was recently the center of a remix contest as Murray allowed music students enrolled at Brooklands College in Surrey to concoct their own twists of the tune using SONAR LE.

Although Murray states that his composition, “sounds like a sloppy bar room band playing a sub-Oasis style,” ‘Broken Britain Boogie’ is no joke and will surely be on ITunes in the near future. We wish Al Murray the best of luck on tour in the UK.

Visit Al Murray’s website to check tour dates.

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Free Club Presets Available for Z3ta+1

Need new sounds for your mix? There’s a new library of club presets now available online for Z3TA+. Check out the video and grab the presets at Synthtopia !

Whether you’re looking for luch, warm pads, slowly evolving atmospheres, searing leads or sparkling FW sounds, Cakewalk’s Z3TA+, delivers the goods and includes hundreds of professional presets. Z3TA+ is an award-winning analog-style synthesizer with incredible sound-shaping capabilities. The exclusive bandwidth Waveshaping technology makes Z3TA+ one of the best and most respected synths in the industry.

As a complete instrument, Z3TA+ is oriented to the professional musician and sound programmer looking for uncompromised sound quality and features. Z3TA+ ships with DWi, VST, and stand-alone versions.

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Microsoft's Ex-Vista Chief Records New Album In SONAR Producer

Jim Allchin, former Co-President of the Platforms and Services Division at Microsoft, just released a new album, Enigma, now available for purchase online and in retail stores worldwide. Allchin received recognition from once-rival Itunes as a ‘What We Are Listening To’ recommendation to customers.  As described on Amazon, Enigma’s “pop sensibility, with a touch of rock, blues and country, keeps the listener intrigued with great arrangements and toe-tapping grooves”. A longtime Cakewalk user, Allchin recorded and mixed the new album in SONAR Producer.

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The :90 Music Show Explores V-Studio 700 and Cable Interfaces

In a recent episode of The :90 Music Show, presented by Music Connection magazine, host Scott Austin gets an exclusive look at SONAR V-Studio 700 and UA-1G cable interface recorded live at The NAMM Show 2009. Regularly airing on Youtube, The :90 Music Show captures exclusive interviews with top industry players and emerging artists.

Scott Austin is a regular contributor to Music Connection magazine. He writes ‘Insider Commentary’ for aspiring musicians exploring the music business. As one of the industry’s youngest CEOs, Austin manages Authentik Artists, an artist development company in Los Angeles, California. Austin is also credited with discovering musicians such Michelle Branch, All-American Rejects and music/tv/film heavy-hitter Tyler Hilton (Austin’s first signing to Madonna’s Maverick Records in 2002).

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Synthesizer Expert Adds V-Studio 700 to Studio

Dutch Synthesist and Composer Michel Von Osenbruggen recently reviewed SONAR VStudio 700 in his blog after adding the system to his existing workstation in the Netherlands. Running on SONAR and a Tascam US2400 console, Osenbruggen compliments the system’s compatibility with his studio and comments on the VStudio 700’s flexible control. With transport, jog shuttle and T-Bar controls, Osenbruggen can produce his music without the hassle of switching between mouse and keyboard.  He states that he has more room to work, as SONAR VStudio 700 fits comfortably on his desk and features easily-assignable tracks and faders. To read Osenbruggen’s review in full, please visit the Synth.nl blog.

A former software developer and engineer, Michel Von Osenbruggen discovered his knack for music production via his interest of sound production through data communication.  He started producing his own music in the early 1990’s and later signed a record deal with electronic music record label Groove Unlimited. In October 2008, Osenbruggen released a project on CD, AtmoSphere, which takes its listeners on a musical journey through the layers of atmosphere between earth and space.  You can listen to more of his music here.

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Produce Robotic, Metallic Sounds with SONAR Vocoder

Robin Kelly’s latest video shows you how to use Pentagon, one of SONAR’s soft-synths, as a vocoder. A vocoder is an audio processor also known as a “talking synthesizer”. It analyzes speech, transforms it into electronically-transmitted information and recreates it into robotic, mechanical sounds. Vocoders can be heard in recordings by Cher, Beastie Boys, Kid Rock and Lil Wayne.

View more of Robin’s videos and tech tips.

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Learn SONAR Online with Berklee College of Music

Learn SONAR online with Berklee’s renowned faculty from anywhere in the world! Enroll with BerkleeMusic by March 16th and get exclusive access to student-only offers, including deep educational discounts on SONAR software, and $100 off any online course or program.

Visit BerkleeMusic.com for Information on Online Courses and Certificate programs.

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Producer Wyshmaster Finds Niche in Hip-Hop and R&B

After 7 years of dedication and focus, Wyshmaster is finally cutting himself a new niche in the hip-hop and R&B worlds for his ferociously unique beats; and Cakewalk is at the forefront of his game. Most recently, Wysh has been busy creating music for The Lonely Island -“I’m on a Boat” feat. T-Pain (as heard on Saturday Night Live), Jeremy Greene – “Rain” feat. Bossman, and Nelly – “U Ain’t Him” feat. Rick Ross on the Brass Knuckles album.

“I primarily use Cakewalk synths because they give me the power to create unique sounds. With so many people in the game now, you have to choose your tools wisely so you don’t sound like every other cat. That’s what Cakewalk and SONAR do for me, they allow me to create and sound how I want to sound.” – Wyshmaster

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Last Chance to Register for the ASCAP New York Sessions

Join us at ASCAP’s New York Sessions on March 10, 2009 at Frederick P. Rose Hall (Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center) at Broadway and 60th Street in Manhattan. NY Sessions is a one-day career boosting event for songwriters and composers, featuring a special keynote speaker, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rob Thomas.

Throughout the day, Cakewalk’s Product Specialists will be giving hands-on training sessions of the new SONAR V-Studio 700 music production system. Cakewalk is also sponsoring other events during the event, see below for more information:

Cakewalk Teaching Studio: A producer and engineer will develop a piece of music in a fully-functional on-location studio. SONAR V-Studio 700 will be the ‘centerpiece’ of the room.

Cakewalk Demonstration Room: Cakewalk Product Specialists will perform live SONAR V-Studio 700 and SONAR 8 demos. An experience station in the back of the room will provide an opportunity to get hands on with Cakewalk’s software.

The event is open to ASCAP members and non-members. 

Must register on ASCAP’s website to attend the event: Visit ASCAP’s Event Page for more information.