Boston

September 16, 2014

Meet the Bakers: Dave L

How did you get started with music?

The Beatles began my lifelong love and appreciation of music, at the age of 9. I consider myself extremely lucky to have grown up in an era with some of the most iconic bands in history. Being able to see The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Ten Years After, Deep Purple .. live! …was simply amazing. Not too mention the ticket prices were only $7.50!

For the past 50+ years, music has been one of the most important aspects of my life. I played flute and clarinet, in the high school band as well as attending Berklee and the University of Lowell, where I taught electronic music labs in my freshman year. At Lowell, they had an ARP 2500, (2) 2600s and one of the first Synclavier commercially produced. Working in several local music stores as well as repairing all sorts of gear also added to my skills. I continue to utilize my technical skills whether its custom designing an on-board guitar preamp or here at Cakewalk.

Continue reading “Meet the Bakers: Dave L”

September 9, 2014

Meet the Bakers: Josh K

I began classical piano lessons at around age 9, and at age 14 after hearing Metallica for the first time I convinced my dad to get me an electric guitar for my birthday. After that I was hooked. I jammed along to Metallica, AC/DC, and Guns N Roses record for several years before attempting to write my own songs and recruit some fellow classmates to start a band. I ended up playing originals in local bands all throughout high school.

At some point I realized I was serious about music not just as a hobby but as a career as well. I subsequently applied and got into Berklee College of Music. Once there I became fascinated with electronic music, and the music technology used to create it.

I got into artists like Boards of Canada and Bonobo, and soon started making my own tunes with the software we were given for school. I eventually got into Berklee’s Electronic Production and Design program, and proceeded to get schooled in the ways of audio engineering, sound design, and electronic composition. Since then, I’ve continued to compose and produce electronic music in a number of different genres, and am currently doing so under the name Smigonaut. Somewhere in between, I spent a few months interning at Bear Creek Studio out in my home state of Washington, where artists like Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, and the Lumineers have passed through to make records.

Eventually, I graduated from Berklee and spent my time out of school doing various freelance gigs, which included composing/sound FX for several indie films, as well as helping to create some jingles for TV ads. Several months later, I landed here at Cakewalk as a Product Support Representative. I have been here for just about a year, and it has certainly been one of the most educational and gratifying experiences of my career.

Favorite Movie: Taxi Driver

Years @ Cakewalk: Just under a year

Instrument: Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals

Preferred Style of Music: Alternative, Rock, Electronic

Superpower (if you could have one): Flying

Favorite Bands: Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Tipper

September 3, 2014

Meet the Bakers: Tara Z

TZ Guitars — One of the catalysts for starting guitar lessons – me in the Gibson Showroom NYC without a clue how to play!

How did you get started with music?

I’ve actually always kind of fallen into the music scene somehow, which has felt very fortunate! In college I ended up working at the local record store, “The Sound Garden”, which was such an awesome environment to be in. Then when I moved to Boston I was hired to be Cakewalk’s Event Coordinator despite having no musical background.

Since Gibson bought Cakewalk I’ve actually started playing guitar! Being surrounded by so many amazing instruments and tons of talented musicians is very inspiring (and also intimidating at times). I have only been playing for a couple months at this point, but being able to generate something that is mildly musical is so satisfying and therapeutic, it has become the driving force for wanting to continue to practice and improve!

I grew up in Rochester, NY but I have lived in Boston for 8 years. I have been at Cakewalk for 6 of those years and the friends I have made through Cakewalk are pretty close to what I would consider my Boston family. Continue reading “Meet the Bakers: Tara Z”

May 19, 2014

Beatboxing – Watch What Happens to the Frequency Analyzer in SONAR X3

Within the Vocal world there are all different styles of singing and beatboxing is one of the more complex and percussive styles that the human voice can produce. Typically there is a single frequency range that vocalists stay within but beatboxers span the entire frequency range to achieve the sounds that come from their mouth. Check out this video with a local Boston street performer as he shows us how it’s done:

Wanna try the QuadCurve EQ? Check out SONAR X3 30 Day Trial

April 23, 2010

A Wicked Good Time for MusiCares Foundation

For those of you who couldn’t make it out to our first annual Cakewalk fundraiser, you missed a great night. Throughout the evening, Cakewalk employees took the stage at the Lansdowne Pub (right next door to historic Fenway Park) to show off their talents.

Boston’s 93.7 Mike FM was the MC for the night, bringing with them a bundle of awesome prizes for the raffle and giving away free stickers and tees. One lucky raffle winner won the grand prize featuring Cakewalk’s V-Studio 100 portable music studio, a Fender Stratocaster™ with a face plate signed by Blink 182, and Shure headphones. Here’s a brief rundown of the night:

Magnolia killed the opening set as Cakewalk Graphic Designer Dan Kaplan rocked out with his six-piece and bandana. With influences ranging from traditional folk music and Americana to the more contemporary indie rock and pop – Magnolia has a refreshing, unique sound of their own. Be sure to check out their virtual CD release party on June 11, 2010.

Cakewalk Quality Assurance Rep Josh Langberg’s band, Baby Made Rebel really turned up the volume in the next set, delivering a stellar performance. Cakewalk Tech Support Rep David Guerette also made a cameo appearance on the tenor sax for a few songs.

Los Sugar Kings with Cakewalk Director of Education Dan Abreu had everyone in the crowd clapping along to their Latin inspired beats. They also gave free dance lessons! Dan showed off his amazing musicianship, switching between sax and keyboards, during the set.

Even with a man down, the cover band Lunchbox couldn’t be stopped. Cakewalk Account Manager Zac Kenney took on guitar parts intended for 2, played them blindfolded with his hands behind his back, and still made it look cool. Cakewalk International Account Manager Matt Koelsch wowed everyone with his vocals throughout the set; he even managed to out-Zeppelin Robert Plant when they covered “Good Times Bad Times.”

DJ Scotty Steel kept us all energized through 1:00am spinning hits from the 80’s, 90’s and more.

DJ Josh closed it up with a chest pounding mix of electro, IDM, and EBM to keep the glow sticks moving until the lights started flashing and the bartenders finally kicked us out.

All joking aside, it was an amazing night with plenty of great tunes and whole lot of fun!

In total we earned over $800 for the MusiCares Foundation.

The money which will go towards their first annual Grassroots Giving Campaign and it’ll provide critical care and services to musicians worldwide. Here’s how a few dollars donated to MusiCares could help musicians in need:

$25 Buys groceries for an elderly or disabled artist on a fixed income
$50 Pays part of a gas bill for a client recovering from carpal tunnel syndrome
$100 Pays for a month of medication for an uninsured diabetic client
$150 Provides a basic dental exam, cleaning and X-rays for a horn player without insurance
$500 Provides a vocal examination and rehabilitative treatment for a singer with polyps on her vocal folds

Thank you to all who helped make this event a huge success! We hope to see you next year.

April 2, 2010

Cakewalk Rocks for MusiCares Foundation

Save the Date! Two weeks from Sunday, Cakewalk hosts it’s 1st annual fundraising event for the MusiCares Foundation. Throughout the event, Cakewalk employees will show off their talents, performing in a diverse line up of bands and DJ’s. A charity raffle will be held with a chance to win a Cakewalk V-Studio 100-powered Recording Bundle featuring a Cakewalk V-Studio 100 portable music production studio, a Fender Stratocaster with a face plate signed by Blink 182, and Shure headphones.

CakewalkRocks_blog

One hundred percent of the proceeds raised at this event will be donated to the MusiCares Foundation.

Join us at the Lansdowne Pub (next to Fenway Park) in Boston, MA. A $5.00 cover will be charged at the door and Boston’s 93.7 Mike FM will MC the event, all for a great cause!

Visit our MusiCares Event page for more information on the night’s set list and raffle prizes.

June 5, 2009

First Impressions of V-Studio 700: Danny Klein

Just a few weeks ago, Cakewalk’s Zac Kenney met up with Boston-based bassist Danny Klein at Guitar Center-Boston to pick up his SONAR V-Studio 700. A Cakewalk pro-user since the Pro Audio days, Danny was looking for a new controller to use in his SONAR-outfitted studio. After many years producing his music with the Roland JP-1000 and then with an Alesis Mixer, Klein started to seek other alternatives. Since it’s a controller dedicated to SONAR and would speed up his workflow without the aid of a mouse, Danny knew he just had to get the SONAR V-Studio 700!

“I use SONAR V-Studio 700 because of the quality of the system (and the quality and reliability of Cakewalk / Roland products), the many features at a reasonable price, the ease of setting up and using the system and the seamless integration with my SONAR 8 Producer, making this system all I need to make professional recordings in my home studio.”

Danny Klein grew up in New Jersey and came to Massachusetts to study at Worcester Polytechnical Institute in the 1960’s. While attending WPI, he befriended J. Geils and Magic Dick, who taught Klein how to play a washtub bass. The trio formed the ‘J Geils Blues Band’. Eventually they hooked up with ex-Hallucinations percussionist Stephen Jo Bladd and his vocalist, Peter Wolf, as well as keyboardist / songwriter Seth Justman… thus setting the stage for 17 successful years touring as the ‘J. Geils Band’ from Boston.

The group recorded 17 albums and toured with the Rolling Stones, releasing such hits as ‘Centerfold’ and ‘Freeze Frame’. In February 2009, J. Geils Band reunited for the grand opening of the House of Blues-Boston and played two sold out shows at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit. Currently, the band is leaving the door open to new opportunities, hoping to play together again, soon.

In 1994, Danny founded the blues band ‘Stone Crazy’ (produced by J. Geils). The group released its first 14-track, self-entitled album in 2005 and performed its ‘bluesy grooves’ at select clubs throughout New England.

Danny’s latest project, ‘Danny Klein’s Full House Band,’ is a group of Boston’s well known and most talented musicians who come together to celebrate the music of the J.Geils band. Danny Klein’s Full House Band performs at many charitable events throughout the Boston area.

We congratulate Danny on all of his accomplishments and hope he enjoys working in studio with the new SONAR V-Studio 700!