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Ron Cote and Pristine Productions Utilizing SONAR X1 with Chart-topping Rock Acts

When it comes to SONAR, many of us often just think of recording and creating music for one medium, but there are many people out there using it in other ways.  Pristine Productions is a company based out of Philadelphia that has been using SONAR for many years to record Major Label artists; only not in the traditional sense…

Week-in and week-out, Ron Cote and his crew are found working with some of the biggest names in the business such as Shinedown, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Staind, Avenged Sevenfold and most recently, the undeniable Adrenaline Mob who are currently making a huge mark in the rock world.  When I say “working with” I am talking about a platform beyond recorded music that extends into the depths of capturing the whole “concert experience” on video.  Ron is hired by Major Labels and directly by bands to go into the trenches and capture those moments that give us all goose-bumps; those moments where a guitar solo just sounds way better than it did on the studio version of the song; or those moments where the lead singer delivered an inspirational melody he/she should have put on the studio record. Continue reading “Ron Cote and Pristine Productions Utilizing SONAR X1 with Chart-topping Rock Acts”

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Grammy Nominated Luigie Gonzalez on SONAR X1

Friday, May 13 – Los Angeles, CA

Luigie Gonzalez 1In the Cakewalk Artist Relations Department we have the honor of working with many producers, songwriters, mixing engineers, composers and musicians on a daily basis.  As we all know (or we should all know), the beauty of SONAR is that not only does it stand out as the premier top-notch Digital Audio Workstation, but it’s also an inspirational and creative workhorse.  Many recording artists and producers looking for a more creative environment turn to SONAR and never look back.  The ability to customize just about anything you want, combined with a complete sonic package of content, plugins, virtual synths and other instrumentation really gives SONAR its award winning edge. Continue reading “Grammy Nominated Luigie Gonzalez on SONAR X1”

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SONAR X1 User Javier Colon to Appear on NBC’s “The Voice”

Tuesday, April 26 – New York, NY

If you are making music I think you will agree with me when I say for better or for worse “What an interesting time it is for the recorded music industry.”  There are a few elements that really make it “interesting;”

  1. Music creators now have options such as SONAR X1 to create finished masters without having to pay for studios, therefore having the luxury of time to hone in on perfecting the art of making great recordings.
  2. It’s a fact that music consumption is at a record high, but at the same time the money (in dollars) flowing into the industry as a whole is at a record low.
  3. Major Labels are no longer developing artists.
  4. Labels have lost the revenue of the “full length” record due to the fact that consumers can purchase singles for next to nothing now and bypassing those “throwaway” tracks.
  5. One can click a mouse and literally “distribute” a song to thousands of people at once.

…add in a few money making American Idols along with the astronomical amount of money it takes to be heard on CHR radio,  and there you have it; an industry that is really tough to figure out right now.

With all that being said, modern technology including the internet has brought one thing to the table for sure; “the truth.”  If you’ve really got something going on and the talent to back it up, cyber-authenticity kicks into high gear and recognition follows.  The internet has created an upward filtering platform where people gravitate towards the entertainment by which they really want to be engaged.  Javier Colon is absolutely a pioneer of this revolution and is about as authentic and talented as they come, which has landed him an audition on the new highly anticipated NBC television show “The Voice” airing Tuesday, April 26th.

Continue reading “SONAR X1 User Javier Colon to Appear on NBC’s “The Voice””

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TC, and Paul Oakenfold’s Team on SONAR X1

Thursday, February 24th – Hollywood, CA

On a recent trip to Los Angeles, I had the privilege of spending some time with an X1 pro user who really exemplifies the modern day musician on all fronts.  His name is TC (born Anthony Crawford) and he is also known by some in the producing underground as “Spitfire”.  “TC,” as we will refer to him today, is employed by Paul Oakenfold as his main music producer, co-writer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.  Working in that capacity, on a daily basis TC will mesh with artists such as B.O.B., Usher, Madonna, Lloyd and Rico Love just to name a recent few. Continue reading “TC, and Paul Oakenfold’s Team on SONAR X1”

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AES 2009 Wrap-Up: SONAR 8.5 Steals the Show

Johnny Juice, Run DMC & Cakewalk TeamGreetings from the 127th Annual AES (Audio Engineering Society) Convention in New York City at the Javitz Center! We are on the last leg of the final day here at AES and it has been a whirlwind. We got here on Thursday to set up for the show and have been working hard at exemplifying all the killer new features in SONAR 8.5 as well as the work-horses V-Studio 700 and V-Studio 100.

Our East Coast Product Specialist Rich Curtis along with our Midwest Product Specialist Mike Trujillo (two of the hardest working guys in show biz) barely have their voices left after all the demoing and dialogue needed for the foot traffic. It looks like the buzz on the street is SONAR 8.5 because we literally had every walk of life (mostly other DAW users) stopping in to check out the new 8.5 as well as the new hardware.

Continue reading “AES 2009 Wrap-Up: SONAR 8.5 Steals the Show”

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V-Studio 100 Featured In Keep Me Conscious' Music Video

A few weeks ago, SONAR users Keep Me Conscious shot a video with Producer Dave Brickley for their single, ‘Thicker Than Blood.’ Cakewalk’s Artist Relations Manager Jimmy Landry got a chance to get behind the scenes and watch the V-Studio 100 get infused into their video. Keep Me Conscious is a commercial rock band from the Boston area, currently touring nationally.

Watch highlights from the making of the ‘Thicker Than Blood’ music video below:

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MIX Nashville 2009: Town Talents Check Out SONAR V-Studio Series

Day 2 of Mix Nashville started out great but you really can’t go wrong when you are in a town that has top notch music, weather and of course the most important element; BBQ!

In between the panels at the conference, I found myself having some great conversations with local Nashville songwriters, producers and musicians about “all things music”.  I have come to the conclusion that there are more home studios in this town than there are BBQ joints.

Mike Lawson from Lawson Media stopped in to say hello and check out the new SONAR V-Studio 100 and he brought a friend of his by the name of Bob Welch.  You may or may not have heard the name ‘Bob Welch’ but I can guarantee that you have heard his music, if you have listened to the radio and especially if you are a Fleetwood Mac fan.  Bob was the original guitarist for Fleetwood Mac and was also a solo artist chalking up three massive hits from 1977 – 1979 with the songs “Sentimental Lady”, “Ebony Eyes” and “Hot Love, Cold World”.  I had an amazing conversation with him about the digital music age compared to his experiences as a successful musician and artist in the 70’s.  I have always been fascinated with that era of music so I really enjoyed and appreciated talking to him.  I was also psyched to find out that he is a PC user and will be recording some of his upcoming projects in SONAR 8 Producer.

Later in the afternoon while my co-workers and Product Specialists Rich Curtis and Mike Trujillo were exemplifying all the features of the V-Studio 700,  I caught up with Producer / Mixer / Songwriter / Musician Chris Trevett who is a friend of mine that I haven’t connected with in a while.  Chris is an amazingly talented music guy who has two Grammys under his belt (yep 2!) and has worked with many iconic artists such as Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys and R. Kelly (to name a few).  He was stopping in to check out the new V-Studio 100 as well and I was psyched to catch up with him.

Chris relocated to Nashville from New York about a year and a half ago so he was able to fill me in on what the local music scene in Nashville is really like.  He is also working with some great international artists and I was able to get an interview with him, which will be featured on my Cakewalk Artist Spotlight series in the near future.  In the meantime, check out Chris Trevett’s website for more information on his work.

Later on in the afternoon things started winding down a bit as most of the people were attending the panels and performances.  I did get a chance to meet with new SONAR user Tiffany Shea and also the very talented Nashville Producer / Musician / Songwriter (and Artist) Nathan Meckel who has been busy working with LA-based Singer / Songwriter Sara Hayes as well as his own project “Upside of Envy”.

Nathan was checking out MIX/Nashville with his father Mark Meckel who owns Street Singer Music Publishing. Besides producing and writing for other artists, Nathan has got a great work-horse story and has played shows from Nashville to Israel and I think we will be hearing and seeing more from him in some bigger pictures soon.

To wrap up the conference, I was invited to check out a band called Pico vs. Island Trees and was pleasantly surprised at what I heard and saw.  I highly recommend you check them out.  The band has a very unique sound coupled with great songwriting and an authentic image that works well.  It was an exclamation point on a great trip and also a confirmation that this town is filled with ridiculously talented people.

Thanks to everyone who stopped in to check out the new V-Studio 100 and thanks to MIX Magazine for holding such a great event.

Thanks for reading,

Jimmy Landry
Cakewalk Artist Relations Manager

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Live From Mix Nashville 2009: First Stop, The Legendary Sun Studio

Hello, Hello from Memphis and Nashville!

I used to be in Nashville and Memphis from time to time in my past life of a touring musician, but I really forgot how amazing this region of the country is; especially in terms of music. The trip started out early yesterday (3am) when I left my apartment for Newark Airport and then magically found myself in Memphis 5 hours later. I’m not too much of a plane-sleeper but I knew I needed some ZZZ’s for what was going to be a very busy day in “The South”. I met up with Cakewalk’s PR head Steve Thomas at his hotel and we both found it funny that we have more face-to-face business meetings in random cities than we do in the Cakewalk Headquarters. The afternoon rolled in and we headed over to Sun Studio in Memphis.

If you are not familiar with Sun Studio, it’s one of the most famous studios in the United States and has turned out some of the biggest hits in our time some including tracks from Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, BB King, Roy Orbison and U2 to name a few. You might be wondering at this point why we would be visiting Sun Studio on a business trip and I can proudly tell you it’s because Sun Studio is powered by SONAR and as of yesterday, the new V-Studio 700 is at the helm. I had never been to the studio before and Steve has always mentioned how great of a vibe it has… and he wasn’t kidding.

First of all, head engineer James Lott is such a great guy and it was a pleasure to meet him finally. When he brought me into the studio, the combination of the room itself along with the gear and the memorabilia on the walls gave me an overwhelming sense of music history. I can totally understand why people still love to record in this room as it’s one of those places that triggers creative inspiration. Between the way the natural light hits the room, the décor (including authentic and rare photos of Elvis and other iconic artists) and the materials from which the studio was built, there is something very unique and inviting about this studio that I have never seen or felt before. The VS-700 looks great in the room and I’m looking forward to hearing all the tracks in the future that will be recorded on this system.

Continue reading “Live From Mix Nashville 2009: First Stop, The Legendary Sun Studio”

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Day 2: The Future Producers of Hip-Hop Battle It Out

Live From One Stop Shop Music Producers Conference Phoenix, Arizona, Day 2 (May 9th… 1am overlooking Phoenix city lights from a Jetblue red-eye to NYC)

Hope everyone had a Happy Mother’s Day! Day 2 technically starts at 12:00am from yesterday so I will pick it up from there. We found ourselves at Club PHX with Sha Money and many of the talented producers and artists who attended One Stop Shop. I have to admit, I had no idea that Phoenix was such an after-hours kind of town. The club was packed and as always when hanging with a bunch of musicians after midnight, the conversations flowed candidly about gear, projects and the state of the music industry.  Everyone I spoke with agreed that no matter how much turmoil the music industry is facing, it’s an amazing time for musicians who want to take control of their own music (and future) by empowering themselves with tools such as Cakewalk. As you will read later, this proved to be true from the OSS Beat Battle.

My wakeup call rang early. Seth Perlstein and I caffeinated up and prepared for what was to going to be a very busy day. The second day of the “V-100 Challenge” brought new talent early and with fury as MC’s jumped on the Cakewalk mic like it was nothing. I was amazed with some of these cats when I asked them if they wanted to hear the beat first…  or warm up… or something…  nope – these dudes would just step up to the mic and throw lyrics like they had been there all night practicing. Today we had some MC’s representing Boston, Phoenix, Florida, Dallas, Queens, Brooklyn and even Mississippi.  I’m glad I’m not the one deciding on who is walking away with SONAR 8 Producer. Thanks to all the cats that participated and please check Youtube this week for a V-100 video montage.

In between the action of the rap battles, we were pretty psyched to connect with some great producers in the game who stopped by to say hello and get a 1 on 1 taste of the new V-700, that is creating quite a buzz in the Hip Hop world. Neither Seth nor I had ever met Pete Rock and it was a pleasure to connect with him as well as Don Cannon, Just Blaze and Drumma Boy.  Throughout the day there were some pretty heavy panels going on as well.  Sway moderated a panel I caught in the afternoon with RZA, Just Blaze, Pete Rock, Steve Lobel, and many other pioneers in the game.  It was interesting to hear these guys comment on modern production and the state of the music industry.

Later on in the afternoon, we were approached by Microsoft Technical Evangelist, Arif Gursel, along with Sha Money who offered us an opportunity to demonstrate the V-700 right before dinner in front of all the conference goers.  It was a bit of work breaking down our booth and setting back up on stage but it was well worth it.  Seth Perlstein took the stage and did a great job going through some of the main features of the controller, interface, phantom synth and also fielded some questions from the crowd.

In the evening, I interviewed Lee Bannon who has been using SONAR and Project 5 on his recent project with Talib Kweli. Then we checked out the finals of the beat battle and it was crystal clear to me that we are in the middle of a music revolution.  Basically, any undiscovered producer could submit beats for this competition and it was ridiculous how crazy-good the final four contestants were.  Some of these new age producers are really thinking outside the box, that is outside the box with how they are constructing the beats, and the sounds were very refreshing to say the least.

Thanks again to Sha Money and I definitely recommend this conference to any up and coming Hip Hop producer for two main reasons:

1) It’s a great place to easily network with some name brand guys because the vibe is “we’re all in this together”.

2) It’s a great place to get your work out there if you really have an amazing talent.

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The Future of Hip-Hop At One Stop Shop

A big WHAT IS UP from Phoenix, AZ !!!

I have to say there’s a common thread of goodness here in Phoenix AZ this weekend; Sha Money (and staff), amazing weather, and great people all pooled together for one reason – the spirit and the state of Hip Hop and creating music.

My co-worker and Cakewalk Product Specialist Seth Perlstein and I rolled into town yesterday and we hit the ground running preparing our Cakewalk booth and demonstration area.  On a lighter note, we showed up at 7:30am and were well prepared for the day but there was one problem…  we failed to realize that we were on “Hip Hop time” and what was supposed to be a 10am start turned into a noon-time launch.  It’s all good? I utilized the time tapping into the wealth of SONAR knowledge that Seth has to offer.  That guy has more SONAR tricks than a magician has rabbits – thanks Seth!

What a great day we have had so far showing people the new V-Studio 100 as well as the V-Studio 700 and SONAR.  I’m getting a great response from artists who are digging the fact that you can throw the V-100 in your suitcase with a laptop and make a record when you land.

A few of our many friends and fans that have stopped by to say hello so far today include Che Vicious who is working on the new Dr. Dre record, Grammy winning producing team Play N Skillz, Q-tip, and Sha Money, but I think the show stealer was Che Vicious’s 6 year old son who logged about an hour of studio time with Seth, and then busted out a monstrous pose with the V-100 (I think we found a new spokesman).

On the plane ride into Phoenix I was thinking about ways to get people engaged with the new V-100.  So instead of just telling everyone how good the mic pre’s are I decided to trigger a way for them to hear it for themselves by having a weekend long contest called the “V-100 Challenge”.

Any willing, rap-battling street soldier can walk up to our booth and throw down a verse over a beat we created in SONAR.  When the weekend is over, we’ll (Cakewalk) take a listen back to all the tracks. The flow-fighter with the most convincing rap will have a shiny new copy of SONAR 8 Producer to make great music with.  So far, it’s been a blast and I think it’s going to be a tough decision.  We have heard some crazy talent step up to mic with representation from Hawaii all the way to Phili!

We were fortunate enough to get an invite to the conference party tonight at club PHX which should be a great time. A sincere Happy Mother’s Day to all from everyone at Cakewalk, and thanks for reading.

Jimmy Landry
Cakewalk Artist Relations