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Northeastern University Recognizes Young Composers

northeasternuniversityFor a 7th year, the Music Technology program at Northeastern University held an electronic music composition contest for high school composers. Students from across the Northeast US compete to receive a cash reward, music production software including Cakewalk’s SONAR Producer and the opportunity to perform their work at a public concert held on the university’s campus in Boston. Along with recognizing local talent, this contest gives Northeastern a great way to promote their Music Tech program, which educates students on the techniques of MIDI sequencing, sound design, audio for video, digital audio mixing and mastering, and the latest methods of delivering music over the Internet.

Congratulations to this year’s budding composers:

Kanki Suzuki
Class of 2012
Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
Composition: Rainy Day

Michelle Garcia
Class of 2011
Bay Shore High School, Bay Shore, NY
Composition: Ambient Snow Fall

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Find Your Inspiration at ASCAP's "I Create Music" Expo 2010

Do you write your own music? Propel your songwriting career into new heights at ASCAP’s fifth annual, I Create Music Expo. Launched in 2006, the ‘I Create Music’ Expo is the first and ONLY national conference dedicated to songwriting and composing.

From April 22 to April 24 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, attendees are invited to join in on celebrity Q&A’s, songwriting and composing workshops, publisher and business panels, DIY career building workshops, song feedback panels and state-of-the-art technology demos by leading music industry exhibitors. Over 200 panelists and performing artists are slated to attend, including keynote speakers: Quincy Jones, Ludacris, Justin Timberlake, Bill Withers and John Mayer!

Don’t miss the Cakewalk-sponsored session:

“Capturing the Moment”
with Recording Engineer and Producer TC (aka Spitfire)
Saturday April 23, 2010 at 11:10am (Runyon Room)

When you’re inspired, it’s critical that you capture the moment before it passes. Getting down an idea for a song is one thing, but wouldn’t it be amazing if what you captured were usable tracks, that sounded great and retained the energy of that first moment of inspiration?

As a recording engineer, producer, and remixer for demanding artists like Madonna, Paul Oakenfold, Michael Jackson, Shifty, and Sergio Mendes, TC aka Spitfire has made a name for himself by having what it takes to work fast and get killer results. In this special session, sponsored by Cakewalk, TC will provide practical advice on working with powerful, yet cost effective tools that you can use to capture the moment as it happens.

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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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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!

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Artist Appearances at NAMM 2010

NAMMVisit with Cakewalk at The NAMM Show 2010 from January 14 through January 17 in Anaheim, California! Stop by our new booth location (Hall A, #6700) to see live demonstrations on SONAR 8.5, the V-Studio 100 and the V-Studio 700. Be sure to grab an official Cakewalk Passport then take a short tour of our booth, to win a free t-shirt and be eligible to win a V-Studio 100!

Also, Cakewalk will be hosting a series of special artist presentations and performances throughout the show. Our confirmed artist appearances (dates and times) are as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010
2:00-2:45 Justin Lassen
4:00-4:45 Javier Colon

Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
11:00-11:45 Steven Slate
1:00-1:45 Cori Yarckin
3:00-3:45 Casey McPherson of Alpha Rev
4:00-4:45 Norman Matthew
5:00-5:45 Justin Lassen

Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010
11:00-11:45 Norman Matthew
12:00-12:45 Steven Slate
1:05-1:45 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
2:00-2:45 Shifty and the Big Shots
3:00-3:45 Cori Yarckin
4:00-4:45 Javier Colon

Visit our Special Event page for more information: http://www.cakewalk.com/events/namm2010/

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Music Radar's 12 Ways to Get More Out of SONAR 8.5

SONAR 8.5Make your New Year’s resolution one that you can be proud of. Dare to be more adventurous as a music-maker in 2010 with Music Radar’s 12 Ways to Get More Out of SONAR 8.5. With this guide, you’ll be able to manipulate SONAR’s tools for composing, editing and mastering your projects in ways you never thought possible.

Did you know that you can assign SONAR’s virtual instruments, such as Session Drummer 3, as well as project views, like the Matrix view, to your favorite controller? Trigger pre-loaded sounds and patterns from your controller with these tools and you’ll have a musical mash-up like no other. Does your vocal track need a little work? Use V-Vocal to create multi-part harmonies and AudioSnap to tweak the timing for a more realistic performance.

These tips and more can be found in hard-copy. Pick up Computer Music Magazine (January 2010) for a complete guide to the creatively-charged, SONAR 8.5.

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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.

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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!

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Producing Live DVDs with SONAR

Trev-Wilkins--Scadge-ProducFrom time to time, Engineer and Owner of Scadge Productions, Trev Wilkins gives us a brief update on his travels on the road and in studio. Here’s the latest:

It’s been a long time since I updated the blog but (fortunately) that’s due to being very busy.

The Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes DVD, Live in Rome, should be on sale now (everywhere!) after being completely mixed and tweaked in SONAR.

There’s another live album still in progress for Neil Innes (the 7th Python) and his reformed band Fatso from their anniversary tour. It includes a wide range of material that I recorded during the tour including Monty Python and Rutles songs. Currently residing in a SONAR folder, it should be out early next year.

We’ve just finished part II of the Raymond Froggatt Live DVD which should be going to press very soon. The band liked our setup so much that they’ve purchased SONAR and will be recording some material for their next album in our studio.

Continue reading “Producing Live DVDs with SONAR”