BARCELONA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - In an attempt to make up with consumers whose PCs have been exposed to unsecure copy-protection software which acts like malware, music publisher Sony BMG said on Friday it would swap unsecure CDs for new unprotected disks as well as unprotected MP3 files.

The music publishing venture of Japanese electronics conglomerate Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Germany’s Bertelsmann AG [BERT.UL] had already said last week it would temporarily suspend the manufacture of music CDs containing the controversial copy-protection technology.

The XCP copy-protection programme, developed by British software firm First4Internet and used by Sony BMG to restrict copying and sharing of music CDs, acts like virus software and hides deep inside a computer where it leaves the backdoor open for malicious hackers.

Sony BMG, after announcing a recall of some 4.7 million CDs with the software on Wednesday, said on Friday consumers could mail their CDs to the company, and they would receive a new unprotected CD in return.

Pending the processing of the exchange programme, consumers would also receive an email with details of a Website where they could download the music tracks as unprotected MP3 files.

Details of the swap programme can be found on http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/. Music CDs with the copy-protection software can be identified by a web address containing the letters XCP printed on the back of the box.

Last week the music publisher said it would do anything possible make amends with its customers who were outraged when the first viruses were discovered.

The XCP programme will have installed itself on a Windows-operated personal computer when consumers want to play 52 title CDs from Sony BMG. The vast majority of the CDs were sold in the United States.

The copy protection software has become a debacle for Sony BMG. Angry consumers filed a class action lawsuit, and Microsoft (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said it regarded the copy-protection software as malware and would make a tool available to uninstall the programme. Sony BMG also said it will make a new uninstall tool available, after the first uninstall method proved unsecure.

In the latest twist to the story, software engineers found earlier on Friday that the music player which is part of the XCP software contains components from an open source project, an MP3 player called LAME, raising questions about copyright.

First4Internet, which sold the XCP software programme used by Sony BMG on its CDs, declined to comment after repeated requests since Monday.

Sony BMG has re-emphasised that copy-protection software is “an important tool to protect our intellectual property rights and those of our artists.”

Musician Midge Ure has been presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Tartan Clef Awards.

The Band Aid co-founder and former Ultravox singer received the accolade at a ceremony in Glasgow.

The main award went to Hue and Cry, while newcomer Lucie Silvas was named as best breakthrough artist.

Alabama 3 won the best songwriters prize, while there were also honours for The Corries’ Ronnie Browne and percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

The awards are organised by the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity, which helps people with disabilities.

Raising money

The ceremony is in its seventh year, with the prizes being presented this year by Lulu.

Previous winners have included The Darkness, Edwyn Collins and violinist Nicola Benedetti

Chairman Donald Macleod said: “The Tartan Clef Awards go from strength to strength each year, raising an astonishing amount of money for the charity.

“The generosity of people on the night is a true testament that music really does have a place in everyone’s heart, and that awareness of the charity and the power of music therapy continues to grow.”

TORONTO (CP) - It’s becoming a regular occurrence in CD shops across the country: an irate customer comes in complaining the CD they bought won’t play on their computer, and worse yet, they can’t transfer the tunes to their IPod.

The culprit is copy-protected or copy-controlled CDs - something many Canadian music retailers say they would like to see pulled from store shelves.

“This is just another really, really ridiculous way of telling our customers, ‘We don’t want your business,’ ” said Tim Baker of Sunrise Records, which has 31 shops in southern Ontario.

“It’s so stupid.”

The issue was underscored last week with news that the anti-piracy technology used on about 50 Sony BMG titles released in the United States and 37 in Canada secretly left spyware behind on people’s computers.

The software - developed as a way to fight music piracy - made the machines susceptible to viruses and hackers. And trying to remove the software disabled CD drives.

Needless to say, the technology irked consumers. Thousands flocked to the web to vent, using blogs and online petitions to encourage people to boycott Sony products altogether.

“There’s still plenty of work to be done if we are to achieve our goal of being treated like the music lovers we are rather than the criminals that (Sony) assumes us to be,” read one posting on www.boycottsony.us.

Sony BMG said Friday that about 120,000 of the 4.7 million faulty CDs were sold in Canada.

They are not the only company to issue copy-protected CDs in Canada.

EMI has been releasing select albums - including the latest Nickelback album, All The Right Reasons - this way for about three years. The company intends to ship out all its releases with the technology by year’s end.

The EMI discs use different software than Sony BMG, and have yet to cause any computer troubles.

Labels say they need the technology in order to stop people from sharing music with those who haven’t paid for it.

Still, retailers say such technology is punishing those who are actually willing to fork over cash for music - an ever-dwindling group as it is.

“Consumers are not liking it,” says Leslie Purchase, assistant manager at CD Plus in the Halifax Shopping Centre. “People are getting very frustrated by (copy-protected CDs).”

She’s noticed an increase in customers who put CDs down after noticing the “copy-controlled” or “copy-protected” label.

“A lot of customers won’t buy them now. They say ‘I don’t want it’,” she said.

The copy controls are possible through digital rights management technology, or DRM. It lets labels restrict the number of times a CD can be shared - meaning burned or copied.

More controversial is the ability to control which programs consumers can use to playback their music. With EMI and Sony BMG discs, for instance, the music is compatible only with Windows Media Player but not with ITunes (for PC users).

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Apple Computer Inc. has unveiled a pencil-thin “iPod nano” digital music player and a long-anticipated cell phone that plays music like an iPod, both aimed at extending its domination of the digital music market.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs also said that in 2006, some 30 percent of all new U.S. cars will sport stereos that can easily connect to the iPod.

The seriously slimmed-down nano – about a quarter of an inch (0.6 cm) thick, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) long and 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) wide – drew “oohs” and “ahhs” from the audience at the product release in San Francisco, outdoing the buzz generated by the Rokr phone, which some said failed to meet high expectations for design.

The nano players, either all black or all white, are nearly as small as the entry-level iPod Shuffle but sport click wheels and hold up to 1,000 songs.

Apple has about 75 percent of the market for digital music players, with iPod sales about one-third of its total revenue, and Jobs said competitors had set their sights on the iPod mini, which he said was Apple’s best-selling iPod model.

The nano replaces the mini, and Gartner analyst Van Baker said that Apple – which has sold 21 million iPods since introducing them in 2001 – has moved the goal posts farther down the field with the nano. “It changes the rules of the game,” Baker said.

The iPod nano uses flash memory chips to store songs and photos, rather than the hard-disk drives that the iPod mini and the larger iPods use.
Test for music

The Rokr phone is Apple’s long-awaited foray into the wireless realm. Developed with Motorola Inc., it can store up to 100 songs and has a color screen, stereo speakers, stereo headphones and a camera. Cingular will be the first mobile carrier for the Rokr. Several operators in the United Kingdom are expected to offer the phone soon.

But some said the silver phone did not meet style expectations set by Apple’s iPod and Motorola’s slim flagship Razr phone, and others cited its limited song capacity for iPod users accustomed to carrying thousands of songs.

“It doesn’t have the emotive cachet that the Razr or the iPod has,” said Yankee Group analyst John Jackson. “When you whip this out in the bar, nobody’s going to say, ‘That’s a cool device.’”

The Rokr iTunes phone will be available in Cingular stores on Thursday.

No. 1 U.S. mobile service Cingular Wireless, a venture of SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp., will be the exclusive U.S. carrier of the phone, which it will sell for $249.99 to customers who sign up for a two-year service contract.

Cingular does not make money from the songs played on the phones, but hopes they will help boost sales and reduce customer defections to rival services. One analyst said it could become Cingular’s top-selling phone by next year.

“If this phone is easy to use, at this price I think it will fly off the shelves,” Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder said. “Cingular will reap the benefits of the combination of Motorola and Apple’s brands.”

The phone does not allow for wireless downloads, but it does eliminate the need for carrying two separate gadgets.

Motorola said the phone would be available in the United Kingdom at Carphone Warehouse Group’s stores in mid-September and with operators such as O2, Orange, BT Mobile, Virgin Mobile this month or next.

In the coming months, it is also expected to be available in countries such as Germany, Canada, Italy and France.

Motorola’s chief marketing officer, Geoffrey Frost, said the phone – the first in a whole family of Rokr devices – would be followed by more stylish designs.

“As this continues to develop you’ll see it become as iconic as our other new products,” Frost said, referring to a new products inspired by its Razr phone.
Flexible

As it tests the market for music on mobile phones, Apple is free to work with other handset makers and cellular service providers, said Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide product marketing, in an interview.

“We have flexibility to do many things,” Schiller said. He declined to comment on the financial arrangements of Apple’s partnership with Motorola and Cingular.

Music is expected to be one of the hottest new features in mobile phones, which already sport everything from cameras to video players.

Apple has to keep up a steady pace of innovative new music products to maintain the level of growth investors now expect.

Shares of Apple fell 12 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close at $48.68 on Nasdaq. So far this year, the stock has gained 52 percent and trades at about 34 times its projected earnings per share in fiscal 2006. Apple’s fiscal year ends in September.

Apple said it was teaming with car makers Acura, Audi, Honda and Volkswagen to integrate its iPod products into their car stereos for 2006 model lines.

Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

I still miss left eye alot and I can’t believe she’s dead and I was waiting until her solo album to come out it’s just so sad she died at the age of 30 in a car accident from head trama and I was about to break down .
and I got love for chilli and t-boz to for being strong and just being tlc now and forever and not ever replacing left eye no matter what they went through together and I under stand and respect them for that because I would do the same thing because it’s right so peace & and love to left eye and family 2005.

Upon reading the fine print on the ProTools website, the application will NOT run on Windows XP, 2000, NT, 95, or 3.1. I don’t actually know anyone who is still on ME or 98. I imagine it’s a ploy to get the user to buy the fulll version. Good luck.

This myspace playlist is pretty crazy…

:Link:

SPAS007: All new and original 8 track EP from Dsico That No-Talent Hack. No bootleges, no mashups. Raw Electronic Alt-Pop with guitars and vocals and stuff. Written and Performed by Luke Collison, recorded at Luke’s in Newtown/ Sydney. Great stuff!

http://plurn.com/play/161

BashPodder Was written and is maintained here by me (Linc) with the generous code contributions and great ideas of many of it’s users, some of whom have contributed modified scripts of their own. BashPodder was written to be small and fast, and most importantly, to conform to the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid). That way, anyone can add to and detract from the script to suit their own needs (and they are welcome to do so). BashPodder is listed in many places as a “Linux” podcatching client, and in fact, that is what I wrote it for initially, however, it should be noted that I have dozens of emails telling me how well it works on everything else, including but not limited to MaxOSX, Solaris, AIX, Net Open and FreeBSD, even windows and many other OS’s I have forgotten I am sure.

:Link:

Yeah! Very cool stuff on that blog!!

Check the Gemini mix!! unbelievable….

Came across drdrak.over-blog.com. Very cool assortment of topics and links. The retro stuff is great.

Plurn is an online playlist community, which is a folksonomy in the way it handles playlist content. Playlists can be browsed by tag, imort a page as a playlist and the new XSPF format is supported. The site has very nice text based look.

MPC Pad 187 is a full program editor for the Akai MPC 1000. The application allows for easy editing and creation of MPC 1000 program files. It can edit all values that are found in the Slider, Mixer, and Program modes of the MPC 1000 (Pads 1, 8, and 7) including their sub-windows.

The application also has some extra features such as the ability to assign note layout chromatically, auditioning of samples directly from the program, and concurrent editing of multiple programs.

New Features in version 1.1:

* Drag and drop samples to pads. Over 250 samples can be assigned at once!
* Drag samples between program files
* Drag samples out of program files into external audio editors
* Audition samples by clicking the pads
* Keyboard navigation shortcuts

Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3
Cost: Free

Since the movie is coming out I decided to see what happened to Douglas Adams h2g2 idea. It’s funny how much wikipedia is similar. Maybe because it was commercial it never flourished, anyway I consider the late Mr. Adams to be the inventor of the idea. I found these article interesting:

http://www.currybet.net/…/h2g2_and_wikipe.shtml

Venue: Acme Game Store & Gallery 1988
Event: “I Am 8-bit” Art Opening
Address: 7018 & 7020 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 (Corner of Melrose & La Brea)
URL: http://iam8bit.net
Time: 7pm - ?
Cost: free?
Bar: Suicide Girls

Comments: This is the opening night party for the “I Am 8-Bit” art exhibit at Gallery 1988. The exhibit features tons of 8-bit video game inspired artwork. The samples we’ve seen so far are wicked awesome!

Read all about it at the Game Informer Online

8 Bit Weapon at The Echo

Venue: The Echo
Event: Hang the DJs
Address: 1822 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
URL: Hang the DJs MySpace Page
Time: 9pm - ?
Cost: $?
Comments: 18+ !!! Performing with 8-Bit Rap Krew and other bands (we think)

:Link:

Kingston, ON - Avril Lavigne’s heart-felt song, “I’m With You", has been selected as the first song to fill the skies over Toronto, Canada in an upcoming acoustic magic show developed by Reichen Minogue of IMXLabs.com. Dubbed as the “show to end all shows", Minogue prepares the Canadian population for a “grand event” which will “dazzle humanity".

“The concept is a magical performance unlike any other prior magic-based stage production. Using advances in acoustic broadcasting and quantum sonic mechanics, we have eliminated the need for speakers outright. Music will literally engulf the entire greater Toronto area leaving no space void of Avril Lavigne’s voice. Her song will be heard in the middle of the night by no less than five million people during a single daily broadcast to be repeated over fourteen subsequent days", he stated during a recent telephone interview.

The show has been titled as ‘The Gabriel’s Trumpet Project’ and is currently still within pre-production in Cairo, Egypt by Artist Group Agency (AGA) and Reichen Group Corp (RGC).

No show date has been released.

Source: popmusic.org
Project Website: www.musicfromthesky.com

This site is funny.

This is too funny not to read.

“Dear Pitchfork, I know we don’t always get along. Sometimes you make me second-guess myself, and cause me to wonder how I could possibly be a good card-carrying indie music lover if I don’t care for some of the crap you love. You even tell me I’m a bad person for listening to something I think really isn’t so bad. And frankly, when you compare my music to “a flaccid penis protruding out from beneath a fold of flesh on a balding, middle-aged man", well, that just hits a little too close to home. Let’s not make this personal and hurt each other any more than we already have.”

Peerflix has come up with a great idea, tired of your old DVDs? Well, swap for some new DVDs.

:Link:

The site was have some severe CSS issues which have been fixed. Wordpress was in some kind of recursive loop when attempting to import the stylesheet URL. WP 1.5 here we come!

Here’s the beatsinspace playlist, great stuff! Streaming and download.
http://www.beatsinspace.net/playlists.html

A new addition to the MP3 mini-player market is SecondhandMonkeys. The site lacks detail; for example some more detailed tech specs would great. But nonetheless at $49.95 you can’t beat it. The come in a myriad of styles, and as the site says there are the size of a Pez dispenser.

Here are some specs for the M128 model.

Plays MP3 music files
Can be used as a USB drive to store any kind of data
Digitally Records voice memos
Organize your music in folders/directories
5 Equalizer Modes
Backlit LCD Display
128mb flash memory
SNR:85db
Output Frequency: +5MW(32ohm)
Frequency Response: 20HZ-20KHZ
Power: 1 AAA battery (included)
Size: 55mm x 22mm x 23mm
Weight: 25g (without battery)
Windows 98 driver included (no driver needed for Win2000/ME/XP)

The Rave MP is coming close to breaking the $100 barrier for a reasonable Mp3 player. It’s a 2.5GB MP3 Player/FM Tuner/Voice Recorder. Not bad at all. Here is where we found the deal.

This is great a “acid” version of Power Station’s Robert Palmer Some Like It Hot. Thanks dsico!

:MP3:

I was really hoping the new beatport.com MP3 website would be a welcome change to the previous version. However, sadly, it is not. The site is 100% Flash making it difficult to navigate and interface with. It’s really too bad, because they have been providing cutting edge independent music released in a non-DRM format. Hell, they’ll even let you download it as a lossless WAV file. It’s pay per download, and the music is well worth it, I just hope they don’t stay with Flash.

As you may already know LokiTorrent has ceased to exist instead the website has been replaced with an ominous warning, depicted below.

There are websites that provide legal downloads. This is not one of them.

This website has been permanently shut down by court order because it facilitates the illegal downloading of copyrighted motion pictures. The illegal downloading of motion pictures robs thousands of honest, hard-working people of their livelihood, and stifles creativity. Illegally downloading movies from sites such as these without proper authorization violates the law, is theft, and is not anonymous. Stealing movies leaves a trail. The only way not to get caught is to stop.

A Dallas federal court has ordered file-swapping site LokiTorrent.com to shut down and provide Hollywood lawyers with access to its full server logs, including data that could expose hundreds of thousands of people to copyright lawsuits.

The Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday that it had won a quick court victory against LokiTorrent, and was launching a new round of actions against other online piracy hubs. The data provided by the onetime file-swapping hub would provide “a roadmap to others who have used LokiTorrent to engage in illegal activities,” the trade group said.

Hard numbers on the site’s traffic are hard to come by. However, according to researchers at the Delft University of Technology, LokiTorrent was responsible for more than 800,000 downloads in the month of October alone.

MPAA executives said the information could “quite possibly” lead to lawsuits against individuals.

The Barrons are best known as the original pioneers of electronic music. In the 1950s, Louis and Bebe were considered part of the avante-garde performance art scene, making much of there own musical equipment and circuitry. After composing an amazing 4 minute electronic audio montage, they caught the eye of MGM studios, and landed a job as composers for an upcoming film. They were given only three months to come up with a soundtrack for Forbidden Planet. They headed back to there NYC studio and home to put together most of the audio production. The final post production was done here in Los Angeles (Culver City) and delivered to the studio in April 1956.

Bebe and Louis Barron

Here is an update on the Houston incident. We found this very graphic photo of an eye injury, we aren’t sure if it is a photo of Houston or of the Geto Boys rapper who was shot in the eye. Please comment if you know. WARNING: THIS PHOTO IS VERY GRAPHIC.

PSOFT produces a new kind of pitchshifting tool. We don’t have a demo, but it looks pretty good. The prices appear to be in Yen; I imagine you can buy it in the USA. It claims to be able to shift the audio stream in realtime.

New CHRONOStream is the new sonic software that based on the world-class high-quality time and pitch scaling sound technology “PHISYX". It provides the natural and superior time stretching and pitch shifting effect as you likes to all kinds of audio file.

:Link:

Well from time to time we like to take pictures around here. The problem is they always need resizing before the are posted. Along comes the extra nifty ViewNResize, a kick-ass JPEG resizing program from Mr. Xavier Poulain. Requires the .NET Framework.

ViewNResize v. 3.0 by Xavier Poulain
Size: 386k WinXP 02-Feb-2005

ViewNResize is a multilingual Jpeg file viewer that allows you to easily resize images by resizing the program’s main window. Once the image’s size suits you, you can save it, send it directly by email without changing your original or put it in an image basket to send it later with other pictures. Requires the .NET Framework.

“The devil made him do it", representatives for R&B singer Houston said in a statement explaining how his eye was seriously gouged. Houston’s publicist issued a statement Thursday night denying reports he tried to take his life by jumping from a London hotel window last week. The statement said Houston “found himself in the midst of a spiritual battle against the evil that runs rampant in the entertainment industry.” Houston, whose 2004 single I Like That was used in a McDonald’s commercial, was found in his London hotel room with a serious eye injury. He was briefly in hospital.

“I went to check on him before going to bed and I saw blood on the floor,” Houston’s bodyguard, Marco Powell, said in the statement. “Houston was lying on his bed with a towel over his face and I removed the towel to find his eye hanging out. He said he had to get the devil off of his back and that’s the only way he could kill the devil.”

Houston, whose full name is Houston Summers, is a Los Angeles resident. He was raised strictly Christian and was “constantly at odds with the temptations that come with success in the music business,” the statement said.The incident prompted a statement from Bushwick Bill of the rap group The Geto Boys. In 1991, a severely intoxicated Bushwick forced his girlfriend to assist him in a suicide attempt. She shot him in the eye but he miraculously survived.

“Fame will make you crazy,” Bushwick’s statement said. “I want Houston to know that he is in my prayers and that I will ask God to give him peace of mind and peace of heart and I hope his eye heals as well as his mind and his emotions.” Houston was recuperating Friday at his Los Angeles home. The condition of his eye was not known. “I still love all my fans. Please pray for me and know I’ll be back with some more hits,” Houston said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The recording industry sued Gertrude Walton, accusing her of illegally trading music over the Internet as “smittenedkitten.”

But the lawsuit was filed more than a month after the 83-year-old woman died in December, and her daughter says Walton hated computers, anyway.

A group of record companies named Walton as the sole defendant in a federal lawsuit, claiming she made more than 700 songs available for free on the Internet.

Walton’s daughter, Robin Chianumba, lived with her mother for the last 17 years and said her mother objected to having a computer in the house.

“My mother wouldn’t know how to turn on a computer,” Chianumba said.

She said she faxed a copy of her mother’s death certificate to record company officials several days before the lawsuit was filed, in response to a letter from the company regarding the upcoming legal filing.

“I am pretty sure she is not going to leave Greenwood Memorial Park (where she is buried) to attend the hearing,” Chianumba said.

A Recording Industry Association of America spokesman said Thursday that Walton was likely not the smittenedkitten it’s searching for.

“Our evidence gathering and our subsequent legal actions all were initiated weeks and even months ago,” said RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy. “We will now, of course, obviously dismiss this case.”

eXeem Lite is an adware free version of eXeem. The current eXeem contains Cydoor, which is rated as adware. You can find out more below. –UPDATED–

:Link:

8bitpeoples offers plenty of reviews and links to great “chip” music from around the world. They’ve been spreading the love since 1999 and even perform live shows. The 8bitpeoples consist of Bit Shifter, Mesu Kasumai, Nullsleep, Sabastian Boaz, Tangible, Ten and Tracer, Tet, Twilight Electric and Yuppster.

“We continue to provide the vast majority of all our releases for free, including printable covers and inserts so that anyone with the desire to can “manufacture” physical copies of our albums. Furthermore, limited runs of most of our releases are available, offering superior sound quality to the mp3 releases and occasionally bonus tunes.”

:Link:

The O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference (ETECH) is coming up this March 2005 and will take place in Sand Diego. Judging by the programs and speakers this year, it’s going to be a big one. The Birds of a Feather (BOF) events are wide open and could turn out to be very interesting.

“Just some of the themes you’ll find reflected in this year’s ETech program are: The grand vision of web services is morphing into the more useful–and profitable–goals of providing alternate interfaces to data and services. Social networking services are groping for more dimensions of value. Wireless meshes made of small devices continue to accelerate decentralization. Mobile devices of many forms and functions now inhabit desktops, pockets, and cars. Hackers have discovered the joys of cracking open devices to prod and mod, using cheap, off-the-shelf technology.”

:Main:
:Register:

Ok, so we loved the rare brasilian vinyl posted on Sabadabada. Make sure that you check out the album covers.

Sabadabada shares a phenomenal collection of rare brazilian vinyl posted as MP3s. We are warning you the selection is top notch, containing tunes from Eumir Deodato, Orlann Divo, Brasilia Modern Six, Bossa 4 and more. I can imagine these won’t be up for long so check ‘em out.

:Link:

I told you we’d would have some photos direct from NAMM.

“The Cwejman S-1 is a semi-modular synthesizer featuring a unique sound circuit solution. In other words, this is no mere copy from the synthesizers of the 60s or 70s.

Semi-modular means that all functions and modules (oscillators, generators, filters, etc.) are linked. The synthesizer is preconfigured, but the configuration can be changed at will. All signals can be used as sounds or modulation sources and all parameters: pitch, pulse width, volume, and resonance, etc., can be modulated from any source. You can imagine the creative opportunities waiting for you inside this instrument!

The most unique feature of the product is the sound processing circuits that produce the unmistakable Cwejman Sound: a warm, fat, and genuine analogue sound.

Sound quality is consistent and powerful, especially in the bass register. The Cwejman S1 has a distinct sound and packs enormous possibility in a compact package.”

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We saw this synth at NAMM at the Big City booth after they turned the lights out, I just had to snap a photo. It reminded me of something out of WarGames.

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This is quite the hardware home, because the neKo 64 is basically a computer built into a musical instrument, and almost anything VST you run on a Windows computer can run on the neKo’s computer.

The computer is based on an AMD Opteron 64-bit processor, and accesses up to 8GB of RAM to allow loading huge numbers of samples and RAM-hungry programs. It not only hosts VST plug-ins, but is equipped with PCI slots that can accept up to full size cards, including those from Creamware and Digidesign. It also has an included Ethernet port for direct Internet access, making it easier to download upgrades, sounds, and applications. Bundled software includes GigaStudio 32, SonicSynth with Sample Tank LE, Traktion, Orion Pro, Karsyn, and over 40 VST and VSTi plug-ins.

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With names like the “Agonizer” and “Butt Probe” these things sounded like torture devices. That’s pretty much what they do to the sound. Very nice tools indeed.

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Stevie brought an instant crowd to this booth, it wasn’t quite loud enough, but that didn’t matter it was Stevie Wonder.

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Joergen, the head engineer at Radikal Technologies gave a mind numbing demo of the Spectralis synth.

“The Spectralis is the first groove-oriented Instrument, which combines the LIVE usability of the latest digital technology with the best elements of proven analog technology. We also have thrown in some other cool features which give the synthesizer much more flexibility than anything seen before. While traditional Sequencers are limited to playing back rhythm patterns and tone sequences, the step Sequencer of the SPECTRALIS makes possible highly complex sound creations which opens up completely new worlds of sound when used in connection with the programmable FIXED FILTER BANK. In addition to its outstanding analog sound possibilities the SPECTRALIS also provides DSP based sound creation, which takes care of all the ancillary needs for drumsounds and polyphonic voices. This sound creation is 48 voice and offers killer drum sounds, creamy pads and a lot of other goodies.”

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This kid was cuttin’ some MP3s on da wheelz-o-steel.

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Wow, a real Mellotron! I sat and talked to this guy from Sweden, who is the only person in the world to manufacture these babies. The classic sound is unmistakable.

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Just got back from NAMM 2005, man have we got some hot gear to share. Red-hot gear porn pictures coming soon. Stay tuned to emusiq.com.

This article from the SF Bay Guardian is very compelling. To summarize:

“1. The Supreme Court rules on P2P For better or worse, the biggest legal fight over file sharing will be finished by next Christmas. The Supreme Court is scheduled to decide whether makers of P2P software – and by extension other technology makers – are responsible for the sins of their customers. When its opinion comes down next fall, it will tell us what Napster’s demise never did: whether or not it’s legal to make and distribute file-sharing software. This won’t stop the record labels from continuing to sue anything with a heartbeat and a DSL line, but that news will look silly next to the fact that …

2. File sharing continues to soar The Recording Industry Association of America has sued more than 7,000 alleged file sharers since 2003, but P2P traffic has actually increased. By some counts, 60 million Americans have tried file sharing. New P2P programs are released faster than J.Lo can get engaged. There’s no reason to think these trends won’t continue or increase. The year 2005 will be the “best year ever” for P2P, and the medium’s continued popularity means …

3. Artists look for plan B When it becomes clear that the RIAA’s slash-and-burn campaign hasn’t stopped file sharing, musicians will start to wonder if there’s a better way to move forward. Would it be possible to create a system in which P2P joins CD sales, concert revenues, and radio licenses as another way to pay the bills? The answer is yes, and the technology is finally available to make it happen. The trick is to make it feel free to the public while collecting money for creators. “

:Link:

MP3 manufacturer Reigncom, recently described as an “outstanding firm” by Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, is making waves by using an adult film star in advertising for its new products.

Reigncom late last year introduced its portable multimedia player (PMP) onto the U.S. market, hiring U.S. porn starlet Jenna Jameson to appear in advertisements.

Industry sources say it was a pragmatic move. “One cannot ignore people using the PMP to watch adult material,” said one. “I think they were targeting these customers when we hired a porn actress.”

“Males are the primary target for most digital equipment,” said another. “We tried to find an entertainer easily recognized by men, and we selected Jenna Jameson. There was nothing else behind the decision.” Company officials said.

As seen in this photo released in New York by Hasbro, Inc., Friday, Jan. 14, 2005, Hasbro, Inc.’s Playskool division is launching a new Mr. Potato Head figure, Darth Tater. Available at stores nationwide in February, kids will be able to have all kinds of mix ‘n match,Mr. Potato Head fun with this wacky spud dressed as the infamous Star Wars saga villain, Darth Vader. (AP Photo/ Hasbro, Inc., HO)

Back again is Yamaha Electronics Corporation’s revolutionary new home theater component, the Yamaha Digital Sound Projector. The YSP-1 is a one-of-a-kind single source multi-channel surround sound speaker system that features an array of 42 drivers driven by digital amplifiers with “steering logic” to deliver high-quality surround-sound, ideal for flat panel plasma displays in home theater installations. The demo we heard at Yamaha’s booth was most impressive, portraying an immersive and convincing surround sound field, very good frequency extension and dynamic range. This system will get reviewed by Audioholics later this year as we’re curious to see how well it emulates 5.1 in a typical home theater environment.

Somewhat ahead of its time, the YSP-1 applies sophisticated digital sound projector technology to control the orientation of the sound from its speakers by focusing it into directional “beams.” The stylish slim, wall-mountable unit uses a 40-driver, dual subwoofer system to achieve a high-quality five-channel surround sound performance for movies, music, digital audio, satellite TV, cable TV or other multi-channel sources. The YSP-1 is designed for a variety of room configurations; sound can be directed and reflected off the walls, which provides the listener true surround sound. For optimal performance the Digital Sound Projector should be positioned in the front of the room in the center or in the corners. A variety of customization modes ensure that the surround sound is optimized for all types of conditions.

Yamaha employs Digital Sound Projector Technology to provide “holographic surround sound” from a single flat panel, which forms a multi-channel sound beam to achieved precise control of the delay characteristics of multiple speakers. The YSP-1 projects flat wave fronts of sound and appears to listeners to be located at different points on the panel or via reflections off walls at different points in the room.

An elegant design makes the Yamaha Digital Sound Projector an ideal match for flat panel displays. Naturally, as a single unit, additional speakers and wiring are not necessary. As a result, the YSP-1 is an excellent solution for enthusiasts that opt to build a home theater system around a large flat-screen TV and desire a neat, uncluttered, unobtrusive system to match the interior of a room. The YSP-1 will appeal to a variety of users including first-time home theater system buyers.

Other features include Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II compatibility, On-Screen Display, Night Listening Mode, and three memory locations for storing particular settings. The YSP-1 easily connects to existing set ups via two optical inputs, one coaxial digital input, and two analog inputs. There is a even a subwoofer output. In addition, a RS-232C interface is provided for customization and a preset remote control is included that can also control TVs and DVD players.

The YSP-1 is priced at $1499.95 and will be available in March 2005.

For more information visit http://www.yamaha.com/home/

Pitch Black is hosted by the two german deejays KENT & ADIM (Detonation) from that stoned little town on the border called Aachen. We bring you the finest selection of Drum&Bass, Jungle and Oldskool music featuring special guests from all over Europe. Check our weekly newsletter, that includes all important info´s about fourthcoming shows. We broadcast LIVE every Sunday between 20:00h - 23:00h (GMT+1) trough the SHOUTcast network. Interact and watch our tracklistings on the Flashchat during live broadcast. All other times you can listen to our archives, that include 2 previously recorded shows.

Streaming: 64kbps mp3 mono at 44.1kHz.
Livestream: http://borderbreaks.org/pitchblack.m3u
Website: http://borderbreaks.org/
Clients: Winamp (Version 2.x or 5.x) for Windows, XMMS for Unix and iTunes for Mac.

The Medusa is a chorus tremolo pedal capable of either chorus, tremolo or both simultaneously.

The Controls:

Velocity - This controls the rate of both Chorus and Tremolo - they are permanently synched to enable the creation of new sounds.
Iridescence - this is a six way rotary switch which enables the user to chose from 6 different chorus .This control lets you chose from the most swampy, blurpy, pitch shiftingest sounds through to crystal clear Andy Summers type tones. When in tremolo mode the control can be set to position anywhere between 1-5 to get a triangle lfo or in position 6 to get a lofi squarewave.
Bathos - This controls the Depth of the chorus - from swampy to shimmery
Blend - this controls the mix of clean signal and chorus signal - so you can dial in just the amount you want.
Magnitude - controls the depth of the tremolo.
Guise - controls the pedals function - chorus, tremolo or chorustrem.

Nifty Stuff:

The second footswitch can be engaged to drop the speed of the tremolo to a rate preset by the user through a small trimpot inside the unit.
The overall output of the pedal can be set below and far above unit gain via a small trimpot inside.
The velocity can be controlled by an external expression controller (available Feb 2005) attached to the exp socket.
GORGON MODE - there is a small switch inside the unit which, when engaged, shifts the LFO into GORGON mode. This creates a much deeper shift in the LFO and opens the possibility of even more extreme chorus sounds.
Superbrite Red LED which pulses in time with the sweep of the tremolo of chorus.
The Chorus uses NOS bucket brigade chips to create its lush sound. The signal path is totally analog.
Stereo Chorus Output.
Power is from either a 9 volt batery housed inside the unit or from the industry standard Boss PSA power supply into the 2.1mm barrel socket (center negative).
Truebypass (buffered in stereo chorus mode)
The diecast aluminium enclosure has an average thickness of 2mm which is roughly twice that of your average hammond box - nice and strong, yes!
The units are powdercoated in artctic white and then have their spangly graphics screenprinted on in blood red.
Medusa uses full size 24mm alpha pots - they last forever.

The new Muse Research Receptor is somethign to behold. My PC just can’t take all the VST plugins I force it to load.

Here is the what the literture has to say:

“Easy to use. Just turn Receptor on, dial up a VST plug-in, and start making music. Optimized for live performance, Receptor will amaze you with a library of pre-installed plug-ins and lightning fast MIDI response.

Designed for musicians on the go. From its super quiet operation in the studio to its rugged rack mount enclosure, Receptor is a tool designed to help you get your act together and then take it on the road.

Receptor is a 2U rack-mountable multi-timbral sound and effects module that runs standard VST instruments and effects. It combines the power of a computer with the ease-of-use, portability and reliability of dedicated synth and effects hardware.

Receptor’s intuitive, mixer-like architecture combines up to 16 different audio sources, which can be either internal VSTi instruments or external analog/digital inputs. Each source is then routed through its own inline effects matrix that allows three VST plugins to be configured in every possible parallel/series arrangement. From there, each source is sent to a dedicated mixer channel, where the sound can be further processed by sending it to two dedicated effects busses, each with another fully configurable VST effects matrix. Need more processing? There is yet another VST effects matrix on the master output, for mastering and sweetening effects. ”

KVRaudio / Muse Research, will be at the Winter NAMM Show 2005 in Anaheim, California, USA, between January 20th - January 23rd.

If you are visiting the show please drop by our booth (#1101, Hall E) and say hello! We’ll have a couple of Receptors being put through their paces and several special guests will be passing through (schedule to be confirmed).

We will also be featuring various third party plug-in developers who will be demoing their “Receptorized” plug-ins on Receptor. (Schedule to be confirmed).

:Link:

Just reminder that the 2005 NAMM show is coming up. So much music gear so little time!

NAMM Show Hours
Thursday January 20th 10 AM - 6 PM
Friday January 21st 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday January 22nd 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday January 23rd10 AM - 5 PM

:Link:

Very nice dub mix by way of breaksblog.biz.

“King Tubby is to this day synonymous with dub. He was a man who had a passion for fiddling with sound equipment, and turned that passion into a new musical genre and a veritable art form. He may have started his career as a repairman, but before he was done, his name was one of the most respected around the world. He worked with virtually every artist in Jamaica, and his name on a remix was like gold, a seal of quality that was never questioned.”

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You’ve probably heard about cueing up Dark Side of the Moon with Wizard of Oz and somehow they match up. Yeah but who has actually gone through with it and done it? Well take it a step further with Dub Side of the Moon vs Wizard of Oz brought to you with holiday cheer from the Iconscious crew. By way of blentwell.com.

A new open source DVD rip pack available on sourceforge.net. This thing contains about everythingneeded to make a proper DVD rip.

Gordian Knot started out as a simple bitrate calculator for DivX encoding but has evolved to become an integrated package or tool for the entire process of DivX/XviD encoding.

:Link:

Press Relesase: Leading RSS Software Platform Provider NewsGator Supports DivX Connected Certification Program

NewsGator Technologies, the leading RSS software platform provider, today announced support for the upcoming DivX Connected Certification Program from DivXNetworks, Inc. Through the program, users will be able to easily access RSS news and information feeds from the popular NewsGator Online service on their televisions through low-cost, connected consumer electronics (CE) devices such as DVD players and set-top boxes.

NewsGator Technologies has a number of cutting-edge content management/aggregation offerings, including NewsGator’s free online service. NewsGator Online is a state-of-the art web-based aggregator, where users can track all their favorite RSS and news feeds online at no charge. The DivX Connected Program is a comprehensive technology initiative that will bring together online service providers, independent software vendors, integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers and consumer electronics (CE) original equipment manufacturers to create interoperable products and services that enable consumers to easily access digital media from networked devices throughout the home.

“With a dynamic range of RSS feeds that allow consumers to instantly access news and information, the NewsGator service is a perfect fit for the DivX Connected Program,” said Paul Sarena, Product Manager, DivX Connected Program at DivXNetworks. “In the near future, users will be able to easily access all their favorite news and information services, personal media content and a range of premium content not just on the PC but throughout the house. NewsGator is uniquely positioned to play a vital role in that scenario.”

From podcastreviews.net:

The Bitterest Pill
Format: online blog post
Content: Comedy, commentary and music from a stay-at-home dad/shut in
Rating: 4 stars
What I’m going to do: listen often
Typical Length: 20 - 30 minutes

“I recently spoke to Daniel Tierdiman for his latest article on podcasting (Wired News: You, Too, Can Be a Podcaster, if you’re interested). He didn’t use much of what we talked about, probably because the other folks he talked to (Dave Slusher, Doc Searls, Carl Franklin, and Andrew Leyden, to name a few) had much more interesting and insightful things to say.”

LAS VEGAS – Perhaps it’s too early to pick a best-of-show product among the thousands that came to play at CES, but as of Friday afternoon, my early candidate is Yamaha’s Digital Sound Projector, the $1,500 YSP-1.

This is what you’d call, in computerese, a no-brainer solution. Essentially it’s a strip of 42 tiny speaker drivers, hidden behind a handsome grill in a piece that is matched to sit just under a 42-inch flat panel monitor.

Each of the speakers has its own digital amplifier, and technology to control the orientation of the sound. So that multi-channel surround soundtracks play back with unerring precision and drama: sound is beamed or reflecting off the wall surfaces to create the surround illusion. And there’s only a couple of messy cables to bother with. Stylish and sonically sophisticated, it’s a keeper.

iPod makes an appearance
Apple Computer has its own showcase - a little soiree call Macworld that opens Monday in San Francisco. But that hasn’t kept the iPod out of the spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Here in Las Vegas, the idea is that the iPod belongs in the dash as well as in the pocket. Pioneer and Clarion want car owners to be able to directly hotwire their music players to built-in car stereos and to use the stereos’ controls to access and play the iPod-stored music. Pioneer’s adaptor will cost $140 when it’s released in March. Clarion’s more complex system is due next month, no pricing yet.

BMW now has some models whose steering wheels incorporate iPod controls, and the automaker also offers a $149 iPod-stereo adapter that lets users control the device through the steering wheel. Driving into DVD market
About 300 miles separates the Los Angeles Auto Show from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. So imagine my suprise when I came across the Hyundai and Daewoo exhibits among brands like Sharp and Pioneer and Samsung.

Both Korean manufacturers were showing off flat-panel TVs, DVD players and an assortment of other plug-in delights, none with specs that mentioned horsepower.

Ring tones for the car?
Ride Tunes might not be the the Next Big Thing, but it’s a start. And it’s clever: a little box that installs in newer cars with remote, keyless entry systems. When you lock or open the car or pop the trunk using the remote, a song plays. Or somebody shouts.

The options are nearly endless. The Ride Tunes box accepted sounds via download from your computer, There’s a Ride Tunes library available: one choice is, “Will you marry me?”

The system is scheduled to go on sale in March for about $150.

LokiTorrent is officially being sued by the MPAA (view) and is asking for donations. Unlike SupNova.org, the site has not folded under legal pressure to cease operation. The site has set a legal find goal of $30,000, however it is possible that may not be enough to cover all of the legal and operating costs.

micro music is site completely dedicated to 8-bit and computer generated music.

“basically “musical research” is the most accurate description of the micromusic.net activities. even though music produced on low_budget equipment and retro computer games sounds was the focus at the beginning of the micromusic project we always had far more in our minds than that. the internet is still in its first years and topics like how to build up ’special_interest_communities’, advanced realtime communication tools and highly optimized interface design were also quite important to us.

the micromusic crew realised a multimedia_website which is unique on the worldwideweb within less than 2 years. the very active and rockin’ micro_community counts almost 3000 people now and the quality of the uploaded lowtech_tunes has reached a level which defines a new standard in the territory of low_tech music and online music communities.”

:Link:

You will now notice on the home page that we have added RSS feeds to all our favorite sites. Happy New Year 2005!