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May 2001Alive SoundFont Editor Pete Booth sends news of his new SoundFont Editor to be released in June. Its called Alive but sadly, we had nothing to do with it!
Mark from 3DsoundSurge sends news of their latest speaker review. I envy these guys. They have so many speakers to play with! In this review we take a look at the MidiLand S4 7100 Plus Dolby Digital 5.1 System. It's a $300 MSLP system that takes the basic elements of the 7100M/original and combines them with a new Dolby Digital decoder called the ADS-3000. The ADS-3000 unit is functionally similar to the ADS-2000, but in a larger box with slight, put positive, performance changes from the ADS-2000 along with a larger remote control. On top of Dolby Digital decoding duties it now also serves as the control box for the system. The system comes with 5 identical satellites using 2.5-inch drivers, a powerful subwoofer using a 6.5 inch driver, a large power supply, the necessary speaker wires and cables and is driven by an amplifier that can deliver 100 Watts RMS. In this review we will take a detailed look at how it performs and offer some comparisons to some other Dolby Digital systems that we have tested. We also show you how the system can be optimized for use with 4 and 6 channel sound cards for gaming.
Jonh Schaap sent news that the XPLAIN studioware website has moved to http://members.tripodnet.nl/xplain. The popular LiveControl is now up to version 3.2. It allows you full control of the parameters in the EMU10K1's MIDI synth.
I have received several mails with problems on SMP systems. I have read that it requires a complicated method to disable SMP and get the sound card drivers to work on only one processor. I will be adding information on this issue in the tech section. Unfortunately, I am not one of the lucky folks who have a SMP system, so if you do and have managed to get your setup working, please tell us how you did it.
Alan Cheung from Studio AX dropped a note to inform us that version 1.3 of the Grand Piano One SoundFont is released. In this version 1.3 of Grand Piano One (GP1), we have further improved the quality of the samples to deliver the most realistic and faithful piano performance. We have also added 8 new piano presets, which gives a total of 62 presets for GP1. Some amendments have also been made in order to facilitate faster downloads for new customers.
After the success in reducing Napster to its current state, the recording industry has now set its sights on Aimster, which allows users of AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) to share files. More: The Register, MSNBC
After garnering rave reviews from magazines and users for their ProMedia v.2-400, 2.1 and 4.1 speakers, Klipsch extends their product line with a brand new 5.1 speaker system which is also THX certified. The press release doesn't mention a built-in Dolby Digital decoder so I am guessing that it works with sound cards that have discrete 6-channel outputs, like the SBLive! 5.1 cards. More: Press Release
Want to get started making music? ZDNet's Anchordesk has some music software recommendations to get you started.
The Sony/Philips ownership of CD Audio technology is expiring mid of 2001 and they have been pushing SACD as the next generation audio format. Meanwhile, another group is promoting DVD-Audio as a better solution. Confused? Find out more in this article at CNET Electronics.
3DSpotlight has a guide which has a few tips to tweak your soundcard, set up your speakers to get that ultimate sweet sound from your equipment. Useful stuff, so I've added it to the speaker positioning tech page. Send us your tips too.
ZDNet News has an interesting article on the recording industry's greed.
Microsoft has finally released the service pack that is supposed to fix the AC3 passthrough issues. Click here for the SP2 page. The Register reports that SP2 is reported to introduce some additional problems on some systems (doesn't Microsoft always do that?), including killing hibernation (see this discussion thread at BetaNews), however do let us know if it works and if your AC3 passthrough problems are solved. If WinDVD works, it would be a good sign.
Napster has just released the latest client software with technology from Relatable, which attempts to sniff out copyrighted tracks when users are sharing them. How well does this work? More: The Register
A new software Songbird gives the music industry a tool to see which of their songs are being shared. It includes some support to search for variations and even Pig Latin. More: The Register
Napster is reported to be in talks with Microsoft to use the company's Windows Media technologies for its upcoming subscription based services. With users and the number of shared files plumetting, I wonder how long Napster can hold out - and they're asking for you to pay them to let you share your own files with others, for that matter! More: The Register
Some hardware reviews for your reading pleasure!
Choice Game Music has a beta of their software which allows you to choose your own music from CDs or MP3s in games like Unreal Tournament or Quake III.
Cirrus Logic, supplier of popular DSPs for sound cards have acquired networked audio company, Peak Audio. Expect to see consumer solutions from Cirrus Logic to allow you pipe music throughout your home! More: Read the Press Release
Gamesdomain has an interview with Kevin Manthei Shiny's Sacrifice and Nihilistic's Vampire the Masquerade, as well as scoring for films. Read what he has to say about the differences between composing for both mediums.
The latest version of this region code switching and tweaking app for software DVD players is released. Click here for the DVD Genie site.
7am News has some interesting information and screenshots of a software called Media Tracker that is developed to passively monitor IRC chatrooms, Napster, and other search engines to track down copyright violators.
Steinberg has an interview with film score composer Hans Zimmer, who uses Cubase in his studio. Hans Zimmer did the music for Gladiator (with Lisa Gerrard), and won a Golden Globe. Put in my vote for Hans to nab the Oscar tomorrow!
Creative CEO, Sim Wong Hoo, will be giving out S$2,000 to each retrenched staff from his own pocket, and an option for a loan of another S$2,000 for employees who are really in need. (US$1 = approx S$1.78) Read this news article at CNET Singapore.
Anandtech has a review of the VideoLogic DigiTheatre DTS, which they termed the "Ferrari of sound". You got it right, it has DTS as well as Dolby Digital decoding packed into 220W RMS of output.
The Adrenaline Vault interviews Tim Larkin, music composer and audio director at Cyan (Myst and Riven).
After implementing energy-saving measures to cut operating costs in Creative's Singapore office, Creative now takes a drastic step to cut 10% of their workforce worldwide, which is around 550 jobs. Check out news articles from CNET Singapore and CNET News.com.
Music available on Napster was halved since the filtering came into effect. In order to comply with the demands of the recording industry to prevent trading of copyrighted material, Napster is enlisting the help of Gracenote's CDDB to filter different variations of a song's title. In an attempt to kurb song title scramblers, Napster has also requested Aimster to remove their Pig Latin encoder.
3d Retreat has a review of the Kima KS110 Wireless Audio System which consists of a transmitter and receiver unit to allow you to transmit sound wirelessly to another location.
Sony introduces new 1.3GB CD-Rs and CD-RWs discs, which are dubbed DD-R and DD-RW. Will they catch on? Check out this news article at ZDNet.
Here's an interesting article from Inside on a technology called InTether, which was born in the military arena during Desert Storm. The creators say it prevents digital copying by destroying the document and locking down your system.
Review Zone has an "audio guide" which is actually a roundup of many speakers from Klipsch, Cambridge SoundWorks, Logitech, Midiland, Jazz, Diamond Audio and Videologic.
With the Napster proceedings hitting the headlines lately, there has also been a focus on copyright technology. This news article at MSNBC speculates on the end of fair use, and the use of copy protection technology to even prevent legal copying.
Alex informs me that Outpost is currently accepting preorders for the Sound Blaster Live! for Mac. If you've tried one of these babies, do tell us how it performs.
3DsoundSurge reviews the Labtec LCS-2514 4.1 speaker system. Its quite a good bargain at under $100!
TechTV has a roundup of 3 speaker systems. The JBL Sonnet, Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 and Acoustic Energy Aego2.
Since Napster started to filter filenames, the workarounds have started to come in! The Aimster Pig Encoder encodes the filenames in Pig Latin. I don't know how effective it is, but do check it out.
Can't afford the Live!Drive? You can check out the FrontX CPX Multimedia Ports review from Acid Hardware, which bring all the connectors behind the sound card to the front of your PC with a 5.25" drive bay. Works with all sound cards!
The EAX web site has an interview with Jon Stone, Game Programmer and Sound Designer from Blizzard.
This news article at CNET News takes a look at new software that aims to stop you in your tracks with music & media files from the Internet.
Napster will begin to filter off the filenames of songs provided by the recording industry this weekend. This article from CNET News provides the details. Meanwhile, another article reports that other file sharing services don't plan to follow suit.
Silicondreamz has a review of Winamp 3 Alpha 2. K-Files has put up a copy of Winamp 3.0 Alpha 3.00ZX for download.
The latest version of this popular DVD utility is available for download.
CNET News has an interesting article on the history and abilities of Napster's attorney of choice, David Boies:, who is one of the most sought after in America.
Alan Cheung, creator of the Grand Piano One SoundFont, sent us news that he has revamped his website: The design of the Studio AX website has undergone a huge change today. We have also added a new composer and his composition in our website, plus adding a new section "Tips" to share experience and information with our readers. Plus, we're announcing the beta test of Grand Piano Fidelity. The beta test is open to existing Grand Piano One customers.
Burt tells us that he came across an offer for the Creative BlasterPC Kit at TigerDirect. It comes with some Creative branded components including a motherboard, 9-Bay case, Sound Blaster Live! Platinum, remote, FM tuner for only US$149.99. A Platinum costs as much! Sounds like a great bargain to me.
Digit-Life has a Sound FAQ explaining technical terms like "S/N Ratio" and "frequency response" that you often see in technical specifications.
Everybody has something to say about Napster. TechTV's Silicon Spin has some videos of pundits debating this issue, and Ars Technica also has an editorial on this issue.
Still confused about what a "game engine" is? Check out this primer at TechTV, with 3 streaming video clips. By the way, NVIDIA just announced the GeForce3, which introduces significant new features and programmability that would bring game engines to the next level.
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