July 2001

Audio Software Reviews
July 28, 2001 - Clarence

ZDNet has a couple of reviews on the latest audio tools. There's a review of Propellerhead's Reason, and also a roundup of Sonar XL, Acid Pro 3.0 and Cubase VST/32 5.0.

New Napster CEO Named
July 26, 2001 - Clarence

Ex-VP of Bertlesmann's music arm, Konrad Hilbers, is the new Napster CEO. More: The Register

New CEO for Napster
July 24, 2001 - Clarence

Napster is preparing to name a new CEO, replacing "interim" head Hank Berry. More: CNET News

DirectX Talks
July 24, 2001 - Clarence

The Inquirer has an article on the issues which are likely to be discussed at the upcoming Meltdown event for game developers. The article focuses mainly on graphic technologies but here's a short quote on audio:

Nvidia is going to talk about DirectX 8 Audio hardware to try to explain how good they are and that they offer in chipset [Nforce Ed] possibility to have best Audio solution so far. Just to remember Nforce MCP is much better than best solution from Creative labs Sound blaster live so they must try to get as many developers to use their new things.

Napster Lives Again
July 23, 2001 - Clarence

The Appeals Court has once again reversed the order for Napster to stay shut. I would say that not many of us would be affected. More: The Register

Napster's Subscription Plans
July 21, 2001 - Clarence

Napster is introducing a proprietary .nap file format, which is converted from MP3s what users share out. Of course, you will only get to download them if you suscribe to Napster's upcoming service, and after the file has passed its spanking new audio fingerprinting filters that aims to prevent copyrighted material from being shared. Read more on the new filesharing system and the state of music in the digital age in this article from Wired News.

Napster to Stay Dead
July 14, 2001 - Clarence

Well, the recording industry has its way. The court has ordered Napster to stay offline. I guess nobody bothers anymore 'cause we're all using an alternative. Do you? More: ZDNet

Dolby Digital in Consoles
July 10, 2001 - Clarence

TechTV has an article with video that covers Dolby's push for Dolby Digital in console, particularly the PS2 and Xbox. I'm hoping Creative's efforts to bring Dolby Digital to the PC will be successful too.

Speaker Roundup
July 8, 2001 - Clarence

CNET has a roundup of affordable speakers under $300, including models from Altec Lansing, Boston Acoustics and Logitech.

Creative Has A Killer Product?
July 6, 2001 - Clarence

Rumor has it that IBM is eyeing a stake in Creative, with talk that IBM is interested in a new product that the company has come up with, and that it could spark a turnaround in the company's fortunes. More at Yahoo!: Article 1 | Article 2

Napster's Requiem
July 6, 2001 - Clarence

MotleyFool.com has an interesting article on the death of Napster since it suspended file trading recently.

Collaborate On Unfinished Music
July 6, 2001 - Clarence

Guido Scognamiglio from Up Metal! Studio sent news of his new service:

Up Metal! Studio has a new service: "Share Your Inspir@tion". By signing up your FREE account you can share your unfinished composition with other people who like the same music you create. You can meet other musicians, take contacts with them and make your "work-in-progress" music come to life. It's a new virtual community dedicated to the world of music and audio recording. Visit http://www.soundfonts.it/syi.htm to know more.

Creative Lowers 4th Quarter Revenue Expectations
July 4, 2001 - Clarence

Creative announced that it has adjusted its 4th fiscal quarter expectations at approximately 10% below original expectations of $260 million. More at Yahoo!: Creative Press Release | Reuters News Article

Sonic Foundry Acid Pro 3.0
July 4, 2001 - Clarence

ZDNet reviews the latest 3.0 iteration of Sonic Foundry's popular loop editing software.

Creative Ireland
July 4, 2001 - Clarence

Take a tour inside Creative Europe's facilities in Ireland. Some interesting photographs! More: Guru3D

Speaker Reviews
July 4, 2001 - Clarence

• Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2200 at T-Break
• Midiland S4 7100 Plus at Gamers Depot
• Yamaha TSS1 Dolby Digital / DTS 5.1 at 3DsoundSurge

Sensaura 3D
July 4, 2001 - Clarence

3DnHardware has a review of Sensaura's 3D positional audio technology which focuses on Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 Arena.

Creative CEO Gives $20m to Education Foundation
July 2, 2001 - Clarence

Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo has given S$20m of his estimated S$400 million worth of Creative shares to the Creative Education Foundation. More: CNET Singapore

MP3 Pro and Licensing
July 2, 2001 - Clarence

Seems the newly released MP3 Pro encoder was quite popular, however using MP3 Pro and MP3 technologies require a licence fee. That includes 2 students in Amsterdam, who did an encoder and were asked by Fraunhofer and Thomson to pay $25,000 a year! More: The Register

Creative Hits 34-Month Low
July 2, 2001 - Clarence

Shares of Creative's parent company in Singapore, Creative Technology Ltd, hit a low since August 1998. More: Yahoo!