Cubase News: Forum Users Locked Out Without Key; Tiger Update

It’s two, two, two Cubase stories in one. Here goes: Cubase.net forum will require USB key number: Don’t like entering serial numbers and the like when you’re installing software or talking to tech support? Now you may need them just to post to a forum. The revised forum policy on Cubase.net requires users to add […]

Exploding the Piano with Kathleen Supové

How many people’s resumes include both a gig with the Phillip Glass Ensemble and posing nude for Marie Claire? An evening with new music virtuoso Kathleen Supové is not what most people expect from a solo piano recital. Her show this week finds her flanked by laptops, plus three projectors running childhood slides, live digital […]

Star Wars and Sound Design

The first Star Wars movie launched a golden age of cinematic design, but not just for visuals — it was sound design’s greatest moment, too. The technology that made all this possible? None other than the humble field recording. (By the way, this is on everyone’s mind — just as I was putting this together, […]

Jaws Soundtrack: Remixed, Underwater

Artist Abinadi Meza has created a remixed composition of the “lighthearted” sounds of the movie Jaws (think drunken sailor sounds and off-key clarinet blasts), into a piece that wlll only be played underwater. To hear the output of the submerged speakers, you have to strip to your skivvies and float in the ocean. Title: Soft […]

Pro Tools TDM Arrives for Tiger; LE/M-Powered Compatibility Coming

Pro Tools TDM 6.9.2 adds compatibility for Mac OS X Tiger for those with Pro Tools|HD and HD accel systems. All Digidesign and Digidesign-distributed plug-ins will work once you’ve got the new Pro Tools; no plug-in updates are needed. Still incompatible with Tiger: Pro Tools LE 6.9, Pro Tools M-Powered 6.8, Digidesign CoreAudio Driver v6.9, […]

Sound Design and Music: Mac Sound Creation Tools

I love synthesis, but there’s something just as appealing about creating sounds from other found sounds — especially if you can make the results unrecognizable. I’ve gradually built a series of tricks using some favorite Mac tools. First, the newcomers: Soundtrack Pro: The newest addition to my arsenal is Apple’s Soundtrack Pro, which arrived here […]

CDM on Brief “Really Long Weekend” Hiatus

Hear that sound? That’s the sound of stories piling up here. Yes, folks, I’m a bit bogged down getting ready for this show at The Flea, but rest assured, will get some stories out by mid-week and will be in full gear next week. Think of it as Memorial Day weekend. Only more than three […]

NES Reborn as Musical Instrument; Classic Gaming Expo

It’s games week part II — as I get ready to perform with Game Boy musician Bubblyfish (proving to me that it’s difficult to be a musician, VJ and blogger at the same time), Brent’s back with another gaming report. This time, it sounds like the NES could get a new lease on life. Again. […]

Xbox 360 Lets Users Kill All Game Soundtracks — Composers be Damned

CDM has received several anonymous reports about the Music Player feature of Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox 360. In short, Microsoft’s new custom music feature is so aggressive, you can elect never to hear the music written for your game. Xbox Player is On All the Time The Music Player plays “gamer-initiated music,” streaming from a device […]

Next Week: Piano Meets Electronics, Video, Game Boy

Sorry for the light news day, but I’ll be back next week with lots more coverage, shifting from game systems to how to use game hardware in your own music, more on interactive musical clothing, and other goodies! In the meantime, here’s my next project: -PK How does a musician go from classical pianist to […]