Today's musicians, DJs and composers have a wide range of tools available that would have made their predecessors weep. MacTribe took a look at some of the hotter software and hardware offerings available for the aspiring audiophile, producer and DJ with a few surprises thrown in.
SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 5
The newest release from the creative crew at SmartSound, Sonicfire Pro 5 is an
updated version of their music scoring program. Aimed at professional
visual creatives like film directors and TV producers, Sonic fire Pro 5
offers a quicker, cheaper way to score movies, slideshows, or any other
video that needs music for atmosphere and effect. You'll get access to an
ever expanding, royalty free library of music (which is broken down into
categories like "Fear and Uncertainty" or "Environments"), a slew of super
intuitive features , and an optional plug in that links directly with your
projects in Final Cut Pro. There are plenty of versions to choose from as
well; from the basic Express Track to the comprehensive Scoring Edition
you can decide how much program you need, and upgrading is easy. Search
features like Sensory Searching make it easy to narrow your search in the
massive music library-find something close and then tell Sonicfire to
bring you something faster, slower, more or less intense, or just show you
more options in the same vein. Tap Tempo is a cool new feature, too...tap a
beat out on your mouse and the program finds songs that match the speed of
your tapping. The Scoring Edition comes with a lot more goodies like Mood
Mapping (which allows you to change instrumentation to cement the ambiance
of your video), Timing Control and Spotting Tools which allow you complete
control over the length, atmosphere and punctuation of the music in your
project.
Price: Program ranges from $49.95 to $249.85 (includes Final Cut Pro plug
in); the Mega Bundle includes ten albums of music and will set you back
$498.85.
www.smartsound.com
ION Audio
LP Dock
Tape 2 PC Cassette Archiver
An interesting tool for DJ's and music fanatics alike is ION Audio's LP Dock. This is one turntable that actually allows you to transfer those rare vinyl tunes to a digital format without necessarily involving a computer in the process. No drivers are needed and both iPod and iPod nano are compatible with the docking port. Place your iPod into the dock and import vinyl directly onto your iPod without a computer. The Tape 2 PC from ION Audio operates in a similar vein, but imports cassette tapes to computer audio files. Connect the USB to your PC or Mac and the cassette tapes you thought were obsolete are quickly and easily converted into mp3. This saves you a lot of money possibly spent on duplicate cd's or mp3's for music you have already purchased or recorded yourself. Dj's, collectors and archivers, this is a godsend! Protect and backup your rare music investment and start listening to everything on your iPod as soon as possible. ION Audio lets you take stock, dock, and rock. LP Dock retails for $249.00, and Tape 2 PC is $149.99.
www.ionaudio.com
Centrance Micport Pro
Looking for the best possible preamp to ensure that your microphone will record every nuance into a GarageBand track, your podcast, video, live interview, or any other application? Centrance MicPort Pro is a 24-bit/96kHz broadcast quality USB microphone preamp used by voiceover professionals and numerous broadcasting networks including CNN, NBC, and he BBC! MicPort Pro connects your microphone directly to a USB cable so your sound will be excellently recorded with absolutely no noise or interference. Aggregation allows you to record in stereo with two MicPort Pros, and this microphone to computer interface makes the recording options limitless, clean, and effortless. Avoid any and all noise and feedback, Centrance Micport Pro ensures the best professional microphone reception possible!$149.95
www.centrance.com
Apple GarageBandApple's recent forays into music have proven incredibly successfully, and GarageBand is no exception. The program has already become popular with average Mac users who just like to geek out and play. Many companies also offer loops for users to download and manipulate. Communities on the Internet like MacJams and iCompositions provide forums for fans of the GarageBand to upload loops and tracks and share them with other members of the community. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has even gotten into the GarageBand spirit. He periodically releases tracks as GarageBand files and encourages user remixes. Since GarageBand is so easy to use, theoretically anyone can make music. Time will tell whether or not GarageBand will have a lasting impact on the music industry, but it's clear for now that Apple fortifies its place in the music scene with this DIY-inspired application. Combined with the ability to build a following on the Internet, GarageBand has the potential to revolutionize an entire segment of the digital music industry.
Latest version Included in iLife '09 $79 upgrade.
www.apple.com/ilife/garageband
Sumiko Audio: The Pro-ject Debut III USB
Sumiko Audio manufactures top of the line turntables for professional DJ's and distinguished audiophiles everywhere. So when they decided to launch the Pro-ject Debut III USB turntable, my ears perked up. Imagine converting all of the digitally unavailable rare vinyl in my collection to my iPod and iPhone! Not to mention importing it into a beat matcher to make flawless and rare playlists. These beautifully designed turntables are a joy to behold. Your party and audiophile needs are satiated with this gorgeously sophisticated machine. From the Kinks to Yma Sumac, everything will be lovingly archived, stored and played with the Pro-Ject Debut III USB. $499.00
www.sumikoaudio.net
Images by AJ Soto Photography
More Apple
More News
iPad Costs
iSuppli Corp., which generally waits until it can actually get the new Apple product to estimate its production cost, has decided to forgo hands on examination in the case of the iPad. They have--from just looking at it, it's amazing--decided the base model only costs $219.35 for Apple to produce. According to AppleInsider the base model won't make Apple anywhere near as much profit as the 32 GB model with 3G wireless priced at $729...that one reportedly costs only $287.15 to produce.
That's some profit! No wonder Apple execs have said they'd stay nimble on pricing! With demand for the iPad under scrutiny and this week's news that the "Take Picture" hint was removed from the Address Book app in the iPad simulator even we are starting to wonder if it's not worth waiting for the 2nd generation.
Trust us, it's painful to say.
Google Challenges the Internet
"Think Big" indeed. This time, Google is setting its sights on the very way we transmit information and asking people from around the country to nominate their city or state to be included in an ultra-high speed open internet network of Google's building. Set to include anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 people, this network will boast 1GB per second fiber optic connections that Google reps are hoping will bolster developer creativity, test new ways to build the infrastructure and challenge internet service providers to band together to create a better internet instead of shunning change to maintain their bottom lines.
This is huge news, and we hope our city is on the receiving end of the new interwebs...here's the official Google Blog if you want to read it all in detail or submit your community.
Dogs on Twitter
From the country that's given us karate and karaoke comes the newest iPhone app: that's right, Japan's Index Corp. has announced the release of "Bowlingual," the dog emotion translator. Latest in a long line of technological advances, this app (to be released this summer) analyzes Fido's bark and puts it into one of six categories, like "needy." Or "happy." Then it adds a caption based on the emotion and allows you to snap a photo of your pooch in its current mood; as if that weren't enough it can modify that photo to enlarge your pet's eyes...oh...so cute.
Seriously, the app is set to sell for $5 and will post your pet's barks to Twitter. Silly? Yes. Fun? Probably!!
Will you let your dog speak his mind? Tell us here.
