Leopard 10.5.3 is here! Is Leopard compatible Pro Tools LE next?? May 28, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digidesign, Leopard, Pro Tools , 3commentsWell, today, via software update, Apple released 10.5.3. It is available for download via software update on your Leopard computer.
Woohoo! All rumors have been hinting that Digidesign was waiting for 10.5.3 to release the stable version of Pro Tools LE. Although not confirmed, I have heard (more…)
Help us help you! May 26, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Chit Chat, General Announcements, Troubleshooting , 1 comment so farHi all,
First off, thanks a bunch for all the great discussions and input (and the traffic) you’ve given The Studio Files. This community doesn’t happen without everyone’s contributions.
I’ve been getting a lot of emails lately, and I find that often I need to send 1-2 back and forth before actually getting to the “help” part. We like to answer everyone’s questions and fix as many problems as we possibly can to get us all making music as fast as humanly possible. Here are some things you can include in your questions that will help for an even faster response (and hopefully a solution!). : (more…)
Making my Bones in Tinseltown: Part 1 May 26, 2008
Posted by Miles Hankins in : Composing , 4commentsMaking My Bones in Tinseltown
(Being the tale of one NYC kid’s musical adventures in the Wild West)
by Miles Hankins
Part 1: The Westward Expansion
Two things happened to me today:
1. After considerable time plucking away at fruitless Google searches, I finally found the secret recipe for Fuddruckers hamburger seasoning.
2. My friend and yours, studio guru Damon Sink, shot me a gentle reminder to submit an entry on StudioFiles.com detailing some of my run-ins with the law as an aspiring film composer coming out to LA.
Droppin’ Beats on the go with the Nintendo DS May 25, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital home recording studios , add a commentNintendo’s insanely popular handheld (over 73 million sold worldwide) the DS and DS Lite has attracted a lot of attention from commercial music software developers and home-brewers alike. Gamers have already seen the release of Ubisoft’s Jam Sessions and Nintendo’s own Electroplankton.
These music “games” can be a fun distraction for audio enthusiasts but also a cheap, fun, interactive way for people to get into creating their own tunes (without selling their car to afford a tricked out Mac Pro).
The first example is a “freestyle” video from the developer of the home-brew project ProteinDS:
The second example is a video of the DS-10 Synthesizer by Korg and AQ Interactive. Korg has recently announced they are bringing the DS-10 Synthesizer to the U.S. Watch as the guy from Napoleon Dynamite lays down a phat groove:
Very exciting stuff!
-PJ
The countdown begins: 10 days until compatibility May 21, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digidesign, Leopard, Pro Tools , 7commentsDigidesign has said numerous times (both tech support people and administrators) that the Leopard compatible Pro Tools LE update will be coming “by the end of May”. As of a few days ago, they suggested that they were on spot to hit that target. (more…)
Logic Update 8.0.2 Now Available May 20, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital home recording studios, General Announcements, Logic Studio 8 , 4commentsApple has released a 135MB update to Logic Pro 8 today, bumping it to version 8.0.2. Here are the details:
This Logic Pro 8.0.2 update addresses specific customer and compatibility issues of Logic Pro 8.0 and WaveBurner 1.5. This update is recommended for all Logic Studio users. For more information about this release, please go to: Late Breaking News as well as Logic 8.0.2 Details.
The second link in the quote above has a full list of fixes for this update. Just glancing over the list I’m happy to see a number of Ultrabeat bugs I’ve been running into are now fixed. Here’s to improved software!
-PJ
Preparing your music for YouTube… plus some examples May 17, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Troubleshooting, Videos , 2commentsA mix that sounds awesome in your DAW can sound terrible after facing the wrath of YouTube streaming conversion.
How can you make your sounds shine on YouTube? Here are some things to check in your mixes to guarantee better youtube results. (And there are videos at the end …) (more…)
…Digidesign Pro Tools LE and Leopard compatibility… here is what we know May 16, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digidesign, Leopard, Pro Tools , 4commentsEDIT: Pro Tools 8 is fully compatible with Leopard. Click this link for more information.
There are a lot of rumors and speculations floating around about the Leopard and Pro Tools LE compatibility issues. While no one has an exact release date, here is what we do know about the situation: (more…)
Mix Engineering: A lost art? May 14, 2008
Posted by Damon Sink in : Digital home recording studios, Live Sound, Mixing, Reviews , 1 comment so farJust got finished watching a special guest return performance by Fantasia on American Idol. The most entertaining moment was watching Simon Cowell’s reaction: utter, unadulterated disbelief! I had to agree. It was pretty much a train wreck.
But the most amazingly amateurish performance on display was not behind a microphone, it was apparently behind a mixing board. The mix for live broadcast was stunningly bad. The (obviously pre-recorded) background singers were WAY out in front. The rapper (appearing Romeo-style from the set balcony) was barely audible as well. (more…)
Suggestions for Digidesign regarding Pro Tools LE April 29, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digidesign, Project Studio, Troubleshooting , 14commentsMany people would agree that Digidesign needs to make some fairly significant changes to the Pro Tools LE market in the near future in order to keep the product competing with the many other fine native DAWs. Unfortunately, many of these suggestions are flamed in forums, presented within language of “poor taste”, etc… Well here is your chance to present your suggestions. (more…)
Video: Automating tempo changes in Logic Pro April 24, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Logic Studio 8, Studio Setup, Videos , add a commentThis is just like the Pro Tools video on automating tempo tracks, except now I show you how to make tempo changes in Logic Pro. (more…)
Video: Automating tempo changes in Pro Tools LE April 23, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, Pro Tools, Videos , 2commentsThis video will show you how to automate a tempo change in Pro Tools LE. Changing the tempo of your song is very easy to do (and a Logic video coming soon)[ (more…)
Leopard 10.5.3 very close to release? (time to get exited?) April 22, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Apple, Leopard, Pro Tools , 1 comment so farIf you are a Mac Pro Tools user, you are likely waiting (patiently!) for the Leopard compatible version of Pro Tools. The fact that Digidesign has said they will have an update on the situation “in 1-2 weeks”, and that Apple will supposedly release 10.5.3 “in about 2 weeks” seems very promising. (more…)
Review: Violet Designs microphones- Some Serious Bang for Your Microphone Buck April 22, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Project Studio, Reviews, Studio Setup , 12commentsRecently, Violet Designs sent The Studio Files three microphones for review: the Black Knight, the Finger, and the Flamingo Jr. All three of these microphones are a great buy for the home or project studio. I will talk about each microphone individually, and then at the bottom you will find all the audio examples I recorded with the mics. (more…)
Fix for Audio Glitch: GarageBand, Logic & OS 10.4.11 April 22, 2008
Posted by PJ in : Digital Audio Workstations, Digital home recording studios, GarageBand, Troubleshooting, Virtual Instruments , 2commentsAfter recently installing Software update 10.4.11 for OSX, I found that some of my Logic and Garageband software instruments produced a crackling, distorted sound during playback and recording. Audio from other sources (iTunes, Quicktime, etc) seemed to be working fine. Oddly enough, the quickest solution was to turn OFF AirPort while using Logic or GB. I’ve since installed an older version of the AirPort software and after repairing permissions and rebooting – everything seems to be in order. For anyone having similar problems, try the two solutions mentioned above and let us know how things work out. I’ll keep you all posted on an update.
Update: It has been reported on the Apple Support forums (thread here) that the July 2008 Airport update does indeed fix this problem. The update (for OSX Tiger only) can be found here.
PJ