Industry Buzz
Avid, Berklee School of Music and the John Lennon Bus celebrate with the Tipitina's Foundation at "Instruments A Comin'" 2012
Posted 5/4/2012 4:53:00 PM
Image Courtesy of the Tipitina's Foundation
Avid, the Berklee School of Music and the John Lennon Bus were all on hand to celebrate and educate at Tipitina’s “Instruments A Comin’” fund-raising event in New Orleans on Monday, April 30th. The event was held at Tipitina’s uptown New Orleans music venue on the first night of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and featured incredible performances by some of New Orleans most famous hometown heroes including Galactic, Trombone Shorty, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and the legendary Neville Brothers that kept the crowd on their feet till the wee hours.
The Tipitina's Foundation’s “Instruments A Comin’” annual benefit concert, silent auction, cultural fair, and block party was established eleven years ago to raise money for local student musicians, and has provided more than $2 million worth of musical instruments to date, assisting more than 70 school marching bands and after-school music programs, benefitting thousands of young musicians.
Avid and the Berklee School of music marked the occasion with a donation of recording, composition, and music creation equipment to the Tipitina’s Internship Program. Under the artistic direction of Donald Harrison Jr. the Tipitina's Internship program is an after-school jazz performance and digital recording program for ages 12 through 19. Now in its eighth year, the program is part of the Berklee City Network and focuses on instrumental performance, music theory, recording and general academic tutoring, and creates positive change in the lives of young New Orleans musicians.
“Avid is thrilled to support the Tipitina's Foundation and its partner, the Berklee City Music Network. Both are deeply committed to bringing music to the children of New Orleans and with their efforts are making a big impact,” said Lee Whitmore, Ed.D., Avid Director, Segment Marketing. “We’re so excited to mark this incredible "Instruments a Comin'" event with the donation of a complete Pro Tools recording system including Artist Series controllers, an M-Audio keyboard and a copy of Sibelius 7. I can't wait to come back to hear the amazing music students will create and record."
Berklee City Music is a nonprofit education program that harnesses the energy of contemporary music to reach underserved 4th to 12th graders all across the country. Students dedicate themselves to building their musical talent, their self-confidence and, in the long run, the strength of their community.
“Berklee is proud to support initiatives by our City Music Network member Tipitina's Foundation who are grooming the next generation of musicians, innovators and leaders,” added David Mash. Senior Vice President for Innovation, Strategy, and Technology, Berklee College of Music.. “Tipitina's commitment to enriching the New Orleans community will have a lasting effect on the teachers and students of tomorrow. Berklee is pleased to continue to leverage our relationships with strong partners like Avid, who is a pioneer in providing solutions for music creation and production, and by working together on projects such as these, we can truly make a positive impact on the lives of children.“
“I must say that Avid's support of the Tipitina's Foundation will help us preserve New Orleans' irreplaceable music community,” concluded Kim Katner, Managing Director, Tipitina’s Foundation. “The equipment and software fill a large need the Internship Program has for audio production tools, and it represents a wonderful investment in the music, culture and people of New Orleans.”
And wherever there are kids, music, and good times, be sure to keep an eye out for the John Lennon Tour Bus – and as fortune would have it the Bus was able to join in the festivities at “instruments a Comin’”. The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility. In its fifteenth year, with the very newest technology and gear, the Bus continues to be dedicated to providing young people with tours of the studios and participation in free songwriting and multimedia production workshops. The Bus offered tours during the event, and also made several stops in New Orleans, including working with the O. Perry High School jazz band “The Chosen Ones,. With sousaphones, trombones, trumpets and southern soaked vocals, the students had a great time writing and recording an original tune on the bus and learning about the power of Pro Tools. Check out the great video of the stop below.
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Avid Releases Latest Version of Sibelius First; The Fastest, Easiest Way to Write and Share Music
Posted 4/26/2012 5:30:00 PM
Avid today announced the release of Sibelius First, the easiest and most intuitive way for aspiring composers, songwriters, arrangers and students to write and share music.
Sibelius First combines the Sibelius Student and Sibelius First notation products into a single easy-to-use, powerful, and fun music composition tool. The new Sibelius First takes advantage of the features introduced by Avid’s Sibelius 7, including a task-oriented UI specifically designed to guide you through the creative process, exceptional playback and sound quality, 64-bit technology and support for the latest operating systems—plus new video export functionality, online publishing, and direct sharing to YouTube, SoundCloud, and Facebook, and more.
Sibelius First’s standout features include:
- Easy-to-use interface: Using Sibelius First is faster and easier than ever, thanks to a refined, task-oriented user interface that makes it possible to get great results without prior experience
- Enter notes the way you want: Choose from scanning, transcribing, or MIDI import to quickly get your ideas into Sibelius First—now with full MusicXML interchange for transferring your music into and out of other applications
- Exclusive Sound Library: Includes a premium sound library so you can hear your compositions played back in amazing detail on high-quality sampled instruments, and produce better quality exports
- Full 64-bit support: Unlock the full power of your 64-bit computer, and directly address more than 4GB of RAM
- Smart tools: no engraving or notation expertise required to get great results. Magnetic layout and dynamic parts make it easy to produce and tailor your scores to suit musicians of all kinds
- Take your scores on the go: Sibelius First scores can be added to the score library on the Avid Scorch app (sold separately)
- Exciting new social media and video sharing options: Users can easily export compositions as videos and publish their work to social media websites (YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook) along with traditional print, email, or audio exports
For a deep dive into all the new features, check out this wonderful blog post from Avid's Daniel Spreadbury over at the SibeliusBlog.
New innovative design, incredible included sounds and comprehensive
sharing options make Sibelius First the premiere solution for beginning
notation and composition.
Sibelius First software is available now for $119.99 USD and multi-seat 5 packs are available for $299.99. Current Sibelius First and Sibelius Student customers may take advantage of upgrade options for $39.99. For purchasing inquiries, please visit the Sibelius Store.
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NBC Olympics Chooses Avid for Sixth Consecutive Broadcast of Olympic Games
Posted 4/18/2012 8:00:00 AM
Another exciting morning at NAB where we’re excited to announce that we will deploy the most comprehensive Avid workflow in the history of NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group to support its coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games taking place in London, England, July 27-August 12, 2012.
With just 100 days to go until the Summer games begin, this marks NBC’s Olympics division’s and Avid's sixth consecutive Summer or Winter Games working together, NBC’s Olympics division’s broadcast facility will house employees responsible for delivering 17 consecutive days of Olympic coverage. At the heart of this massive undertaking is the Avid Interplay Media Asset Management (MAM) system. Serving in conjunction with third party vendors, SONY and Harmonic, the Interplay MAM system will be used to create two simultaneous feeds for use in London and at NBC’s Olympics division’s headquarters in New York City.
All of the video content’s metadata, including all athletic content, will be ingested directly from
Sony’s XDCam Station into Avid’s Interplay MAM system and, once there, replicated from London to New York using Harmonic’s MediaGrid and ProCast solutions. In New York, media coming from Interplay MAM will be used by more than 40 users to create highlights for web distribution. London-based users and editors will get immediate access to Olympic footage, which can then be transferred from Interplay MAM to Avid’s ISIS® shared storage for use in multi-user, simultaneous production across multiple networks and news feeds.
HD nonlinear edit suites in London’s International Broadcast Center (IBC) are outfitted with seven Avid Symphony and 26 Media Compose systems for high-end editing and 5.1 surround sound. The systems will be connected to Avid ISIS shared storage and Avid Interplay production asset management systems. Users will be able to quickly browse the Interplay MAM proxy and transfer material faster than real-time for use in Symphony and Media Composer editing software applications. AirSpeed® 5000 is used in conjunction with ISIS 7000 to create turnkey production islands at the Olympic venues, including gymnastics, swimming, diving, and track and field.
For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/IKVIA5
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Avid Announces New EUCON Partners at NAB 2012
Posted 4/18/2012 1:19:00 AM
More exciting news to share with you from the show floor at NAB 2012. This week Avid announced that content creators will be able to use Avid Artist Series controllers to control the recording, editing, and mixing features of the upcoming release of Adobe® Audition® CS6 software, the transport and color grading features of Digital Vision® Phoenix® and the live color and image definition features of Pomfort® LiveGrade® via native support for Avid’s EUCON™ Ethernet control protocol. Avid is committed to driving openness across the industry, and today’s announcement adds key professional software solutions to a list of EUCON supported titles from industry leading companies like Autodesk, Blackmagic Design, RED, and Steinberg.
“This week's announcement demonstrates how far Avid has come in developing an open ecosystem of third-party workflows based around the EUCON Protocol,” said Martin Kloiber, vice president of products and solutions at Avid. “We remain focused on driving the interoperability of our audio and video solutions, and we are proud to work with industry leaders like Adobe, Digital Vision and Pomfort in the pursuit of that vision. Our expanded partnerships enable us to provide creative professionals with deep, integrated control over their favorite applications and flexible workflows to do their best work.”
These new partnerships validate Avid’s efforts to provide customers with open solutions that work with a range of products in the content creation ecosystem, delivering highly responsive tactile control of many of the world’s leading creative applications. Compact and portable enough to fit into any setup, Avid's Artist Series controllers combine best-in-class industrial design, a highly responsive feel, and extensive functionality.
“We're excited to have fully integrated EUCON support into Adobe Audition CS6," says Colin Stefani, senior manager, professional video at Adobe. "The quality and flexibility of the Avid Artist Series controllers is a perfect match for the advanced feature set of Adobe Audition CS6. Whether recording, mixing, or performing audio restoration, the combination of these powerful solutions can really help make your audio and video productions sound their best."
EUCON is Avid’s open, high-speed Ethernet control protocol that allows Avid Artist Series control surfaces and other consoles and controllers to connect to a variety of third party creative audio and video software solutions, delivering deep, integrated control over multiple applications and workstations, resulting in increased efficiencies and cost-effective workflow expansions. EUCON is currently supported by a wide cross section of Macintosh- and Windows-based applications.
"Excellent quality and a competitive price make the Artist Color grading panel the perfect partner for the use of LiveGrade on-set,” adds Patrick Renner, managing director at Pomfort. "Our users like the direct interaction with the image they get with our software products - and Artist Color supports this with professional, physical controls."
“This will be an exciting NAB for Digital Vision," concludes Torbjörn Dyrvold, Digital Vision’s Phoenix & DVO Product Manager. "Together with the introduction of our new video restoration system for broadcast and archival material, we are also showing the integration of the Avid Artist panel into Phoenix Finish, our high end film and video restoration and mastering system. We looked at several alternatives and chose the Avid Artist Color panel as it provides an economic and compact solution for controlling our advanced color tools, allowing the Phoenix users to operate the system with ease and speed."
Stop by the Avid booth (#SU902) to see EUCON in action, and congratulations to our new partners on their announcements
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The Latest Product News from Avid at NAB 2012 – Giving Customers the Freedom to Create Content Anywhere and Distribute Everywhere
Posted 4/17/2012 4:00:00 PM
It’s been an exciting week so far at NAB 2012 with several big news announcements issued at the show. On Sunday, during our global press event, we announced the largest showcase of integrated media production technology we’ve ever presented at NAB. We’re featuring completely new and upgraded solutions for advanced asset-based workflows spanning distributed production, multi-platform distribution, server and storage, and broadcast graphics, demonstrating how customers in news, sports, TV, and post-production can prepare for the demands of the future.
Our new asset-based workflow solutions announced at NAB 2012 include:
Interplay Sphere
Gives broadcast news professionals the ability to acquire, access, edit and finish stories from anywhere, anytime. Leveraging a cloud-based architecture, applications like Media Composer and NewsCutter will give contributors the freedom to work in a completely distributed environment that spans multiple locations and time zones. For more information, click here.
Multi-Platform Distribution (MPD)
To address the rising demands of multi-screen consumption, Avid’s new MPD solution streamlines and enhances the process for journalists and editors who are creating and distributing content across multiple traditional, digital, and social platforms. For more information about MPD click here.
The new Avid ISIS® 2000 near-line storage solution works across multiple Avid Interplay installations to provide search, browse, access, and management, extending production storage; the Avid ISIS 7000 v4.0 effectively doubles its storage capacity with the new i4000 blade; and the next generation AirSpeed® 5000 video server features new codec flexibility with Avid DNxHD® playback included in HD versions. For more information click here.
Avid Motion Graphics
Gives enterprises the ability to create stunning visual imagery, get it quickly and easily to air, and build strong brand recognition with an advanced real-time 2D/3D rendering engine, accelerated by the latest GPU and I/O technology. For more information click here.
Avid at NAB 2012 in the News
Following the announcements, media were quick to offer their take on the news. Check out what The Hollywood Reporter, Broadcasting and Cable, Sports Video Group , Studio Daily and Variety have to say about Avid and our latest solutions.
Stay tuned for more news coming this week from the show floor ….
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Avid Studio for iPad wins PC Magazine’s “Editors’ Choice”
Posted 4/13/2012 8:00:00 AM
We’re pleased to report that in PC Magazine’s recent review of video editing applications for the iPad, Avid Studio for iPad was awarded Editors’ Choice. Michael Muchmore takes the application through its paces and provides readers with his comments on the interface, basic editing capabilities as well as calling out the App’s montage capability as “what really sets Avid Studio apart.” For all of the detail, check out the full review here or check out a few of the comments below.
“Its [Avid Studio] sophisticated montage capability is what really sets Avid Studio apart when it comes to video editing on the iPad. You can simply drag one clip on top of another to overlay it, and then pinch to resize and rotate the resulting picture-in-picture. Avid also supplies 15 presets that can animate the overlaid video(s); some also add artistic backgrounds.”
“My 1 minute 5 second test movie with just one cross-dissolve transition took Avid Studio just 54 seconds to output to 720p, better than iMovie's 58 seconds, and far better than ReelDirector's more than 15 minutes.”
“ . . . if you want the most control, power, and ease-of-use in your iPad video editing project, Avid Studio is the way to go, which is why it's our Editors' Choice.”
Have you tried Avid Studio for iPad yet? For more information about the Avid Studio for iPad App and where to download visit here. “You can also share your experiences and connect with Avid home video editing experts on our Avid Studio community on Facebook (http://facebook.com/AvidStudio). Also, for tutorials see Avid Studio on YouTube (http://www.avid.com/ipadvideos).
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Avid Announces NAB 2012 Technology Demonstrations, Customer Presentations and Live Webcast
Posted 4/5/2012 8:00:00 AM
As we count down the days to NAB 2012, we’re excited to share our lineup for the show, which includes presentations from renowned customers and the largest array of new product announcements from Avid at NAB in more than a decade. Additionally, we’ll be offering overviews of our recently released solutions including Pro Tools® 10, Media Composer® 6 and Avid Interplay® Media Asset Manager (MAM) 4. Follow the news as it happens and see which customers will join us on the main stage at the show.
Get Avid News Live on Sunday, April 15, 2012
We’re excited to host a live press event and simultaneous webcast to announce our latest solutions on Sunday, April 15 at 4:00 p.m. PT. A live online Q&A session with Avid experts will immediately follow the webcast. To participate, visit http://www.avid.com/nab and select the registration option.]
Technology Demonstrations
If you’re able to join us at the show, come visit us in the South Hall at Booth SU902 to see technology demonstrations highlighting integrated news, sports, and TV production workflows that enable users to create amazing content and business value. We’ll also feature demonstrations of our industry-leading creative tools, including Symphony 6, Media Composer 6, Pro Tools 10, Avid DS, ICON, and System 5 mixing consoles for broadcast and post production. Avid solutions will also be showcased in more than 60 Avid Partner Booths, reinforcing our commitment to open, collaborative workflows.
Avid Customers to Share their experiences at NAB 2012
We’re thrilled to have several of our customers join us to share their stories at the show. Customer presentations on the main stage in our booth (SU902) will include the following guest speakers:
-- Morgan Spurlock (Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope, Failure Club, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, A Day in the Life, Super Size Me)
-- Eddie Hamilton (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Resident Evil: Apocalypse)
-- BellMedia, Matthew Sherman and Michael Nunan
-- Discovery, Randall Rike
-- Person of Interest, Scott Weber and Keith Rogers from the Audio Team; and Joshua Levey, associate producer, and Ryan Malanaphy, assistant editor from the Picture Editorial Team
-- San Francisco Giants, Paul Hodges, Brad Martens, Chris Gargano
Avid will also be on hand at several NAB 2012 events including the following:
Avid and the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will come together outside NAB Central Hall 5 entrance, offering public tours on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of the state-of-the art mobile studio that visits schools, festivals and industry events all over the U.S. Documentary film maker Morgan Spurlock will be on board for a live stream event on April 17 at 5pm PDT. Outfitted with Avid’s latest audio and video offerings, including Media Composer 6, Pro Tools 10 and the new Pro Tools|HDX System, the John Lennon Bus is a self-contained professional recording studio and post facility dedicated to providing students of all ages with free hands on opportunities to make music and produce professional video projects
-- MediaMotion Ball, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, April 16, 5:30- 10:30 p.m. PDT
-- Eleventh Annual Las Vegas SuperMeet, New Tropicana Hotel, April 17, 4:00-11:00 p.m. PDT
For more information and to stay connected with Avid at the show or online at NAB 2012:
-- Visit the Avid at Booth #SU902, Las Vegas Convention Center -- April 16-19, 2012
-- Visit Avid.com/NAB2012 for more details on session times, live webcast information and information about Avid at NAB 2012.
-- For daily updates during the show, check Avid’s "Industry Buzz" blog, and follow Avid on Twitter: @Avid, and Facebook: http://www.avid.com/facebook.
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. . . And the Awards Go To . . .
Posted 2/28/2012 8:00:00 AM
Sunday evening marked the exciting conclusion of the winter awards season, and today Avid congratulates its many customers who were recognized as award nominees and winners at the Oscar®, GRAMMY®, and ACE Eddie Awards, collectively the world’s most prestigious ceremonies that honor music, film and television industry professionals. Avid and its customers were also recognized for their contributions to the craft of sound mixing in films and television at the 48th Annual Cinema Audio Society Awards.
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards kicked things off on February 12, 2012, honoring dozens of our customers for their contributions and achievements in music and the recording arts. Artists, producers and engineers using Avid's audio solutions took home awards for Record and Song of the Year, as well as Producer of the Year, Best New Artist, and Pop, Alternative, R&B, Rap, Dance and Country Albums of the Year. Honored albums powered by Avid Pro Tools included Adele's 21, Kanye West's My Dark Twisted Fantasy, Chris Brown's F.A.M.E., Lady Antebellum's Own the Night and Bon Iver's Bon Iver.
At the 48th Annual Cinema Audio Society Awards, held on February 28, 2012, again our customers were honored for their work on Hugo, in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture and Boardwalk Empire in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Series—both mixed on a System 5 digital audio console at Soundtrack NY. In addition, Pro Tools 10 received the CAS Technical Achievement Award for Post Production.
The 62nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards were also held on February 18, 2012, recognizing the most accomplished editors in television and film. Avid customers honored by the American Cinema Editors during the ceremony include: The Artist (Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical); Freedom Riders (Best Edited Documentary); Cinema Verite (Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television); Breaking Bad: “Face Off” (Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television); Curb your Enthusiasm: “Palestinian Chicken” (Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television); The Descendants (Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic); Rango (Best Edited Animated Feature Film). Joel Cox, A.C.E., (Lifetime Achievement Award).
Heading into the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 26, 2012, Avid customers were well represented—more than 40 were nominated for an Oscar. Eight out of the nine films nominated for best picture used Avid audio or video solutions, including—The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Hugo, Moneyball, The Help, Tree of Life and War Horse. During the ceremony, The Artist, which was edited using Avid Media Composer, was named the winner in the Best Picture category, and customers also took home awards in the Animated Feature Film, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories.
Avid was also interviewed by some of the local Boston media to share in our excitement surrounding the highly-anticipated event. Check out: WCVB-TV Boston - Local Company Has Oscar Dreams.
Congratulations again to all of our customers on their creative achievements. As another season comes to a close and with the New Year already in full swing, we can’t wait to see how all of you will use Media Composer®, Pro Tools® and Sibelius® software and more to create the most prestigious, award-winning productions, and most loved media in the world.
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Media Composer 6 Reviews – DV, Macworld UK, Studio Daily and more . . .
Posted 2/10/2012 8:00:00 AM
Positive reviews have been coming in for Media Composer 6, so we wanted to provide our Buzz readers with a roundup of the recent coverage that has appeared on DV, Imagine News, Macworld UK, Studio Daily and Tej’s Tech Blog. Check them out to get first-hand accounts about working with the newest updates – including the new 64-bit architecture, modern tabbed interface, Avid Open I/O, DNxHD 444, new stereoscopic 3D workflows, among others. Following are some brief excerpts on what they had to say:
-- Featured in the February issue of DV, Oliver Peters concludes—“Avid Media Composer 6, Symphony 6 and NewsCutter 10 are the real deal for professional editors who need a powerful application that can tackle every level of post. It's not an attempt to ’re-imagine‘ 100 years of editing. It's a product designed to let you be instantly productive with a skill set honed through experience. Film and documentary editors will appreciate that the optional ScriptSync and PhraseFind modules can still be used. SAN support is still the best in the business, whether you are running stations on Avid ISIS or a third-party solution like Facilis Technology TerraBlock.” Oliver gives the software a four diamond rating and you can read the full review here.
-- Scott Simmons put Media Composer 6 software through its paces for Studio Daily, providing readers with a detailed look at several key features, including the new interface, and Avid Marketplace. The review summary notes, “What’s Cool: Thanks to 64-bit, sluggishness and error messages should be a thing of the past; Tabbed bins make for a much better way to organize bin clutter; full third-party hardware support; better stereoscopic editing.” Overall he gives the software a rating of Sweet. Read the full review here.
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-- Tej Babra reviewed Media Composer 6 software for Tej’s Tech Blog, covering the interface, Avid Marketplace, surround sound mixing as well as comments on color correction enhancements and the Avid Artist Color compact control surface for color grading. In the conclusion he notes, “Avid Media Composer 6 is absolutely the best NLE I have used to date. Avid continues to push the boundaries and set new standards for tools provided to professional editors. If you have done so yet, I highly recommend upgrading, purchasing or running out and getting a copy of Avid Media Composer 6. Avid just raised the bar again!” Check out Tej’s article article here. In addition, Tej recently contributed an in-depth Media Composer 6 overview for Phillip Bloom , which you can check out here.
-- Duncan Evans tests out Media Composer 6 software for Macworld UK. He gives the software a four star rating and concludes, “Avid has cleverly avoided taking any risks with its core users by providing a 64-bit architecture base for faster rendering, opening up the hardware side and streamlining the interface. For pro-level direct editing of footage using a variety of input sources Media Composer is still the best in the business.” Check out the full review here.
-- Loren Miller reviews Media Composer 6 software for Imagine News, noting that the new features will please veteran users, those returning from FCP and those in school. Overall he concludes that Media Composer 6, “is a real feast.” For the full review, click here and head to page 12.
Now that you’ve read the reviews, download our free 30day, full-featured Media Composer trial. You can also read more about its full capabilities at http://www.avid.com/mc. In addition, if you’re new to Media Composer or simply returning after some time away, be sure to join our “Getting Started Fast” community. There you can get assistance, answers, and insights from Avid experts to start editing with Media Composer right away.
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Avid garners six awards at NAMM 2012
Posted 1/23/2012 8:37:00 AM
Avid took home six awards at the 2012 NAMM Show, with "Best Of" designations being awarded to a range of Avid's recording, composing, and live sound solutions. Pro Tools 9, Pro Tools HD Native, Sibelius 7 and VENUE 2.9 all took home industry honors, and were recognized by a cross section of industry professionals representing manufacturers, customers, editors, and channel partners.
On Wednesday January 18, the evening before NAMM 2012 kicked off, Avid received the prestigious Electronic Musician 2011 Editor's Choice Award for Pro Tools 9. Dubbed the "Plays Well With Others" award, we can't argue with the fact that the open hardware architecture introduced by Pro Tools 9 was a huge hit with our users, both old and new.
On Friday morning, January 20, we were proud to receive the coveted 2012 Sound on Sound Award for Pro Tools 9. Voted "Best DAW" in their reader's choice poll, the power and performance of Pro Tools 9 again proved to resonate, this time with the discerning professional audience Sound on Sound has cultivated over the years.
That evening, Avid was honored with three 2012 TEC Awards from the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the premier music industry trade association. Pro Tools HD Native won in the Computer Audio Hardware Category, Pro Tools 9 in Workstation Technology, and VENUE 2.9 in Sound Reinforcement Technology. Avid's solutions again were found to deliver best in class performance and power were recognized as the leaders in their very competitive market categories.
And on Saturday, January 21, Avid Sibelius 7 was awarded the Software Line of the Year Award from Music Merchandise Retailer (MMR). Avid's premier composition software has always been the top choice of professionals and educators, and knowing that the line is a top choice amongst our channel partners mean's we're definitely doing something right.
We are honored to be on the receiving end of so much recognition. We thank the editors, business partners, and most of all our customers for all the honors. Your success is what drives us everyday.
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Mix Magazine: "40" takes Pro Tools HD Native mobile with Drake's "Take Care"
Posted 1/17/2012 12:18:00 AM
Executive producer Noah “40” Shebib has worked with Drake since the artist’s debut. Photo: Future the Prince
Everyone has heard of Drake’s latest album Take Care by now – it rocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 when it debuted and took front stage at the MTV Awards. Not many people, however, have heard how producer Noah “40” Shebib made it all happen. Lucky for us, Mix Magazine got a chance to sit down with 40 and they just published an incredible interview in their January issue detailing just how far Pro Tools HD Native has enabled him to push the limits of professional HD recording.
Relying on a custom Pro Tools HD Native rig, 40 moved seamlessly from hotel room to recording studio while on tour with Drake, recording tracks in the moment and turning them into chart-topping hits in between shows and appearances. "When I’m on the road with Drake, I have a little rackmount on wheels that has an Omni HD interface in it and a Neve 1073 strip and a one-unit Magma chassis with a Native card," said 40. "'I plug this into my laptop wherever I go. This rig is pretty serious business when you’re in a hotel room.”
The article also points to the importance of portability for today’s producer. “We have a plethora of interfaces, including a family of every Mbox five times over, tons of laptops – it’s grab a computer, grab an interface, plug in a mic and get going." Shebib explained that with his set of tools he can to walk into sessions with guest artists and record straight to his mobile rig, head back to his hotel room, and easily create and mix the recordings on his laptop. And of course if the guest artist can make it to cut the track in person, they can just e-mail 40 their take and he can fly it right into his Pro Tools HD session.
What’s the key to producing a crowd pleasing hip-hop album? As far as Shebib is concerned, it’s don’t waste any time. Inspiration happens, and you've got to be ready to capture it and move at the speed of the artist's creativity. “One thing that you need to be is extremely fast on Pro Tools because the caliber of artist that Drake is, he doesn’t have the patience for wasting time. If he wants you to fly eight bars and put a chorus after that, he expects it done near-instantaneously.”
40 is one of a hand full of producers pushing the boudries of professional music production with Pro Tools, and just for the record, I think I seriously covet his mobile rig. Just saying. Check out the whole article here and find out more about how Pro Tools HD Native is revolutionizing HD recording here.
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Production Apprentice weighs in on Media Composer: ‘Avid Media Composer 6 is everything they said it would be…’
Posted 1/15/2012 8:00:00 AM
Check out the latest review of Media Composer 6.0, appearing on Production Apprentice. John DeMaio takes us through his experience getting up and running and provides readers with his comments on several features of the new release, including the updated interface, tabbed bins, 3D, Avid Open I/0, Avid Marketplace and more … a few comments from the review:
“Avid has finally done something that should have been done years ago…tabbed bins! There was the SuperBin, which was alright, I guess. But the ability to create tabs for open bins is simply heaven for me. In the past, there were bins everywhere. It was a giant mess. Even with the SuperBin, I had trouble keeping track of everything. Not anymore. Now I can organize everything and actually see where all of my bins are!”
“However, the biggest change so far is the ability to use third-party hardware. This is the biggest news for me because it means that I can re-purpose my existing Kona 3 card and not have to pay a single dime to upgrade my hardware. So that’s exactly what I did. I downloaded the drivers from AJA and like magic, it was working perfectly. I put it through my normal workload…up-converting from Beta (ok, that doesn’t really happen too often but I did it anyway), down-converting, cross-converting from 720 to 1080 – everything worked as well as it does in FCP.”
“If you want to edit for fun, choose an edit system that’s right for you. However, if you want to edit for a living and work on major motion pictures and television shows…you have to learn how to use Avid. I don’t care what anyone says…Avid is the industry standard and they will continue to rise. Especially after this release.”
Check out the full review for all of the details ....
For more information about the latest version of Media Composer, visit www.avid.com/mc or try it out for yourself with a free 30-Day trial. If you’re just getting started with Media Composer, be sure to visit our Avid Community forum – Media Composer: Getting Started Fast.
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Reality TV Leader, Bunim/Murray Productions, Selects Avid’s Professional Editing and Storage Solutions
Posted 1/4/2012 8:00:00 AM
We’re excited to share that renowned television production company, Bunim/Murray Productions, has selected Avid Media Composer® 6 and Avid Symphony® 6 editing software for all of its programs beginning in early 2012. Bunim/Murray joins a growing number of professional users who have returned to using Avid solutions from Final Cut Pro to meet their production workflow requirements. Additionally, as part of this implementation, Bunim/Murray also plans to deploy an Avid ISIS® 5000 shared storage system.
Widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World, Bunim/Murray is an Emmy Award-winning production company that continues to lead the way with popular programs, including: Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Project Runway, and more. Following recent market shifts, Bunim/Murray reconsidered its professional video editing software options and was looking for a software provider whose professional editing solution met their needs – today and into the future.
“Due to the large volume of media generated by our reality shows, we needed to re-evaluate our editing and storage solutions. At the same time, we were looking for a partner who would understand our long-term needs. As we talked with Avid, it was clear that the company has really forged ahead since we worked with them years ago. Their commitment to the needs of their professional customers, like us, is clear. And, with the introduction of Media Composer 6, they really raised the bar and have a vision for the future that makes them the right choice for our business.” – Mark Raudonis, Senior Vice President of Post Production at Bunim/Murray,
For the complete press release, visit http://bit.ly/y0xGN6
Additional Media Composer Resources
If you’re a former Avid user considering a switch—we want to help make your choice easier. Read launch coverage about out latest release, Media Composer 6, and check out our free 30 day Media Composer trial. You can also read more about its full capabilities at http://www.avid.com/mc or watch customers share their reactions. And, if you’re new to Media Composer or simply returning after some time away, be sure to join our “Getting Started Fast” community. There you can get assistance, answers, and insights from Avid experts to start editing with Media Composer right away. Last but certainly not least, learn more about our ongoing Final Cut Pro Crossgrade offer, which allows Final Cut Pro users to purchase Media Composer for $1499.
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WIRED’s Michael Calore calls Keystation Mini 32 “a standout in the large crop of keyboard controllers”
Posted 12/28/2011 7:32:00 AM
The iPad has turned into a platform for music makers everywhere to hone their craft. As a result, some pretty cool iPad compatible music gear hit the market in 2011. WIRED’s Michael Calore only included a select few, however, in his recent “Musical Hardware for iPad Songsmiths” feature online. So you can imagine our smiles when we saw that Michael found the Keystation Mini 32 a worthwhile addition, calling it a “standout from the latest crop of [keyboard] controllers.”
Michael got a chance to check out the Keystation Mini 32 and it seems he was convinced that good things can come in small packages. Michael points to the Keystation’s portability, mentioning its capacity to draw all the power it needs from the iPad. He ensures readers, however, that just because it can fit in a backpack does not mean the Keystation lacks features. “Most controllers have one or two octaves, but this one has two and a half, for a total of 32 keys. And yet it's still very compact.”
Michael also highlights that users of the Keystation can extend beyond your fervent pianist. “The knob and three of the buttons on the left edge are programmable, as is the key velocity, so the Keystation Mini can double as a surprisingly accurate drum machine controller.”
Thanks so much for the review, Michael. We here at Avid know iPads are the future and we are psyched to offer products like this for musicians on-the-go.
If you’re a music maker and iPad junkie don’t miss Michael’s full buyer's guide on WIRED.com here.
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Studio Daily Interviews the Associate Editor of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, David Smith
Posted 12/22/2011 8:00:00 AM
In advance of the release of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Studio Daily’s Bryant Frazer had the opportunity to speak with the film’s associate editor, David Smith. Facing one of the “most fraught subjects that can be tackled by a filmmaker—the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center”—the article explores how the team handled the complexity and sensitivity of the film’s subject matter.
During the interview, David also discusses the editorial workflow—from shoot, with an ARRI ALEXA digital camera recording in ARRIRAW converted to DNxHD 36 to edit with Media Composer. Media was shared via a Unity MediaNetwork with an Avid DS in the screening room, facilitating color-correction and conform. He also outlines how the team worked successfully within a very short post schedule when faced with a large quantity of visual effects required to help capture the time period and events. For all of the details, check out the full interview here. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close opens in limited release on December 25.
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AIR Users Blog Picks Best Product of 2011. And it's...
Posted 12/22/2011 5:32:00 AM
Blogger and socialite Russ Hughes has posted "My Product of 2011... What is Your's?" over on the AIR Users Blog. Looking back over a year in which music fans have been "bombarded with thousands of products," he asks, "what one thing significantly improved my workflow or the quality of my work?"
Would it be Pro Tools 10 with all it's new workflow-specific features, or something entirely different from a "host of new interfaces, plug-ins, outboard and hardware synths and drum machines"?
Lo and behold, Russ chose the M-Audio Keystation Mini 32. "I have to ask myself, what one thing has made the most difference to me? You may be surprised to know, it’s also one of the least expensive things in my studio, but now it’s the one thing I reach for all the time and I wouldn’t be without."
I find it personally interesting to note that I keep my Keystation Mini 32 about two feet from me in my studio at all times. I think Russ might be onto something here. Glad you're enjoying yours as much as I'm enjoying mine Russ. You can check out the entire post here.
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Electronic Musician deems Avid’s Sibelius a “score!”
Posted 12/21/2011 7:16:00 AM
Electronic Musician’s January issue takes a deep dive into Avid
Sibelius 7 notation software in their gear review section, and reviewer
Gino Robair's verdict? “Score!”
What first struck Gino was the
all new user-friendly interface of Sibelius 7. He specifically called
out the well-organized tool bar and drop-down menus for praise. Not
only did Gino find the Ribbon great for beginners, he also says
“longtime users will likely find features they didn’t know existed in
Sibelius.”
Gino suggested the new text feature updates are “sure
to make an impression on Sibelius users,” calling out the ability to
edit and resize text with ease. He also mentions the new support for
graphics and the integration ability that makes it easier to share your
work.
Another major selling point for Gino – the new sound library! “The sound library is top-notch across the board,” he writes after giving a detailed look into the updated library provided with Sibelius 7, noting everything from the basic instruments to the chance at utilizing templates for mariachi and salsa band, Orff-instrument ensembles and handbell choir.
Last words from Gino: “Sibelius 7 should be a no-brainer for newbies and previous owners alike”.
Thanks for the review, Gino. We are ecstatic that you found the all new Sibelius 7 to be a total success. Check out the full review online, and be sure to pick up the print edition which also features quick tips on Avid Pro Tools!
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Spin deems Avid’s Keystation Mini 32 a go-to holiday gift for the rockstar on your list
Posted 12/19/2011 1:07:00 AM
Front and cetner, the Keystation Mini 32 in Spin's December Gift Guide.
David Marchese gave Avid’s Keystation Mini 32 some love in Spin’s December holiday gift guide (see #9 in the picture above). David suggests our iPad-compatible, lightweight keyboard for the future rockstar on your list. He cites how the Keystation Mini fits easily into a messenger bag, ensuring that no musician will never be left empty handed should inspiration strike. The guide did not forget to mention the functionality of the Keystation Mini pointing to its USB bus power equipment and plug-and-play functionality.
The Keystation Mini was featured front and center, atop a sidewalk-warping subwoofer and eloquently holding up what we assume to be a healthy pour of Maker’s 46 – a cinnamon-spicy bourbon that Spin also included in the guide. The guide does a great job at identifying all kinds of gifts for your music lover. David called out everything from a Def Jam Recording rap scrapbook to some Johnny Marr special-edition Ray-Ban sunglasses and we are super pumped our very own Keystation Mini made the cut.
Everyone has that music lover on their holiday gift list and finding the perfect present may be easier than you thought. Be sure to check out this awesome gift guide in the December issue of Spin along with the latest industry news on their website http://www.spin.com.
Thanks for including us David. We look forward to the Keystation Mini making its way to everyone from guitar-gods to hip-hop head-nodders this holiday season – hopefully alongside a nice glass of bourbon.
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Avid Studio and Media Composer Featured in Videomaker
Posted 12/15/2011 8:00:00 AM
According to Videomaker, film and video editors of all types will be kicking off the New Year right with Avid. We’re pleased to share that the January 2012 issue features Avid Studio as one of the best home video products of 2011 and also includes an in-depth review of professional editing software, Avid Media Composer 5.5, calling it out as “a force to contend with in the editing world.” [Editor’s Note: Media Composer 6 now shipping]
So, What were the best video products of 2011? Videomaker made the call in their January issue, rating the top products and software of the year where Avid Studio was distinguished as “BEST Introductory Editing Software.” Videomaker suggests Avid Studio was an “easy choice” for the category, pointing to its ease of use and wealth of options. The article also highlights the unlimited timeline and ability to manage volumes of assets in the library, calling out how it allows users to prepare clips in various media editors with enhancements such as trimming, stabilizing, panning and zooming. Videomaker also notes Avid Studio’s ability to expand users creativity, in particular through the Scorefitter music generator, keyframe effects, animation and audio mixing. You can check out the full article here along with Videomaker’s full review of Avid Studio.
Videomaker also provides readers with a detailed review of Media Composer 5.5
(Screenshot from Media Composer 5.5)
Writer Dan Burns concludes that Media Composer 5.5 is “a solid buy for any advanced editor.” A few review highlights include:
“One of the most powerful and unique features of Avid Media Composer is PhraseFind. PhraseFind is a dialog search tool powered by Nexidia technology. The tool will go through all of your footage and audio, indexing them to a language you've set. Once it's done, every clip you import into Media Composer can be searched phonetically. Results are tallied in a window, which includes accuracy scores.”
“With its proliferation in large production houses, advanced media management controls, valuable suite of products, and user-first approach, Avid's Media Composer is a force to contend with in the editing world. Though it may take a while before you feel comfortable using its advanced features, the time you can save using them makes this software a solid buy for any advanced editor.”
For these and other informative articles, be sure to check out the full January issue of Videomaker online now.
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Robert Scovill Hosts Live Sound Roundtable Discussion - Wednesday 12/14
Posted 12/8/2011 2:33:00 AM
Live sound mixing is a creative adventure filled with many challenges, including time limitations, complex productions, last-minute changes, and how should we put this, challenging client needs. But no matter what and where you’re mixing, presenting the highest quality audio possible—quickly, easily, and reliably—is the goal of any live engineer.
Join Avid senior market specialist and legendary concert sound engineer Robert Scovill (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Rush, Prince) on Wednesday December 14 at 10am PT (1pm ET) as he hosts a live roundtable discussion with special guest engineers from the world of concert, house of worship, and theater sound to learn their approach and gain insight into their workflows.
Special guests
• Brad Madix—2011 Parnelli Award winner for FOH Mixer of the Year for his work with Rush; other clients include Shakira, Marilyn Manson, Jane’s Addiction, and Alanis Morissette
• Armando Fullwood—Director at WAVE, an award-winning AV, acoustics, and thematic integration firm; he’s overseen the design of over 500 house of worship projects
• Chris Cormack—Head of sound for Cirque du Soleil's TOTEM
Sign up to see how VENUE and Pro Tools are revolutionizing how engineers today work, and how these solutions are opening up new creative opportunities. Plus, get your questions answered. Register here. Wednesday, December 14, 2011 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET)
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Avid in the News