So, And Thus...

Spectrasonics Trilian

I'm sure most serious computer-based music producers out there already had the original "Trilogy" virtual instrument by Spectrasonics. The company finally updated this bass softsynth to make it compatible with Intel-Mac, adding a ton of new sounds along the way (34 GB core library!).

Spectrasonics Trilian is now shipping ! - MacMusic

Trilian's massive 34GB core library featuring highly-detailed new Acoustic, Electric and Synth basses - as well as enhanced versions of the classic Trilogy sounds. With a brand new user interface and numerous software innovations, Trilian is the first 64-bit native software based on Spectrasonics next generation STEAM Engine, and is the first virtual instrument to feature full library integration with the flagship Omnisphere synthesizer.

Trilian is now shipping, and the MSRP is $299/€229. All Trilogy customers can upgrade to Trilian for $99. There is also a special FREE upgrade offer for Trilogy customers on the Intel-Mac platform and for customers who purchase Trilogy in 2009.

Ok, I think it took too long for the company to get this out (they were concentrating on their Omnisphere synth), but I'm just happy to have it.

New - Digital Performer 7

My favorite audio workstation software goes to version 7!

MOTU.com - New in DP 7.0

New Features (from Mac Music):

• Custom '59 - A meticulously detailed guitar amp emulator modeled after all-time classics from Fender® and Marshall®.
• Live Room | G - A superb physical modeling speaker cabinet emulator with four mixable mics (close, near and far) and 3-band EQ per mic.
• Guitar pedals - A new suite of stunningly accurate classic guitar pedals modeled after all-time favorites from Boss®, Ibanez® & others.
• Inline EQ & dynamics - Control DP's multi-band graphic EQ and vintage dynamics processing directly in each Mixing Board channel.
• Channel Strip - Gain instant access to all mixer channel settings for the track you are working on in any Editor window.
• Lead sheets - Create and print lead sheets, complete with lyrics and transposable chord symbols.
• Freely resizable Counter - Resize the Counter window to any size you wish, even the entire width of your screen.
• Marker Counter - Display markers in large type in the resizable Counter window. Use markers as a teleprompter for lyrics during live performance or recording sessions.
• Consolidated V-Racks - Display V-Rack virtual instruments and effects side by side with disk tracks in the Mixing Board.
• Lyrics - Type in lyrics directly below notes on the QuickScribe page. Or paste them into the Lyric window from your word processor and flow them into a track with one click.
• Transposable chord symbols - Add complex chord symbols directly on the page and transpose them at any time, together with or independently from notes.
• QuickScribe notation enhancements - Numerous enhancements give you even more control over the look of your score and help speed your notation workflow.
• Support for Pro Tools 8 - Industry-leading support for operation as a complete software front-end for Pro Tools | HD systems.
• Info Bar mixer controls - Get instant access to mixer channel settings in any editor window that follow the track you're working on.
• Next-generation sample rate conversion - A new ultra-fast, CPU-efficient sample rate conversion algorithm delivers increased precision, efficiency, and transparency, with an astonishing 138 dB signal-to-noise ratio.
• Real-time crossfades - All crossfades are now computed in real time for lightning fast edits.
• Wave64 support - Support for the industry standard Wave64 extension to the Broadcast WAVE file format lets you record and import audio files larger than 4GB.
• Range automation modes - Raise, lower or write automation moves within any selected range, preserving everything before and after.
• Audio Units instrument side chains - Route side chain inputs to all your favorite third-party Audio Units plug-ins.

Today's the Day!

Happy Birthday to my Honey! Love ya.

Can't Even Carry A Tune With A Bucket?

Then you have bad brain.

KTVB.COM | News | Idaho News on Demand

If you're one of the unlucky people who is tone-deaf, it turns out your brain may have a wiring problem. That's what new research published Wednesday suggests.

People who are tone-deaf can't detect differences in musical pitch but usually have normal hearing and speech. Tone-deafness runs in families, and estimates of how many people have the problem range from 4 percent to 17 percent.

In the small study done in Boston, brain scans showed there was a difference in a particular brain circuit between those who were tone-deaf and those who weren't. Among the tone-deaf, researchers discovered there were fewer connections between two areas of the brain that perceive and produce sounds.

One of my friends is tone-deaf. It's so funny hearing her sing or whistle a song. She just stays on the same note while varying the rhythm. Sorta sounds like Morse code.

She enjoys music, so I'm wondering what exactly she hears. Can she hear that there are different notes or is she always hearing the same tone in every song? I've asked her before but it's not something that she can explain. Still, I wonder.

I don't confuse this with not being able to sing. Some people know how a song is supposed to go, but their voice isn't trained to reproduce the melody. They actually do better when they "convey" the melody with shorter syllables like "la, la, la" or "do, do, do". That's probably why songs that have these sing-along parts ("Loving You", "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", "Gypsy Woman", ) do do do so well: Everyone can sing them!

Forever Your Girl?

Is Paul Abdul leaving American Idol?

AP News | Culpeper Star-Exponent

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If Paula Abdul's abrupt Twitter announcement that she's quitting "American Idol" is a contract negotiating ploy, it's a spectacular one.

If not, she's potentially blown a hole in TV's top-rated show - and rejected an eight-figure deal that represented a 30 percent raise, according to a person familiar with the talks. The person, lacking authority to speak publicly, asked not to be identified.

Abdul dropped her online bombshell Tuesday evening, right before season-nine auditions begin Friday in Denver. That has the whiff of a pressure tactic on Abdul's part, although boycotting the early auditions that skip from city to city might have been a less dramatic way to negotiate.

Her tweets, however, seemed to have an air of finality.

"With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return" to Fox's singing contest, Abdul said on her Twitter account. "I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon."

We already know that Kara DioGuardi has signed on for her second season. Will she be enough? Can American Idol survive without their candy striper? I've always though Paula's comments were based in another reality, but does the show need someone like her?

I do believe the dynamic of the show will change without her. She was always there for the comfort of the contestants; the show's Special Olympics hugger. Perhaps Paula can be replaced by a Muppet? At least the voice would sound the same.

New Bananarama - Love Comes

New Bananarama song - Love Comes. Catchy.

New album "Viva" out on September 14th.

(update: new video has been posted. Thank you xolondon!)

New Apple Final Cut Studio

New software for my holiday video! Of course, I could use a new camera too.

Apple releases new Final Cut Studio | Apple - CNET News

Apple introduced on Thursday a new version of Final Cut Studio, the company's high-end video production suite.

The suite comes with six applications in all, including Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, Compressor 3.5 and DVD Studio Pro 4. Most of the work in this release was spent on the flagship app of the suite, Final Cut Pro.

In Final Cut Pro 7, editors have the ability to edit faster with the help of three new ProRes versions. Users can now choose ProRes 422 (Proxy) for offline editing; ProRes 422 (LT) for projects that require reduced file sizes at broadcast quality; and ProRes 4444 for compositing and digital workflows that require the highest-possible quality.
...

A redesigned Change Speed window lets you make speed changes without rippling the sequence and a new Share window gives you more control over exporting your content for Apple devices, the Web, a Blu-ray disc, or a DVD.

Apple's 3D application, Motion 4 allows you to add reflections and shadows that respond to lights and objects as they pass through the 3D space, according to Apple. Motion also includes new text and titling tools, including an Adjust Glyph tool that lets you distort a single character.
...

Final Cut Studio is available for $999 and requires an Intel Mac. Current Final Cut Studio owners can purchase an upgrade for $299.

I love this suite. I just used 3 of these programs last night for a project. Apple really knows how to make powerful programs with simple interfaces. The only program of the suite that doesn't look "simple" is Color (I believe Apple purchased this from another developer) . I was hoping this version would have made Color a little more "Apple" but it doesn't look that way.

Margaret And Helen

I love their blog!

They have been friends for 60 years. Helen's grandson put together this blog so both Margaret and Helen could keep in touch (one lives in Texas, the other in Maine). 80 year old bloggers!

Here's an excerpt from one of their recent posts regarding the death of Michael Jackson:

The Appreciation or Depreciation of Michael Jackson « Margaret and Helen

Watching all this mad-dash coverage, it occurs to me that if you tore him down in life then it’s a tad bit hypocritical for you to now prop him up in death. Did I mention Joe Jackson was a piece of work? But we seem to be evolving into a nation of hypocrites. And as someone who believes evolution should be taught in school, I am more than a little worried about this evolutionary cycle.

If it were up to me, I would establish a few rules right about now regarding hypocrisy. Something along the lines of:

• If you’re Michael Jackson’s father now is not the time to be enjoying the limelight.
• You can’t be Pro-Life and Pro-War at the same time. If one of these dispositions has to be in your cadre, then pick one and live with the consequences.
• You can’t deny the right to marry to some and then cheat on your spouse. The right to happily marry belongs to all no mater how unhappy it makes you.
• You can’t tolerate the atrocities of one President for eight years and then assign the consequences to one who follows. From this day forward everything was Reagan’s fault.
• The Christian Right should be forced to spend a week in Iran. May the best radicals win.
• The Real Housewives should actually be housewives.

New Michael Jackson Music

You know the studio time has been booked already.

AP News : LimaOhio.com

"There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums," said Tommy Mottola, who from 1998 to 2003 was chairman and CEO of Sony Music, which owns the distribution rights to Jackson's music. "People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There's just some genius and brilliance in there."

The releases, Mottola said, "could go on for years and years - even more than Elvis."

Maybe Janet can have a hit again by doing a duet.

Michael Jackson - Gay?

I was wondering when something like this was going to come out... so to speak:

Jackson Biographer: Michael Was Gay  | News | Advocate.com

Unauthorized Michael Jackson biographer and investigative celebrity reporter Ian Halperin has claimed in London’s Daily Mail that the “king of pop” was gay and that Halperin had spoken to two of Jackson's former lovers.

Halperin, who predicted in December that Jackson had six months to live and is currently at work on a book on the final years of the pop star, said that rumors Jackson had sexually abused children are false. He had no interest in children, Halperin said.

But in the article, Halperin writes, "In the course of my investigations, I spoke to two of his gay lovers, one a Hollywood waiter, the other an aspiring actor. The waiter had remained friends, perhaps more, with the singer until his death last week. He had served Jackson at a restaurant, Jackson made his interest plain, and the two slept together the following night. According to the waiter, Jackson fell in love."

In 2006, Jackson’s brother Jermaine said he and his brothers had suspected that Michael was gay.

Okay, I didn't know about that last part. His family really said that? It's not like the rest of the world (besides the obsessed female fans) didn't already think he was gay.

Would his being gay tarnish his historic significance? Would people go out of their way to claim that he was straight just because they can't deal with the fact that they liked someone who was gay? You betcha!