Freemasons use Propellerhead Record for Whitney Houston remix

We knew it was good, but here's proof of the stand-out quality of Propellerhead Record's timestretch algorithm.

Professional production outfit The Freemasons have used Propellerhead Record for their latest remix for Whitney Houston. In an interview with Paul Dakeyne for DV247.com James ‘Freemason’ Wiltshire reveals their use of Record and in particular its incredible real-time time stretch algorithm:

'Record’s [timestretch] were phenomenal compared to the other market leaders, having none of the ‘pre-note’ artifacts showed by, say, Serato, when dealing with material that needs all dynamics completely intact. Record’s algorithm managed to maintain a lot of information regarding depth and space which is normally the first thing that goes to pot when time stretching.'

To read the full story please click here.

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Washburn ships new cracked mirror models

Sound Technology and Washburn Guitars are pleased to announce immediate shipping of new Washburn Cracked Mirror models.

Due to popular demand the Cracked Mirror top is now available on two production Washburn Guitars. Previously only available on the £7000 USA Custom shop Washburn PS2000 (Paul Stanley Model), this much sought after finish can now be found on the V-shaped WV1800CM and the award-winning Idol-shaped WI1800CM.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/washburn/news/washburn-cracked-mirror-models

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Lexicon announces PCM92 processor

Lexicon is proud to introduce the PCM92 Stereo Reverb/Effects Processor.

The PCM92 utilizes the latest DSP technology and the finest collection of classic Lexicon algorithms to offer the ultimate processor for live and studio applications. Delivering 28 mono and stereo reverbs, delays, and modulation effects, flexible routing configurations, and a comprehensive library of over 700 factory presets, the PCM92 represents the most advanced audio processor in its class.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/lexicon/news/lexicon-introduces-pcm92

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Lexicon Pro announces PCM Native Plug-In

Lexicon has rocked the audio industry with the introduction of its groundbreaking new PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle.

For over 35 years Lexicon has been considered the golden standard of digital reverb and effects processing and has continuously introduced leading edge technology for the audio industry. After years of research and significant advances in computer processing speeds, Lexicon has developed the PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle which provides seven legendary Lexicon reverb algorithms that are designed to deliver the highest level of sonic quality and function, and offer all the flexibility of a native plug-in.

The Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is the ultimate studio plug-in for creating professional, insprirational mixes withinpoular DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic, as well as with any other VST, Audio Unit, or RTAS compatible host. These pristine algorithms represent Lexicon’s state-of-the-art technology now in highly efficient native plug-ins that are designed to elevate the sonic qualities of native reverb plug-ins to an entirely new level and provide that smooth, rich sound that is unmistakably Lexicon.

More information and videos:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/lexicon/news/lexicon-launches-pcm-native-reverb-plug-in

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PyTwitterS60 is the simplest Twitter client on S60 phones

PyTwitterS60 is the simplest Twitter client. You can only tweet: it's literally the simplest, isn't it? All you need to do is just ...

1. Launching PyTwitterS60,
2. Tweeting,
3. and Pressing "OK" twice.
   

System Requirement

• OS: Symbian OS 9.1 / S60 3rd Edition or later (Nokia N73, N82, N95, and so on...)
• Python: Python for S60 (PyS60) 1.4.4 or later

Free Download: PyTwitterS60_0_0_8.zip

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AKG Perception 820: Future Music review

“A great way to get your hands on a tube mic from a respected brand at an affordable price".

The latest issue of Future Music magazine includes another exemplary review of AKG’s Perception mic range. On test this month is the latest release and ‘new head of the family’, the AKG Perception 820.

“…what this mic does do is to provide a richness of sound which is a lovely option to have up your sleeve in the studio. The nine polar positions provide plenty of choice and you’ll find what you need to get a great sound almost regardless of the source you’re looking to record”.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/akg/news/akg-perception-820-future-music-magazine-review

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Guitarist Magazine review the new Digitech VL3D

“You may not have to rely on the ‘pitch-challenged’ bassist and drummer ever again…”.

The latest addition to the Digitech Vocalist Live range of harmonisers is reviewed in the new issue of Guitarist magazine. The Vocalist Live 3 Desktop receives a 4.5 out 5 Guitarist rating and is awarded the magazine's ‘Choice’ award for highly recommended buys.

“If you’re a musician who sings and plays guitar and you want to bolster your sound with some extra voices, the VL3D will do the job nicely”.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/digitech/news/guitarist-magazine-review-the-digitech-vl3d

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Randall V2 in T3 Magazine

“...cranks its bells and whistles to squeeze the very best out of your cherished axe”.

In a feature entitled 'Tech Portals: Five gadgets that show you their inner workings' the Randall V2 amplifier gets full-page coverage in this month's T3 Magazine.

Read more at:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/randall/news/randall-v2-in-t3-magazine

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Palm Pixi

Overall, Palm Pixi is slimmer than both the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre. The phone itself is covered in a rubbery, soft touch material the back actually flexes and snaps off like a piece of Tupperware and the keys are much clickier and more satisfying to type on than the Pre's keys. On the back, there's a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash, as compared to the Pre's 3 megapixel unit. Palm says Palm Pixi is designed for messaging, and see the company's point.

As RIM's BlackBerry discovered a long time ago, the candybar form factor is perfect for messaging, because the keyboard is always exposed (and doesn't have hinges or ridges getting in its way.) Palm Pixi feels comfortable, well balanced, and just about the right size in the hand. Because of the lack of ridges around the edge, the keyboard feels larger, even though it isn't folks with big fingers will still probably find the keys to be too small. Palm Pixi is based on the Qualcomm MSM7627 chipset, which is designed for lower cost smartphones.

Rather than using a separate application and baseband (phone) processor like the Pre does, the MSM7627 unifies both functions in one chip. That makes for slimmer, cheaper, and cooler running phones, but the downside is lower video performance. Because Palm Pixi has a 320 by 400 touch screen as opposed to the Pre's 320 by 480 display, many of the standard WebOS interface items are a little bit compressed. They're well designed, though, so you don't notice until someone points out to you that the buttons on the phone keypad, for instance, are a bit more compressed. The

smaller screen did become noticeable with Web browsing, though you see less of a Web page at a time than you do on the Pre. The interface was just as responsive as the Pre's, though, and all the WebOS items were in the same place. Palm ditched the Pre's home button in favor of a virtual home button an area right below the screen that lights up in a little white line. It worked just like the Pre's home button. Palm Pixi comes with 8GB of built-in storage, but no removable memory. The battery is removable, though.

You can sync it with various PC and Mac apps including iTunes, although Palm has been having a bit of a cat and mouse game with Apple over that one. Although Palm Pixi's back doesn't work with Palm's Touchstone inductive charger, Palm will separately sell six "artist backs" that do work with the Touchstone each one was designed by a different California based artist. Palm Pixi has GPS and stereo Bluetooth, but not Wi-Fi, unfortunately. Palm dodged the question of why it left out the Wi-Fi, but they implied it was a cost consideration. Instead of Wi-Fi, Palm Pixi connects using Sprint's EVDO Rev A network (or it roams on Verizon's network when Sprint's network isn't available.)

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Nokia 7705 Twist (Verizon)

Nokia 7705 Twist (Verizon) uses Verizon's standard menu system. That means it's familiar, slow, and kludgy, and requires too many key presses for most tasks. The Polaris 6.1 browser displayed HTML pages well given the smallish LCD. But pages were stiff and slow to navigate using the on screen cursor, and the USA Today home page took more than two minutes to load fully. Verizon loads its instant messaging applications, which hooks into AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger accounts, but counts each transmission as a text message on your bill.

For e-mail, the Twist connects to Web and ISP accounts, and offers RemoSync for corporate messaging; all cost extra monthly fees, which is a disappointment. The A-GPS radio works with VZ Navigator 4.5 for voice enabled, turn by turn directions. The Twist locked onto my position quickly and spoke loudly and clearly a surprise given the Twist's poor speakerphone performance. You can also use Nokia 7705 Twist (Verizon) as a laptop modem with the appropriate Broadband Connect plan.

The non-standard 2.5 mm headphone jack was a downer. At least there's a side mounted microSD card slot my 16GB SanDisk card worked fine, and there's 119MB of on board memory as well. Verizon's music player was difficult to navigate, with too many button presses required to cue up songs, and the usual annoying requirement that everything is in one specific folder on a microSD card. AAC, MP3, and WMA tracks sounded excessively bright and tinny on a paired set of Motorola S9-HD Bluetooth headphones.

Nokia 7705 Twist (Verizon) displayed album art when available. Sometimes, incredibly loud, ear piercing static occurred whenever it stopped or restarted tracks over the S9-HDs and .3GP videos played back OK, though I heard distorted audio on one pass. Stopping and restarting the video seemed to fix it, although it never quite sounded 100 percent clean. V CAST videos were poorly organized, tough to sift through, and looked pixelated, but played smoothly enough provided stucked with the standard thumbnail sized window.

You can also sign up for V CAST Music with Rhapsody for subscription and over the air music downloads. The 3 megapixel camera was a disaster. The slow shutter speed, poor resolution, and lack of detail contributed to a series of useless photos that were either too dark (flash off, or flash on in a dark room) or completely blown out (well lit indoor room, flash off). Recorded videos were useless at 176 by 144 pixel resolution. Moving pictures to and from an SD card was clunkier than it should have been, and changing the default storage location for pictures was buried in the phone's main settings tree instead of in the camera applications.

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