NAMM 2013 iZ RADAR STUDIO Review: RADAR and Pro Tools in One Box

So NAMM 2015 hasn't started yet, but there has already been one big announcement.A DAW in a box, I have talking about this for years as I have never quite understood why no one has done this before, a Bespoke DAW in a box, running only DAW things, just like in the old days when you had a box to do something. Really excited to see and hear more about this, although I am guessing the price tag will be rather steep to begin with. I wonder if in the future you might get versions for other DAWs?

iZ Technology Corporation announcesRADAR studio (patent pending), the culmination of 25 years of audio engineering excellence. In addition to its best-in-class sonics, unparalleled build quality, and brilliant simplicity, RADAR studio now runs DAW software, natively. Shipping with Pro Tools* and Harrison Mixbus, RADAR studio creates an entirely new category of digital audio recording technology: the integrated audio appliance."Recording is a daunting task. Music producers must research and choose computers, software, audio and sync interfaces, hard drives, and unwieldy digital interface cabling and integrate them all into their studio," says Barry Henderson, President of iZ Technology Corporation. "RADAR studio is a turnkey solution that makes recording as easy as turning on the power and hitting the record button. The best hardware and your favorite software now seamlessly work together in one box to deliver the highest sound quality. Easy."RADAR systems are the premier choice for multi-track recording and playback in some of the finest recording studios, scoring stages, theatres, and post-production houses around the world. Legendary musicians and producers record on RADAR because of its cutting-edge technology, rock-solid reliability, customization capability and, of course, the sound quality it delivers. Now, music producers can run their favorite DAW software and plug-ins inside RADAR studio for the best of both worlds.RADAR studio Key Features: 

• Breathtaking Sound - near-zero jitter, pristine signal path and the latest converter technology
• Runs Pro Tools - track, mix and automate, using all plug-ins and features of native DAW software
• Simplicity - just arm tracks and hit record. Focus on the music
• Workflow - integrate iZ Session Controller and MeterBridge for a traditional studio feel
• Customizable -configurable I/O, drive bays, external media, DSP cards, and peripherals
• Reliability - rock-solid, time tested performance; avoid endless techno-tweaking and mid-session reboots
• World-renowned Support - comes with 10 years of free customer support.

PeaceNeil

Cubase Pro 8 Released

I guess Christmas has come early for some people with the (what appears to me) surprise news that Cubase 8 Pro has been released. Nice to see Steinberg and Yamaha collaboration finally coming to fruition with the Nuage controller (bad name or is it just me?). Here is a list of some of the main features (according to the press release)

Cubase Pro 8 features

• State-of-the-art music production system used by thousands of professionals around the world
• Award-winning 32-bit floating-point Steinberg audio engine with up to 192 kHz, 5.1 surround, flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation
• Unlimited audio, instrument and MIDI tracks
• MixConsole provides the ultimate mixing experience with unmatched flexibility and integrated EQ/Dynamics channel strip modules for epic pro-console sound
• Comprehensive set of 8 outstanding instruments with over 3,000 sounds, including HALion Sonic SE 2 workstation, Padshop granular synth, Retrologue virtual analog synth, LoopMash 2 and Groove Agent SE 4 drum machine
• Complete suite of 73 high-end audio and 18 MIDI VST effect processors, including Quadrafuzz v2, VST Amp Rack and VST Bass Amp guitar and bass tone suites, REVerence convolution reverb, Voxengo CurveEQ and many more
• VCA faders for complex mixing and automation workflows, TrackVersions for playlists-like editing, and render in-place for simplified editing tasks
• VariAudio for MIDI-style note editing of monophonic audio tracks and automatic voicing harmonization and auto-tuning effect
• Chord track and pads for easy chord management and re-harmonizing plus intelligent composing assistance for generating beautiful chord sequences
• VST Expression 2 for unique instrument articulation management and expression control on single-note level
• Professional music notation and score printing

I have to say that it wouldn't be enough to sway me away from Logic or Digital Performer if we are blatantly honest. How have you cubasers lived without bounce in place for so long? VCA fades also seems to be a big one. I guess as I am only a fair-weather Cubase user, that workflow improvements don't really mean that much to me, but from the chatter on the internet they seem to have done a good thing! EnjoyPeaceNeil

The music 'business' and some of the new myths

So, I just came across this fantastic blog post from the band Pomplamouse and it makes fascinating reading on the current state of the music 'business' and some of the new myths surrounding revenue streams and the profitability of touring. I put the word business in quotes as it seems that the traditional music business/industry we know is in it's dying stages, a mammoth of a beast, too greedy and slow to turn itself around and look for new and sustainable revenue streams. Rather than the approach of suing it's customers, the ones it had already fleeced several times over with new formats (cassette, mini-disc, CD) and remasters etc, it could have look at what was happening and adapt and actually give consumers what they wanted (which appears now to be streamed music...although that personally doesn't interest me).Streaming is interesting, it has become normalised with the younger generation, to the point where, when you do the maths, teenagers now were being born as CD's were loosing out to MP3. The younger generation only know mp3s, just like your parents only knew vinyl or 8 track, and not wax cylinders! It is a shame, mp3 is a compressed lossy format, you are paying for a substandard product, but then again most people are listening it to it through very substandard equipment (iPods, mobile phones, headphones on buses etc). Streaming gives you the song you want to hear now, when or where ever you are, that is pretty fantastic when you think of it. Do we really care anymore about the quality, or even listening to a product in full? I remember the days when you would pour over one album for weeks or months (or even years), but now listen to 2 minutes of a track, move on to the next one by a different artist. The attention span is dying, because there is so much other content to draw us in, so much content which is Free.So how do we make this work?If I knew that I would be pretty well off by now, but what I think the Pomplamouse article highlights is that, whilst they toured at a loss, they treated the whole process like a commercial business project, they paid themselves a wage, they treated every aspect like any other small/medium business might approach selling, from a bakery to a shoe shop, and I think that this is to be admired. Like any business too, they ran at a loss in their first attempt (lets equate that to year), we all know it takes a number of years for a business to turn a profit, so they are doing very well. Why do I think that, because I am sure that the next tour they do will have more people, they can up those numbers, they can sell additional product in the mean time. Mostly importantly, they are in control, they are not in debt to the big corporate music 'business' which is like an ocean liner trying to turn in a port, they are in control of their business and it succeeds or fails in their hands. Think of your music, band, creative venture as a business, treat it like a business, promote it like a business and hopefully you will find that this might be the new way!PeaceNeil

The music 'business' and lessons from resurgent TV

Just stumbled across this very interesting article highlighting how the now rapidly dying music business could learn lessons from TV which currently seems to be a resurgent form. If you think about it, the parallels are very similar, TV was loosing out to film and the lack of 'quality' product, but subscription channels such as HBO, Netflix started to take risks by investing in quality product, but also product which took risks, and with series such as Breaking Bad they created the next must watch programmes. These were intelligent programs, not sugar coated celebrity filled cheap TV, they took film production values, mixed it with quality writing and performances and the rest is history. TV is coming back, could a visionary in the music world apply similar principles to bring Music back from the dead.I was recently fortunate enough to be at an event where Peter Gabriel was speaking and I got to question him about the future, interestingly he also thought there is a sea change in people wanting to hear quality material, not only just from the writing perspective, but also from the production perspective and that we could be seeing a move back to lossless formats as people start to get reacquainted with high fidelity audio and how the listening experience can be a pure delight, rather than listening to crappy mp3 in earbud headphones.We shall see and live in hope!PeaceNeil

Apple Macbook Pro and Logic rant

So, this is where the story starts, I got nearly 6 years out of my MacBook Pro, purchased in 2008. Fantastic for a computer, let along a laptop. I did so much work on it, recorded albums, mastered music, composed for orchestra and film, with no real problems (aside from the logic board dying, lucky under Applecare) and most of all, it still works (ish), can be used for a bit of web browsing, the odd bit of writing, but since updating OS's, particularly to OSX Lion and now Mavericks, it can't handle much any more, but in it's heyday it was pretty awesome (sadly though, now it makes this sound!).So I was waiting and waiting for Apple to update their range and now they have…..and I can safely say that this will probably be my last apple computer. What has happened at apple? Do you make computers any more or are you just a communications company? How can my new machine be worse that my old one?? I have written in the past about the Logic X situation, and also the fact that there is still no Apeture update (don't worry Apple, I have since moved hook-line and sinker to Adobe, using Premiere, After Effects, Audition and LightRoom). But what is this about,glued memory for example, therefore no longer able to upgrade in the shop or anywhere. Why have you taken features out of iWorks apps to make them compatable with mobile devices!?!? There are no Thunderbolt peripherals and those that exist are prohibitively expensive when compared to standard devices. Realistically for those on a budget you can only afford a tiny hard drive in this day and age!! But more importantly this...I have Been using Logic since it's Notator days, and whilst I have had flings with other software, I always come home to Logic. But, I think the writing is on the wall, we have been to relationship counselling, but there doesn't seem to be a compromise, in that how can continue loving you when I give you all the latest things in terms of technology and yet you refuse to run one load of Kontakt and an Omnisphere and shock horror...one...yes one audio track, without you breaking down and spluttering and causing me to have to freeze you all the time. As you probably know I am also a big advocate of the other Daw in my life (thank goodness for this world where we can see other DAWs) Digital Performer, and whilst I think it is superior in many ways, plus the dev team don't hide behind the ....oooo we are SOOO f'ing cool Apple and can't tell you anything because we will blow you mind.....yeah Right Tim, that boat has long since sailed!....I struggle with song writing and composing the way I like to compose in DP. It is a personal thing, but I like to (perhaps lazily) work with midi regions and drag them around etc etc which you can't really do in DP, of course there are ways to do it, but it doesn't quite gel with my creative mind. Audio wise DP is awesome, love tracking and editing with it...but just wish I could get the bounce to mp3 to work like it does in Logic, and the export to movie like it does in Logic. Perhaps I need to also have a look at Cubase. One other reason being that I am starting to get sick of the over pricing of Mac and the move away from a computing company to being a communications company. Perhaps very very very sadly in the next few year might have to start considering a move to a certain Beige Box system. Uncertain times for sure. When did we stop talking Apple? All this could be solved with a call, a note, acknowledge our existence....So...Cubase...DP....ProTools?Okay I get it Apple....planned obsolescence!!PeaceNeil

Day 22 - Consequences

Something a bit grander today, bits of orchestra and sound design mixed together, using a bit of Omnisphere, Aria, Stylus and Kontakt. Unfortunately I am suffering from massive CPU spikes in Logic 9 (Mac OS 10.6.8) and this is getting really frustrating as my new Mac is pretty much useless under Mavericks. I really don't know what is going on, but it is very very annoying!! Enjoy!!PeaceNeil

Piece a year?

So after spending nearly a year and a half writing a piece every day, I haven't managed to write anything this year....how shocking! It just goes to show what a great challenge PAD was! So I have thrown myself back into it (kind of) a just had to get the vibe back, so I fired up Logic (not Logic X yet!) decided not use my usual staple of Omnisphere, but went with Kontakt and the amazing Spitfire Albion, with a bit of some vocals from the Francesca library. A bit rusty around the edges but I thought I would post anyway in the spirit of piece a day!EnjoyPeaceNeil