Products of Interest

fax ;32–84–455–30 (49ם) CREATE PulsarGenerator A demo version of Pulsar- phone ם Interactive Sound Synthesis Generator can be downloaded; it is ( 49) 180–505–254–125–172; elec- limited in the length of time it will tronic mail info@didgeridoo- Software run. The full version of the software samples.de; World Wide Web can be purchased for US$ 49.00 from www.didgeridoo-samples.de/. The Center for Research in Elec- ‘‘UC Regents, CREATE account.’’ tronic Art Technology (CREATE) at Contact: PulsarGenerator Sales, the University of Californa, Santa CREATE, Department of Music, Barbara, has released Pulsar- University of California, Santa Bar- Generator by Alberto de Campo and Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 5.0 bara, California 93106, USA; tele- Audio Editing Software for (1ם) fax ;4586–893–805 (1ם) Curtis Roads. PulsarGenerator is a phone Macintosh-based interactive applica- 805–893–7194; electronic mail Windows tion for pulsar synthesis (PS). PS is [email protected]; World Wide based on the generation of trains of Web www.create.ucsb.edu/. For Windows users, Sonic Foundry sonic particles, and belongs to the has developed a suite of audio pro- same family as granular synthesis. grams that has gained an important These particles can produce either reputation within this community. rhythms or tones depending on the Forwardinoutback Didgeridoo Its utilities include Acid Pro, a loop- temporal resolutions involved. based multi-track editing program, The PulsarGenerator features in- Sample CD Vegas Video, for multitrack video ed- clude: precise rhythm or tone genera- iting, and Noise Reduction and XFX, Ralph ‘‘Stick’’ Hermann, a didgeri- tors; three formants per pulsar train, signal processors for restoration and doo aficionado, has released a sample with independent frequency and spa- signal treatment. Sound Forge is CD of a collection of sounds from tial panning; real-time synthesis and Sonic Foundry’s stereo audio editor this evocative instrument. The CD editing; real-time waveform display; for mastering, video scoring, and so includes 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo or the ability to import any sample file forth (see Figure 1). mono WAV files of bamboo, wood, as a waveform or envelope; direct-to- The new 5.0 version of Sound and metal didgeridoos. The sounds disk recording; graphical control of Forge updates the processing resolu- are edited to various lengths and de- synthesis (wavetables and envelopes tion, as have many of the other edi- control almost all synthesis parame- signed to fit loops over a range of tors on the market. The program can ters); forward, backward, freeze, or tempos and meters. The bamboo and now work with 24-bit files at up to scrub playback; real-time crossfading wood samples are tuned to three 192 kHz sampling rate. The internal between different sets of wavetables; neighboring pitches; the metal sam- computations are run at 32-bit float- burst masking control for subhar- ples are all at one pitch. ing point rate. Additional new fea- monics and syncopated rhythms; The CD is presented in ‘‘Web site’’ tures include a set of 18 DirectX real-time editing tools with key- fashion, using HTML ‘‘pages’’ to stroke commands; savable Wave- guide the user through the informa- plug-ins, including the Acoustic Mir- tables, TableSets, and Banks; tion and directories. Clicking on the ror, for simulating acoustical envi- cross-fading between multiple sets of link to a sample will open the Win- ronments and microphone tables; mixing or muting of individ- dows Media player. Naturally, the characteristics, and Wave Hammer, a ual pulsar trains; ring modulation WAV files can be opened into audio compressor for maximizing volume with any soundfile as second source. editor programs by accessing the without clipping. Sound Forge also PulsarGenerator runs under Mac- soundfiles directly. Forwardinout- provides tools from within the pro- intosh OS versions 8.5.1, 8.6, and back runs under Windows only gram for extracting audio from CDs 9.1, and is best suited for Power- (though the WAV files can be as well as burning tracks directly Macintosh 8600/9600, G3, and G4 uploaded to any computer with a onto CD. File export formats have computers. The CPU limits can be CD-ROM drive). been expanded to include OGG Vor- adjusted for live performance. The The Didgeridoo Sample CD is bis and Perfect Clarity Audio (PCA), software will work with any ASIO- available for DM 99, or US$ 49.00. along with QuickTime, RealAudio, compatible sound card. Documenta- Contact: Forwardinoutback, c/o and RealVideo. tion is available online at the Ralph Hermann, Malplaquetstrasse Sound Forge 5.0 requires a mini- CREATE Web site. 16a, 13347 Berlin, Germany; tele- mum 200 MHz processor with at

Products of Interest 107

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 1. Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 5.0 audio editing software for Win- dows.

least 32 MB RAM, running Windows TC Powercore Digital Signal Works has developed a powerful card 98SE, ME, or 2000. The list price is Processing Card for Macintosh to enhance Macintosh computers’ US$ 349.97 for the downloadable audio processing capabilities. The version, and US$ 399.96 for the Computers TC Powercore is built from four Mo- packaged version. Upgrades from ear- torola 56K DSP chips (see Figure 2). lier versions are available at a re- As audio processing software be- It runs under the VST speciﬁcation duced rate. Contact: Sonic Foundry, comes more elaborate and the appli- developed by Steinberg. Whereas 1617 Sherman Avenue, Madison, cations become more numerous, the other VST plug-ins not bundled with Wisconsin 53704, USA; telephone need for computation power seems the Powercore will not be directed to to be fast outpacing the CPU power the processing cards, they can run at –204–608 (1ם) or 6642–577–800 (1ם) -elec- of general-purpose computers. One the same time, even in the same sig ;7300–256–608 (1ם) fax ;7680 tronic mail customerservice solution that several companies have nal path. The Powercore also works @sonicfoundry.com; World Wide turned their attention to is to add with the MAS (Mark of the Unicorn) Web www.sonicfoundry.com/. DSP chips as PCI-slot add-ons. TC protocol as well. TC Works has

108 Computer Music Journal

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 2. TC Powercore digital signal processing card for Macintosh.

New features found in JSyn V14.2 include: PitchDetector, for exporting the period of a waveform; audio input support for both Macintosh and Intel-based computers; support for multi-channel sound cards; rotary knobs, and exponential taper for fad- ers and knobs; PinkNoise and IntegrateUnit; and time-varying bi- quad filters including LowPass, HighPass, BandPass, BandStop, PeakingEQ, LowShelf, and High- Shelf. adapted an open-development policy, cle is Espaces Inhabitables—Camera JSyn can be used to develop cross- enabling third-party developers to Oscura (2000). Magison’s work in platform musical applications, Web- produce their own prug-ins for this making Mr. Bayle’s oeuvre available based telephony applications using DSP card. was acknowledged in 1999 with the audio input, and interactive applets The TC Powercore comes pack- awarding of the Grand Prix Charles for on-line music education resources. aged with the set of processors Cros. The JSyn Web site has a programming known as TC Tools, which includes The CD set is complemented by tutorial, and links to numerous exam- Mega Reverb, TC Chorus/Delay, and two related publications: Musique ples and related software, such as -5isan acousmatique, propositions, posiםTC EQ. The TC Master 3 JMSL (www.algomusic.com/jmsl optional set of plug-ins that provides tions (Paris: INA/Buchet Chastel, /index.html), the Java version of the higher-end tools for mastering. The 1993), and François Bayle, parcours influential Hierarchical Music Speci- bundle also includes SparkLE, a ver- d’un compositeur (Brussels: Revue fication Language (HMSL). One can sion of TC’s stereo editing software Lien, 1994), both available through also download the Software Develop- that supports 24-bit 96 kHz sound- Magison. ers Kit and register to access the Li- files. Contact: Magison, 31 rue de la censed Developer Site. A Macintosh G3 or G4 (OS 9.0) Harpe, 75005 Paris, France; tele- JSyn is available at no charge. ;29–16–33–46–1 (33ם) with an open PCI slot and minimum phone/fax Contact: Softsynth.com, 75 Pleasant 128 MB RAM is required. Contact: electronic mail [email protected]. Lane, San Rafael, California 94901, TC Works Soft- und Hardware ;4320–453–415 (1ם) USA; telephone GmbH, Flughafenstrasse 52B, 22335 electronic mail [email protected]; (49ם) Hamburg, Germany; telephone World Wide Web www.softsynth –531–40 (49ם) fax ;0830–531–40 JSyn V14.2 Java Synthesis .com/jsyn/. 0831; electronic mail [email protected]; World Wide Web Application Programming www.tcworks.de/. Interface

A new version of JSyn has been re- mbl 101D ‘‘Radialstrahler’’ leased and is available for download. Omnidirectional Loudspeaker Cycle Bayle CD Set on Magison Developed by Phil Burks, JSyn a real- time audio synthesis Application The German audio manufacturer Magison, a Paris-based publisher, has Programming Interface (API) for Java. mbl-Akustikgerate has devoted a released a 14-disc set of the electro- It provides modular synthesis tools great deal of attention to omnidirec- acoustic works of Franc¸ois Bayle. Di- and allows interactive computer mu- tional loudspeakers. The 101D ‘‘Ra- rector of the Groupe de Recherches sic applications to be run as stand- dialstrahler’’ is the company’s full Musicales (GRM) from 1966, Mr. alone applications or on a Web site. frequency, four-way product that Bayle has been creating music in the The Wire patch editor allows mod- tops its line. studio for over 40 years. The Cycle ules to be developed interactively The subwoofer is built from a 12- Bayle collects his most important and exported as Java source for use in in driver sealed within a truncated works. The latest addition to the cy- Java programs. pyramidal chamber at the bottom of

Products of Interest 109

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 3. mbl 101D ‘‘Radi- Figure 4. Yamaha Diskla- alstrahler’’ omnidirec- vier Pro 2000. tional loudspeaker.

ano series, the Pro 2000. This 7-ft 6-in model is decidedly ‘‘up-market,’’ with a striking, modernistic design featuring a cherry case, brushed aluminum legs and keyboard cover, and a split-panel transparent lid (see Fig- ure 4). The piano features a built-in Pentium III processor (600 MHz) which can be controlled through speech recognition software (IBM ViaVoice), a DVD-ROM drive for pre- recorded performance playback, and a thin panel, touch-screen computer monitor. Yamaha has produced (to date) four performances by well-known pi- anists, to be played back on the power and frequency), are attached monitor (or routed to an external above the woofer, the spaces in be- screen) while the Disklavier plays tween being sealed with silicon. The back the music via MIDI using its crossover between the woofer and keys, hammers, and pedals. A new the mid-range driver is set at 600 Hz, feature is Advanced CueTime, and the higher crossover, between whereby multimedia performance the mid-range driver and the tweeter elements may be controlled through is at 3,500 Hz. Each of the drivers Apple QuickTime, audio, MIDI, can be adjusted to sonically match graphics, and command files directly the electronic components of the from the keyboard. Music notation sound system as well as the charac- software is provided, and a score can teristics of the room the loudspeak- be displayed on the monitor while ers are placed in. the Disklavier plays the music. A The 101D loudspeaker is rated to guide system, using MIDI, will link a 106 dB, and draws 320 W of continu- performance from the keyboard to ous power (2,200 W peak) with an pre-existing tracks, providing auto- impedance rating of 4 ohms. The matic adjustment for tempo changes, housing is 70 in high and weighs 176 dynamics, and so forth. lbs. Other new features include XG in- the 101D’s strikingly sculpted hous- A matched pair of 101D ‘‘Radialis- strumental tone generation for an ex- ing (see Figure 3). The bottom driver trahler’’ loudspeakers costs US$ panded palette of sounds controllable is rated from 20 Hz, though the high- 35,800. Contact: mbl-Akustikgerate through MIDI functions. Refinement pass filter is set at 25 Hz, with a roll- GmbH, Einemstrasse 20a, D-10785 of the recording/playback features –30 (49ם) off of 12 dB/octave. The crossover Berlin, Germany; telephone -mean that feedback between the sen ;8062–851–30 (49ם) fourth-order, as all the crossovers 851–8074; fax) are) to the second driver is set at 110 electronic mail mbl_hifi_germany@ sors and the drive system compo- Hz. The woofer carries the most un- csi.com; World Wide Web www.mbl- nents is more accurate (using LSI usual design, being housed within a hifi.com/. microprocessors), and the sensors football-shaped pleated enclosure. now register the release speed of the The ‘‘lamellae’’ are constructed from keys along with the downstroke in- an aluminum/magnesium alloy. The Yamaha Disklavier Pro 2000 formation. Additional performance two higher drivers, built from carbon data is captured using the new Ya- fiber ‘‘petals’’ (shaped to achieve Yamaha has released the latest ver- maha XP MIDI data format, although minimum distortion regardless of sion of its Disklavier automated pi- basic data can still be ported to other

110 Computer Music Journal

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 5. Mixman DM2 digital music mixer.

cessor with 32 Mb RAM, Windows 98 or ME, and a USB port. The DM2 can be ordered from the Mixman Web site for US$ 119.95. Contact: Mixman, 2600 South El Camino Real, San Mateo, California –295–650 (1ם) USA; telephone ,94403 -elec ;2333–295–650 (1ם) fax ;2300 tronic mail [email protected]; World Wide Web www.my-dm2.com/.

Mikropolyphonie Online Contemporary Music Journal, Volumes 5 and 6 Mikropolyphonie is an online journal devoted to contemporary music. The editors and host Web site are located at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. The most recent volumes, 5 and 6, concentrate on electroacous- tic and computer music. editing/performance environments loop pattern or beat using the Auto The articles for Volume 5 include: using standard MIDI protocol. Beat-Matching feature. The intent ‘‘Imaginary Space—Spaces in the The Disklavier Pro 2000 is avail- was to create a dynamic, Imagination’’ by Jonty Harrison; ‘‘Ex- able for US$ 333,000. Contact: Ya- performance-based platform for pro- ploring the Potential for Digital Life- maha Corporation of America, 6600 ducing ‘‘tracks’’ built from the set of Forms: Music as Emergent Orangethorpe Avenue, P.O. Box samples loaded into the program. Behaviour’’ by Eduardo Reck Mi- 6600, Buena Park, California 90622– With the development of the DM2 randa; ‘‘’PsySound’: a Computer Pro- Digital Music Mixer, Mixman (work- gram for the Psychoacoustical –522–714 (1ם) USA; telephone ,6600 9213; electronic mail info@yamaha ing in conjunction with Apzu, a sub- Analysis of Music,’’ and ‘‘The Size of .com; World Wide Web www sidiary of Mattel, Inc.) has taken its Sound: Auditory Volume Reassessed’’ .yamaha.com/. popular software out of the box (see by Densil Cabrera; ‘‘Multidimen- Figure 5). The new controller essen- sional Scaling Analysis of Musical In- tially presents a similar interface, strument Sounds’ Spectra’’ by Ian but with the dual ‘‘turntables’’ given Kaminskyj; and ‘‘Shantivanam 2 : In- Mixman DM2 Digital Music physical form. In addition to the teractive Performance using an Audio Mixer eight buttons built into each of the Signal Processor’’ by Greg Schiemer, ‘‘turntables,’’ the DM2 includes in- Narayan Mani, and Siri Rama. Mixman StudioPro is a sample-based dependent ‘‘scratching,’’ joystick Volume 6 contains articles such mixing program released some time control of various effects (ﬁlters, re- as: ‘‘Modes of Compositional Engage- ago by Beatnik. The distinctive inter- verbs, delays), a cross-fader, and real- ment’’ by Andrew Brown; ‘‘Boolean face for recording/mixing resembles time control of pitch, panning, Networks for the Generation of a pair of turntables, with 8 samples volume, and tempo. Rhythmic Structure’’ by Alan Dorin; able to be loaded onto each of the While StudioPro has been avail- ‘‘Boolean Logic as a Harmonic Filter’’ platters. Each sample can be trig- able for either Windows- or by Greg Schiemer; ‘‘Making Com- gered and muted in real time by ac- Macintosh-based computers, the puter Music Meaningful in Schools’’ cessing different keys on the DM2 is presently only released for by Steve Dillon; ‘‘Multi-feature Mu- computer keyboard. Samples are au- Windows machines. It requires a sical Instrument Classiﬁer’’ by Ian tomatically processed to match a minimum Pentium II 233 MHz pro- Kaminskyj; and ‘‘Diffusion: Realisa-

Products of Interest 111

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 6. Machine Musi- cianship by Robert Rowe.

tion, Analysis and Evaluation’’ by Ian Stevenson. Mikropolyphonie can be accessed at World Wide Web farben.latrobe.edu.au/mikropol/.

Machine Musicianship by Robert Rowe Robert Rowe is an influential figure in the world of interactive computer music. His book, Interactive Music Systems (MIT Press), which came with a CD-ROM of his Cypher software as well as a collection of other tools, was published in 1993. Mr. Rowe has come out with a new book, Machine Musicianship (MIT Press, ISBN 0–262–18206–8) (see Figure 6). It is ‘‘both a programming tutorial and an exploration of the foundational concepts of musical analysis, performance, and composition. The theoretical foundations are derived from the fields of music theory, computer music, music cogni- tion, and artificial intelligence.’’ The author ‘‘explores the technology of implementing musical processes such as segmentation, pattern processing, and interactive improvisa- tion in computer programs.’’ The text is accompanied by a CD-ROM which contains working examples of the programs discussed, in either .or Max םםC Machine Musicianship is listed for US$ 47.95. Contact: The MIT Press, 5 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142–1493, USA; -elec ;0343–356–800 (1ם) telephone tronic mail [email protected]; record label, c74. The aim of the la- Leslie Stuck, and members of the World Wide Web mitpress.mit.edu bel is to showcase composers and Cycling ’74 staff. -performers who use the company’s Discs can be purchased individu .0262182068סbook-home.tcl?isbn/ software in their music. ally or by subscription. Contact: Cy- The first release, Fix it in Post, cling ’74, 1186 Folsom Street, San Cycling ’74 c74 Record Label features The Freight Elevator Quar- Francisco, California 94103, USA; fax ;5743–621–415 (1ם) tet. The second is from Interface telephone electronic mail ;6563–621–415 (1ם) ,(Cycling ’74, producers and distribu- (Dan Trueman and Curtis Bahn tors of widely used software such as ./swank. Upcoming discs are planned [email protected]; World Wide Max and MSP, have created a new from Amnon Wolman, Kim Cascone, Web www.cycling74.com/c74.

112 Computer Music Journal

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 7. B&W CDM 1NT bookshelf loudspeaker.

Figure 8. Mark of the Uni- corn 828 FireWire audio interface.

in the ‘‘extremely expensive’’ range. axis. Harmonic distortion (2nd and In an effort to apply the technologi- 3rd harmonics, 90 dB, 1m) is less cal innovations of its Nautilus line than 0.5% from 150 Hz–20 kHz. The (US$ 40,000/pair) to loudspeakers of speakers come with either a black more modest cost, B&W has created ash or cherrywood finish (fashioned its CDM NT line, including the 1NT from real wood), and can also be out- ‘‘bookshelf’’ loudspeaker (see Figure fitted with a stand. 7). The CDM 1NT is listed for US$ The 1NT is a two-way vented-box 1,200 per pair. Contact: B&W Loud- system standing 15.5 in. (39.3 cm) speakers of America, 54 Concord high and weighing 21.1 lbs (9.5 kg). Street, North Reading, Massachu- The cross-over frequency is 4,000 setts 01864-2699, USA; telephone –978 (1ם) fax ;2870–664–978 (1ם) Hz, with the tweeter housed on top in a separate tapered tube (designed 664–4109; electronic mail market- to absorb unwanted frequencies from [email protected]; World Wide the back of the driver). This feature Web www.bwspeakers.com/. is said to ensure that the tweeter output is both time-aligned to the other drive unit and to minimize dif- Mark of the Unicorn 828 fraction effects at the cabinet’s edges. The flowport below the main driver FireWire Audio Interface utilizes what B&W calls ‘‘golf ball Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) is one aerodynamics theory’’ (dimpled sur- of the first developers to put on the face to improve air flow) to lower market a multi-channel audio inter- turbulence at each end of the port, face using the FireWire (IEEE 1394) resulting in less ‘‘chuffing’’ noise and protocol to connect to the computer Figure 7. compression. (see Figure 8). The 828 provides eight The frequency response is 60 Hz– channels of balance or unbalanced 3dB on reference axis, analog input/output; the first two ע kHz 20 1 with a sensitivity of 88 dB SPL channels can take AES or ⁄4-in. (mi- (2.83V, 1m) at a nominal impedance crophone or line level) inputs, and B&W CDM 1NT Bookshelf of 8 ohms (minimum is 4.6 ohms). include preamplifiers. Phantom Loudspeaker At nominal impedance the power power (48V) is provided for the two handling is 50–120W. Dispersion microphone channels as well. On the B&W has achieved a reputation for (within 2 dB of response on reference digital side, the unit comes with an its excellent loudspeakers. Most of axis) is over a 40Њ arc on the horizon- eight-channel ADAT optical input/ the company’s product line is priced tal axis and a 10Њ arc on the vertical output (along with an ADAT SYNC

Figure 8.

Products of Interest 113

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 9. PSP MixSaturator VST-based signal processors.

Pressor, and MixTreble. These plug- ins can be used during recording or mixing as well as for mastering. Demo versions of the PSP software, along with example soundﬁles, can be downloaded for free from the company’s Web site. The full version of PSP StereoPack costs US$ 24.00, and the full version of PSP MixPack costs US$ 100.00. Contact: PSP Au- dioware; electronic mail [email protected]; World Wide Web www.pspaudioware.com/.

Universal Audio Powered interface) as well as stereo RCA S/ any software that integrates the Plugins Processors and Card PDIF input/ouput. An additional two ASIO or WDM drivers (for audio channels of ‘‘main’’ outputs (analog, and/or MIDI). Universal Audio has released its TRS) are provided for monitoring and The MOTU 828 is listed for US$ Powered Plugins set for high- there is a headphone output as well, 795.00. Contact: Mark of the Uni- bandwidth audio processing. The col- with volume controls for both. There corn, 1280 Massachusetts Avenue, lection is designed to run on the is no latency when monitoring a re- Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, company’s UAD-1 signal processing -PCI card, which is built around a sin ;2760–576–617 (1ם) cording, as the audio is routed di- USA; telephone electronic gle non-partitioned chip for increased ;3609–576–617 (1ם) rectly to the output and not through fax the computer ﬁrst. For this feature, mail [email protected]; World Wide power. Initially, the software is de- MOTU has provided CueMix Plus Web www.motu.com/. signed to run on Windows-based software to specify signal paths. computers within the VST environ- The FireWire connector links to ment (Cubase, Nuendo, and Logic any computer equipped to receive it. programs). The 828 requires its own power sup- PSP Audio Processors for VST The plug-ins in this set include ply. The front panel provides con- digital emulations of Universal Au- trols for the input channels, PSP is a Polish software company de- dio’s own vintage compressors, the separately for the ﬁrst two, and in veloping audio tools for VST editing 1176LN and the Teletronix LA-2A. pairs for the rest, giving 40 dB of environments (for both Macintosh The company’s approach has been to gain. The converters are 24-bit, pro- and Windows systems). To date, the model the circuitry of these com- ducing a dynamic range of approxi- company has released two packages pressors to capture their unique mately 105 dB. The 828 comes with of plug-ins, the PSP StereoPack and sonic characteristics. Other proces- ASIO drivers along with Windows the PSP MixPack. Both require a sors include RealVerb Pro, for high- Digital Media (WDM) drivers for new host VST-compliant application quality reverberation (see Figure 10), versions of Windows 2000-optimized (such as Cubase or Logic). and CS-1 Channel Strip, a set of ef- audio editing software (e.g., Cake- The PSP StereoPack consists of fects that comprises the EQ-1 Five- walk SONAR). The hardware is also the following plug-ins: PseudoStereo, band Parametric Equalizer, the CX-1 packaged with MOTU’s AudioDesk StereoEnhancer, StereoController, Compressor, the MD-1 Modulation software (for Macintosh computers), and StereoAnalyser. This set can be and Delay, and the RS-1 Room Simu- which includes utilities for recording used to manipulate the image and lator. and editing. For integrating audio quality of a stereo signal. The PSP The Powered Plugins package is with MIDI, MOTU recommends up- MixPack (which has been upgraded listed for US$ 995.00. Contact: Uni- grading AudioDesk to Digital Per- to Version 1.5) includes MixBass, versal Audio, P.O. Box 3818, Santa former, but it is also possible to use MixSaturator (see Figure 9), Mix- Cruz, California 95063–3818, USA;

114 Computer Music Journal

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 10. Universal Audio RealVerb Pro signal processor.

Figure 11. Presences of Ian- nis Xenakis, edited by Makis Solomos.

low-level reading techniques to in- crease tracking reliability as well as error recovery. The CDRoller interface displays audio files in terms of real size, enabling direct extraction of audio data to the hard disk drive. Other utilities include the CD Media Test, for checking for errors, CD Catalog, for organizing disc collections through generating compressed CD image files, and Session Selector, for choos- ing which data session of a disc you want to access. The software presents an interface similar to Windows Explorer, with file property pages, context menus, and drag-and-drop support. It supports a wide range of disc formats, including CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD- WO, CD-RW, CD-ROM XA and Mixed-Mode CD, and Stamped multi-session CD. CDRoller 2.05 sells for US$ 39.95. Site licenses are available on request. A full-featured evaluation version can be downloaded from the CDRoller Web site. Contact: Reg- Soft.com Inc., PMB 201, Suite 220, Figure 10. 10820 Abbotts Bridge Road, Duluth, (1ם) fax Georgia 30097, USA; telephone ;0630–454–831 (1ם) telephone .electronic mail 877–734–7638 (mention Product No ;0689–454–831 (1ם) or 6030–886–800 (1ם) [email protected]; World Wide 37873); fax electronic mail ;3837–279–208 (1ם) Web www.uaudio.com/products /powered_plugins.html. [email protected]; World Wide Web www.cdroller.com/.

CDRoller 2.05 Media Management Software for Presences of Iannis Xenakis Windows Publication and Friends of Xenakis Web Site CDRoller Soft Co. has released its CDRoller 2.05 utility for managing The Centre de Documentation de la data and audio CD media. The soft- Musique Contemporaine (CDMC) ware runs on Windows-based com- has published Presences of Iannis puters (Windows 95 or 98, to date) Xenakis, edited by Makis Solomos and bypasses the Windows Files Sys- (see Figure 11). This volume collects tem using a proprietary driver to ac- the papers presented at the sympo- cess the CD-ROM drives (either IDE sium of the same title held in Paris Figure 11. or SCSI) directly. The software uses in January 1998 along with addi-

Products of Interest 115

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 tional invited contributions. The 25 on the basis of specific criteria of downloaded from the Web site. Con- contributions are presented either in acoustic similarity. tact: Muscle Fish/Audible Magic, French or in English. These articles The software analyzes digital Inc., 2550 Ninth Street, Suite 207B, are joined by two from Iannis sound files, extracting and storing a Berkeley, California 94710, USA; fax ;0141–486–510 (1ם) Xenakis himself previously unpub- set of descriptive attributes. This in- telephone electronic mail ;0868–486–510 (1ם) lished in French: ‘‘Proble`mes de formation includes audio-related composition musicale grecque,’’ and properties (approximate pitch, dura- soundfisher@musclefish.com; World ‘‘Espaces et sources d’auditions et de tion, loudness, overall timbre) as Wide Web www.soundfisher.com/. spectacles.’’ To complete the publi- well as file-related properties (sample cation, Mr. Solomos has contributed rate, file format, number of channels, an annotated bibliography, the result dates, etc.). These attributes are of several years work on his part. stored in a database to be referenced The research on Xenakis is during the retrieval and comparison ArtistPro.com Web Courses in grouped into five categories: Sources processes. Soundfisher supports stan- Audio Production and Last Works; Theories; Aesthet- dard sound file formats (AIFF, SDII, ics; Analysis; and Architecture and WAV, AU), and the database permits Many computer music practitioners Polytopes. The authors are based in flexible categories, nested categories, get involved in the field through Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, user-defined text fields, user control their background in composition or Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and over which fields are displayed, and computer programming. Not every- the USA. quick entry of keywords and com- one, depending on where or how For those interested, L’association ments. Audio can be exported to any they are pursuing their training or les Amis de Xenakis has created a editing application. The program will experience, has the opportunity to Web site devoted to the work of also create ‘‘thumbnail’’ (proxy) ver- learn about audio production. Iannis Xenakis (www.iannis- sions of the sound files that are ArtistPro.com, a company that mar- xenakis.org/). The site includes infor- added to the system, so the originals kets books, videos, and other ser- mation relating to Biography, need not be permanently stored on- vices to the professional and Bibliography, List of Works, Discog- line. educational audio community, has raphy, News and Upcoming Perfor- Sound files can be imported from created a Web site which includes a mances, and information about the local disks, network file systems, number of on-line courses for anyone Association. The French-language CD-ROMs, and the Internet. The in- interested in this domain. The Web site will eventually be trans- terface constitutes a familiar courses are provided free of charge, lated into English. browser-like design, with multiple requiring only that the student regis- Presences of Iannis Xenakis is views, page navigation, and so forth. ter at the Web site. available for FF 150.00 (Euro 22.87). Data can be viewed in lists or hierar- These tutorials, written by Bill Contact: CDMC, 16, place de la Fon- chies, and sound files can be dis- Gibson, author of a number of text- taine aux Lions, 75019 Paris, France; played as 2D feature plots. The books, cover basic concepts and ,software can be run over a network ;85–49–15–47–1 (33ם) telephone techniques. There are numerous dia- electronic mail [email protected], and is compatible with both Macin- grams and sound examples to illus- World Wide Web www.cdmc.asso.fr/. tosh (8.5, 8.6, 9.x, with OS X version in development) and Windows (98 trate the discussion. Each course and NT) operating systems. The concludes with a test, to reinforce Macintosh version allows for play- the learning/retention process. The SoundFisher 1.0 Audio back from either SoundManager or level tends to be introductory, but from Digidesign soundcards. The quite thorough. Clearly, the intent is Recognition and Database Windows version plays back through educational rather than marketing- Management System any SoundBlaster 16-compatible oriented, although there are ele- soundcard. Netscape Communicator ments of that, too. The ‘‘sponsors’’ Audible Magic is marketing a new or Microsoft Internet Explorer are re- and commercial banners are all re- product for managing sound files quired for SoundFisher Help and lated to audio production, at least. based on content recognition and re- http:Add-Sounds services. The courses, at the time of writ- trieval. Soundfisher 1.0 enables audio Soundfisher 1.0 is listed for US$ ing, include: Understanding the to be searched, imported, and sorted 349.00. A 14-day trial version can be Mixer, Part I; Understanding the

116 Computer Music Journal

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021 Figure 12. Sound Devices USBPre 1.5 digital audio interface.

unit. The microphone input can be usbpremaster.htm or www padded (15 dB), and a 48V phantom .USBPre.com/. power can be supplied to condenser mics. The converters are 24-bit, giving a dynamic range of 106 dB (96 dB Fostex DV40 DVD Recorder when in 16-bit mode) and the 1.5 edition of the device includes S/PDIF Fostex has announced the develop- coaxial input/output along with the ment of a DVD-RAM recorder specif- USB connector for sending the digital ically for audio. The DV40 is similar Mixer, Part II; Essential EQ Theory; audio to another device. in size to a DAT recorder, but it will Dynamics Processors; Expert Effects The USBPre draws power from the record up to four channels of audio Processing; Microphone Technology; computer through the USB interface, at 24-bit resolution and anywhere up Digital Recording; Hard Disk Re- and its size is very compact, with di- to 192 kHz sampling rate. Clock and ,in W video synchronization are included 7.25 ן cording; Synchronization; Recording mensions of 1.75 in H with the timecode generator able to ן cm 18.5 ן in D (4.4 cm 3.94 ן Drums & Percussion; Recording Electric Guitar; Recording Vocals. 10.0 cm). The frequency response is handle the full range of frame rates. dB (input) Audio (saved in UDF mode) can be 0.5מ ,0.1ם ,The ArtistPro Web site also con- 10 Hz–20 kHz dB (computer written in SDII or WAV formats, and 0.5ע ,tains sections devoted to News and or 10 Hz–20 kHz Reviews, Recording Industry Source- output). a Verify mode, which examines the base, Advisor Forums, Musician’s This unit from Sound Devices data for errors as it is being written Mall, and the ArtistPro Shop. Go to works in conjunction with any USB- to disc, increases reliability. World Wide Web equipped Macintosh (OS 9.x) or Win- The DV40 includes four analog inputs and outputs (balanced XLR), and www.artistpro.com/. dows (98SE, 2000, ME) computer. two AES/EBU connections. An ether- The Macintosh version uses the net port enables audio to be trans- Sound Manager (so audio transferred ferred directly to a computer or a by USB to the computer is limited to network. It is possible to add standard 16 bits), and the Windows version Sound Devices USBPre 1.5 interface utitilies such as VGA moni- supports WAV, with DirectSound in- Digital Audio Interface tor, keyboard, and mouse, for easier put/output. An ASIO-compatible entry of ﬁle names, edit points, and Sound Devices has joined the pack of version is in beta-testing at this so forth. Waveform editing options developers producing external digital time. The USBPre should work in are planned for updates. It nonethe- audio gear using the USB interface conjunction with any audio record- less contains utilities for internal ﬁle (see Figure 12). The USBPre 1.5 pro- ing/editing software, and provides conversion (between four-track, two- vides a pair of analog inputs, switch- monitoring capability directly from track, or multi-track monophonic for- able between microphone the device. mats) as well as Copy, Paste, Insert, (active-balanced, –10 dBu minimum The USBPre is listed for US$ Cut, and Erase tools. gain sensitivity), instrument (active- 695.00. Contact: Sound Devices, The DV40 costs US$ 6,999. Con- -dBu), line (active- LLC, P.O. Box 576, 300 Wengel tact: Fostex, 15431 Blackburn Ave 5ם ,balanced ,dBu), Direct Input Drive, Reedsburg, Wisconsin 53959, nue, Norwalk, California 90650 24ם ,balanced ;1112–921–562 (1ם) USA; telephone ;0625–524–608 (1ם) dBu), or tape level USA; telephone 8ם ,unbalanced) electronic ;1964–802–562 (1ם) electronic fax ;0655–524–608 (1ם) dBu) inputs. These, fax 8ם ,unbalanced) and other controls, are set through mail [email protected]; World mail [email protected]; World Wide the software that comes with the Wide Web www.sounddevices.com/ Web www.fostex.com/.

Products of Interest 117

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/01489260152815323 by guest on 30 September 2021