Modulate This! - Electronic & Experimental Music Tech, Technique, & People

MTV is a acquiring the makers of Guitar Hero

I know some musicians out there are addicted to the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero. Here is some news for you (I saw this on digg.)

"MTV, the cable TV channel some critics have accused of straying too far from its musical roots, is to acquire Harmonix Music Systems, a maker of music-oriented video games, for $175 million in cash."

read the full story here 

Cakewalk Announces Sonar 6 and is taking pre-orders

I just noticed today that Cakewalk has revamped it's web site. As you can see form the image on the left, they've also announced Sonar 6.

According to their web site, Sonar 6 will be shipping worldwide by the end of September. They are taking pre-orders for upgrades here .

They list pricing (US) as

• $369.00 SONAR 6 Studio  for New Cakewalk Customers
• $249.00 SONAR 6 Studio Upgrade for Registered Cakewalk Customers
• $199.00 SONAR 6 Studio Upgrade from Guitar Tracks/Pro, Home Studio, Kinetic, Music Creator, Pro Audio, and Project5
• $99.00 SONAR 6 Studio Upgrade from SONAR 1-5, Power Studio

So what's new? Click the "continue reading..." link below to see a summary.

Academy awards related to music and sound

Thought I'd recap the Oscar winners related to music and audio.

(photo from flickr user wannabehipster)








Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• Winner - “Brokeback Mountain” (Focus Features) Gustavo Santaolalla
• “The Constant Gardener” (Focus Features)
• Alberto Iglesias   “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Sony Pictures Releasing) John Williams
• “Munich” (Universal and DreamWorks) John Williams
• “Pride & Prejudice” (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “In the Deep” from “Crash” (Lions Gate) Music by Kathleen “Bird” York and Michael Becker Lyric by Kathleen “Bird” York
• Winner - “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from“Hustle & Flow” (Paramount Classics, MTV Films and New Deal Entertainment) Music and Lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard
• “Travelin’ Thru” from “Transamerica” (The Weinstein Company and IFC Films)Music and Lyric by Dolly Parton

Achievement in sound editing

• Winner - “King Kong” (Universal) Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
• “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Wylie Stateman
• “War of the Worlds” (Paramount and DreamWorks) Richard King

Achievement in sound mixing

• “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (Buena Vista) Terry Porter, Dean A. Zupancic and Tony Johnson
• Winner - “King Kong” (Universal) Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
• “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline and John Pritchett
• “Walk the Line” (20th Century Fox)Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill and Peter F. Kurland
• “War of the Worlds” (Paramount and DreamWorks) Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ronald Judkins