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Sound Advice DVD helps ‘inspire’ creativity

Everything you need to know about analog-style synthesis and digital effects.

Everyone needs to be a synth programmer or engineer nowadays. And not just keyboard players, either. Guitarists and songwriters using hardware recorders like the AW series – or even using the free copies of Cubase LE that tumble out of the box along with a computer interface, drummers with a new DTX e-kit, remix artists running Reason, live DJ/musicians running Live!, videographers running Final Cut Pro or even iMovie. Garage Bandits… the list goes on and on.

Sound Advice features almost 9 hours of ‘no parameter left behind’ information and expertise on analog-style synth programming and digital effects.

Written and presented by top sound designer Dave Polich, who has crafted waveROM and presets and for many of the world’s most successful music hardware and software products of the past ten years, Sound Advice’s 3 DVDs encompass synth programming techniques, an exhaustive parameter-by-parameter guide, and everything you could possibly wish to know about digital effects.

The DVD’s navigation system allows you to use Sound Advice in many different ways: As a complete master class tutorial, as a work of reference (you can search on individual sound parameters), or as an encyclopedia of techniques and sound types (creating pads, modifying sound FX etc).

Legendary producer and 2007 GRAMMY nominee Alan Parsons describes the DVD as offering: "All you need to know about oscillators, filters, envelopes, dynamics and effects that will enable you to produce the sound that you are looking for on your synth - totally from scratch."

DVD Contents

Disc 1 starts with how to create simple sounds; breaking down examples into three main categories: decaying sounds, sustaining sounds, and non-pitched sounds. The next section shows you how to tweak a series of classic sound types: brightening up a piano, changing the tone of an electric guitar, modifying the envelope of a brass patch, and many others.

Disc 2 comprises an exhaustive look at all the major analog-style synth parameters from Amplitude Scaling to Velocity Curves. Perfectly watchable from start to finish, with diagrams, text boxes, and plenty of real-world musical examples, Disc 2 is primarily designed as a reference guide.

Disc 3 is entirely devoted to digital effects - now an integral part of the sound design landscape and of particular relevance to AW users. All major DSP effects - from reverbs and delays, to chorus, flanger, and phaser, to EQ and compression - are examined in minute, parameter-by-parameter detail.

Who Needs It

Produced by KEYFAX NewMedia, who has been making instructional videos and DVDs on music technology for more than 15 years, Sound Advice is filmed in a clean and uncluttered style, with supporting text boxes and simple diagrammatic material.

Talking ‘in plain English,’ Sound Advice is aimed at the novice to intermediate user who has a keen potential interest in sound, but who doesn’t exactly want to study the subject at college. Applications include computer-using musicians of all persuasions, songwriter/engineers, technology-enabled DJs, and students and teachers in music education.

Sound Advice is available in all good music stores, or can be purchased direct from

AW1600 DVD latest news

Latest news on the AW1600 videos: Although there were only six planned originally, there are now eight videos posted in the Tutorials pages of AWInspire.com.

The AW1600 videos were commissioned by Yamaha and produced by KEYFAX NewMedia and comprise an application-based series of tutorials that help the user understand AW1600 concepts and functionality through real-life tasks from set-ups to recordings to mixes.

AW1600 DVD In Production
Yamaha and Keyfax NewMedia have teamed up once again for a forthcoming series of explanatory videos on the AW1600.

Comprising six modules the videos will look at setting up and getting a good handle on AW1600 terminology and panel layout, basic recording skills, live multi-track recording, overdubbing and editing, mixing and mastering, and finally CD burning. Using clear graphics and clean footage the videos will both act as an on-going set of resources for existing owners and as important 'behind the scenes' look for prospective buyers. The videos will be available on-line, and an archival DVD featuring all six modules may be released in due course.

The videos are scheduled for completion in October 2005.

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Pro Audio Review of the AW16G
A little over 20 years ago, TASCAM set the bar with their Portastudio. That box spawned an entire category of studio-in-a-box products providing affordable creative tools for song-writers and musicians. Today, Yamaha raises the bar with their AW16G, which blazes new trails in digital economics. MORE