Hitachi Starboard Offers Industry-Leading Interoperabilty For Educators

In a move to accelerate the interoperability and technology integration of its presentation technologies, Hitachi Software Engineering America, Ltd. showcased its ability to integrate seamlessly with off-the-shelf software packages from Microsoft and other manufacturers. This interoperability allows educators the flexibility to use their existing lesson plans on Hitachi interactive whiteboards, tablets and display panels, rather than limiting them only to lessons designed specifically for interactive technologies.

Hitachi StarBoard software is designed to help teachers execute their lesson plans with flair and imagination, keeping students engaged and making lessons come alive like never before. The software is designed with a number of features that allow for interoperability with educators’ existing tools.

“One of the biggest challenges teachers face when working with new educational tools is adapting the new technology to existing curricula,” said John Glad, Product Manager for Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. Business Group. “We designed StarBoard software to easily integrate with the software teachers already use, ensuring that they can jump right in and teach with the lessons they already have—augmented and improved by our products.”

StarBoard software allows teachers to take lesson plans created in everyday software program packages like Microsoft Office and easily use them on Hitachi interactive whiteboards or panels. Lessons in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint can easily be dropped into presentation slides in the StarBoard software with the push of a button. Moreover, lessons and edits performed on a board or tablet may be resaved back into Microsoft PowerPoint®, Adobe PDF®, and other image formats allowing teachers to send and reuse lessons developed during class time in multiple ways.

In addition, Hitachi has developed a free open license application called the StarBoard Viewer. It offers the essential interactive whiteboard tools such as virtual whiteboard space, digital inks, the ability to manipulate objects, and a docking/floating toolbar. Additionally, it allows anyone to view, edit, modify, and save StarBoard Software files on any computer and present the material using any brand of interactive whiteboard.

“Our goal is to close the digital divide between students and teachers who want expanded access to StarBoard files, as well as providing a tool for those seeking simple interactive whiteboard software to use for free,” continued Mr. Glad. “While other competitive products offer whiteboard viewers, none offer the ability to save work away from the presentation product itself.” The release of the Hitachi StarBoard Viewer is slated for the end of April and will be available to download from their website (www.hitachistarboard.com).

Hitachi StarBoard software also offers a unique “Word Split” feature. Any time a teacher grabs copy from an outside source and pastes it into a lesson being presented on the board or panel, the software provides the options to either paste the copy as a single object, as individual lines, or break apart the individual words. Given these options, teachers have the ability to move and change the copy as they see fit and do not have to spend precious class time altering the copy to fit the lesson.

StarBoard Software is designed to work with a teacher’s existing lessons. A static Word® document can be made interactive by manipulating text, marking it up with ink tools, and using layers of objects for hide-and-reveal activities. Although Hitachi offers additional resources for use with StarBoard products through its partnership with Cambridge University Press, the software is designed to work with what teachers already have and feel comfortable presenting.

Eventide TimeFactor

A video of the Eventide TimeFactor Twin Delay Stompbox being used in a recoding studio, illustrating some features that you won't find on other stompboxes.

Biamp Systems Acquires Creative Audio

In a major expansion of its audio engineering research and development capabilities, BIAMP® Systems today announced the acquisition of Creative Audio, of Brisbane QLD Australia. The acquisition, which was announced by BIAMP Systems President Ralph Lockhart, provides the company with immediate access to a highly evolved and experienced engineering development team that will enable BIAMP Systems to accelerate its R&D programs in digital audio networking technologies.

Currently, Creative Audio products are featured in many prestigious installations throughout the world including the US House of Representatives, the Sydney Opera House, Stadium Australia, and Heathrow Airport. The company has developed forward-looking networked technologies for audio control and communications, as well as advanced paging systems.

"Creative Audio has proven to have a remarkable technical core with a keen understanding of contractor requirements and end-user needs," Lockhart noted. "BIAMP Systems shares this close connection to the market and places a high value on providing innovative approaches that create valuable solutions for our customers. I am confident that our engineering teams, though separated by many miles, will jointly raise the bar in turning out great new products".

Creative Audio was established in Brisbane in 1986 as a technical development group focused on creating engineered product solutions for paging and audio communications applications. The company's products include entertainment communications systems and large scale automated paging control systems.

A CobraNet® licensee, Creative Audio has carefully assembled a team of highly qualified engineers and developed comprehensive in-house research and development capabilities. With dedicated expertise in analog and digital circuit design; professional audio systems engineering; software development and digital signal processing, the Creative Audio engineering team and the BIAMP Systems engineering team are highly complimentary, and the acquisition provides new resources and skill sets in the ongoing product development efforts of the company.

Commenting on the acquisition, Creative Audio Engineering Director, Neil Packer, said, "Rarely in business do companies achieve such a compelling fit as we have achieved with BIAMP today. Our engineering competencies will compliment the work BIAMP is doing extremely well, and there is a strong cultural fit as well".

"Our goal in acquiring Creative Audio was to take two strong design groups and leverage the best of both to apply bright minds and fresh approaches to the development of new product options for our customers," explained Steve Metzger, BIAMP Systems Vice President of Business Development. "Both organizations share a passion for excellence, and this move allows BIAMP to reach into new market opportunities with the same eye for creating forward-thinking solutions as we have with our current products. We're excited about what this means for us and our customers!"

The acquisition has no effect on the product distribution channel. Australian-based Audio Products Group (APG), a leading distributor of premium AV products and a valued Biamp partner, will continue on as BIAMP’s distributor throughout the Oceanic Region. The acquisition of the new organization will provide APG additional opportunities to bring innovative AV solutions to their market.

Eventide Anthology II Plug-ins Underscore Sonic Creations Of Grammy Nominated Producer Eric Rosse

Eventide’s Anthology II TDM Plug-in bundle, drawing on decades of boundary smashing effects, provides a foundation for many of the innovative sounds of illustrious, Grammy ®-nominated producer Eric Rosse.

A professional musician and composer, as well as producer, Rosse is also known for scoring the highly acclaimed film Hand of Fate. He has worked closely with Gold and Platinum selling artists like Tori Amos, Anna Nalick, Lisa Marie Presley, and Sara Bareilles. Rosse produced the groundbreaking first album of Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, and continued working with her on her Grammy nominated second album, Under The Pink, which produced smash hit singles across the globe. Rosse now works out of SquawkBox Studio in Silverlake, Los Angeles, maintaining control of projects from development through production, recording, and finishing. In his studio, he relies on Eventide’s Anthology II bundle for a sonic foundation.

“I depend on the great sounds in the Anthology II bundle first and foremost,” said Rosse, “but I also count on their ease of use and depth of programmability. When I’m mixing, just about all the processors are being used, and effects such as Eventide’s great sounding reverbs come in handy for recording drums, guitars and vocals.”

Rosse’s current projects, all of which involve him relying upon Anthology II, include the band White Tie Affair, whose eponymous album will be released on Epic this year. For that project, Rosse leaned heavily on Anthology’s EQ, reverb, compressors, and distortion for special effects and re-amping instruments. Beyond that, Rosse also kept busy with a recently released record by Sara Bareillas and on Anna Nalick’s second album. Nalick’s single was just released, and a preview EP is to be released shortly. Producing and mixing a new rock band on Mercury called Sparky’s Flaw, Rosse drew on Anthology II for EQ and reverb especially.

“The plug-ins in Anthology II speak to me sonically, like my favorite pieces of analog gear do,” Rosse said. “I still use my old Eventide H-3000/SE - it has never gone out of style. Quality is the most important aspect of any piece of gear — even above convenience — and the heritage of Eventide evolving into the Anthology II plug-ins provides both.”

Anthology II contains:
E-Channel™ - configurable channel strip with gate, compressor/limiter with sidechain, and 5-band 48-bit double precision parametric equalization

EQ45 Parametric Equalizer - vintage 48-bit double precision 4-band equalization with high and low cut 12dB/octave filters

EQ65 Filter Set - vintage 48-bit double precision high and low cut 18dB/octave filters, plus 2-band reject or band pass filters

Eventide® Reverb - nine room types from the H8000 with 3-band parametric EQ (pre- and post-reverberator), a compressor (pre or post-reverberator) and stereo delays

H3000 Band Delays™ - eight voices of delay with modulating filters; includes the Function Generator with 19 waveshapes

H3000 Factory™ - patch together any combination of 18 effects; includes the Function Generator with 19 waveshapes

H910 - the original Harmonizer® pitch shifter with delay

H949 - deglitched pitch shifting with delay, reverse, flanging, and randomizer

Instant Phaser™ - recreation of the world’s first phaser

Instant Flanger™ - dedicated flanger with bounce

Omnipressor™ - dynamics processor with an attitude!

Octavox™ - eight-voice diatonic Harmonizer pitch shifter

Precision Time Align™ - track phase alignment tool

Quadravox™ - four-voice diatonic Harmonizer pitch shifter

Ultra-Channel™ - configurable channel strip with gate, compressor/limiter with sidechain,
Omnipressor dynamics processor, 5-band 48-bit double precision parametric equalization, micropitch shifting and stereo delays

Anthology II is fully compliant with ICON, D-Control, D-Command, Venue, Pro Tools 7.4, and is Mac, Universal Binary, and PC compatible.

Sun Light & Sound And JBL VerTec Line Arrays Rock The Desert In Dubai

In one of the Middle East’s most popular annual live music events, production equipment rental company Sun Light & Sound (SLS) Productions deployed a JBL Professional VERTEC® line array system for Dubai Desert Rock Festival 2008. Held March 7-8 at Dubai Festival City, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Dubai Desert Rock Festival 2008 drew more than 28,000 fans over two days.

Dubai Desert Rock Festival 2008 marked the Festival’s fifth anniversary. As in years past, the Festival showcased some of the world’s most popular hard rock and heavy metal acts, including Korn, Velvet Revolver, Machine Head and As I Lay Dying. With the goal of providing sonic clarity while matching the power of the Festival’s high-energy performances, Sun Light & Sound provided an elaborate audio system that included a total of 90 VERTEC line array elements.

The PA included main hangs of 12 VT4889 full-size line array elements per side, complemented by six VT4880 full-size arrayable subwoofers per side. Eight VT4887 compact line array elements were suspended to provide down fill, with five VT4888 mid-size line array elements hung per side for additional out fill. Twelve JBL VT4880A Ultra-Long Excursion subwoofers were stacked on each side of the stage for added low-frequency output, with four VT4887 compact line array elements on hand for front fill. Lastly, three arrays of six VT4888 mid-size line array elements each were set up at the front of house position to serve as delays. Crown Macro-Tech and I-Tech amplifiers powered the entire system.

“When we first started using VERTEC line arrays, we received very good feedback from our clients, and as we increased our inventory we have found VERTEC to be a great asset,” said Martin Luiz, Owner of Sun Light & Sound. “The VERTEC loudspeakers have exceptional clarity, light weight, compact size, and are easy to set up. We have supplied our gear to many international artists performing in Dubai and almost all of them prefer using VERTEC. Visiting sound engineers have always given our team a big ‘yes’ for our inventory and services, and more live concerts in the UAE will see our company rocking with VERTEC. This system has revolutionized the concert sound industry.”

David Scheirman, Vice President, Tour Sound, JBL Professional notes that Sun Light & Sound Productions represents an excellent example of how JBL’s industry-leading loudspeaker technology is supporting the growth of pro-level regional rental firms in the Middle East and beyond. “We look forward to the growing success of Martin Luiz and his team, as VERTEC increasingly becomes the line array of choice for leading concert sound system providers around the world.”

For more information on Sun Light & Sound Productions, please call +971-4-3550300 or visit http://www.slspro.net.