BuildOrBuy Network News http://www.buildorbuy.org/ http://www.buildorbuy.net/ Subject: Giga Newsletter For April 2002 Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 19:41:42 -0700 From: gigainfo@tascam.com To: news@buildorbuy.net You've received this e-mail because you requested to get updated information about GigaStudio, GigaSampler and associated audio tools. If you do not wish to receive future notices via e-mail, then please reply to this message with "REMOVE" in the subject header. Be sure to include your name and e-mail address as well. === Giga Newsletter For April 2002 Viva Las Giga! The National Association Of Broadcasters (NAB) held its yearly convention in Las Vegas April 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. TASCAM has always been a major participant in this event in the past with products like the DA-88, the MMR-8, the MX-2424 and the DM-24, but this was the first year that Giga was shown in the booth. As a music production tool, Giga has stood unequaled, but with powerful features like the QuickSound database engine, and the ability to store entire performances including all samples, instruments, and mixer settings, Giga is quickly becoming a very viable solution for people working in the post production and broadcast arenas where deadlines are tight. We also spoke to producers of content for multimedia and the Internet who were excited by the power they saw in Giga. Giga was a big hit at the show as many of the visitors who were familiar with Giga, but had never seen it up close or got a chance to see it in action. It is always fun to see the faces of someone hearing a Scarbee bass track, or Garritan string arrangement for the first time. And as I rode off into the Nevada sunset in my mint green El Dorado, brand new white bucks, and suede cowboy hat…I heard the thankful residents of a little town called Las Vegas ponder the question: "Who was that masked man? And was he running 98SE or XP on that Giga rig?" (Slowly fade in the Nashville High Strung Guitars playing Happy Trails…..) Some New Additions As you may or may not have noticed, the collection of instruments available from TASCAM is growing each month. If you haven't been to the website lately, you should most certainly check it out. Here's some news on a couple of very cool new additions to the list: Sampleheads. TASCAM is proud to be distributing the extensive collection of Giga titles available from this extremely creative group of sample developers. Sampleheads was founded in 1993 by New York City session musicians/producers Jeremy Roberts, Chris Hajian and Will Lee to create the ultimate live-feeling sounds for samplers. Their objective was to capture the musical essence of the artist, as well as the instrument. Their belief is that sampled sounds must retain the organic nature of the performance (the feel), or else you're left with the sterile sound that we've come to expect from off-the-shelf and stock sounds. In 1998, Will and Chris moved on to focus on their music, but remain in spirit. http://www.shopteac.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SN&Category_Code=SL_SHL Post Musical Instruments. Michiel Post studied psychology in Tilburg and later electronic music. He started working as a professional sound engineer and producer for several Dutch artists. Later he worked as sampling specialist for the Dutch Opera House and the Dutch National Ballet company in Amsterdam. He was specialized in simulating acoustic instruments such as church organs. In 1999 he started his own company, Post Audio Media, for which he produced some 15 sample libraries. The first were the Post Pristine Piano for Gigasampler and Post Organ Toolkit. Michiel's latest offering is the Grandioso Steinway D piano library, which truly is one of the most stunning instruments I have heard in a while. Here is a quote from a recent user forum posting: "Today I received Michiel's Grandioso Steinway Model D piano. I personally have played at least fifteen different Steinway Model D's over the last several years, and I can honestly say that Michiel has accurately captured the character of a Steinway Model D. Michiel's Grandioso Steinway is a warm sounding piano and would be a good addition to any serious piano musician's sampled piano library collection." http://www.shopteac.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SN&Product_Code=SL_PMI_GSD&Category_Code=SL_PMI Other New Libraries In addition to the new Giga developers and their amazing products, there are more new offerings from the current roster of Giga Gods: Sly Dunbar-Reggae Drumslash Remastered. Sly Dunbar needs no introduction…he is one of the world's greatest drummers. For years he has set new standards for dance music using his unique blend of Reggae, Funk and Hip Hop with his longtime associate Robbie Shakespeare. Sly plays the numerous styles of Reggae and Ska, then opens the vault to his Dancehall grooves in this CD from Numerical Sound that stands as a chronology of the pas, present and future of Reggae music. http://www.shopteac.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SN&Product_Code=SL_NS_RDR&Category_Code=SL_NS Bigga Giggas "BOB". The Big Orchestral Brass collection from Bigga Giggas continues the tradition of BG's rock solid "bang for the buck" reputation with this 4 CD-ROM collection of killer sounding brass with an equally sweet price tag. http://www.shopteac.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SN&Product_Code=SL_BG_BOBC&Category_Code=SL_BGL Steve Gadd Drum Scores. One of the most important drummers in contemporary music provides you with the tools to create drum patterns that groove in a big way. Q Up Arts has created a "must have" sample collection that includes tons of drum patterns and one shot drum samples from one of the most sought after session drummers ever. http://www.shopteac.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SN&Product_Code=SL_QU_SD&Category_Code=SL_QAL Giga Tip: Getting Graphic In The Instrument Editor For those of you who are familiar with the GigaStudio Instrument Editor, you know that it is an incredibly powerful tool not only for creating your own instruments, but for editing existing libraries. Some of you who may not have much "trigger time" in the IE may view the task of making simple adjustments as being quite a bit more daunting than it actually is. When you open an instrument in the editor, you will see the regions, or groups of samples, represented by the vertical bars that are spread across and directly below the virtual keyboard. If you single click on any of the regions, you will be shown what "Dimensions" (velocity, keyswitching, note off, etc.) are included in that region in the lower center portion of the screen (look just below where it says "velocity" and you will see what samples are included in this selected region for example). *Note. Make sure that you not only highlight the region you want to edit, but also the included velocity layers and/or any of the specific instruments that may be included in a keyswitched or layered instrument. Just above the virtual keyboard, you will see two white triangles that hold the key to editing with the "blue dots". Start by single clicking on the white triangle on the left. This will drop down the parameters that can be graphically edited using this hidden little gem. For the sake of demonstration, choose Attenuation as the parameter to edit. You should now see a series of blue dots appear in the regions of the instrument. By single clicking on any one of these and dragging (you can do groups of regions or the entire instrument by clicking and holding the mouse and dragging across the regions you want to edit) you can now quickly adjust the volume of a single region, groups of regions, or the entire instrument in seconds. Try doing this same procedure with some of the other parameters. The other white triangle (the one just to the right and above the virtual keyboard) drops down to expose three distinct ways that the blue dots function and work within the chosen parameter you want to adjust. Here is the run down on the differences: Drag all selected regions: Allows you to drag the parameters of all the regions that are selected at once. When this mode is selected, dragging a value in one region causes all of the selected regions to change by the same amount. Drag linear scaling. (Straight line interpolation) Allows you to drag all the settings at various angles across the keys. When this mode is selected, dragging a value in one region causes the other selected regions' values to be scaled across the keyboard. If you drag the highest or lowest region in the selection, the region at the opposite end acts as an anchor, while the regions in between adjust themselves linearly between the two extremes. If you drag a region in the middle of the selected range, both endpoints act as anchors. (creating a pyramid shape) Drag proportional scaling. Keeps settings proportionate to the distance from parameter that is being changed. When this mode is selected, dragging a value in one region causes the other selected regions to change in proportion to their proximity to the region you're dragging. (It's easier to see for yourself than it is to explain!) Use this mode to make subtle modifications to a keyboard scaling whose basic shape you don't want to disturb. Using the sliding scale to the far right of the regions will allow you to zoom in and out for fine or course adjustments of the parameters you are editing using the "blue dots". All adjustments can be auditioned from a keyboard in real time once you let go of the blue dot you are adjusting. Happy editing! Developer Spotlight: DS Soundware The Christian & Lane "Ultimate" series of sample libraries have become benchmark collections for composers who work with marimbas, vibes, tympani, and everything else percussive. Founded three years ago by Donnie Christian and college friend Sean Lane, DS Soundware has made a big impression in a short amount of time. With five college degrees between them in both percussion and education, their career in creating sample libraries was born from a desire to simply "build a better percussion library". Donnie gave me the history of how they first became involved in the sampling world: "I remember thinking that the percussion libraries that were available at the time were usable, but we envisioned a much higher quality collection that would really capture the nuances of such an expressive type of instrument." After some experimentation with an analog tape recorder of all things, Donnie and Sean soon realized that the potential for creating a top notch library was there, and it soon became a reality with the creation of Gigasampler. "Gigasampler made it possible to do the things that we wanted to do with the libraries" recalls Donnie, "We just ran with the idea and ended up where we are now". A member of the Memphis Symphony as a percussionist since 1995, Donnie Christian and partner Sean Lane are hardly short on experience, and that experience shines through in the wonderful DS Soundware libraries. Check them out here: http://www.shopteac.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SN&Category_Code=SL_CL XP and 2000 Tune-up TASCAM has recently posted a comprehensive optimization doc for those of you running Giga (or any audio application) on your PC. Following the lead of the original PC setup and optimization document, this update will help you get the most out of your PC as you create your music. Be sure to give it a look: Windows 98 and ME: http://www.tascam.com/support/faq/pc_optimize/index.php Windows XP and 2K: http://www.nemesysmusic.com/support/W2k_XP_Optimize.pdf Sound Card spotlight: Echo Echo has been a major player in the computer audio arena with their Gina, Layla, Mia and Mona sound cards. With offerings that cover just about every application and I/O need, Echo has always been at the forefront of the sound card pack. Their latest solution is targeted at the ever-growing laptop users, and as more and more people turn to their laptops to take advantage of the portability, end users have previously been plagued with limited options for recording and playing audio from their laptops with any quality or versatility. LAPTOP from Echo addresses this stumbling block, and offers a great solution at a reasonable price. Check it out here: http://www.echoaudio.com/ Your Prez Would Want You To…(Shop TASCAM Online). Why use your tax return to do something boring and typical like paying off your credit card bills, taking a vacation, or putting a new 396 big block into your '68 Malibu (um, well, OK that is a good use of a fat tax return…) when you can use your tax return to buy that new, wonderful, and incredibly necessary Giga library??? Word on the street is that G.W was at Shop TASCAM Online last week eyeballing the Heavy Guitars and Poogie Bell Streetbeats libraries for his new collaboration with Rob Zombie. Well, that's what I heard anyway…... :) Let Us Hear From You GIGATEAM@tascam.com is the connection if you need to find a local Giga dealer, or have a question, request, recommendations, etc. === If you would prefer not to receive further messages from this sender: 1. Click on the Reply button. 2. Replace the Subject field with the word REMOVE. 3. Click the Send button. You may receive one additional e-mail message confirming your removal.