IK Multimedia releases Miroslav Philharmonik 2 for Mac/PC: The new orchestra with legendary soul is now shipping

December 17, 2015 - IK Multimedia is proud to announce that Miroslav Philharmonik™ 2 for Mac and PC is now shipping. Made in conjunction with master musician, jazz legend and sampling luminary Miroslav Vitous, Miroslav Philharmonik 2 is an emotionally charged orchestral workstation that takes the groundbreaking virtual instrument used on countless classical productions, film scores and pop hits to new levels of expressiveness and realism. It provides over 2,700 instruments with over 55 GB of samples with beautiful new sounds recorded in stunning high-resolution at the prestigious Czech National Symphony Orchestra Studios in Prague.

Real symphonic emotion
Miroslav Philharmonik 2's expressive collection of sounds includes soaring strings, animated woodwinds and majestic brass as well as precision tuned percussion including a majestic 9' concert grand piano, an elegant harpsichord, stately orchestral chimes, a kinetic concert marimba, a warm and rich vibraphone and a lively glockenspiel.

The mallet instruments are all provided with perfectly placed mono and Blumlein stereo miking allowing users to place the instruments into the perfect spatial context. These instruments have been sampled to convey all the emotion and humanity of the musician behind each note. All of the samples from the original Miroslav Philharmonik are included, optimized with articulation switching and the latest effects.

Instruments in the collection blend perfectly as only the best modern symphony orchestras do.  The instruments are expertly recorded free of excessive ambience so musicians can place them into the exact recording environment using Miroslav Philharmonik 2's cutting edge ConvoRoom and classic algorithmic reverb effects.

Effortlessly expressive articulation
The string, brass and woodwind instruments all include multiple articulations performed by master musicians, and they can be played using articulation switching or as separate instruments. This lets musicians instantly switch between flowing legatos, animated pizzicatos, aggressive spiccatos, elegant staccatos, triumphant fortissimos and more. The mallet instruments have been recorded using different types of mallets giving players more tonal flexibility. The piano's soundboard has been modeled to facilitate the perfect interaction between the player and the amazingly complex mechanism of the acoustic piano providing stunning acoustic realism.

Powerful processing
Miroslav Philharmonik 2 sounds like the best audiophile symphonic recordings because of its more than 30 professional-grade studio plug-in effects from IK Multimedia's acclaimed SampleTank® 3. These fully editable effects encompass the full range of the sonic spectrum and include equalizers, dynamic processors, filters, modulation effects, reverbs, delays and more. It also includes 4 of the best analog-modeled mastering effects from IK's acclaimed T-RackS mixing and mastering suite and an updated convolution reverb effect.

Play. Mix. Edit: Advanced control
Miroslav Philharmonik 2 uses the same Play, Mix and Edit pages as SampleTank 3. These pages give musicians an extreme amount of creative flexibility and control. It includes an easy-to-use instrument browser, a 16-part DAW-style mixer and a powerful synthesizer section with 3 sample playback engines and 10 high-quality filters.

Seamless integration
Miroslav Philharmonik 2 can be used on its own as a standalone or plug-in instrument or as an additional instrument collection inside of the SampleTank 3 sound and groove workstation.

Pricing and availability
Miroslav Philharmonik 2 is available now as a direct digital download from the IK store and from select music retailers worldwide, or as a boxed version with a USB flash drive.

It will be available at its current special, limited-time introductory pricing until December 31, and is offered in a number of different options:

Current owners of Miroslav Philharmonik can upgrade for as low as $/€199.99* via download or $/€229.99 for a boxed copy.

Users with qualifying IK software can crossgrade for as low as $/€299.99 via direct download or $/€329.99 for a boxed copy.

New users can get Miroslav Philharmonik 2 for as low as $/€399.99 via direct download or $/€429.99 for a boxed copy.

At the end of the introductory period, Miroslav Philharmonik 2 will have a retail price at $/€499.99 ($529.99 for the boxed version). Upgrade and crossgrade pricing will also be available.

*all prices excluding taxes

For more information, please visit: www.philharmonik.com To hear Miroslav Philharmonik 2, please visit: www.philharmonik.com/audio To watch Miroslav Philharmonik 2 in action, please visit: www.philharmonik.com/video

Vienna Dimension Strings II Released

"Join us in welcoming this highly anticipated member of Vienna's revolutionary "Dimension" family: Vienna Dimension Strings II! It's everything you love about the original Vienna Dimension Strings I with muted, "con sordino", string ensembles."

Free Sounds from SampleTraxx

"To celebrate our first year at SampleTraxx we are giving away a 600Mb of FREE SOUNDS selected from our sound packs: Doom - Voices of the Ages - Raptus plus an Extra folder of sound effects.
Just go here http://www.sampletraxx.com/freesounds/ click on the image and grab it.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas"

Lumberjack - Exclusive Christmas Giveaway

Lumberjack is giving away their track, "Crash" for free as a Christmas present!

Download here. 

Lightning in a Bottle 2016 adds an additional day plus 24-Hour Flash Ticket Sale starting Jan 4

Lightning in a Bottle - Bradley, CA -  California’s premiere boutique music and arts festival Lightning in a Bottle just announced that a limited amount of discounted tickets for the 11th annual gathering go on sale starting Monday, January 4th at 10AM for a 24 hour flash sale. General Admission ticket sales will follow on Tuesday, January 5th at 10AM.

World-renowned innovators of transformational festival culture blending music, art, wellness and sustainability, Do LaB’s Lightning in a Bottle 2016 will take place over Memorial Day Weekend May 25 - May 30 once again descending upon Lake San Antonio recreation area in Bradley, CA. Previous Lightning in a Bottle installments have played host to internationally acclaimed talent and rapidly rising stars such as Flume, Odesza, RL Grime, Chet Faker, Amon Tobin, Moby, Beats Antique, Griz, Shpongle, Rusko, Bassnectar, and Tipper, and 2016 will be no exception.

The 11th annual gathering also brings new early arrival options and festival additions. Inspired by their experiences at outdoor psytrance Boom Festival in Portugal, Do LaB has had the goal to extend the length of LIB for many years. 2016 gates will open May 25th to Early Arrival Pass holders giving opportunities to explore connections within the community before turning the music on for the full festival adventure.

Wednesday and Thursday of LIB 2016 will be primarily devoted to setting up camp, meeting neighbors, and getting the lay of the land. The Temple of Consciousness, Village and Learning Kitchen will be the main focus during the day on Wednesday, hosting speakers, workshops, yoga and classes with special celebrations in the evenings. The Grand Artique will also be in full effect on Wednesday with their signature brand of frontier trading and shenanigans. Music will be added in on Thursday via the Favela and Pagoda Bar with Friday opening up to the rest of the stages and festival activities. With so many participants already acclimated and fully reeling in the LIB vibes, Do LaB hopes the entire festival experience will be electrified with more connective energy than ever before.

Those who wish to take advantage of the newly-extended LIB 2016 experience will have the option to add on an Early Arrival Pass to a 4 Day Weekend Pass purchase granting entry at noon on Wednesday, May 25th. This pass will be available during the 24 hour flash ticket sale, and is expected to go quickly. With the Early Arrival pass comes first dibs on campsites in the brand new centralized High Grounds Camp, located directly across the road from the main festival grounds, featuring an incredible view of the festival and providing the shortest campground walk to many primary festival attractions. Car camping is available in the High Grounds camp with the purchase of a Car Camping Pass. Early arrival RV Camping Passes will be available for the RV Campground. All other venue campgrounds will open up with the gates on Thursday.

To get inspired for LIB 2016, watch the newly released Official Lightning in a Bottle 2015 Video created by Media Stranger, featuring cameos from RL Grime, Zion I, Goldroom, avant-garde electro circus troupe Lucent Dossier Experience, and live art installations by Jef Logan among beautiful moments of festival attendees and the land. The video is only a small testament to what lies ahead at Lightning in a Bottle 2016.

Also new to 2016, Do LaB is proud to premiere the visionary video series Lightning Talks carefully curated from 2015’s Temple of Consciousness, Village, and Learning Kitchen lectures, workshops and speakers including Dennis McKenna and Dream Rockwell of the Lucent Dossier Experience. In years past the only way to witness these magical talks was by attending the festival in person, now you can relive the talk that changed your life or listen to a speaker you were dying to see but missed. By signing up for Lightning Talks, you'll receive a new video every Tuesday from one of 2015’s highly talented presenters, sharing knowledge in the worlds of science, creativity, spirituality, love, media, healing, philosophy, and more! Sneak a peek at the first seminar from best selling author Neale Donald Walsch here.

Much wonder awaits in what will surely be the most amazing Lightning in a Bottle gathering to date!  Memorial Day Weekend can’t come soon enough.

Purchase festival passes starting at 10AM January 4th via the Lightning in a Bottle website. There will be a limited number of the new Early Arrival Passes available - get one while they last!  RSVP on the LIB Facebook Event Page to connect early with your Lightning in a Bottle tribe and be sure to stay in the loop with lineup announcement and other news by signing up for the LIB newsletter.    

STAY CONNECTED!

Lightning in a Bottle: Website | Facebook | Event Page | Twitter | Instagram

Do LaB: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud |Twitter

Antelope Audio Takes Interface Market by Storm with Two Thunderbolt™-Compatible Devices: Orion32+ and Orion Studio — Now Shipping

Santa Monica, Calif., December 16, 2015 — Leading professional audio gear manufacturer Antelope Audio announced that its new category leading interfaces, Orion32+ and Orion Studio, are both fully compatible with Apple Thunderbolt™ technology. Both interfaces, which were previewed at the 139th AES Show in New York City last month, are now shipping; during the remainder of December, customers who purchase an Orion32+ or Orion Studio at select dealers will receive a free two-meter Thunderbolt™ cable (a $49 value).

Both devices represent a significant evolution in audio interface technology, packing multiple channels of pristine quality I/O conversion and flexible routing options. Each unit also features zero latency monitoring and Antelope's legendary clocking technology — which provides the very best in sonic imaging.

Orion32+: A Constellation of Features, now with Thunderbolt™
Orion32+ follows the success of its predecessor, Orion32 — which launched three years ago as the world's first 32-channel interface solution in a 1U rack. Orion32+ is now Antelope's flagship interface, and features Thunderbolt™ compatibility, improved dynamic range, zero latency monitoring and Antelope's signature uncompromising audio quality.

The Orion32+ does what has never been possible before in a 1U rack space — delivering 32 channels of I/O, unmatched connectivity options, zero latency monitoring and 32-simultaneous channels of 24-bit, 192 kHz audio performance. The unit also delivers a vast range of connectivity options including Thunderbolt™, MADI and USB, making it suitable for use in commercial, home studio and live environments. The Orion32+ also incorporates ADAT and S/PDIF throughput, with I/O being handled by eight D-Sub 25 connectors and a pair of mastering grade monitor outputs — both capable of delivering 129 dB dynamic range.

Orion Studio: Set the Controls for the Heart of Audio Purity
Now with full Thunderbolt™ compatibility, Antelope's Orion Studio brings the very latest interface technology to a new universe of Apple Mac Book Pro users. Constructed in an elegant 1U form factor, Orion Studio delivers a massive feature set in a small package: the lowest latency AD/DA converter in its class, USB compatibility, custom routing flexibility of course Antelope Audio's renowned sonic depth and clarity — made possible by the company's proprietary clocking technology.

Suitable for both project studios, home recording environments and other applications, Orion Studio delivers uncompromising, professional grade audio quality and is capable of processing 32 channels of 192 kHz audio at dizzying speeds of 100μ round trip delay. With 12 commercial quality microphone preamplifiers, 16 analog outputs, two mastering grade monitor outputs and Thunderbolt™ compatibility, Orion Studio is the perfect companion to acheive the ultimate in sound quality.

" Orion32+ and Orion Studio deliver an enormous return on investment for producers, engineers and musicians who seek the very pinnacle of audio quality and workflow efficiency," commented Marcel James, US Director of Sales, Antelope Audio. "By announcing Thunderbolt™ compatibility for both of these devices, Antelope brings our best in class feature set and audio quality to an entirely new audience of users."

Powerful Onboard DSP and Advanced Signal Routing
Antelope's Orion32+ and Orion Studio interfaces are integrated with Antelope Audio's new onboard DSP engine, which is designed to run custom EQ, compressor and reverb plug-ins: including Antelope's recently announced AuraVerb.

Orion32+ and Orion Studio both ship with AuraVerb, and other plug-ins will soon become available to owners of these products free of charge. The new DSP, which allows simultaneous processing of multiple effects, utilizes Antelope's proprietary effects algorithms and significantly increases speed of workflow — no matter what DAW is chosen.

The accompanying software for Orion32+ and Orion Studio make it simple to operate, with a color-coded routing matrix, four separate mixers and intelligent DSP effects integration. The software application, which was created for Orion32 and further refined for Antelope's Zen Studio, is available for both OS X and Windows operating systems. Further, both the Orion32+ and Orion Studio are fully supported by Antelope's superior 64-bit Acoustically Focused Clocking (AFC) jitter management technology, which is present in leading mastering facilities around the world.

Orion32+ is priced at $3,495 (U.S.) and Orion Studio is priced at $2,795 (U.S.). For more information, please visit http://www.antelopeaudio.com.

Nigel Stanford has MOMENTUM: Music and Technology Wiz Combines Electronica and Science in Visually-Stunning Videos

Old Lyme, Conn., December 16, 2015 — Sennheiser's MOMENTUM campaign has highlighted dozens of unique sound stories from all over the world: stories about creators with MOMENTUM and people who push the world forward with their creative passions. These stories feature artists, innovators and entrepreneurs in the most authentic sense, and serve to inspire others to uncover their own unique MOMENTUM.

Nigel Stanford is the latest creative visionary to share his inspiring story. An electronic musician with a remarkable penchant for visualizing his work in video form, Stanford owes some of his unique perspective towards sound to his experience of synesthesia. “For me, bass frequencies are red and high-frequency sounds are yellow and white.“ His ability to ‘see’ sound has helped inform the visually compelling videos that marry scientific phenomena with his original musical compositions.

Hailing from New Zealand but based in New York, Nigel Stanford’s first LP came out in 1999. However, it was the 2014 video for his song ‘Cymatics' that blew the minds of millions of people around the world. Stanford, who tries “to make projects that are like mini-movies”, created a film based on scientific experiments, where each sound would be visualised through incredible, physical special effects. Deep bass frequencies sent shockwaves through liquids, synth stabs would ignite columns of flame, and an electrifying crescendo of sound would be made visualized as electricity though a Tesla coil firing bolts of lightning over Stanford’s own mesh-clad body.

Unlike most music videos, in the case of ‘Cymatics’ the song itself was born out of the video. Each filmed motion was created by whichever frequencies most successfully affected physical objects — these frequencies were then used to shape the underlying music of ‘Cymatics.’

In his most recent audio-visual opus, “Automatica,” Stanford has taken on the subject of the singularity—the point at which artificial intelligence itself will develop the next level of artificial intelligence—with a complex and challenging shoot utilizing industrial robots. “It was the most stressful thing I’d ever done in my life,” he said. Stanford achieves the feeling of AI evolution by having robots of the sort commonly seen assembling cars picking up and playing instruments. At first, Stanford is directing them. But as the film progresses, the robots begin adapting the instruments to better suit their own form and needs, or as Stanford describes it: “The robots I’m training to play music suddenly turn the tables and start teaching me to play music.”

Putting together the elaborate robotic dance of ‘Automatica’ tested Stanford’s mettle. “One set we had robots playing instruments, then we had a robot controlling the camera and then all of the lights were automatic as well. The programming of those three elements takes a lot of time and a lot of head scratching.” Aside from spending hours programming each individual scene, Stanford was also hands-on with prop and set design. “I enjoy getting my hands dirty and making props; I also get involved with the compositing,” he says. This approach is inspired by his belief that each component of his videos is a part of a cogent artistic vision. “All of the those things are equally important as the music, so I want to be as involved as I can.”

All in all Stanford will have spent about a year bringing the video to life, but cutting corners was never a consideration. “For me, I just want to make something that is up there with the best of the best. I want to make the best thing that I possibly can,” he says. Stanford’s MOMENTUM is his desire to create something more than pure entertainment. He sees his videos as helping foster an interest in science. “I think it’s great to make people really interested in science and show them another way of looking at reality,” he says. “It kind of feels like magic, but it’s just physics.”

About Sennheiser

Audio specialist Sennheiser is one of the world's leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones and wireless transmission systems. Based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, Sennheiser operates its own production facilities in Germany, Ireland and the USA and is active in more than 50 countries. With 18 sales subsidiaries and long-established trading partners, the company supplies innovative products and cutting-edge audio solutions that are optimally tailored to its customers' needs. Sennheiser is a family owned company that was founded in 1945 and which today has 2,700 employees around the world that share a passion for audio technology. Since 2013, Sennheiser has been managed by Daniel Sennheiser and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, the third generation of the family to run the company. In 2014, the Sennheiser Group had sales totalling €635 million. www.sennheiser.com