Numark INTRODUCING CUE 6 + VIRTUAL VINYL 6

 

Meet CUE 6. It’s the most advanced DJ performance mixing and remixing software we’ve ever offered. With powerful audio and video mixing capabilities, the ability to customize the program’s look and feel for your own style, new social music features, the ability to grab tracks off the web instantly, and much more, CUE 6 is ready for your inspection. And if you like the feel of 12-inch vinyl and all the power for CUE 6, check out VIRTUAL VINYL 6! If you already have CUE or VIRTUAL VINYL, /upgrading is quick and easy!

Blockbuster to Close 960 Stores by End of 2010

Competition from Netflix, Vudu and Redbox has hit the movie rental chain hard. Perhaps it’s shifting from brick and mortar to Blockbuster On-Demand.

By Tom LeBlanc

09.16.2009 — Blockbuster will close up to 960 stores by the end of 2010, leaving it with about 20 percent fewer stores in the United States.

It’s not a surprise. It’s a sign of the times. About 18 percent of Blockbuster’s stores aren’t making money and 47 percent are only mildly profitable, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The once dominant movie rental chain, which had already closed 276 stores as of mid-August 2009, has seen intense competition lately. Netflix seems to be popping up everywhere with TV, Blu-ray player and media server manufacturers offering its popular “watch instantly” streaming feature directly through its components.

Netflix, which now has 10.6 million subscribers, earned $55 million through the first half of 2009. Blockbuster lost $15 million.

Vudu, an on-demand movie service that boasts “the most HD movies,” has partnered with mainstream manufacturers like LG Electronics.

But it’s not just the transition to digital content streaming that seems to be collapsing Blockbuster’s business model. Inexpensive disc rental alternatives, such as Redbox, also are taking a toll.

Perhaps Blockbuster’s decision to close 960 stores reflects a transition rather than a setback. Blockbuster hopes to have 10,000 kiosks across the country by the middle of 2010. At the end of August 2009, it had 500. The brick and mortar store also offers on-demand streaming. It recently partnered with TiVo and Samsung to provide Blockbuster OnDemand in TVs, DVRs and Blu-ray players.

Whether by design or necessity (or both), Blockbuster is definitely reworking things. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, it said that along with conversion of certain stores to outlets and lease mitigation or termination efforts, total store closures would be in the range of 1,335 to 1560, Reuters reports.

Blockbuster, which says it serves over 50 million customers in over 20 countries, saw its NYSE shares close at $1.40 on the day the store closings news broke.

Apple Drops 40GB Apple TV, Lowers 160GB by $100

Apple TV now only available in one size, dropping price of 160GB version by $100.

 

09.15.2009 — We’ve known for a while that Apple TV is a mere “hobby” for the company, so the recent Apple store shuffling just emphasizes that … or maybe Apple has something up its sleeve.

The Apple store has slimmed its Apple TV offerings in half, from the 40GB and 160GB models down to just the 160GB.

So the bad news, for now it seems, is that you can’t grab a cheaper entry model. The good news is that the price of the old 40GB model is now the price of the 160GB version. The 160GB has gone from $329 down to $229.

While Apple TV may not have become nearly as popular as Apple’s iPod or iPhone products, it does have its merits for renting and purchasing high-def and standard-def movies, streaming iTunes and watching photo slideshows on the big screen. A bunch of consumers also use it as a big-screen interface for all of the streaming accessible from Boxee.

One thing Apple may be keeping in mind is that 40 gigs just isn’t enough for media storage these days, especially high-def movie storage. Perhaps a terabyte or the like is waiting in the wings for our little Apple TV? Or maybe it’s going to be tied into some bigger-and-better media server? We’ll have to wait and see.

By Arlen Schweiger

NEW HEADPHONES WITH LADY GAGA STYLE AND THE SOUND OF DR. DRE

MONSTER AND BEATS™ BY DR. DRE™ ANNOUNCE FIRST ARTIST LINE: 

“HEARTBEATS BY LADY GAGA” 

 

– Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Monster Continue the “Beats By Dr. Dre” Line with New Headphones that Offer Unprecedented Audio Quality,  “Lady Gaga” Style –

 

BERLIN, Germany, September 7th, 2009 — Legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre, Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine and Monster®, the leader in audio/video accessories, are proud to announce the official introduction of Heartbeats by Lady Gaga, the latest addition to the hugely popular Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ headphone family from Monster.  

 

“Heartbeats by Lady Gaga” are engineered to deliver all the music the artist intended you to hear, with incredible sonic clarity, pounding bass, and all the power demanded by today’s music.  The self-inspired design, including every detail developed with Lady Gaga, is both a unique reflection of Lady Gaga’s style and fashion sense as well as her commitment to the sound quality of her music and the way it’s heard.

 

Lady Gaga explains her motivation behind “Heartbeats by Lady Gaga”:  “In the deepest hour of the night, I confess to myself three things; I would die if I was forbidden to write, forbidden to love, or forbidden to fashion. Heartbeats embody the trinity of my human-being, with one additional vow: that SOUND matters. Wear heartbeats, love each other, and celebrate the art and lifestyle of music.”

 

The goal of the Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ headphone family from Monster has always been to improve the listening experience and hear music the way the artists create it to be heard. Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, worked closely with Dr. Dre and Head Monster Noel Lee to tune and refine the Beats by Dr. Dre headphone sound, to ensure that Lady Gaga’s vision of great sound and style was reflected in the final product 

 

Noted Mr. Iovine: “The combination of Lady Gaga’s sense of fashion and music with the innovative sound and look of Beats made it the right fit.” 

 

To create “Heartbeats by Lady Gaga,” the Beats by Dr. Dre team worked to ensure the very best audio reproduction capabilities while refining and adapting the style of the headphones to reflect the sensibilities and vision of Lady Gaga.  From Beats by Dr. Dre, comes the astounding music reproduction of Heartbeats, made possible by the fanatic audiophiles at Monster, utilizing the latest in headphone and manufacturing technologies. 

 

Noel Lee, Head Monster, noted: “Heartbeats not only had to look great, they had to sound great. Using Monster’s latest headphone technologies, that vision comes true. There is no headphone that sounds quite like it, regardless of price. Hope you love listening to it as much as we did creating it.  Enjoy.”  

 

Added Kevin Lee, Monster’s Vice President of Marketing and Product Development: “Monster has always been authentic in what we do, and Beats by Dr. Dre is no exception.  Beats delivers on the promise of a better music experience and we are honored to have Lady Gaga to launch Heartbeats and continue that commitment to sound in a way that is stylistically Lady Gaga and sonically Dr. Dre.”  

 

“Heartbeats by Lady Gaga” are designed to give users a high-performance headphone option that literally doubles as a high-tech fashion accessory or attractive piece of jewelry. They feature a multi-faceted, glossy surface and high-tech build materials, with a jewel-inspired earpiece cosmetic. The headphones are available in three separate versions, including a metal body with rose red jewel-shaped earpiece, metal body with all chrome jewel-shaped earpiece and black-on-black body and jewel-shaped earpiece design. The headphones are outfitted with a specially design stylish and tangle-free cable. 

 

The new “Heartbeats by Lady Gaga” come in a beautifully designed red carrying case and an assortment of eartips to ensure maximum comfort and fit for every wearer. They also feature Monster’s exclusive flat cable design that that not only integrates into the look and feel of HeartBeats, but makes them tangle-resistant. They will be available in October in a wide range of colors and different feature options – prices will range from $99.95 – $149.95. 

 

To provide users with the ultimate in convenience and performance when used with today’s portable music devices, all Beats by Dr. Dre headphones are being made available with “ControlTalk,” an advanced on-cable feature that provides users with full control of their listening experience when using their 3GS iPhone®, iPod® shuffle and other new iPods and portable music devices.*  The special Monster ControlTalk™ headphone cable features an integrated high grade microphone and answer button and allows users to access their music and answer phone calls without having to reach into their pocketbook, backpack or pocket. In addition to its availability with all Beats by Dr. Dre headphones from Monster, the ControlTalk feature is also being made available as an option with all Monster brand headphones.   

 

The ControlTalk remote and mic are supported by iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (120GB), iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPhone 3GS and newer, but not all, Blackberry models. The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models. Requires software version 1.0.3 for iPod nano (4th generation), 2.0.1 for iPod classic (120GB), and 2.2 or later for iPod touch (2nd generation). Support for Blackberry varies by model. Subject to change. 

 

ABOUT LADY GAGA

Lady Gaga exploded onto the global cultural landscape this year with her catchy pop anthems and her fashion-forward aesthetics.  Worldwide she has sold more than four million copies of her debut album, The Fame, and more than 15 million singles, making her music’s biggest breakout star of the year.  She is only the third artist in history to claim three #1 hits from a debut album (“Just Dance,” “Poker Face” and “LoveGame”). 

 

ABOUT MONSTER 

Monster is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009. The company was founded by Head Monster Noel Lee with a commitment to creating products under the Monster Cable® brand to literally “make music sound better.” Today, Monster has grown and diversified to become the world’s leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for high-performance audio, video, car audio, computer, console and computer gaming, as well as a leading innovator in the field of iPod® and iPhone™ accessories and professional audio and sound reinforcement. Additionally, under its Monster Power® brand, the company is the leading manufacturer of high-performance AC power line conditioning and protection products for audio/video systems. Explore the world of Monster at www.monstercable.com.                 

 

ABOUT BEATS ELECTRONICS LLC     

Established in 2006, Beats Electronics is the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, who set out to develop a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios.  In January of 2008, Dre and Iovine announced a partnership with audio innovator Monster Cable to engineer “Beats by Dr. Dre,” the most advanced headphones ever developed that are sold exclusively at Apple and Best Buy.  Today, Beats Electronics continues to work with Monster to improve the quality of the portable audio experience and expand the Dr. Dre family of headphones to include in-ear speakers and artist branded products. For more information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com/ 

Monster and Beats by Dr. Dre Announce “Beats Solo™”

– New Addition to Popular “Beats™ By Dr. Dre™ Headphone Line is Lightweight, More Compact Option; Available in Black and White Versions – 

 

BERLIN, Germany, September 7, 2009- Monster and Beats by Dr. Dre, today announced an exciting new development in the evolution of the popular “Beats™ By Dr. Dre™ headphone line – the on-ear “Beats Solo” headphones (MAP: $179.95, SRP: $219.95). The new Beats Solo high-performance headphones offer users an ideal entry level Beats by Dr. Dre personal listening experience in a lightweight and smaller version.  Beats Solo will be available in November 2009 in both black and white versions.

 

Noel Lee, the Head Monster, noted: “When Monster teamed up with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine for Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ headphones our goal was to change the way people experience their music by simply letting them hear what musicians recorded in the studio – with the extreme clarity, deep bass and full power that had been lacking in conventional headphones. Thanks to Beats, people have begun to understand that sound really does matter. Now, with the introduction of Beats Solo, we’re thrilled to make the Beats by Dr. Dre from Monster experience available in a smaller, lighter on-ear headphone.”Mr. Lee continued: “There were significant challenges in the creation of Beats Solo, including how to achieve really great sound from a small speaker driver. This required serious innovation and creative audio engineering. We were also challenged to take the familiar Beats design and morph it into something smaller and more compact, yet still recognizably ‘Beats.’ I’m delighted to say that we rose to both these challenges – the result is one of the easiest-to-use, easiest-to-wear and best-sounding headphones ever created, with a look that is pure Beats and pure Dr. Dre.”

 

Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M said: “For Beats Solo, Dre and I worked along with with Monster to create the best sound possible in light, comfortable but powerful headphones.” 

 

To provide users with the ultimate in convenience and performance when used with today’s portable music devices, Beats Solo headphones feature “ControlTalk,” an advanced on-cable feature that provides users with full control of their listening experience when using their 3GS iPhone®, iPod® shuffle and other new iPods and portable music devices.*  The special Monster ControlTalk™ headphone cable features an integrated high grade microphone and answer button and allows users to access their music and answer phone calls without having to reach into their pocketbook, backpack or pocket.

 

In addition to its availability with Beats Solo and all Beats by Dr. Dre headphones from Monster, including the new white version of Beats Studio and Heartbeats by Lady Gaga from Monster, the ControlTalk feature is also being made available as an option with all Monster brand headphones as well. 

 

The ControlTalk remote and mic are supported by iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (120GB), iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPhone 3GS and newer, but not all, Blackberry models. The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models. Requires software version 1.0.3 for iPod nano (4th generation), 2.0.1 for iPod classic (120GB), and 2.2 or later for iPod touch (2nd generation). Support for Blackberry varies by model. Subject to change. 

 

ABOUT MONSTER 

Monster, under its Monster Cable brand, is the world’s leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for high performance audio, video, car audio, computer, console and computer gaming, professional audio and sound reinforcement. Monster, under its Monster Power® brand, is also the leading manufacturer of high performance AC power line conditioning and protection products for audio/video systems.  Explore the world of Monster at www.MonsterCable.com

 

ABOUT BEATS ELECTRONICS LLC     

Established in 2006, Beats Electronics is the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, who set out to develop a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios.  In January of 2008, Dre and Iovine announced a partnership with audio innovator Monster Cable to engineer “Beats by Dr. Dre,” the most advanced headphones ever developed that are sold exclusively at Apple and Best Buy.  Today, Beats Electronics continues to work with Monster to improve the quality of the portable audio experience and expand the Dr. Dre family of headphones to include in-ear speakers and artist branded products. For more information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com/ 

AKG Winners!!

The renowned German HiFi Test magazine performed several tests on headphones in the in-ear and hi-fi categories (issue 1/2009). The AKG brand was represented in this testing by the K 142 HD and K 514 for the hi-fi category and the K 317 for the in-ear category – and with success!  
 
Beating (more expensive) competitors such as Sennheiser® CX400II, Philips® SHE 9800 and Shure® SE102 headphones, the AKG models achieved impressive results. With reviews like “test winner” (K 142 HD), “price tip” (K 317) and best price/quality ratio (K 514), these AKG products were put on the map in a convincing way. 
 
Here are some of the results: 
 
K 317: “price tip: K 317 excelled both in optical and acoustic categories” 
 
K 142 HD: “test winner: K 142 HD lives up to its legendary name” 
 
K 514: “best cost/performance ratio” 
 
Conclusion: AKG takes three wins in ONE test review!

Axiom Pro Wins FutureMusic’s Value and Platinum Awards

Axiom Pro Wins FutureMusic’s Value and Platinum Awards
M-Audio’s flagship keyboard controller gets a rave review from leading UK publication

 

In the July 2009 issue of FutureMusic magazine, the Axiom Pro was given FM’s Value and Platinum awards, concluding that “the Axiom Pro is a staggeringly flexible device and one which comes with a thorough recommendation.”

On the Axiom Pro’s Keyboard Action
Reviewer Jono Buchanan raved about the Axiom Pro’s keyboard action, calling it “a joy” to play. “As a keyboard player, I’m sniffy about keyboard action,” he admits, “but I must say the Axiom Pro really impressed me.”

On HyperControl Plug-in Mapping and DAW Control
Buchanan also stated, “I’m hugely impressed by Axiom Pro and I’ll nail my colours to the mast and say that, even as a Logic user primarily, I found Axiom Pro to be a more immediate fit than Novation SL.

“There were no integration issues, I found setup a doddle and a broad smile crossed my face on more than one occasion when I discovered that yet another function could be run directly from the front panel.

“HyperControl is a great system,” Buchanan enthused, calling it “super intuitive… as it lets you work immediately with relevant controls for the plug-in you have open. For me, the Axiom is the most tightly integrated major DAW controller available today.”

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Support Coming Soon

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Support Coming Soon
Avid/M-Audio working closely with Apple to offer support for OS X 10.6

Avid/M-Audio is pleased to hear that Apple has released Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. We’ve been working closely with Apple to bring Snow Leopard support to the M-Audio® product line, as well as the Pro Tools® product line and extended product families. We ask that all existing Mac users please wait to upgrade until we officially announce Snow Leopard support. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

New Pro Tools M-Powered 8.0.1 Software Update Available

New Pro Tools M-Powered 8.0.1 Software Update Available
Latest update offers numerous enhancements and improvements

In our ongoing effort to provide you with the best experience possible, Avid has released Pro Tools 8.0.1, a free software update that provides many fixes, enhancements, and improvements, and is recommended for all Pro Tools 8 users.

Experience faster, more streamlined performance thanks to the software’s snappier interface. View and work with audio selections more easily through improved selection drawing. And gain more efficiency and stability through enhanced workflows, fixes, and other improvements.

Details and Downloads
The Pro Tools 8.0.1 software update is available free to all registered Pro Tools HD 8, Pro Tools LE 8, and Pro Tools M-Powered 8 users. For complete details and to get your download, choose your software below:

• Pro Tools HD 8.0.1 Mac | Windows
• Pro Tools LE 8.0.1  Mac | Windows
• Pro Tools M-Powered 8.0.1 Mac | Windows

Inside LG’s CEDIA Expo 2009 Booth

Vudu was all over LG’s booth: in broadband TVs and in a Blu-ray player. LG also showed a new LED TV line.

LG BD390 Blu-ray Player

LG kicked off CEDIA Expo 2009 by adding the high-definition streaming movie service Vudu to the BD390 Wireless Network Blu-ray Player.

 

Vudu joins the “NetCast Entertainment Access” family of features on the BD390, which includes Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube streaming. 

Vudu will be available on the BD390 by late September through a free automatic upgrade.

The BD390 is available now for $399.