Digidesign | Articles & User Stories

Avatar - Creating an Otherworldly Soundtrack with Pro Tools|HD, ICON, and Sibelius

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

While no one will deny Hollywood’s tendency to overuse clichés like “years in the making” to hype their wares, director James Cameron’s Avatar is one project that truly fits the description. Cameron reportedly began working on the movie’s script as early as 1994, but waited until 2005 for technological advances to catch up to make the computer graphics-heavy movie. Technology is also what fueled composer James Horner’s compelling soundtrack, which breaks new ground, both sonically ...

For No Doubt Tour, There’s No Doubt about the Virtues of VENUE

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

After a five-year hiatus, multi Grammy® Award-winning band No Doubt have reunited, trekking across the U.S. and Canada on a summer tour that’s just winding down. Helping the band get the crowd on their feet each night is veteran front-of-house live sound engineer John Kerns, who depends on a VENUE Profile System to handle the band’s high energy shows, rigorous touring schedule, and high 64-input channel count. Kerns, who honed his chops on analog consoles for ...

Saddleback Church in Lake Forest Adopts New VENUE SC48 for Rock Show Services

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From traditional hymns and sermons to gospel choirs and rock concerts, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, offers different types of worship services for the diverse thousands who congregate on its campus each week. For the 18–20 people on the church’s Tech Arts team who handle these wide-ranging productions, sound quality and flexibility are extremely important, which is why they adopted two VENUE Profile Systems last year. And when ...

Rock Legend Steve Miller Brings in an ICON for New Albums

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Guitarist/vocalist Steve Miller has carved a place in history as one of the most successful blues rock artists of all time. Now he’s putting the finishing touches on a couple new albums, featuring all blues covers, with help from a 32-channel ICON D-Control ES console he recently had installed in his studio. Miller has engineer Kent Hertz (Godsmack, Terrence Howard, Gloria Estefan) to thank for introducing him to the ICON way. ...

Audio Files: Sheldon Radford, Digidesign, on Live Sound

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Quick bio: Radford is Digidesign's senior product manager for live sound. He leads a team that is responsible for the Venue Profile console and Mix Rack system. He's worked in product development and design in the pro audio industry for ten years and has been mixing live sound for 18. Sam: Digidesign is best known as a company that serves the digital recording market. Did you have to alter your view of product design to address live sound?

For Chris Vrenna, Today’s Pro Tools Delivers Yesterday’s Analog Sounds

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Chris Vrenna is no stranger to the digital domain. The Grammy-winning producer, engineer, remixer, songwriter and programmer has a long history of working with technology. Between his work with Nine Inch Nails and Marylin Manson, remixes for David Bowie, U2 and Smashing Pumpkins, and composing for a wide range of video games, Vrenna spends most of his waking hours working in Pro Tools.

From Orchestral to Urban, Pro Tools 8 Delivers for Brian Tyler

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Brian Tyler is one musician who simply won’t be pigeon-holed. His musical history includes stints in numerous orchestras, choirs and ensembles, as well as in rock bands with the likes of Elton John and Slash. As a first-call film composer, he’s equally comfortable writing for an orchestra or a hip hop score, and Pro Tools 8 is the only software versatile enough to keep up.

Pro Tools 8 Keeps Up with Russ Landau’s Fast-Paced World

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the time-intensive world of TV and film production, deadlines are everything. For the composers behind the music, it’s a non-stop series of moving targets, with last-minute changes followed by more of the same. Creativity is just the beginning – fresh ideas need to come fast and furious, and your creative tools need to keep pace.

Pro Tools 8 Delivers Inspiration for Jez Colin

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

For chart-topping producer/remixer Jez Colin, the studio is more than just a place to work; it’s an instrument in and of itself, and a major part of his creative palette. And with the introduction of Pro Tools 8, it’s taken on an even larger role.