he new VOKATOR plug-in from German virtual synth developer Native Instruments is a vocoder that the company says will define a new standard for transparency, detail, and smoothness. It will be available in February 2003 for Mac OS9 and Windows PCs (support for DXi II, RTAS and OS X including Audio Units will follow later), at a suggested retail price of $299 (US).
It is not only an exceptional vocoder, but also a sophisticated synthesizer, a granular sampler, and a virtual sound-fusion laboratory. By offering multiple modes of operation, VOKATOR opens vast new worlds of sound-design possibilities.

VOKATOR’s high-resolution FFT spectral engine is a milestone in vocoder development. Previous vocoders used eight, sixteen, twenty, or thirty-two frequency bands at the most ­ the more frequency bands, the smoother and creamier the effect. Unlike its predecessors, VOKATOR’s advanced engine uses 1024 bands. In addition to its stunningly transparent, full-resolution operation, VOKATOR’s bands can even be grouped together for a convincing vintage-vocoder emulation. To ensure optimal dynamic range across the frequency spectrum, an integrated frequency-domain compressor balances the levels of all bands.

A pair of vocoding channels can either be spectrally combined or played independently. Channel A can be switched between an integrated file player or external input A, while Channel B can be set to a full-featured synthesizer, a time-stretching granular sampler, or external input B. For a traditional vocoder effect, the frequency spectrum of the external input would be controlled by the synthesizer, but VOKATOR’s capabilities are much more advanced than simple vocoding.

VOKATOR is both an effect plug-in and a vocoder-based synthesizer. Its synthesizer features an advanced dual-oscillator design with dynamic preset morphing controlled by the modulation wheel. VOKATOR’s granular sampler can independently control a sample’s pitch and time. A full range of modulators ­ step sequencers, envelope followers, LFOs, and more ­ can be easily routed to any of the synthesizer’s or sampler’s parameters.

Native Instruments Web Site

More Winter NAMM Coverage

A virtually unknown UK-based company, Promotion & Display Technology (PDT) has done a great deal to build its international reputation with the launch of the first portable Internet radio, the InTune 200, at CES 2003 in Las Vegas.

The GlobalTuner InTune 200 delivers audio anywhere in the home (within a 300 ft. range), from multiple PC-based sound sources including:

* thousands of Internet radio stations

* downloaded or ripped MP3 files

* regular CDs and DVDs

* regular terrestrial radio broadcasts

* text-to-speech for caller ID and e-mail

Portability makes the product unusual, even unique. Unlike other broadband solutions for home entertainment, the InTune 200 does not require a hard-wired network RJ45 connection. The user simply plugs the base unit in to a free USB socket on their computer, and it sends audio to the remote unit from GlobalTuner’s PC client application. The PC is still free to be used for other tasks.

The InTune 200 features a large back-lit LCD display that allows users to see relevant information at a glance, such as radio station name, streaming data, and CD track names.

Over the years since it was founded in 1988, developer PDT has found a unique niche within the consumer electronics market. Thus far, the company has not created its own brands. Instead, PDT has designed and supplied innovative products (such as Voice-Over-IP phones) to some of the leading global blue chip companies, working for BT, Olympus, Sharp in Japan, and Tele Danmark.

Another area of strength for PDT is the promotional telecoms market, where they are global leaders in designing and supplying products to all the leading telecommunication companies. In the UK, BT Consumer Products (British Telecom) regularly uses PDT for their promotions: a typical example is BT’s Caller Display Widget Promotion, which increased take-up of subscription Caller ID service by 100 fold during the promotional periods.

Oddly enough, the InTune 200 was the result of a PDT initiative to develop a promotional product to drive broadband subscriptions. The result is a user-friendly, affordable device that opens up broadband to a market that has previously not been persuaded by the usual discount promotional offers.

GlobalTuner Web Site

More CES 2003 News

The Winter NAMM Show opened today, bringing together a record 1,309 exhibiting companies, a record number of international attendees and thousands of retail buyers for the music products industry’s largest annual event in the United States.

On the show floor, NAMM attendees can expect to see a very diverse collection of musical gear, including professional and home recording software and hardware, MIDI gear, pro music stage and sound reinforcement equipment, as well as traditional band instruments and keyboards.

Show organizer NAMM, the International Music Products Association, expects to attract approximately 65,000 attendees over the four-day period, possibly exceeding its record attendance last year.

The show, which runs today through January 19 at the Anaheim Convention Center, is open to members of the international music products industry and media who cover musical instruments and products.

This year’s show will feature a special concert to benefit NAMM’s music education charities on January 17 at the Anaheim Pond featuring Sir Elton John, hosted by “Will & Grace” star Eric McCormack and a wealth of artists including, Vanessa Carlton, Ray Charles, Nikka Costa, Amy Grant, Bruce Hornsby, Jewel, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, John Mayer, Michael McDonald, Brian McKnight, Randy Newman, Take 6, Rufus Wainwright and Brian Wilson.

After a solid sales year fueled by increasing positive perceptions about the value of making music, attendees of this year’s NAMM Show can preview the latest music products headed for retail shelves in 2003, and learn ways to make their businesses more successful in the coming year through NAMM University seminars, roundtable discussions and conversations with others in the industry.

“In a year filled with challenges, more people around the world turned to music and music making,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. “Research has shown that making music can help a child reach their full potential in school, help older adults achieve significant health benefits and provide meaningful fun and recreation at all ages. They say you can tell the relative health of an industry by the strength of its trade shows,” Lamond continued. “By that measure, the future of music making is bright indeed!”

NAMM Web Site

More Winter NAMM News

Two acclaimed Naxos recordings received accolades as the nominees for the 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on January 7, 2003.

Audio engineer John Newton was recognized with a nomination for Best Engineered Album, Classical for his work on a volume of orchestral works by George Whitefield Chadwick. The album includes a selection of Chadwick’s symphonic poems played by the Nashville Symphony, with Kenneth Schermerhorn conducting. With a recorded sound that is “just right, with enough ambiance for warmth, yet still with plenty of detail,” the recording is brought to life through Newton’s masterful touch. This is another fine addition to the Nashville Symphony’s Naxos recordings, which also include works by Bernstein, Ives, and Hanson.

A nomination for Best Instrumental Solo Performance with Orchestra went to James Buswell for his brilliant solo work on Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, supported by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Marin Alsop conducting. Deemed “a performance with a genuine heart, superbly played, with a marked care for detail, instrumental colour and melodic inflection” (Geoffrey Norris, The Daily Telegraph), the performance is not to be missed. Rounding out the album are Barber’s Souvenirs (Ballet Suite) Op.28 and Serenade for Strings Op.1, creating a substantial programme filled with the stirring complexities of Barber’s works.

Both recordings are part of Naxos’ American Classics series, which is devoted to presenting a comprehensive collection of American art music. The series includes repertoire by familiar names such as Ives, Sousa, and Copland as well as lesser-known composers including George Frederick McKay and Elie Siegmeister.

The GRAMMYs, given by the US-based Recording Academy (National Academy for the Recording Arts and Sciences), are among the highest honours given in the American recording industry. The 2003 GRAMMYs will be presented on February 23rd in New York.

Naxos Web Site

More GRAMMY News

The Recording Academy has announced the list of nominated recordings and artists that will form the voting pool for the 45th GRAMMY Awards, to be presented on Feb. 23 2003 at Madison Square Gardens in New York.

The complete list of nominations in more than 100 categories is available online in text format and in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

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From an audio-quality perspective, most of the categories and nominations are more or less meaningless. For one thing, the majority of the categories deal with “best performance” (emphasis on the artists) rather than “best recording.” For another, the nominations and voting in the major genre categories boil down to a music industry popularity (and political muscle) contest.

But in some categories, production and engineering values are a major consideration, and in a few cases the nominations and awards are even decided by specialized groups of technically-knowledgeable voters.

Here is our selective list of nominations in categories that are of particular interest from the audio production point of view.

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Ask a Woman Who Knows (Natalie Cole)
Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt, engineers
[Verve Records]

C’mon, C’mon (Sheryl Crow)
Trina Shoemaker, Eric Tew, engineers
[A&M Records]

Come Away With Me (Norah Jones)
Arif Mardin, Jay Newland, Husky Huskolds, engineers
[Blue Note Records]

Home (Dixie Chicks)
Gary Paczosa, engineer
[Open Wide/Monument/Columbia Records]

Morning View (Incubus)
Mike Einzinger, Dave Holdredge, Scott Litt and Rick Will, engineers
[Epic/Immortal Records]

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

He Loves Me (Jill Scott)
Your Friends From San Francisco, remixers
[Hidden Beach Recordings]

Hella Good (No Doubt)
Roger Sanchez, remixer
[Interscope Records]

Lost Love (Rinocerose)
Felix Da Housecat, remixer
[V2 Records]

What About Us (Brandy)
Steve Silk Hurley, remixer
[Silk Entertainment]

Work It Out (Beyonce Knowles)
Maurice Joshua, remixer
[Columbia Records]

Best Dance Recording

Gotta Get Thru This (Daniel Bedingfield)
Daniel Bedingfield, Al Stone, producers; John Davis, mixer
[Island/Def Jam]

Days Go By (Dirty Vegas)
Ben Harris, Paul Harris, Steve Smith, producers
[Capitol Records]

Superstylin’ (Groove Armada)
Groove Armada, producers; Dave Pemberton, mixer
[Jive Electro Records]

Love At First Sight (Kylie Minogue)
Julian Gallagher, Richard “Biff” Stannard, producers; Ash Howes, mixer
[Capitol Records]

Hella Good (No Doubt)
Nellee Hooper, No Doubt, producers; Mark “Spike” Stent, mixer
[Interscope Records]

Best Engineered Album, Classical

Chadwick: Orchestral Works (Kenneth Schermerhorn)
John Newton, engineer
[Naxos of America]

Orff: Carmina Burana (Donald Runnicles, Norman Mackenzie)
Jack Renner, engineer
[Telarc Digital]

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Vocalise etc. (Eiji Oue)
Keith O. Johnson, engineer
[Reference Recordings]

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 (Mstislav Rostropovich)
Tony Faulkner, engineer
[LSO Live]

Vaughn Williams: Symphony No. 1 – A Sea Symphony (Robert Spano, Norman Mackenzie)
Michael Bishop, engineer
[Telarc Digital]

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Dr. Dre, for:
– Business (Eminem) (track)
– Holla (Busta Rhymes) (track)
– Jimmy (Truth Hurts) (track)
– Lookin’ At You (Warren G, featuring Toi) (track)
– My Dad’s Gone Crazy (Eminem) (track)
– The Wash (Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg) (track)

Nellee Hooper, for:
– Black Mona Lisa (Lamya) (track)
– Detective (No Doubt) (track)
– Empires (Lamya) (track)
– Hella Good (No Doubt) (track)
– Perfect Girl (Lamya) (track)
– Rock Steady (No Doubt) (track)
– Running (No Doubt) (track)

Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, for:
– Here I Am (Bryan Adams) (track)
– I’m Gonna Be Ready (Yolanda Adams) (track)
– Never Give Up (Yolanda Adams) (track)
– Oh Well (Boyz II Men) (track)
– Through The Rain (Mariah Carey) (single)
– Up & Down (In & Out) (Deborah Cox) (single)

Arif Mardin, for:
– Come Away With Me (Norah Jones) (album)

Rick Rubin, for:
– American IV: The Man Comes Around (Johnny Cash) (album)
– By The Way (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (track)
– Give My Love To Rose (Johnny Cash) (track)
– Hurt (Johnny Cash) (track)
– Personal Jesus (Johnny Cash) (track)
– Tear (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (track)
– The Zephyr Song (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (track)

Producer of the Year, Classical

Andrew Cornall, for:
– Camilo: Concerto for Piano and Orch., Caribe, etc. (Michel Camilo)
– Mahler: Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”, Totenfeier (Riccardo Chailly)
– Moussorgsky: Pictures At An Exibition, Night On Bare Mountain, etc. (Valery Gergiev)
– Rossini Arias: Semiramide, Otello, Zelmira, etc. (Juan Diego Flórez)

Manfred Eicher, for:
– Berio: Voci (Folk Songs II); Sicilian Folk Music; Naturale, etc. (Kim Kashkashian)
– Der Bote (C. P. E. Bach, Cage, Liszt, Etc.) (Alexei Lubimov)
– Karaindrou: Trojan Women (Antonis Kontogeorgiou)
– Pärt: Orient and Occident (Tõnu Kaljuste)
– Silvestrov: Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, etc.) (Valentin Silvestrov, A. Lechner, S. Avenhaus, Rosamunde Quartet, M. Deubner, S. Fordham)

James Mallinson, for:
– Elgar: Symphony No. 1 (Sir Colin Davis)
– Elgar: Symphony No. 3 (Sir Colin Davis)
– Mozart’s Circle – The Beneficent Dervish; The Impresario (Martin Pearlman, C. Sieden, S. Baker, Various)
– Music Of Max Reger – Reger & Romanticism (Leon Botstein)
– Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 (Mstislav Rostropovich)

Robert Woods, for:
– A Celtic Spectacular: Celtic Dream, Cry of the Celts, etc. (Erich Kunzel, The Chieftains, Sir James Galway, John McDermott)
– LAGQ Latin: Fragile, Hasta Alicia Baila, La Trampa, etc. (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet)
– Scary Music: Ghostbusters, Monster Mash, Thriller, etc. (Erich Kunzel)
– Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (Paavo Järvi)
– The Sound Of Glory – Great Hymns of Faith and Inspiration (Craig Jessop)

Robina G. Young, for:
– Bach: 7 Harpsichord Concertos (Richard Egarr)
– Brahms: The Sonatas for Violin & Piano (Pierre Amoyal, Frederic Chiu)
– Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas (Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr)
– La Belle Marie – Songs to the Virgin from 13th-century France (Anonymous 4)
– Mendelssohn: String Quartets, Vol. 2 (Eroica Quartet)

Record of the Year

A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton) (track)
Ron Fair, producer; Tal Herzberg, Jack Joseph Puig and Michael C. Ross, engineer/mixers
[A&M Records]

Without Me (Eminem) (track)
Jeff Bass and Eminem, producers; Steve King, engineer/mixer
[Aftermath/Interscope Records]

Don’t Know Why (Norah Jones) (track)
Norah Jones, Arif Mardin and Jay Newland, producers; Mardin and Newland, engineer/mixers
[Blue Note Records]

Dilemma (Nelly, featuring Kelly Rowland) (track)
Bam and Ryan Bowser, producers; Brian Garten, engineer/mixer
[Universal Records]

How You Remind Me (Nickelback) (track)
Nickelback and Rick Parashar, producers; Joey Moi and Randy Staub, engineer/mixers
[Roadrunner Records]

Album of the Year

Home (Dixie Chicks)
Dixie Chicks and Lloyd Maines, producers; Gary Paczosa, engineer/mixer; Robert Hadley and Doug Sax, mastering
[Open Wide/Monument/Columbia Records]

The Eminem Show (Eminem)
Jeff Bass, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Denaun Porter, producers; Mauricio Iragorri and Steve King, engineer/mixers; Brian Gardner, mastering
[Aftermath/Interscope Records]

Come Away with Me (Norah Jones)
Norah Jones, Arif Mardin, Craig Street and Jay Newland, producers; Mardin, Newland and Husky Huskolds, engineer/mixers; Ted Jensen, mastering
[Blue Note Records]

Nellyville (Nelly)
Jason Epperson, Just Blaze, The Neptunes, The Trackboyz, Wally Yaghnam, producers; Steve Eigner, Brian Garten, Russ Giraud, Gimel Keaton, Greg Morgenstein, Matt Still and Rich Travali, engineer/mixers; Herb Powers, mastering
[Universal Records]

The Rising (Bruce Springsteen)
Brendan O’Brien, producer, Nick Didia and O’Brien, engineer/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering
[Columbia Records Group]

Best Classical Album

Beethoven: String Quartets (Takacs Quartet)
Andrew Keener, producer
[Decca Records]

Bel Canto: Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti et al. (Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Patrick Summers, conductor, Renée Fleming, soprano)
Erik Smith, producer
[Decca Records]

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor)
Andreas Neubronner, producer
[SFS Media]

Pärt: Orient and Occident (Swedish Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor)
Manfred Eicher, producer
[ECM New Series]

Vaughn Williams: Symphony No. 1 – A Sea Symphony (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Spano, conductor)
Thomas C. Moore, producer
[Telarc Digital]

Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture

A Beautiful Mind (James Horner)
[Decca Records]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (John Williams)
[Warner Sunset Records]

The Lord Of The Rings – The Fellowship Of The Ring (Howard Shore)
[Reprise Records]

Monsters, Inc. (Randy Newman)
[Walt Disney Records]

Spider-Man (Danny Elfman)
[Sony Music Soundtrax/Columbia Records]

Best Historical Album

Artie Shaw: Self Portrait
Orrin Keepnews, compilation producer; Dennis Ferrante, mastering engineer
[Bluebird]

The Complete OKeh and Brunswick Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Trumbauer And Jack Teagarden Sessions (1924-36)
Scott Wenzel, compilation producer; Doug Pomeroy, mastering engineer
[Mosaic Records]

Dylan Thomas: The Caedmon Collection
Rick Harris, David Nolan, compilation producers; Leslie Mona-Mathus, mastering engineer [Caedmon Records]

The Genius of the Electric Guitar (Charlie Christian)
Michael Brooks, Michael Cuscuna, compilation producers; Seth Foster, Ken Robertson, Mark Wilder, mastering engineers
[Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds Of Charley Patton
Dean Blackwood, compilation producer; David Glasser, Christopher King, mastering engineers
[Revenant Records]

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Can You Dig It? The ’70s Soul Experience
Sevie Bates, art director (Various Artists)
[WSM/Rhino Entertainment]

Capitol Records Sixtieth Anniversary 1942-2002
Mary Fagot, Joshua Liberson, George Mimnaugh & Ethan Trask, art directors (Various Artists)
[Capitol Records]

Like Omigod! – The ’80s Pop Culture Box (Totally)
Hugh Brown & Julie Vlasak, art directors (Various Artists)
[Rhino Records]

Screamin’ And Hollerin’ The Blues: The Worlds Of Charley Patton
Susan Archie, art director (Charley Patton)
[Revenant Records]

Ultra-Lounge – Vegas Baby!
Michelle Azzopardi & Andy Engel, art directors (Various Artists)
[Capitol Records]

Best Album Notes

Artie Shaw: Self Portrait
Artie Shaw, album notes writer
[Bluebird]

The Golden Road (1965-1973) (Grateful Dead)
Dennis McNally, album notes writer
[Warner Bros. WSM / Rhino Entertainment]

Screamin’ And Hollerin’ The Blues: The Worlds Of Charley Patton
David Evans, album notes writer
[Revenant Records]

Sinatra In Hollywood (1940-1964) (Frank Sinatra)
Will Friedwald, album notes writer
[Reprise Records/Turner Classic Music]

A State Of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations 1955 & 1981 (Glenn Gould)
Tim Page, album notes writer
[Sony Classical/Legacy Recordings]