Products of Interest

Ragzpol MIDI Controller

The Ragzpol is a MIDI controller shaped as a tube or pole (see Figure 1). It is two inches wide, and comes in lengths of four, five, or six feet (custom lengths are also possible). The tube is constructed of translucent red acrylic, and the key overlays are red, white, and black. The goldplated keys are triggered by "thumbletz," constructed from a custom adhesive wrap, worn on the player's thumbs. The piano-like keyboard spirals around the pole, with a "key controller" set at the top of the Ragzpol to select the key signature used at any particular moment. Setting the key determines the constitution of the "white notes" on the lower keyboard spiral. In this way, intervals are performed in an identical way, the key controller serving in essence as a transposition mechanism.

Figure 1.

View of Ragzpol MIDI Controller.

The Ragzpol is powered by three AA-type DC batteries. The single MIDI Out port, located inside the bottom of the tube, transmits velocity on/off messages on MIDI Channel 1. The developer claims that the controller can be modified to be velocity sensitive.

Accessories for the Ragzpol include a black stand, to hold the tube upright, and a transport case.

The Ragzpol is being produced at a cost of approximately US$ 500. Contact: Rags Tuttle, Chico, California, USA; telephone (+ 1) 530-898-0933; electronic mail ragzbol@ragzpol.com; Web www.ragzpol.com/.

Sonic Foundry CD Architect 5.0 DirectX Mastering Software

Sonic Foundry supports and develops a whole suite of audio software for Windows-based platforms, CD Architect is its mastering/burning program. The new version has been revised to be a stand-alone DirectX application.

CD Architect 5.0 (see Figure 2) enables the creation of Red Book- standard pre-masters, with full access to PQ-code editing. Real-time DirectX effects can be applied to the audio within the program, and other nondestructive editing facilities are provided. Mastering utilities include phase inversion, normalization, automatic clipping detection, and unlimited volume envelope points. Regions can be imported as tracks from Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge stereo audio editor program, and audio tracks and PQ code can be extracted directly from audio CDs. The Trimmer feature enables portions of tracks to be selected and added to the playlist as separate tracks, hidden tracks can be inserted, and cross-fades can be created between tracks. Higher-resolution audio files (e.g., 24-bit) can be converted to Red Book specification (16-bit, 44.1 kHz sampling rate) using resampling and dithering utilities. MP3, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis, and Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats are able to be imported into the program. ISRC and UPC information can be added, and cue sheets printed out.

CD Architect supports a full range of CD recorders linked by IDE/ ATAPI, SCSI, USB, and FireWire. The program provides protection for buffer under-run. It will run on computers operating Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP.

Sonic Foundry sells CD Architect 5.0 as a stand-alone program for US$ 299.95 (the company has announced a time-limited introductory price of US$ 209.97). It is also available within larger software packages. Contact: Sonic Foundry, Inc., 1617 Sherman Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53704, USA; telephone (+ 1) 800-577-6642 or (1) 608-204-7680; fax (+ 1) 608-250-1745; electronic mail customerservice @sonicfoundry.com; Web www.sonicfoundry.com/.

Figure 2.

Screenshot of Sonic Foundry CD Architect 5.0.

Dolby Laboratories High Resolution, Multi-Channel Audio Support for Windows-Based Platforms

Dolby Laboratories has announced a number of developments to support high-resolution, multi-channel audio in the Windows XP environment. These include integrated controls within the Windows XP Media Center Edition and Media Player 9, Virtual Speaker technology, reproducing the dynamics and surround-sound effects of a 5.1-channel system on a two-loudspeaker system, and DVD-Audio playback on, among others in development, Creative Technology's Sound Blaster Audigy 2 soundcard.

The first stage in the "Dolby in PC" initiative is to ensure full access within the new Media Player 9...