SYPHAnews - 23rd May 2001

Welcome to SYPHAnews - a newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date with nonlinear audio and video news, as well as developments at http://SYPHAonline.com (incorporating http://NLEguide.com and http://DAWguide.com).

We will deliver this service to you free of charge every month - unless there is some major news or event which we think you should know about sooner.

New at SYPHAonline.com

STOP PRESS!! We have begun the task of completely updating The DAW Buyers Guide in preparation for its on-line launch in September. A pilot containing content from the last print edition is currently running at www.DAWguide.com. The guide covers all types of digital audio workstation and tapeless recorder, including turnkey systems, card/software packages, disk-based multitracks and portable tapeless recorders. If you know of any products that the guide appears not to cover already (excluding newer releases of course!), please let us know. Email Yasmin Hashmi via sypha@compuserve.com.

For the NLE market, we have new listings at www.NLEguide.com for the following products:

• Matrox - RT2500.
• Sony - XPRI.
• FAST Multimedia - ivory.
• EVS - CleanEdit.
• Digital Processing Systems - dpsQuattrus.
• Linux Media Arts - Cinterra NLE
• Newtek - Video Toaster [2]

NLE news

This edition of NLE news has been specially extended to accommodate a selection of the numerous product announcements from the recent NAB convention.

1) Sony Launches High-End NLE with Standard and High Definition Capabilities.
2) Matrox Releases the Matrox RTMac and Matrox RT2500.
3) FAST Multimedia Launches ivory for Non-Compressed Editing.
4) Avid Announces Availability of NewsCutter XP 2.0 and NewsCutter XP Mobile.
5) EVS Launches CleanEdit Offline Editing for News Production.
6) Pinnacle Systems Brings Real Time Non-Compressed Effects to Final Cut Pro.
7) Discreet Offers HDTV I/O and New Version of edit.
8) Media 100 Introduces "Lossless" Video Quality.
9) IMC Makes Incite Editor 2.8 Open to Entire Matrox DigiSuite Family.
10) AIST Releases MovieDVsuite for Laptops and Notebooks.
11) FAST Multimedia Makes FASTstudio Available as Software-Only.
12) Doremi Offers New Non-Compressed HDTV Disk Recorder.
13) Editing Technologies Corporation Purchased by Leis Industries.
14) Steenbeck V-MOD Now Supplied by Comm-Tec.

1) Sony Launches High-End NLE with Standard and High Definition Capabilities
Sony Broadcast & Professional Europe has launched XPRI - the first of a new family of editing platforms. XPRI is available in two models, namely the SD editor which is part of the company's MPEG IMX range of equipment, and the fully-featured HD editor that can work in either compressed or non-compressed HD modes. See http://www.AnycastWorld.com.

2) Matrox Releases the Matrox RTMac and Matrox RT2500
The new Matrox RTMac card provides real time performance for the Apple Final Cut Pro editor using a Power Mac G4 host. Its proprietary Matrox Flex 3D architecture exploits the graphics performance of Matrox accelerator technology to provide broadcast-quality effects and 32-bit non-compressed animated graphics in a dual-stream, native DV environment. The new single-card PCI-bus Matrox RT2500 is also powered by Matrox Flex 3D and supersedes the two-card RT2000. It allows users to work with two native DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO or MPEG-2 streams simultaneously with a 32-bit non-compressed graphics layer, provides DV and analogue I/O and supports Windows 2000 and Me. See http://www.matrox.com/video.

3) FAST Multimedia Launches ivory for Non-Compressed Editing
FAST Multimedia has announced the availability of ivory. This Windows 2000-based turnkey system uses FASTstudio software and is aimed at post-production users who work exclusively with non-compressed formats. It includes two InTime accelerator boards, an XL option for multilayering, multiprocessing and advanced editing tools, an FX option for 3D effects, the ivory control panel, and an external I/O box for professional analogue and digital video and audio I/O, as well as RS422 and genlock ports. See http://www.fastmultimedia.com.

4) Avid Announces Availability of NewsCutter XP 2.0 and NewsCutter XP Mobile
In addition to announcing version 2.0 of NewsCutter XP, Avid Technology is making a software-only version available for notebook computers. NewsCutter XP Mobile offers the same news-specific editing capabilities as NewsCutter Effects, but adds features that allow it to be used from remote sites. It accepts and edits DV25 media and allows stories to be relayed to the newsroom over microwave links. It also allows project metadata to be sent via the Internet or remote network access. NewsCutter XP 2.0 and NewsCutter XP Mobile are expected to be available in June 2001, with a MSRP starting from US21,000 and US10,000 respectively. See http://www.avid.com.

5) EVS Launches CleanEdit Offline Editing for News Production
EVS has launched the CleanEdit application that can be installed on multiple workstations connected to a server. This server simultaneously records a low resolution copy of the high resolution material being recorded to a broadcast server. Once the low-resolution material has been edited, the resultant EDL is transferred to the broadcast server which uses uses it to playback and edit the original high quality media in real time. See http://www.evs.tv.

6) Pinnacle Systems Brings Real Time Non-Compressed Effects to Final Cut Pro
Using the Pinnacle CinéWave package that includes the new Apple Final Cut Pro 2 software, editors working with non-compressed standard definition material using an Apple Power Mac G4 can now create motion graphics effects, dissolves and wipes in real time. In addition, the CinéWave high definition (HD) option now provides accelerated effects and transition processing of HD material. CinéWave includes Commotion Pro 3.1, Knoll Light Factory, a full version of Final Cut Pro and the TARGA Ciné engine, and supports a range of I/O options. Full details can be found at http://www.pinnaclesys.com.

7) Discreet Offers HDTV I/O and New Version of edit
The Discreet smoke online finishing system is to offer real time HDTV I/O with multi-master editing capabilities for the new SGI Octane 2 visual workstation with DMediaPro DM2 and the SGI Onyx 3000 series with DMediaPro DM3. Discreet has also released version 6 of its edit Windows NT-based desktop system. This supports enhanced interoperability with other Discreet products including multilayered offline-to-online workflow to Discreet smoke or fire finishing systems. See http://www.discreet.com.

8) Media 100 Introduces "Lossless" Video Quality
Version 7.5 of the Media 100 i family of digital media creation systems for the Macintosh platform features new "lossless" codec technology that contains algorithms to provide the same quality images as non-compressed digital video. Support for the lossless codec is standard on Media 100 i XR, and is available as an option for Media 100 i XS and LX systems. The lossless codec option price starts at US4000. Media 100 has also stated that it is working closely with Apple to ensure that the Media 100 i family is fully compliant with the OS X platform later this year. See http://www.media100.com.

9) IMC Makes Incite Editor 2.8 Open to Entire Matrox DigiSuite Family
The Incite Multimedia Corporation (IMC) Incite Editor now runs on Windows 2000 and the Matrox DigiSuite LX platform for DV and MPEG-2 editing. The new version 2.8 also includes final enhancements for the Incite multilayer compiling toolkit, software integration enhancements with Incite Audio Plus, support for Boris FX Red, and revised techniques for capturing, including direct capture to timeline. See http://www.inciteonline.com.

10) AIST Releases MovieDVsuite for Laptops and Notebooks
AIST has released its MovieDVsuite mobile NLE package for PC laptops and notebooks. The package comprises a PCMCIA IEEE 1394 card, a connector cable and video editing and animation software. The MSRP for MovieDVsuite is US139, and a software-only version, MovieDV, is also available. See http://www.aist.com.

11) FAST Multimedia Makes FASTstudio Available as Software-Only
FAST Multimedia has announced that its FASTstudio.DV 3 editing software for Windows 2000 is available as a software-only package (including FireWire board) starting at US999. A more sophisticated toolkit including OMF export, 3D effects and XSend connectivity with third party QuickTime applications is provided by an optional Production Pack, which also retails at US999. The two packages can be purchased together at a bundle price of US1799. See http://www.fastmultimedia.com.

12) Doremi Offers New Non-Compressed HDTV Disk Recorder
The compact full-featured V1-UHD disk recorder from Doremi is designed for HDTV broadcast post production and digital animation capture and replay. It can record non-compressed 720p, 1080i, 1080p at 24, 25, and 30fps and sf, and at 8 or 10-bit resolution, and has a film mode that can remove or add a 3:2 sequence and transfer 24fps material to 25fps. It can act as a Sony 9-pin device under RS422 control, can be networked to multiple workstations, and includes special file format conversion software. See http://www.doremilabs.com.

13) Editing Technologies Corporation Purchased by Leis Industries
Leis Industries Limited has purchased Editing Technologies Corporation (ETC), maker of the NLE series of edit controllers. Major funding for the purchase was provided by Union Securities of Vancouver B.C, and ETC has become part of an existing subsidiary of Leis, namely Etcetera Editing Technologies Corporation. According to Arnold Taylor, CEO of ETC, "This is an excellent opportunity for us to expand our market and develop our products in the highly competitive and fast-moving broadcast market." See http://www.etcedit.com.

14) Steenbeck V-MOD Now Supplied by Comm-Tec
The Steenbeck V-MOD series of digital video recorders and players is now being supplied exclusively by Comm-Tec in Germany. See http://www.comm-tec.de.

DAW news

This edition of DAW news has been specially extended to accommodate a selection of the numerous product announcements from the recent NAB and AES conventions.

DAW news in this month's issue:

1) Mackie and SoundScape Enter New Agreement.
2) Support for AES31 Interchange Grows.
3) TASCAM Introduces SX-1 Integrated Audio Production Station.
4) Digidesign Debuts Pro Tools 24 MIX3 for More DSP Power.
5) SADiE Unveils SACD Mastering Editor.
6) Fairlight QDC Engine Delivers 48 tracks at 24-bit/96kHz from a Single Hard Drive.
7) AMS Neve Launches Logic 3SC for Recording, Editing and Mixing.
8) WaveFrame Introduces WaveFrame/7 Based on New Engine.
9) Roland VS-2480 Offers 24-Track/24-Bit Operation.
10) Sonic Solutions Introduces New Version of SonicStudio HD.
11) SEK'D Showcases Sequoia High Definition Workstation.
12) Publison Previews Total Edimix for Recording, Editing and Mixing.
13) Creamware Ships Pulsar XTC for Windows.
14) DSP Media Closes Second Venture Capital Round.

1) Mackie and SoundScape Enter New Agreement
Following its recent acquisition of digital audio product developer Sydec, Mackie has entered into an agreement with SoundScape Digital Technology under which the latter will continue to distribute products developed by Sydec under the SoundScape brand name. According to Jamie Engen, President and CEO of Mackie Designs, "This is a win-win agreement for both companies. As the new owner of Sydec, Mackie benefits from having the continued support of SoundScape's experienced team marketing the SoundScape line of products. And SoundScape benefits because it will continue to have the talented Sydec engineering group working hard to meet its requirements for advanced digital audio technology." See http://www.mackie.com.

2) Support for AES31 Interchange Grows
A groundbreaking demonstration of AES31 was given at the recent AES convention in Amsterdam. Using removable media, it involved the seamless transfer of a complete audio project back and forth between SADiE, Genex and DAR workstations, with edits to the project being made in between. This milestone in DAW project interchange is the result of 3 years of work by the AES31 body chaired by Mark Yonge of SSL. Manufacturers who already support AES31 include SADiE, DAR, Zaxcom, Merging Technologies, WaveFrame, Euphonix and Genex. Those in the process of implementing the format include Fairlight, Studer, Steinberg, Mackie, Tascam, Akai, iZ Technologies and SEK'D. See http://www.aes.org.

3) TASCAM Introduces SX-1 Integrated Audio Production Station
The new TASCAM SX-1 combines automated digital mixing, hard disk recording, MIDI sequencing, editing, DSP plug-in technology and multiformat mastering capabilities. Designed to meet the needs of project studios, professional recording facilities and film/video post production, the SX-1 comprises a console with a 40 x 8 digital mixing console with 100mm, touch sensitive faders, and a recording/editing section with an LCD screen. It includes a 48kHz, 24-bit, 16-track hard disk recorder, supports 5.1 surround mixing and DSP plug-ins by TASCAM, TC Works and Antares, and includes a 128-track MIDI sequencer. The SX-1 will be available in summer 2001 for an MSRP of US8999. See http://www.tascam.com.

4) Digidesign Debuts Pro Tools 24 MIX3 for More DSP Power
The Pro Tools 24 MIX3 (pronounced MIX cubed) recently made its debut at NAB. With a RRP of US11,995, it offers more DSP power and I/O capacity in a core Pro Tools system than ever before. Digidesign also showed Pro Tools 5.1.1 software for Mac and Windows 2000 with feature enhancements to TDM-based systems on both platforms, and Pro Tools TDM 5.1 software that allows Pro Tools to support shared storage with Avid picture workstations using the Avid Unity MediaNet network. Digidesign has also launched the Internet-based DigiProNet range of services that include the ProService for radio spot distribution and Review & Approval, the AudioMarket sound store, the AudioPages professional industry directory, and My DigiProNet for personalised services. Developments to DigiStudio for global collaboration within the Pro Tools environment are planned for a forthcoming release. See http://www.digidesign.com.

5) SADiE Unveils SACD Mastering Editor
SADiE has previewed a new DSD mastering workstation that is capable of editing and mastering stereo DSD material and producing finished masters for the Super Audio CD (SACD) format. In addition to its recording and editing functions, full SACD authoring facilities to the Scarlet Book standard are included, as well as full equalisation and dynamics control. The SACD Mastering Editor is based on a new hardware platform from the company's existing products, and is expected to form the first of a series of new workstations supporting all existing and new delivery formats. It will be available later this year. See http://www.sadie.com.

6) Fairlight QDC Engine Delivers 48 tracks at 24-bit/96kHz from a Single Hard Drive
The new Fairlight QDC technology now allows the Fairlight Merlin, MFX3.48, Prodigy2 and FAME2 to support 48 tracks at 24-bit/96kHz from a single hard drive. The QDC engine uses SHARC chips and a distributed processing architecture that delivers 40-bit floating point processing, allowing operations such as seamless punch-in and punch-out across all 48 tracks. Fairlight has also introduced a plug-ins manager system that provides access to both high-speed low-latency plug-ins via a dedicated DSP interface, and also a wide range of VST plug-ins. See http://www.fairlightesp.com.

7) AMS Neve Launches Logic 3SC for Recording, Editing and Mixing
The new AMS Neve Logic 3SC is designed as a fully networkable 5.1 audio post production systems that supports high-speed editing and mixing. It includes a Logic console that supports 64 channels, 16 group outputs, multi-version surround monitoring and menu-free automated mixing, and an AudioFile SC for editing that also supports the proprietary DSP Toolbox range of advanced DSP plug-ins. See http://www.ams-neve.com.

8) WaveFrame Introduces WaveFrame/7 Based on New Engine
Running on the Merging Technologies Mykerinos PCI board (that now also supports an AES/EBU, TDIF and SDIF daughter card), WaveFrame/7 can record and play up to 32 channels of 24-bit audio. It includes the usual features of a WaveFrame system, including auto-assembly, spotting and logging, a special ADR/Foley recording mode and Cue Sheet printing, but also offers compatibility with other systems including OpenTL support for the Tascam MX-2424, Avid OMF and older WaveFrame 6 files. See http://www.waveframe.com.

9) Roland VS-2480 Offers 24-Track/24-Bit Operation
The new Roland VS2480 is a compact workstation that supports 24 tracks of 24-bit recording as well as a 64-channel digital mixer controlled by 17 motorised faders. It supports 44.1 and 96kHz sampling rates and includes two stereo effects processors. It also has a VGA monitor output, keyboard and mouse inputs for drag and drop editing, and optional CD recording support. See http://www.roland.co.jp.

10) Sonic Solutions Introduces New Version of SonicStudio HD
For those interested in premastering High-Density Audio for formats such as DVD-VIdeo, DVD-Audio and CD-Audio, the new version 1.6 of SonicStudio HD provides a number of enhancements. Among these are jog-style scrubbing, sync matching of portions of audio for A/B comparisons, the ability to edit a sound file while it is still being recorded, high density audio I/O, and sample rate conversion on input and varispeed on playback to allow a reference CD to be burned from a non-44.1kHz sound file. See http://www.sonic.com.

11) SEK'D Showcases Sequoia High Definition Workstation
The new Sequoia Windows-based system from SEK'D is designed for stereo and multitrack editing and includes advanced tools for cuts and crossfades. It supports stereo, Dolby 5.1 and ProLogic surround mastering, integrated real time CD premastering, up to 192kHz sampling, more than 64 tracks, Direct-X support , a comprehensive effects section and an integrated digital mixer. It also includes the ability to display audio in multiple colours according to pitch and other parameters, for quick visual identification. See http://www.sekd.de.

12) Publison Previews Total Edimix for Recording, Editing and Mixing
Publison has previewed the Total Edimix multiformat digital mixing console that supports full automation and the optional integration of a 32-track digital audio workstation. The DAW can be operated by dedicated controls on the console, and supports multitasking so that network and backup operations can be performed in the background. See http://www.publison.fr.

13) Creamware Ships Pulsar XTC for Windows
Creamware has made its sound and performance upgrade for VST-compatible recording programs, Pulsar XTC, available for Windows PCs. The package comprises software that includes 30 high-quality 32-bit DSP effects and an assortment of virtual instruments, and a PCI card that adds the computing power of six 32-bit SHARC DSPs. Pulsar XTC for Windows is shipping now with an MSRP of US999, and the Macintosh version is expected to ship in July 2001. See http://www.creamware.de.

14) DSP Media Closes Second Venture Capital Round
DSP Media Inc, maker of the Postation, recently completed a second round of venture capital funding by Hong Kong-based The Pacific Group Ltd. This investment allows DSP Media to further expand the company. DSP Media received first-round funding from Australia-based Momentum Ventures Limited in January 2000, and this was used to reposition the company as an American-based corporation, add new management staff and establish sales and marketing offices in Los Angeles and the UK. See http://www.dspmedia.com.

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