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IK Multimedia announces iRig KEYS PRO!!

IK Multimedia announces iRig KEYS PRO,
mobile MIDI keyboard with full-size keys,
plus iRig KEYS with Lightning connector

The first and only range of professional and compact MIDI controllers
that include Lightning-connector, 30-pin and USB cables,
for universal compatibility with all models of
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac/PC

December 3, 2013 – IK Multimedia, the global leader in mobile music making apps and accessories for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac/PC, announced the expansion of its iRig KEYS line with two new products for mobile musicians: iRig KEYS PRO and iRig KEYS with Lightning connector, compact MIDI keyboard controllers with 37 velocity-sensitive keys.

Both iRig KEYS PRO and iRig KEYS come with Lightning-connector, 30-pin and USB cables. These allow musicians to connect all iRig KEYS to any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac/PC model, and provide MIDI control and performance features for Core MIDI apps of all types, such as IK’s own SampleTank, iGrand Piano and iLectric piano apps, and its range of Mac/PC virtual instruments.

iRig KEYS PRO: Big features – compact design
iRig KEYS PRO is a true “plug and play” professional-quality programmable MIDI controller designed specifically for making music on the go with an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC. It features 37 velocity-sensitive full-size keys for 3 full octaves plus one note – allowing for realistic-feeling, two-handed playing. Even with pro features like mod and pitch wheels, illuminated octave and program buttons, 4 programmable “sets” for storing complete setups, and a programmable continuous-controller volume knob, iRig KEYS PRO is 30% smaller than any other full-size key MIDI controller that can be played with two hands.

iRig KEYS PRO comes complete with Lightning-connector and 30-pin cables for plugging directly into the dock connector of any iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. A USB cable is included for direct Mac or PC connection. With standard Core MIDI support, you can play any compatible virtual instrument or recording app on your iOS device or computer from Apple’s GarageBand to IK’s SampleTank. iRig KEYS PRO needs no AC adapter or batteries, it draws its power from the device it’s connected to, and it even features an auxiliary mini-USB port to provide it with power during performance, allowing the battery on the mobile device to be conserved.

Programming and expansion
iRig KEYS PRO also has powerful programming features that are useful during live performance and in the studio. Players can program iRig KEYS PRO with different set-ups and store them in one of the 4 “Set” banks. When iRig KEYS PRO is in Edit mode, the user can set the MIDI transmit channel, velocity (touch) response, assign Control Change numbers to the Volume/Data knob, send custom Program Change messages, transpose the keyboard in semi-tones and more.

iRig KEYS PRO also sports an expansion jack for adding a sustain pedal (not included) for a realistic piano feel, or an expression pedal that sends MIDI continuous controller data that can control parameters such as volume, rotary speaker speed, tremolo and vibrato speed and more, on the connected app or software instrument.

FREE software for instant playability, universal compatibility
iRig KEYS PRO comes with SampleTank FREE* for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, IK’s award-winning multi-part sound module designed for live performance and recording, and the iGrand Piano FREE* app, a high-quality studio-sampled grand piano sound module. Both apps are expandable with sounds from IK’s massive collection of sound libraries, and provide musicians with tools for complete music production.

iRig KEYS PRO is also right at home in the studio, and works seamlessly with DAW software, including GarageBand, Logic Pro and many others. It’s also perfect for controlling virtual instrument plug-ins such as IK’s SampleTank, Sonik Synth, SampleMoog™, SampleTron and Miroslav Philharmonik. For Mac/PC use, iRig KEYS PRO comes with SampleTank 2L**, the full-featured professional sound workstation that includes over 2 GB of professional samples, which cover all instrument categories.

iRig KEYS with Lightning connector
iRig KEYS with Lightning connector is IK’s new version of the ultra popular iRig KEYS portable mini keyboard and now comes with a Lightning-connector cable for connecting iRig KEYS to the newest Apple devices, including the new iPad, iPad mini and iPhone 5 series. It shares the same powerful features of iRig KEYS PRO but with a more compact build so it only takes up minimal space on your desktop and can easily fit in a backpack or a carry-on bag.

Pricing and Availability
iRig KEYS PRO is priced at $149.99/€119.99 MSRP (excl. tax), and is available now from the IK network of music and electronic retailers around the world and the IK online store. iRig KEYS with Lightning connector is priced at $129.99/€99.99 (excl. tax) and is available now from music and electronics retailers worldwide.

* Available on the App Store.
** Register and download on the IK Multimedia online User Area.

For more information, go to www.irigkeys.com

For more information on IK Lightning Compatible Accessories, go to www.ikmultimedia.com/lightning

 

I am a huge fan and am looking forward to testing and reviewing this product!!

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Evidence Shows Global Heat May Be Hiding in Oceans

Evidence Shows Global Heat May Be Hiding in Oceans
Evidence Shows Global Heat May Be Hiding in Oceans (via Climate Central)

By Tim Radford, Climate News Network LONDON – Far below the surface, the waters of south-east Asia are heating up. A region of the Pacific is now warming at least 15 times faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years. If this finding – so far…

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13 Side Effects Of Acai Berry You Should Be Aware Of

13 Side Effects Of Acai Berry You Should Be Aware Of
13 Side Effects Of Acai Berry You Should Be Aware Of (via Style Craze)

Image: Getty You must have heard a lot about Acai berries and their health benefits. But have you ever thought about the side effects of Acai berries? Yes, there are few side effects that we will discuss in this post. But before getting into the Acai…

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Tablet Shopping Guide: 8 Tips

Tablet Shopping Guide: 8 Tips
Tablet Shopping Guide: 8 Tips (via InformationWeek)

Michael Endler The tablet market is more crowded than ever. Use our eight tips to avoid buyers’ remorse this holiday season. The holiday season’s annual gift-buying bonanza is now in full swing, and whether consumers turn to Black Friday, Cyber Monday…

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How Vaccine Policy & Law Threatens Parental Rights In America

How Vaccine Policy & Law Threatens Parental Rights In America
How Vaccine Policy & Law Threatens Parental Rights In America (via Honey Colony)

By Dr. Mercola “THE GREATER GOOD looks behind the fear, hype and politics that have polarized the vaccine debate in America today. The film re-frames the emotionally charged issue and offers, for the first time, the opportunity for a rational and…

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Amazon Drone Video | Watch Amazon’s Vision of Unmanned Drone Deliveries

Amazon Drone Video | Watch Amazon’s Vision of Unmanned Drone Deliveries (via Wall Street Journal Digital Network)

Amazon released a video on Sunday demonstrating their vision for a delivery system that uses unmanned drones. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said it was possible Amazon could introduce the drones within four to five years, depending in part on Federal Aviation…

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IK Multimedia adds SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition to Sample Tank!

MEDIA ALERT

IK Multimedia adds SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition
and Inter-App Audio in SampleTank
for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

New version of SampleTank for iOS adds availability of the SampleMoog™
collection of instruments – the most sought after vintage
and modern Moog synthesizers of all time

November 26, 2013 – IK Multimedia, the leader in mobile music-creation apps and accessories for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, is pleased to announce a new version of SampleTank, the premium virtual instrument and sound module for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that gives mobile musicians access to the SampleMoog™ – Mobile Edition collection of instrument sounds, plus adds Inter-App Audio features allowing SampleTank to run as an instrument app for Inter-App Audio compatible recording apps like GarageBand for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition for SampleTank mobile is available as an in-app purchase and is derived from the SampleMoog™ standalone app and DAW plug-in for Mac/PC used in studios around the world. These sounds, pads, textures and effects have been heard on countless GRAMMY-winning albums and millions of recordings since the 1970s. SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition features instruments that were painstakingly sampled for precise and faithful sound reproduction of the world’s most popular Moog vintage and modern synthesizers.  These sounds have a texture, warmth, and beauty that is considered “the anthology of Moog synths” and unrivalled in the virtual instrument world.

The SampleMoog™ – Mobile Edition for SampleTank includes over 130 analog synth lead, pad, bass, sequence and effect sounds from classic Moog Music® instruments including the Minimoog® Model D, Memorymoog, Polymoog, Taurus®, Source, Rogue, Prodigy, Vocoder, Minimoog Voyager®, Little Phatty® and Etherwave® Theremin.  These sounds are taken from the desktop version of SampleMoog™, IK Multimedia’s leading Moog® virtual instrument.

SampleTank 1.7 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is a complete professional quality virtual instrument and sound workstation that allows musicians to use a portable keyboard/MIDI controller like iRig KEYS, or any MIDI keyboard controller with a MIDI interface like iRig MIDI or iRig PRO, to create and perform with studio quality instruments and sounds on the go. Musicians can even add more performance control with iRig BlueBoard, wireless MIDI pedalboard controller. SampleTank is both Inter-App Audio (new in iOS 7) and AudioBus compatible so it can be used as an instrument app with other compatible mobile recording and DAW applications like GarageBand, AmpliTube and VocaLive for creating music on the go, anytime and everywhere. SampleTank is compatible with iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch 4G or later, and any iPad model.

Pricing & Availability:
SampleTank 1.7 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available now as a free update on the App StoreSM (www.itunes.com/appstore). The SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition is available as an in-app purchase for $19.99/€17.99. Additional instrument collections, like the symphonic sounds of Miroslav Philharmonik Mobile Edition, are also available via in-app purchase.

For more information about SampleTank for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, please visit:

www.sampletank.com

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Business Technology Basics Week One CRM’s

We are starting a new feature each week on  aspect of technology related to an industry, this week it is CRM’s.

A CRM is a tool for companies, especially their sales people to keep track of activity with customers. When I first started in outside sales in 1993, it was a card box and 3 by 5 cards. Over the years it developed into software and technology. I find that using a CRM is valuable, especially as I have aged. A CRM helps a person to keep track of who they talked with which company, and what was talked about. The CRM also can remind you when to call them back, and what to talk about as wellsalesman_knocking_on_door_md_wm

 

Small businesses are adopting CRM strategies for much the same reason as are larger businesses: In an effort to make their sales efforts more efficient and ultimately more productive. In its essence, CRM technology broadens the act of selling, connecting the individual salesperson into a broad information-gathering mechanism within the company. That data then is used to build customer loyalty and increase customer value over time.

The CRM Solution can keep a sales person productive, and also helps a company keep track of what the sales people did with their day and it also keeps track of all the customers and potential customers that the sales person obtained for the company. It also allows marketing, other sales people and management have a database of potential customers to draw from and market too. There are a variety of solutions available for crm’s or customer relationship managers this one example.

 

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An open letter to the world–>Help an aspie dad to make a difference for autism!

 

I am the aspie dad of 3 kids, 2 are almost adults with autism. I know what is like to be autistic. I am hyper functioning, hyper intuitive, do everything twice as fast as anyone I know. That is other than my athletic skills which are barely average. I have been bullied, treated differently was nick named rain man when I worked at Circuit City in the 1980’s the warehouse staff long before I figured out that I was Asperger’s. I was supposed to skip 3 grades in school but did not because I was considered not socially ready was told that I had an odd manner about me. I was once told that I had the personality of a door knob by a teacher in Middle School at Garside Junior High. I am lousy at eye contact and do not really get as to why people even care. I am ironically in corporate sales, and do an awesome job normally, but struggle to get jobs due to my different viewpoint on life, and lack of proper eye contact. I have really had no real close friends in 44 years besides my wife, who does not really get me either. I was spit on in 7th grade pe for being different by the first chair clarinetist who wound up being in the marine band. I was smart, motivatex and did well in school but others did not really know what to make of me. For that matter I did not really know what to make of them either. I have always been driven to make a difference and at one point considered being a military Jewish Chaplan, but the urge passed.

As an individual with high functioning Asperger syndrome, a kind of autism, and the father of three kids who are also on the spectrum for this disorder, I have always felt a need to make a difference for the people with autism. I dream of establishing a national organization like the American Heart Association or American Cancer Society to make living on the spectrum better for those with autism related disorders. Utilizing my knowledge and passion for technology with my personal experience and interest in autism, I am trying to make a difference. We are a state nonprofit seeking our 501c3. Our intent is to become a national Arts and Technology Foundation within the autism community.

Our mission if we ever get funded is:

Mission–>
1) We will give the gift of technology and musical instruments to autistic people and class rooms that need those items
2) We will give the gift of culture and entertainment and sports, by helping to provide free tickets to autistic people, their families and others that can not afford the tickets, more people need to enjoy their lives
3) We will give educational and vocational scholarships to those that need them preferably on the autism spectrum.
4) We will build awareness of autism and our desire to make a difference as much as possible so as to truly make a difference for autistic people, their families, friends, and educational facilities for autistic people.
T.E.A.C.H!!!
T–>Technology Donations
E–>Educational Assistance
A–>Arts and Musical Gifts to Individuals and Educational Institutions
C–>Care and Assistance for those with Autism
H–>Help those that need it, pay if forward for Autism.

Being an aspie it is logical and direct, but despite that we can not get any real help.

We reach out to shows like the Talk, the View, Ellen, local radio, tv, and others but never get help.

We then get sold a bill of goods over and over again. The ” we would love to help and will get back to you” line.

We truly want to make a difference, have an online campaign to do so, but no one does.

It seems like people talk about helping others, but few do.

I truly want to make a huge difference for autism, to give back, and improve the lives of people with autism. I am also planning on doing a documentary for autism, the arts and music and would most likely succeed if people would just believe in my efforts. It reminds me of  movie my daughter watched when she was young, you are fading because people do not believe in you. That is what we needs faith in our intent, our mission, and desire to change the quality of life for autistic people, their families and friends.

Does anyone have my back, and want to help.

We need tens of thousands of people to know what we are trying to do, to follow us on twitter, to go to our website in tens of thousands to engage, use our portals to buy things, to see our fundraising and take part in it, not just sit there idly by. That time has passed, now is the time, the time to seize the day, and say, yes, I want to help the aspie dad of 3 to become a house hold name, to help his organization to change the world for people like him.

Please share, and help us improve the quality of life for people with autism and related special needs as well.

You would think that after all this exposure and press, people would get it, and say yes, let’s help this guy out, help him to make a difference.

Sincerely,

David J. Berkowitz
President/Editor/Tech Blogger