SONOMA WIRE WORKS NEWS: JULY 2006 EDITION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- RiffWorks Standard (V2) is Here!
- RiffLink Online Jamming Public Beta
- Sonoma Wire Works Online Store & Website Update
- New InstantDrummer Sessions Available
- RiffCaster Changes
FEATURED COLUMN
- Meet Kord Taylor of Submersible Music
by Lauren Tremblay
RIFFWORKS STANDARD (V2) IS HERE!
We're excited to announce that the new version of RiffWorks is available in the Sonoma Wire Works online store! RiffWorks Standard is solid and full of great new features. Check out the RiffWorks page for a complete list of added features.
New users may purchase RiffWorks Standard in our online store. If you own RiffWorks (v1), and are looking to upgrade to RiffWorks Line 6 Edition (v2) for $29.99, it has not yet been released. The Line 6 Edition will be available in the Line 6 store soon. Version 1 users may choose to crossgrade to RiffWorks Standard (v2) for $59.99 by applying for a crossgrade coupon. Information about the coupon and the differences between RiffWorks Standard and RiffWorks Line 6 Edition can be found in the FAQ.
RIFFLINK ONLINE JAMMING PUBLIC BETA
The RiffLink online collaboration environment is in public beta and is available for all users of RiffWorks (v2). People are already having fun jamming together online and looking forward to others joining in. The 60-day free trial of RiffLink for all RiffWorks (v2) users begins when the RiffLink public beta is complete. Then, it will be available as a subscription service for those who want to keep using the RiffLink technology, servers, and fat bandwidth. More information can be found on the RiffLink page.
SONOMA WIRE WORKS ONLINE STORE LAUNCH & WEBSITE UPDATE
Sonoma Wire Works now has an online store with products like RiffWorks Standard and new InstantDrummer sessions. It's working great and is open for business...
Sonomawireworks.com has been revamped. There's an animated tour of RiffWorks on the front page that's fun to click through. Our main navigation bar has been updated to be more inviting to newcomers. Plus there is a new navigation bar at the very top of each page to steer new and return customers to the most popular areas of our site, like RiffCaster and RiffLink
. Also the News page now integrates news bites from several pages on our site, so you can check that page for the most current news and information. We'll also keep the front page Announcements section fresh.There is a Guide for our products that is both the user manual and a living document that users can build on by adding their own tips and tricks. Every feature of RiffWorks is documented here, and each page can be commented on directly.
Another new feature you'll notice on our website is the SonomaKey. SonomaKey makes it easy and convenient to take advantage of services offered by Sonoma Wire Works. Register once for your SonomaKey and you can use the same user name and password site-wide for services such as the online store, forums, RiffCaster, RiffLink, newsletter subscriptions, and more. The easiest way to get your SonomaKey is to buy RiffWorks through our online store, or register for the forums.
We hope these improvements will make it even easier for you to hang out at sonomawireworks.com.
NEW INSTANTDRUMMER SESSIONS AVAILABLE
RiffWorks (v2) includes 8 InstantDrummer Sessions (2 new). Dozens more new InstantDrummer sessions are available. Professional drummers playing real drums in high-end studios have been recorded by top drum content providers like Drums on Demand, Discrete Drums, and Submersible Music. There are also great sessions by a new drum company called Drummerheads that you've got to hear. More than 40 sessions are waiting for your tunes. Listen to the samples, choose your favorites, then manipulate the heck out of them by turning simple knobs in RiffWorks InstantDrummer. All the drummers in the store require version 2.
RIFFCASTER CHANGES
Songs can now be published to RiffCaster with the click of a button within RiffWorks. No more emailing songs to the server. Posting to RiffCaster requires RiffWorks (v2), and is still a free service. Anyone can listen to RiffCaster on the web or subscribe to the RiffCaster Podcast for free.
Listen to RiffCaster
MEET KORD TAYLOR OF SUBMERSIBLE MUSIC by Lauren Tremblay
"We try to find drummers that excel in certain music styles," said Taylor. "We think that generally you feel more comfortable if you know that the drummer has played on some recordings that did well in that style. It's nice to know what you're getting."
Content from a select group of these proven drummers is now available to RiffWorks users through a partnership between Sonoma Wire Works and Submersible Music, Inc.
"Since most RiffWorks users are guitarists ... we have concentrated on drummers and styles that are most attractive for them," said Taylor.
New InstantDrummer sessions feature the drum stylings of Matt Sorum (Guns 'N Roses, Velvet Revolver), Sly Dunbar (Bob Marley), Terry Bozzio (Jeff Beck, UK), Lonnie Wilson (Brooks and Dunn) and Tony Braunagel (Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal). They are now available for purchase at the Sonoma Wire Works online store.
"We think RiffWorks has a similar attitude to our DrumCore&trade product, which is about simplicity and getting the song down without reading a bunch of manuals," Taylor said of the partnership.
DrumCore&trade software incorporates an easy-to-use database/browser for drum content and a "Gabrielizer" tool to manipulate beats, as well as an extensive and expanding library of content from legendary artists.
"Currently we have a lot of pop/rock, funk, country and blues," Taylor said. "We have a lot of odd time-signature grooves too, particularly in our new Alan White and Terry Bozzio add-on packs for DrumCore&trade. We have content in a lot of underserved markets. There aren't a lot of blues, country and prog rock libraries out there besides what we do."
According to Taylor, the product began in-house as a way to organize a huge collection of drum loop libraries for use in the recording studios at Submersible Music's parent-company Vulcan, Inc. A well-connected team of audio engineers, sound designers and marketing people, many of them drummers themselves and all with unique contacts to household-name recording artists, made the opportunity to create content irresistible and transformed the product into DrumCore&trade as it is today.
"We have a lot of folks here that have worked with some great drummers," said Taylor of his colleagues. "It seems like we've gotten [musicians'] trust that we can deliver their performances and sonic character the way they want."
Paul G. Allen is the owner of Vulcan, Inc. and co-founder of Microsoft. He also plays guitar, and it was at his request that DrumCore&trade entered the consumer market.
"[He] thought the tool might help other guitarists and songwriters, so we launched DrumCore&trade as a commercial product," said Taylor.
Participating artists record grooves at different tempos to retain an authentic feel and sound. Each session is recorded in a private studio using state-of-the-art equipment.
"A definite high point was when Matt Sorum (Guns 'N Roses, Velvet Revolver) said he thought our drum sound was the best he's gotten to date," Taylor said. "He's played in a lot of impressive studios."
"Zoro (Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown) was a monster player, and his enthusiasm for the project was infectious," added Taylor. "Every session had memorable moments, and we're going to start posting some of the video on www.drumcore.com."
Taylor made just one suggestion to users of the new InstantDrummers&trade:
Chat about this Newsletter in the RiffWorks Forum
It's hard not to feel a little star-struck when talking to Kord Taylor (Marketing) of Submersible Music, Inc. The artists he works with to record content for the DrumCore&trade software are mere phenoms in the world of drummers. Collectively, they've been the drums behind Guns N' Roses, Heart, John Lennon, Rascal Flatts, Lenny Kravitz, Dave Stewart, Bob Marley, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Zappa, Sheryl Crow and more!
"Listen to the sound of the drummers as well as how they play. Just because it's a drummer known for country doesn't mean you can't use him in a rock or folk tune. And remember, if you need more grooves, you can always get DrumCore&trade and use it with the REX2 player in RiffWorks to spice things up!"
