SONOMA WIRE WORKS NEWS: MARCH 2007 EDITION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Visit Us at Musikmesse March 28-31
- RiffRumble VI Winner Interviews
- RiffRumble VII Starts April 4th
- New InstantDrummer Sessions
- RiffCaster Pick of the Month & RiffLink Collab of the Month
FEATURED COLUMN
VISIT US AT MUSIKMESSE MARCH 28-31
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IK Multimedia - Musicians First. Worldwide distributors of RiffWorks Standard. |
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Sonic Reality - Makers of RAW Universal Drum Kits (many now available in InstantDrummer format for RiffWorks users). |
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Disc Makers - CD duplication and manufacturing made easy for independent musicians - and special freebies for Sonoma Wire Works users. |
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CD Baby - A little CD store with the best new independent music. |
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Recording Magazine - The magazine for the recording musician. |
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NEW INSTANTDRUMMER SESSIONS AVAILABLE
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Drums on Demand just released 4 new InstantDrummer sessions: Texas Boogie, Slinky Blues, Bright Blues and Box Car. We've gotten lots of requests for more blues and country drums, and these are some of the best we've heard. |
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Drummerheads has a new InstantDrummer session available for RiffWorks users called Vintage Rock III. Drummerheads says, "We really turn the beat on with this one, so hold on to your RiffWorks hats. Lots of kick for those about to rock."
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RIFFCASTER & RIFFLINK PICKS OF THE MONTH
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The RiffCaster Solo Pick of the Month:
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RiffLink Collab (Final Version) Pick of the Month:
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RiffLink Collab (In Progress) Pick of the Month: |
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MEET DAVE KERZNER OF SONIC REALITY
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SWW: How did Sonic Reality come to exist?
DAVE: I started Sonic Reality in Los Angeles, California in late 1996. I used to do custom sampling for major artists and keyboard manufacturers which lead to combining forces with ILIO as world-wide distribution partners to reach the masses with our sounds. This later led to powerful cooperations with companies like IK Multimedia in order to provide ground-breaking workstation plug-ins such as Sonik Synth and Miroslav Philharmonik and a close connection with Propellerheads who helped us create premium refills and factory sounds for Reason.
SWW: Who are Sonic Reality's major players?
DAVE: Everyone at Sonic Reality is a major player from the person who packs the boxes to myself who overseas production and does most of the sampling sessions. We have nicknames for each other at the office. I'm "Squids". But there's "Zamplebot" who is the ultimate sample cutting guy. He's like a robot. "Boy Wonder" reminds us of Robin and we also have a "Mr. Incredible" here so there's a super hero theme. "A-Team" is great because anything you want to know he can find it out for you in a matter of minutes. "Blix" is one of our newest employees and he does anything you ask him to do. I wish cloning was possible because an army of Blixes would be unstoppable. We're also looking for new members of the team in sound design, sales and marketing. It's a fun environment where everyone is important and we enjoy what we do. There's key partners I work with outside of the company like Mark Hornsby from Joytown who records a lot of the drums with me and our recent partnership with Ocean Way Studios where they house Dr. Dre's studio as well as famous studio rooms like Studio B where Frank Sinatra originally recorded and Studio D where I recently met the band Rush when they finished mixing their upcoming album.
SWW: What makes Sonic Reality stand out from other drum content companies and how is your content created?
DAVE: Our philosophy at Sonic Reality is to go out and try to bring the best sampled material to every musician so that they can afford to make great sounding music regardless of their budget. Take for example Ocean Way Studios in LA where we're working with drums recorded by multi-platinum engineers Allen Sides and Steven Miller. Steven is recording the Dave Matthews Band right now. Allen was nominated for a Grammy for Mary J. Blidge and has recorded over 500 albums in his career. He owns Ocean Way and this is a studio where Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Green Day, Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers and so many other artists record. Recently I have been doing some sample work for the band Genesis and later this year I have plans to go record samples at their studio with their producer/engineer Nick Davis. No other sample company let alone even any bands besides Genesis members record at this private studio so we're very lucky to have these opportunities. We try to go out and capture things that would otherwise be difficult, expensive or impossible to get and this sets us apart from other companies who aren't as deeply involved in the music industry as we are.
SWW: What made you decide to partner with Sonoma Wire Works?
DAVE: What I love about Sonoma besides the people, which is important when you work with anyone, is that we share a similar philosophy when it comes to music-making. The idea of getting the technical stuff out of the way and getting to the creative part faster is key in my opinion. RiffWorks is brilliant and we're thrilled to be able to offer our drums and grooves in this platform so that guitar players can jam with such a diverse range of sounds we've captured all over the world. It's a chance to open up a range of Sonic Reality samples to guitarists that may be new to what we do and that's exciting.
SWW: What advice would you give to RiffWorks guitar players using your drum sessions in their music?
DAVE: My advice is to go for what works best in your music and not what sounds the flashiest on its own. Sometimes what sits well in the mix is something that sounds simple with good solid feel. Also, don't be afraid to experiment with the groove until it feels right to you. Use your ears which are the best judge and each song requires something a little different in the timing, feel and sound of your tracks. You're the best judge and there are no rules.
SWW: What's your favorite beverage? (A significant running conversation in the RiffWorks community :-)
DAVE: I like Bordeaux Wine but a Vodka Martini, preferably Kettle One is nice... Red Bull works for me too... or carrot juice so... I am all over the map. Sonic Reality's motto is "Sample Everything" so I have this philosophy in other aspects of life as well, particularly food and drink.
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