Page 8 - ACCENT Aug 10

8 ACCENT Special Edition - August 2010
Sibelius 6.2 ... “Check it out!”
More flexibility in managing multi-licenses
Recently, Avid Technology released a minor
update to Sibelius 6.2, available as a free or it expires, at which point the licence is automati-
download for Sibelius 6 users. Whilst be-
ing only a “point” update there are numerous new
features, one of which will be of great interest to
schools... namely the ‘Check out license’ feature.
The Sibelius Licence Server now allows the licence
administrator to specify that staff and students can page in the Licence Server Control Panel. Users*
temporarily move network licences from the Li-
cence Server to their own machines so that they can
run the software when not connected to the Licence
Server – most likely to a laptop which is taken off
campus for working at home. These are known as
check out licences, because the teacher or student
checks out the licence from the Licence Server,
which reduces the number of floating licences
Hand-held recorders
continued from page 5...
achieve a surround sound recording. The H4n also
allows 4 channel recording when used with external
mics or line inputs together with the built-in mics. echo to an otherwise dry recording environment
Pre-Recording
A feature on some recorders, the pre-record capa-
bility actually records 2-3 seconds (depending on
model) of audio BEFORE you press the RECORD
button. This is achieved by continuously recording
a short loop and as soon as you press RECORD,
the last loop is also captured. Can be useful for
spontaneous recording.
available by one until it is either checked back in,
cally returned to the pool of floating licences so that
it can be used on a different computer.
The licence administrator can specify how many
floating licences are allocated for checking out and
the time limit for those licences, via the Licences
can then choose Help > Check Out Licence from
within their copy of Sibelius to check out a licence,
allowing them to disconnect their computer from
the school network and continue to use Sibelius for
a limited time on their computers. Licences can be
checked out for any period of time from a weekend
to a whole year.
Should a computer containing a
checked out licence get lost or
stolen, or should you urgently
require the return of the checked
out licence back to the pool of
floating licences, you can revoke
a checked out licence before its
allotted expiry time, which returns
it to the pool immediately.
Another feature worth noting
is that Sibelius 6.2 is now a
multi-lingual application. Until
now, in order to have a version of
Sibelius in a particular language it
was necessary to purchase in that
Limiting and Compression
Limiting and/or compression can be conveni-
ent when making quick recordings without fuss.
Basically this prevents overload or distortion on
loud peaks... so if recording the rock band in the
band room and you want simplicity, you choose a
recorder that has a limiter and pre-set/automatic
level switches.
Digital Effects
Effects can be as simple as adding some reverb or
and is a common feature, even on lower cost re-
corders. More advanced effects are usually tailored
toward musicians who want more than just a good
basic recording. These can include quite sophisti-
cated effects such as mic and amplifier modelling.
Wireless Remote Control
A few recorders come with a wireless remote
control allowing recording AND playback remotely
and, on some models, additional functions (such as
looping). This is particularly convenient in a band
room or when the recorder is not within reach (or
you want hands-free operation).
USB Audio Interface
A feature unique to the Zoom H2 and H4n record-
ers is the ability to use the recorder as either a
ü Secondary
ü Tertiary
language, and that language only. Now, Sibelius 6.2
supports six different languages all from within the
same program – English, German, French, Spanish,
Japanese and Italian. To change the language set-
ting simply got to File > Preferences > Languag-
es and select from the drop-down menu.
*To check out a license users must be logged into their computer
with local administrator rights.
Contact Music EDnet for more details
Ph 1300 723 700
Email: info@musicednet.com.
FREE upgrade to
Sibelius V6.2
Registered users of Sibelius V6 (schools and
individuals) can upgrade to V6.2 by down-
loading the update or full installer.
Go to www.musicednet.com/downloads and
scroll down to Sibelius.
NEW V6.2 License Server
for schools...
Email support@musicednet.com for down-
load links.
USB stereo mic or a USB audio interfaces. In this
mode they are no longer recorders, but instead act
as either microphones or line inputs to a computer
that is running audio recording software... includ-
ing multi-track recording software. This can be
a great additional recording capability for laying
down multiple tracks or doing vocals over backing
tracks or voice-overs to a video and so on. Use
the recorder in the field to record performances,
interviews, ambience etc and then come back to the
computer to complete the project in a multi-track or
video compositing program.
Multi-Track overdubbing
A unique feature of the Korg SR-1 is the ability
to overdub sound-on-sound. But not what you
probably think. Each overdub is actually stored as a
total separate file, which means you can drag each
one onto a computer and insert into separate tracks
in a recording/sequencing program. Multi-tracks
are automatically in sync. A great feature.
For more sound advice and to discuss
your specific needs in a portable recorder
contact
Music EDnet
Ph 1300 723 700
info@musicednet.com