GENAUDIO CHANGES THE WAY THE WORLD WILL LISTEN TO AUDIO WITH LAUNCH OF THE ASTOUNDSTEREO EXPANDER AT CES 2009
Company offers 10 Million free music downloads from emerging and platinum artists including Public Enemy processed with new AstoundStereo technology
Las Vegas, NV and Englewood, CO – (January 7, 2009) – GenAudio Inc., developer of AstoundSound™ 4D sound localization cue technology and finalist in the CES i-Stage competition, opened the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 by officially launching a consumer version of its AstoundStereo™ technology, the AstoundStereo Expander computer software, and announced the giveaway of 10 million free music downloads of various songs processed and re-mixed using GenAudio’s revolutionary professional audio software. AstoundStereo can be experienced through as little as two audio channels, such as any headphones, home theater speakers or laptop speakers.
The AstoundStereo Expander software processes audio files on the user’s desktop or laptop computer in real-time. This enables the listener to hear their music, movies and video games in a new way, being completely immersed in the sound with elevation, intensive depth perception and widening of the stereo image, creating a four dimensional audio experience. Professional recording artists, record labels, video game development houses and major motion picture film studios have already embraced the technology.
Consumers who wish to experience digital audio in AstoundStereo, including movies, music and games, can now download a free 30-day trial of the new AstoundStereo Expander software for Mac or PC by logging onto www.astoundstereo.com. Consumers can then purchase the Expander for an introductory offer of $19.95.
To demonstrate the capabilities of AstoundStereo technology, GenAudio has partnered with cutting edge artists Public Enemy and Kan’Nal as well as leading music download provider Hip Digital to give away 10 million free music downloads processed with AstoundStereo to provide a four-dimensional sound experience. These tracks and more are available from GenAudio at www.AstoundStereo.com/freetrack starting January 8, 2009 for a period of 30 days.
“When people hear these songs, they will have a new appreciation for the way audio will be heard across the entire entertainment industry spectrum.” said Jerry Mahabub, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GenAudio. “We are confident once people hear any of the free music tracks processed with AstoundStereo, they will want to apply this technology to their existing stereo audio content on their Mac or PC. This will lead everyone to want AstoundStereo integrated into all of their audio devices, such as portable music players, DVD players, car stereos and many more.”
GenAudio and Universal Pictures recently partnered for the release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army for DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, re-mastered for home theater. The AstoundStereo technology was integrated into the 5.1 and 7.1 programming for both DVD and Blu-Ray Hi-Def releases enhancing the existing surround sound mixes. Reviews of the Hellboy II: The Golden Army DVD have described the film’s audio mix as masterful and deserving of the highest audio ratings. Most recently, GenAudio partnered with Lionsgate to bring the enhanced audio experience provided by AstoundStereo to the surround sound mix of the DVD and Blu-Ray Hi-Def versions of Bangkok Dangerous, released on January 6, 2009. Both of these titles were re-mastered for home theater at MiCasa Multimedia.
About GenAudio
GenAudio, Inc. is headquartered in Englewood, CO. GenAudio’s mission is to provide a true 4D sound solution for the entire entertainment industry — AstoundStereo, the next dimension in audio. AstoundStereo is a 4D software based sound solution that integrates seamlessly with consumer electronics and software applications, as well as provides professional audio production solutions through a minimum of two speakers or headphones. AstoundStereo is the most accurate and intense 4D sound localization cue technology available today. The technology works with most consumers existing equipment and no special hardware or decoding devices are needed.
For more information visit: www.genaudioinc.com
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette
Just don’t get too carried away with your iPod karaoke.
Published: Tuesday, April 29
Is it just me, or is everyone plugged in these days?
“Nine out of 10 people workout with an iPod or MP3 player,” said Melanie Shernofsky, group fitness coordinator at Montreal’s Mansfield Club.
The same could be said for the many runners and walkers who are tuned in to their own playlist while cruising the streets of their neighbourhood.
Yet despite the apparent spike in music appreciation amongst the fitness crowd, exercising to music isn’t new. People were skating around roller rinks to the tunes of Buddy Holly and jumping to the beat of the Pointer Sisters in aerobics classes long before Amy Winehouse took top billing on the iPod of most gym rats.
Why is music such an integral part of the exercise experience?
“Music takes us away from the physical discomfort and the process of exercise itself,” said Jim Gavin, a clinical health psychologist from Concordia University.
Indeed most exercisers will tell you that music is a pleasant distraction during a workout. Some even go as far as saying they can exercise longer and harder when listening to music than without. And while there is a general consensus that music can make the minutes go by faster when running on a treadmill, there is little data to suggest that you can workout longer or harder while listening to your favourite tunes.
Numerous studies have evaluated the heart rate and time to exhaustion among exercisers listening and not listening to music. The majority noted no significant difference between the two. Which means exercise duration and intensity weren’t affected by music. What was affected, however, was how hard the exercisers perceived they were training while music was playing.
Study after study notes that exercisers perceive their level of exertion to be lower when music accompanies their workout compared to those who exercise in silence. Also interesting to note is that the affect is greater the harder you exercise. In other words, the tougher the workout, the more music helps you hang in there.
“Music tends to separate us from what we are physically doing and leads us further away from how we are feeling,” says Gavin.
Not all music is equal in its distraction, though - at least where exercise is concerned. A 2006 study of 128 undergraduate students noted a preference for faster, more upbeat music as the intensity of the workout increased. No surprise there. Footloose beats out James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful every time when the going gets tough. Nike’s iPod sensor combo even allows runners to program their own “power” song that can be pressed into play when the feet need a little extra incentive to keep moving.
Yet as powerful as music is, not everyone appreciates the distraction. Yet another study noted that among runners, novices were more likely than veteran runners to benefit from listening to music during their training runs. The elite runners actually found music to be an unwanted diversion, which suggests that the disconnect between mind and body is not considered beneficial for runners who use their body’s feedback to continually gauge and modify their intensity.
Of course, there are other uses for music in the exercise field. Yoga instructors often play music as a form of relaxation, helping participants to de-stress and slow down their hectic pace in tune with the mindful approach of the practice.
Group exercise instructors have long been known to count on music not just to motivate, but also to keep everyone in the class moving in synch. In fact, the addition of music to group exercise classes is what characterized the aerobics boom in the 80’s - back in the day instructors spent hours choosing the right music to motivate and the right moves.
Interestingly, with personal MP3 players now all the rage, music lovers don’t need group exercise classes to supply musical motivation. In the age of self-selection, exercisers can create their own workout playlist with their favourite tunes that can be updated at will. This means they can find all the motivation they want on their own iPod, making a solo run on the treadmill just as motivating as a group exercise class.
Shernofsky thinks that’s a good thing.
“For people who don’t like to exercise, music can be a great motivator.”
It also means that anyone with two left feet or an aversion to a Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey re-mix played at 150 beats a minute can now workout to the beat of their own drummer.
That being said, there are some rules that go along with plugging in during exercise. Don’t tune out to the extent that you aren’t aware of your surroundings. Keep alert and listen to your body and what’s going on around you. And whatever you do, limit your iPod karaoke to places where you aren’t likely to be overheard. Not everyone is a fan of Bat Out of Hell sung at full volume on a beautiful Sunday morning (don’t ask).
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2008
Rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Danielia Cotton draws inspiration from the 1970’s on her sophomore album ‘Rare Child,’ out May 20th on Adrenaline Records/ADA. “My album is a throwback to a time when music was less produced and a little bit more honest, accessible and real,” Cotton says.
The Philadelphia Daily News concurs, stating “Danielia’s music has the swagger of ‘Let It Bleed’ era Rolling Stones, her singing has the raw emotional power of Janis Joplin and her songwriting places her among the top new musical storytellers.”
Cotton’s natural gift– raw, searing vocal chops combined with a deep, buttery tone– draws from the two different rich traditions that she absorbed in her youth: she couldn’t get enough of the AC/DC, Zeppelin, and the Stones that her friends and neighbors were listening to but she was also her mother’s girl: the daughter of a jazz singer and member of the church gospel choir, grooving to Mavis Staples, Etta James, Billie and Ella.
Cotton’s rock and soul influences have drawn stellar reviews with raves about her “raw intensity” (Essence Magazine), her “soulful voice and searing telecaster” (Time Out NY) and for possessing “the sort of voice for which the phrase `force of nature’ was coined” (Austin American-Statesman). Relix magazine named Cotton one of the “5 Artists You Should Know” in 2007 and New York’s Amsterdam News proclaimed her “a powerful musician that cannot be ignored.”
For more information of Daniela Cotton, click here.
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