Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Who Is the Inventor of Auto-Tune Pitch-Correcting Software

Dr. Andy Hildebrand is the inventor of the voice pitch-correcting software called Auto-Tune. The first song published using Auto-Tune on the vocals was the 1998 song Believe by Cher. Auto-Tune and the Death of Music When he was asked why so many musicians have accused Auto-Tune of ruining music, Hildebrand replied that Auto-Tunes was designed to be used discretely and that no one needed to know that any software correction had been applied to vocal tracks. Hildebrand pointed out that there is an extreme setting available in Auto-Tune called the zero setting. That setting is extremely popular and noticeable. Hildebrand was all about giving Auto-Tune users choices and was surprised himself at the use of very noticeable Auto-Tune effects. In an interview with Nova, Andy Hildebrand was asked if he thought that recording artists from the era before digital recording techniques like Auto-Tune were available were more talented because they had to know how to sing in tune. Hildebrand commented that (So-called) cheating in the old days used endless retakes to get a final result. Its easier now with Auto-Tune. Is the actor who plays Batman cheating because he cant really fly? Harold Hildebrand Today, Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor manufactured by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. From 1976 through 1989, Andy Hildebrand was a research scientist in the geophysical industry, working for Exxon Production Research and Landmark Graphics, a company he co-founded to create the worlds first stand-alone seismic data interpretation workstation. Hildebrand specialized in a field called seismic data exploration, he worked in signal processing, using audio to map below the earth’s surface. In laymans terms, sound waves were used to find oil below the earths surface. After leaving Landmark in 1989, Hildebrand began studying music composition at the Shepard School of Music at Rice University. As an inventor, Hildebrand set out to improve the process of digital sampling in music. He used the then cutting-edge digital signal processing (DSP) technology that he brought over from the geophysical industry and invented a new looping technique for digital samples. He formed Jupiter Systems in 1990 to market his first software product (called Infinity) for music. Jupiter Systems was later renamed Antares Audio Technologies. Hildebrand then developed and introduced MDT (Multiband Dynamics Tool), one of the first successful Pro Tools plug-ins. This was followed by JVP (Jupiter Voice Processor), SST (Spectral Shaping Tool), and the 1997 Auto-Tune. Antares Audio Technologies Antares Audio Technologies incorporated in May 1998, and in January 1999 acquired Cameo International, their former distributor. In 1997 after the success of the software version of Auto-Tune, Antares moved into the hardware DSP effects processor market with the ATR-1, a rack-mount version of Auto-Tune. In 1999, Antares invented an innovative plug-in, the Antares Microphone Modeler that allowed one microphone to imitate the sound of a wide variety of other microphones. The Modeler was awarded the TEC Award as the years (2000) Outstanding Achievement in Signal Processing Software. A hardware version of the Modeler, the AMM-1 was released a year later.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Swot Analysis Of Retronics, A Software Engineering Firm Essay

Background Information History Retronics, a software engineering firm located in Silicon Valley, was founded in 1990s. Many internet-based companies were founded at that period since a new economic sector grew up and it attracted many investors. With the new economic sector and its privileged geographic location, Retronics could easily attract a tremendous amount of capital funding and investments, as well as a long list of big clients. Owing to the high interest rate, many people invested in the dot-com companies and their stock prices had risen sharply. The bubble burst when it hit the peak. Millions of investors and companies suffered from the dot-com bubble. Retronics, one of the suffering companies, had to lay off employees for survival in the extreme environment. In 2003, the board of director fired the founder of Retronics and hired George Latour, who was experienced in enterprise-scale systems and operations as the new CEO. Development George had brought in new investments for the company after his inauguration. After 16 months, the company’s revenue did not reach a satisfying level and the market share started to decline as competitions became more intense. George was very nervous and worried about the figures and he had no ideas of how to change the company’s fortune. On the other hand, Shelley Stern, the marketing director came into the company by the way of the chairman, Pete Dmitrijevich. George was asked by Pete to train and coach her since she had great

OMD GEESE Essay Example For Students

OMD GEESE Essay Running Head: OMD GEESEORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENTGEESE GROUP #97Anita ClarkOMD #97Dr. Betsy SummerfieldOctober 14, 1999Lessons about teamwork can be learned from geese. As each goose flaps its wings it createsuplift for the birds that follow. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. When a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it. When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position. While flying in formation, geese honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. They launch out with another formation or catch up with the flo ck (Lessons on Teamwork from Geese, 1999). Bluefield College has a unique flock of geese that meet every Thursday night in the Science building on the second floor in room # 222. These particular geese honk in every class and are attempting to become a team. OMD #97 members are a prime example of how group intervention can be transformed into a team. Team building creates a culture that enables communication, trust and commitment. Critical skills for team success are factors such as communication and appreciating differences. Communication and appreciating differencesWhen a group of people becomes truly effective and perform to their potential, each one should possess a built-in confidence for each other. Understanding how goals can be served by a group effort is important. During transition from a group to a team, communication skills need to be developed. Talking and listening are crucial forms of communication. The weakness in our group is not talking. Our geese honk about homewo rk, papers and tests. They fall out of formation when they do not listen or try to understand what is occurring and become upset when questioned about their presentations. The group is affected when particular members: engage in distractions (writing, reading, leafing through books, slamming book covers, zipping and unzipping notebooks); verbally attack personalities; do not participate in team decisions; do not take the process seriously; and offer putdowns at every opportunity. These actions weaken the team. Listening of others ideas and opinions are beneficial to learning and growth. Open communication helps a team to nurture and build self-awareness for individual team members. Many of the team members have opened his or her lines of communication and begun progress toward the team goals. Learning to communicate and appreciating team members are continuous struggles for everyone. Group members are not aware they are interdependent on each others skills, capabilities and have a u nique arrangement of gifts, talents and resources (LOTFG, 1999). If these members had any goose sense, they would realize by staying in team formation, they can learn from one another. When team members share common goals, they reach their destination quicker by traveling on the momentum of one another. Working together within the team has a large impact on performance. Improving relationships between members enables the team to achieve their goals. Each member has their own strength and weaknesses but it is up to the team to develop the positive traits and transform the negatives traits into positive ones. Attempting to understand the strengths and qualities of each group member takes time and patience. Questioning other members about their values, beliefs and projects also encourage team growth. It is important for all team members to have a voice in what is accomplished each week. Everyone has unique contributions to the team and members should acknowledge that diversity is valuable. Diversity helps to make a team strong and flexible (Teamworks Module, 1999). Variety in OMD #97 is portrayed through skills of a secretary, clerk, safety manager, block builder, physical therapist, purchasing agent, two self-employed workers and two bankers. We are different, yet similar in our goals and objectives. Effective teams build on the experience of others and challenge members to change their behaviors. Groups often have a difficult time acknowledging and resolving conflicts. The better the relations among group members, the greater the pressure to avoid or minimize conflict. Personality conflicts are apparent in our geese. Certain members want to be in control and not work as a group. They only care about voicing their ideas and beliefs. Some struggle to be unbeatable and criticize others for having better grades. Grades are a big factor in this class and they should not be. Everyone should help one another instead of trying to outdo the other. Even the lead goose in formation rotates back into the V and gives another goose a chance to be in charge. In OMD #97, several members do not want to give up the lead. The goals of the group should be building on one another instead of working against each other. Interaction within the team gives everyone a chance to voice his or her opinions. Differences of opinion often create opportunities for the group to make sure that nothing important has been overlooked. Appropriate behavior for team members is allowing a number of different people to have a voice in what is accomplished. It is also important to respect a fellow team member in what they have to say. Respect and trust are effective types of communication vital to team building; without these forms, a team is neither strong nor effective. Geese communicate, interact and know that by traveling together, they reach their destination. .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 , .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .postImageUrl , .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 , .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:hover , .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:visited , .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:active { border:0!important; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:active , .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6 .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u843437cfe3a1105368d00e3a08f544d6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Nutrition and You EssayConclusionOne of the keys to building effective teams is to understand the strengths, skills, and motivations each individual brings to the team. Successful teams are interdependent and recognize joint contributions of team members will generate better solutions than individual contributions could. Group members committed to common goals need to understand their team members positions. An effective team is one that accepts the strengths and weaknesses of its members and seeks to capitalize on each members strengths. It takes ownership of the project and sees that each members ideas are accepted into the process. OMD #97 has changed from a group to a team but continuously needs work on team building skills. The group was progressing as a team, but one squawky gander has become a nuisance. It is apparent that this bird is out of formation and is not willing to accept help to get back on track. Several solutions to this problem are to overlook the squawk or address the issues. The goose solution would be to help the gander catch up with the flock. The consensus of the team is to shoot the bird and get it over with. ReferencesLessons on Teamwork from Geese, 1999. Available http://www.tpa.org/geese.htm. Teamworks Module, 1999. Preparing to Join a Team, 1999. Available: http://www.vta.spcomm.uiuc.edu/TBG/tbgt1-ov.html. Teamworks Module, 1999. Team Building. Available http://www.vta.spcomm.uicu.edu/TBG/tbg-ov.html. Social Issues