Recently in Cool Tools Category

Any Mac users out there with Pro Tools, you'll want to know about this one if.  Tired of the ritual of manually going through different folders and trashing databases and prefs files to keep Pro Tools running smoothly?  This slick little application makes it extremely easy and fast to do.
ProTools Prefs & Database Helper works with Mac OS 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5.

REMEMBER! After you run this application, your ProTools preferences will be returned to factory defaults, so be sure to set everything back the way you like it.  Sometimes your Aux faders will get turned down by default, which can be very confusing when you aren't used to checking those volumes in the mixer. 

We found a useful resource for VO artists who'd like to become familiar with a selection of some of the mics available that would work well for VO.  It's not a scientific test, it just allows you to hear a voice recorded on a variety of microphones to help give you a comparison of their characteristics.  The very first mic in the test is a Sennheiser 416, which many of you may be familiar with, and gives a nice point of reference.  New mics are added all the time, so keep checking back.   See the links at the bottom of the website for a few other mic test resources.

ERS now offers the HOT CEntrance MicPort Pro portable USB mic preamp.  Don't suffer with a typical USB microphone when you can have a very high quality mic preamp w/48V Phantom power, headphone amp with zero latency monitoring, and 24bit/96khz sampling rate A/D converters.  It weighs about the same or less than most cell phones, and is completely plug and play with Mac and Windows computers.  Think of it as an Mbox stripped to the bare essentials, that actually sounds BETTER, and takes up less space than your microphone. 

Use it with almost ANY professional microphone with an XLR connector.  You don't even need a mic cable with most mics!  It's a ONE CABLE recording solution for your computer, requiring just the included USB cable.  You can install the CEntrance Universal driver for Windows XP and Vista SP1 to give you more control over the MicPort Pro, such as sample rate and latency settings.  Use it to record audio into your favorite recording software on Mac or Windows (almost everything but Pro Tools, of course).  Throw it in your laptop bag with a mic and a small desktop mic stand and record whenever and whereever the need arrises.    

If you've been holding off that purchase  of a shiny new Apple Mac computer because you rely on Pro Tools LE for your production, then you'll be happy to know that Digidesign has finally caught up and released Pro Tools 7.4.2 for Mac OS Leopard 10.5.3 & 10.5.4.  We've found it to be a stable release on the latest series of Mac computers.  As always read the compatibility page thoroughly before taking the plunge.  If you are running an previous release of Mac Leopard, or have been using Apple's automatic updates (NOT recommended for Pro Tools users), then be sure to download the GIGANTIC Mac OS 10.5.4 Combo Update as it is the best way to ensure that Pro Tools will run properly. 

After you've downloaded and installed Pro Tools 7.4.2, you may receive this message in an email:
Thanks for downloading Pro Tools® 7.4.2 software. If you're currently using the software, we wanted you to be aware of a Pro Tools 7.4.2 preview release dialog we forgot to remove prior to releasing the final version of Pro Tools 7.4.2. Starting around July 18th, you may see this dialog pop up, incorrectly stating that you are running a pre-release version of Pro Tools. We know you're not -- sorry about that.

If you do then read see this page for a patch to fix this problem. 

Now more than ever, using a cell phone while driving has created a whole new level of distractions.  Not only are we making calls, but we are texting, checking the traffic on Google maps, and reading email.  OK, maybe by WE I mean ME.  But if this sounds familiar to you, you might want to check out Jott.  Jott does a lot of stuff, so I won't get into too much detail here.  I'll just tell you the cool stuff I've tried and know works well. 

• Return an email
  
• Send a reminder to yourself
• Enter a task into your calendar
• Reply to a text 

OK, so what's the big deal?  You do all of that with your VOICE. 
Jott listens to your message, transcribes it into text for you, and posts it to your calendar, sends it as an email, or any number of things.  And... it's FREE.

There are a few ways to use Jott from your cell phone.  You can install their application into your phone, which then integrates the Jott function into your messaging application and calendar.  Or you can just make a speed dialer entry to call Jott's 800 number and create entries this way.  The latter is my preferred method for Jotting while driving.  On my Blackberry I set the letter "J" as a speed dialer for Jott, and away I go. 

It has some issues translating your voice if you are driving in a particularly noisey car or standing on a busy intersection.  I've find I need to slow down a little to reduce the road noise in my Subaru, but those with a more sleek and modern car shouldn't have a problem.  Forget trying to use it with the top down on the freeway!   

Now if you get a Jott from me, you'll know what the heck this Jott thing is all about. 
Give it a try!