By Clive Young.
Social media is a boon and a bane these days. Seems like every time you turn around, someone’s yattering on about how it’s changing the world, how you gotta be on [your trendy new networking site here] and so forth. It’s enough to make you throw up your hands and yell “WHO CARES?” (though I like to view this as “selectively choosing to optimize one’s time”).
Here at Pro Sound News, we have our website, this blog, digital editions, daily web stories, daily e-newsletters, an RSS feed and more—not to mention our industry-leading paper-and-ink magazine. When it comes to social media, sure, we do some Facebook, but our big fave is Twitter, the famed 140-character-limit microblogging site, where you can find us at @prosoundnews.
But if you already read our magazine and the PSN website, why follow us on Twitter?
While we use Twitter to announce when our daily news headlines are live at the website, that’s just the beginning. We also point you to cool pro audio stuff around the web; give you up-to-the-second news reports from events like AES and NAMM; look for potential interviewees for articles (if you want to get into the pages of PSN, this is a great ‘in’); chat a bit and, heaven forbid, even crack the occasional joke. We still bring you breaking pro audio news every day, but we’re not above posting a photo link to a cat hilariously sprawled across the capstans of an old Studer tape machine.
To give you an idea of what we’re talking about, here’s a sampling of “tweets” starting in mid-January (minus the daily headlines), presenting the good, bad and just plain weird:
• A photo gallery (with the occasional video) of collapsed stages, PA and Lighting trusses, etc. Yikes! http://bit.ly/12G1vu #proaudio -CY
• Here’s a cool but bittersweet visit to the world’s largest record collection: http://vimeo.com/1546186 -CY
• Maybe the lowest low-end AV installation ever: http://bit.ly/6OLOqc -CY
• Listening to the ultra-rare Jellyfish box set (borrowed from my local library!!) while I finish my NAMM schedule. Man, they were great. -CY
• At NAMM: Show floor is packed; it’s almost a 50/50 split of suits vs. slackerwear.
• At NAMM: Ultrasone is debuting Edition 8 Palladium headphones at NAMM; also extended all headphone warranties to 5 years. #proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: Akai Professional has debuted the APC20 Ableton Performance Controller for use with Ableton Live software. #Proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: TC Electronic is showing PolyTune guitar tuner; strum an open chord and it tells you what each string needs. Very cool! -CY
• At NAMM: Universal Audio said it will make Ampex tape, Manley Labs, Dunlop, Lexicon, Studer, dbx and AKG emulation plugins #proaudio
• At NAMM: Audio-Technica intros its MCB4 IEM Antenna Combiner; puts signals of up to four AT M3 transmitters on one antenna. #Proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: Globalstor is previewing its next iTrax portable audio file storage device at NAMM; operates over standard LAN or WAN network #ProAudio -CY
• At NAMM: Waves will integrate SoundGrid technology into DiGiCo’s single FPGA Stealth Digital Processing products in 2010 #ProAudio -CY
• At NAMM: Tascam debuted 3 portable recorders and a new USB audio interface at NAMM, for a total of 25 new products in the last 6 months #Proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: Rycote debuted the InVision USM, a universal mic suspension for large-diaphragm recording microphones. #ProAudio -CY
• At NAMM: Brace Audio (Booth E-1775) is showing low-cost 2.4GHz digital wireless systems. #ProAudio -CY
• At NAMM: ILIO will distribute Ocean Way Drums virtual instrument products worldwide. #proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: K-Array (dist by Sennheiser USA) introed the miniature Lyzard loudspeaker and the Nynja 3D line-array element #Proaudio –CY
• At NAMM: New–Focusrite’s OctoPre MkII Dynamic with 8 channels of mic preamplification with compressors based on Red 3. #Proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: Radian is introducing its new Apex NEO Series of ultra-compact, low profile, two-way floor monitors. #ProAudio -CY
• At NAMM: Electro-Voice debuted ZXA1 compact powered loudspeaker at NAMM, relaunched http://www.electrovoice.com #proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: Avid intro’d Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack at NAMM: updates of Structure, Strike, Velvet, Transfuser, Hybrid #Proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: Sonnox has a 25%-off promotional rate on the Elite Oxford Plug-in collection until Feb. 28. #proaudio -CY 1
• At NAMM: Sensaphonics introduced the 3MAX triple-driver–triple-drive earphones with soft-gel silicone earpieces. #Proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: ProCo intros iGate Audio Gateway: rack-mount interface feeds “real world” audio source outputs into pro sound systems #proaudio -CY
• At NAMM: QSC is showing its K series speakers and a new weatherproofing bag for them.
• At NAMM: Aviom has a booth but it’s hidden away on the side of the arena; don’t miss it. -CY
• At NAMM? Get the new PSN, Audio Media, Bass Player, EQ, Guitar Player, Keyboard and Pro Audio Review at Booth 5307 -CY
• At NAMM: Someone in the aisle just handed me a guitar pick made out of wheat…this show gets weirder by the day -CY
• At NAMM: Just shot a video for the PSN site at Samson’s booth, using a Flip camera instead of their cool Zoom Q3; they were good sports. 🙂 –CY
• At NAMM: I’m at a program on making the most of Twitter; most of the attendees haven’t used it tho.
• At NAMM: Haven’t tweeted at all today ’cause I couldn’t–there’s so many iPhones here at NAMM that you can’t get a signal for phone, tweets, SMS.
• At NAMM: I have to say, Sennheiser has had excellent unknown acts demoing their gear–great music from their stage all throughout NAMM
• Dig this 180-lbs. mic stand commissioned by Five Finger Death Punch; better not get all Julian Cope with that one. http://twitpic.com/yt4cd
• The online version of PSN’s Jan issue is up at http://bit.ly/6t9wSr with stories on Them Crooked Vultures, the decade in SR + more #proaudio
• Which NAMM video on our site is goofier? McDSP http://bit.ly/5DdA8I or Check That Mic http://bit.ly/6IQms7 ? #proaudio
• Are you a sound guy working Haiti relief concerts? I’d like to talk to you for a cover story; email me at —[email protected] #proaudio [DEADLINE HAS PASSED – ED. NOTE]
• We’re 4 away from 1,000 followers! We didn’t cheat with friending software + such–just used dedication, lots of tweets + diabolical charm.
• Swedish Music Fans Start to Steer Clear of Pirates – NYTimes.com http://bit.ly/86N8KH
• Cute video tour of Tiny Telephone recording studio in San Francisco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwIy5ouSgio #proaudio -CY
• Welcome to @AVTechnologymag, the latest of our sister NewBay magazines to jump into the Twitterverse! #proaudio -CY
• Interesting Read: NY Times profiles Clair, Tait Towers + Atomic Design: http://bit.ly/ccZWeS #proaudio -CY
• Somewhere, there’s a studio intern who thinks he was told to clean the CATstan…. http://bit.ly/9letyf #proaudio -CY
• Here’s something silly–Beatles Cupcakes: http://bit.ly/ar5eAD What–no marshmallow pies? -CY
• RT @AESorg: #AES Nashville Recording Workshop+Expo 2010 is happening March 5-6 – register today! http://aes.org/press/?ID=69 #ProAudio
• Live in Boston? Participate in a REALLY old-school recording session–on wax cylinders! http://bit.ly/91wgLM #proaudio -CY
• Congrats to our fellow NewBay Media mag! @GuitarPlayerNow: Just cut deal EMI/Virgin Records for GUITAR PLAYER RECORDS imprint.
• RT @AESorg: AES3-2009 #AES standard for digital audio – just published a multi-part revision http://aes.org/standards/blog/2010/1/aes3-2009 #ProAudio
• Label turns forgotten music into gold – CNN.com http://bit.ly/dBbIVj Fascinating story. #proaudio -CY
• RT @tbquirk: In memory of J.D. Salinger, Too Much Joy is giving away a live version of “William Holden Caulfield.” http://bit.ly/2inAby
