Audition for Mac Public Beta Now Available

Five months ago we saw a first video of Adobe Audition for OS X. Today, Adobe released the first public beta for the software, which is based on a new architecture capable of editing both single files and multi-track mixes.

The OS X version of Audition offers a new engine with improved performances, and seems to be geared towards the broadcast and audio post-production market.

From the official beta page:

Adobe Audition for Mac offers:

  • Fast start-up, high performance multi-threaded processing, and parallel workflows
  • Powerful audio editing and multitrack mixing views
  • Superior noise reduction capabilities
  • Native 5.1 Surround support and multi-channel effects, plus other new effects
  • Optimized audio post-production workflows

You can go download Audition for Mac beta here. [hat tip to The Loop]


Aweditorium Aims At Revolutionizing Music Discovery On The iPad

It’s great when you wake up and you find an awesome new app waiting for you in the App Store. You see, I’ve been keeping an eye on Aweditorium for a while (months, I believe) since Robert Scoble first tweeted he had tested an early demo. The name was cool, the website featured some bands I didn’t know. I was intrigued, so I started following the developers on Twitter.

Aweditorium is now available in the App Store, and it’s more than I thought it would be – but it’s got a few technical limitations I hope will be addressed in future updates. Aweditorium aims at changing rules and conventions, but it has to deal with some iOS restrictions and a few bugs I’m pretty sure are caused by iOS 4.2 incompatibilities. The main concept, however, is all there: Aweditorium wants to change the way you discover great new music on the iPad.

After two hours using the iPad app I’ve already discovered more new music than in the last two weeks reading NME or Pitchfork. Read more


Verizon’s First iPad Commercial [Video]

Fresh off Youtube, here comes Verizon’s first official iPad commercial. Featuring a man with an iPad on his lap and a Verizon MiFi unit, the ad outs the focus on the “magical iPad” now available on the nation’s most reliable network.

It’s very well done, Apple-ish yet aimed at promoting Verizon’s network. We like it. [via The Next Web]


Steve Jobs Explains Why He Killed The Xserve [Video]

Well, it’s not exactly a direct explanation of why Apple pulled the plug on Xserves (at least not more than “hardly anyone was buying them”) but it gives you an idea of what Steve Jobs really thinks of the Enterprise market.

With excerpts from Apple’s January 2010 event (the iPad announcement, good times) and the D8 conference in July 2010, Steve Jobs clearly states that Apple is a mobile company and people in Enterprise don’t think with their own minds. Those who do are confused, Steve claims.

You can find unexpected revelations in old Steve Jobs videos. Let’s all go back to watching that iPhone 4 keynote and find some hidden Verizon clues in there.


Rumor: Apple Acquired Bluetooth Headphones Company Wi-Gear

According to a report from 9to5mac, who cites a reliable source, Apple acquired San Francisco-based company Wi-Gear two months ago for an undisclosed sum. Wi-Gear used to make Bluetooth headphones (called “iMuffs”) specifically meant for iOS devices, they were pioneers in the A2DP stereo audio field for iPhones and iPods – they even released an adapter for older devices that didn’t support the Bluetooth 2.0 standard.

9to5mac notes that Apple didn’t have that much of a success with its previous Bluetooth audio attempts and, for future iOS implementations, decided to acquire Wi-Gear instead of developing everything internally. Read more


15 Secrets of Transmit 4

15 Secrets of Transmit 4

Transmit 4. It’s easy to use, but there’s a whole lot under the surface. And while we try to design apps for the majority, sometimes we throw in some power user features for the pros. As the Finnish always say, “always add a few extra blood dumplings when cooking mykyrokka for a tonttu-ukko!
So here are 15 “secrets” of Transmit 4.

If you still haven’t changed your Favorite icons, now is a good time to do it. Great tips.

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Calendars for iPad: Google Tasks and Calendar Sitting In A Tree

In my ongoing search for the best iOS and OS X calendar setup, I found a great iPhone app called Calvetica which I’m currently using and loving. Calvetica features a great UI design and a simple yet powerful feature set, make sure to read my review if you missed it. I asked for calendar suggestions on Twitter and I received lots of app recommendations, but I’m sticking with Calvetica on the iPhone. No wonder it was also the most recommended app.

On the iPad, though, the situation is much different. The device has been around for a few months, there aren’t as many calendar apps as on the iPhone (whose App Store launched in 2008) and Apple’s own calendar software is simply great – anything like the iPhone counterpart. There’s a huge market for alternative calendar solutions on the tablet, and it looks like developers are starting to understand this. A slew of iPad apps came out in the past weeks, and we’ll review the most notable ones here on MacStories in the next weeks.

Today I’m taking a look at Calendars by Readdle, the same guys behind my beloved PDF Expert, which aims at blending the usual calendar environment with the possibilities offered by another Google product, Google Tasks. Read more


How An Apple II Changed Kevin Kelly’s Life

How An Apple II Changed Kevin Kelly’s Life

Kevin Kelly, editor of the Whole Earth Catalog and founding editor of Wired, on his first Apple II computer:

To my immense surprise, I found that these high-tech computer networks were not deadening the souls of early users like me; they were filling our souls. There was something unexpectedly organic about these ecosystems of people and wires. Out of complete nothingness, we were barn raising a virtual commonwealth. When the internet finally came along a few years later, it seemed almost Amish to me.

That was 30 years ago. Guess who else used to read the Whole Earth Catalog back then.

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The Inception Of iPhone Decals

Available soon on Etsy, this iPhone decal is quite possibly the silliest thing I’ve seen in a while. Basically, it applies a standard iPhone UI sticker to the back of the iPhone, so it’ll look like you’re staring at the back of the device while you’re carrying it. People around you will see the screen, but you are looking at the screen.

See? Paradox.

[via The Next Web]