Intel ® Visual

digital media program
drives, Intel SSDs help deliver breakneck speed and, with no moving parts,
greater reliability. The Intel SSD 311 series has been optimized for Intel®
Smart Response Technology, providing blazing SSD performance, at value
SSD pricing, to boost use of high capacity hard drives.
Access to Excellence
Addressing the computing needs of digital content creators requires a deep
understanding of the complex interdependencies between the hardware
components and software applications. “We chose to work with PCAudioLabs,
The3DShop.com, and BOXX Technologies,” McCray said, “because these
channel partners are extremely successful at delivering a great computing
experience to the crème de la crème of the industry—top film producers,
music artists, recording studios, and photographers.”
“Our approach is to make their expertise available to enthusiasts in out-ofthe-box
hardware/software solutions that fit their needs as well as their
pocketbooks. Each company will design three configurations to deliver “good,
better, and best” performance, addressing differentiation, customization, and
specialized services requirements.”
Sound Experience: PCAudioLabs and
Cakewalk SONAR* X1 Essentials
ABOUT PCAUDIOLABS
PCAudioLabs has been addressing the needs of professional musicians and
producers for 10 years, with clientele including the U.S. Air Force, the Grand
Ole Opry, Stevie Wonder, DJ Shorty, Hollywood Undead, and many other
notable musicians, producers, and enterprises. This diverse group places high
demands and even higher expectations on their digital audio and music tools.
“We call our systems MCs—Music Computers—not PCs,” said Greg Butler,
managing director of PCAudioLabs. “A general-purpose PC can handle a lot of
tasks very well, such as running spreadsheets, using e-mail, or browsing the
Internet. However, they’re not built from the ground up to handle the special
needs of musicians and producers.”
The PCAudioLabs Custom Shop specializes in building MCs tailored and
optimized for the needs of its more discerning clients. The Rok Box* line
of MCs are prebuilt turnkey solutions that have been tuned to specific
music and audio applications. For the Intel Digital Media “Creators” program,
PCAudioLabs is building Rok Boxes based on 2nd gen Intel Core i5-2500K
and Core i7-2600K processors and running Cakewalk SONAR* X1 Essentials
music software. As Butler said, “We think the 2nd generation Intel® Core
processors are the best that have ever been made. They’ve opened up a
whole new world for everyone who does audio—professionals, aspiring pros,
and hobbyists alike.”
ABOUT CAKEWALK SONAR* X1
ESSENTIALS SOFTWARE
Cakewalk is one of the leading providers of awardwinning
digital audio recording software. The company’s
flagship product, SONAR Producer, is one of the most
advanced 64-bit digital audio workstations (DAWs)
available. SONAR Essentials builds on Producer’s professional feature set,
making creating music faster and easier than ever. Cakewalk has worked
closely with Intel engineers for years, maintaining cutting-edge performance
on Intel® platforms, so Cakewalk X1 Essentials was a natural choice for
inclusion in the Intel Digital Media “Creators” program.
“SONAR Essentials features the same redesigned user interface as SONAR
Producer and gives users access to more audio tracks than DAWs costing
twice as much,” said Michael Hoover, Cakewalk’s executive VP of products.
“With its powerful collection of effects and instruments SONAR Essentials has
everything an enthusiast needs to start creating music with ease.”
Thanks to the enhancements and optimizations built into 2nd gen
Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, including the new 256-bit AVX
instruction set that delivers twice the data throughput of the previous
generation of Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions instructions, the software
is highly responsive and musical.
Picture-Perfect Performance:
The3dShop.com and
Cyberlink PhotoDirector* 2011
ABOUT THE3DSHOP.COM
The3DShop.com has been serving the needs of high-end professional
designers and 3D artists since 1997. According to CEO, C. K. Tan, the Intel
Digital Media “Creators” program is an exciting opportunity to reach a much
wider audience. “We’ve never focused on building machines for hobbyists
or aspiring professional photographers before,” Tan said. “We get calls
to custom build machines that are optimized for Adobe Photoshop*, but
they’re usually from high-end customers whose primary concerns are
performance and durability, as well as our ability to provide support.”
For the Intel Digital Media “Creators” program, systems designers at
The3DShop.com applied their knowledge of building high-end workstations
for photographers and other digital media professionals to create offthe-shelf
solutions that take advantage of the latest Intel® technologies.
“Hobbyists don’t need a dedicated graphics card,” Tan said, “because 2nd
generation Intel Core processors feature Intel HD Graphics, increasing
performance for all levels of photographers.”
“These processors substantially reduce the amount of time it takes to apply
filters to high-resolution photos with user-friendly photo-editing software
such as CyberLink’s new PhotoDirector* 2011,” Tan continued. “And
because PhotoDirector is optimized for Intel® Quick Sync Video hardwareaccelerated
encoding technology, creating a web photo gallery to share
with family and friends is fast and easy.”
Like the other program partners, The3DShop.com is offering three versions
of its GraVT* (pronounced “gravity”) Luminous series computers designed
to deliver good, better, and best levels of performance. The systems include
2nd gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors, Intel motherboards, Intel SSDs,
DDR3-1333 RAM, memory card readers, and the option to add a Samsung
calibrated monitor.
intel visual adrenaline no. 10, 2011 34