Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/40055
bits & pieces GenArts shares upcoming plans EW YORK — Post recently sat down with GenArts CEO Katherine Hays here in New York to chat about the plug-in company's line of visual effects solutions that will now scale across markets, from the highest end tools for feature films, television shows and commercials, to solutions that will be made available to consumer video enthusiasts. The goal of Cambridge, MA- based GenArts is to democra- tize the power of visual effects, providing solutions for three pri- mary markets, while not sacrific- ing quality anywhere along the way. And during our meeting with Hays, she emphasized GenArts is not abandoning its core market — professionals — in doing so. Film studios will remain an important customer segment, and even help to create branded looks that will be com- mercially available to those who subscribe to its FX Central pre-built looks collection (free the first year and $99 a year thereafter). The company released Sapphire Edge back in June. The $299 product is aimed at the broader professional market and is platform agnostic, working with FCP 7, FCP X (in beta) and Sony Vegas. Sapphire Edge in- cludes 350 presets, and a preset viewer allows users to see how their material will be affected. In addition, the presets will be refreshed regularly so that those with a subscription always have the most current offerings. In the fall, GenArts will release Sapphire 6, the next version of its high-end visual effects tool, which Sapphire Edge's preset browser. GenArts' pre-built looks will be updated monthly. All three lines are 64-bit and make use of the com- pany's Sapphire effects engine. In addition, an analytics component will look at the use of effects, case studies and the success they have in different types of pro- jects, giving them ratings, rankings and forward-looking predictions.This is designed to help users find the tools they are looking for more easily as well as rec- ommend solutions for themed projects. GenArts will be demo-ing Sapphire 6 at the IBC show taking place in Amsterdam next month.The product will ship shortly after that. By Marc Loftus is also platform agnostic and works with systems running Flame, Smoke, Nuke and After Effects, among others, including Avid NLEs. And in early 2012, GenArts will release its consumer product — Sapphire Creator — which will be geared toward cloud- and PC-based editing solutions. of A JOLLA, CA — SoundHack (www. soundhack.com) is offering a new set audio plug-ins that combine time stretching, pitch shifting, sound file looping and phase distortion.The Pvoc Kit is di- vided into four plug-ins that are currently running as VST, RTAS and Audio Unit on Mac OS X and VST on Windows. Pitchsift is a pitch shifter and MIDI har- monizer with spectral gating. Spiralstretch is a multilayer, realtime 1x-100x time stretcher plug-in with granular and phase vocoder stretching.The Phasemash plug-in can be used for ring modulation, robot sounds, ambient washes and spectral scrambling. And the Pvocloop is a four- voice sound file looper with time stretch- ing, pitch shifting and MIDI control. All of the plug-ins of Pvoc Kit extend the classic granular synthesis and phase vocoder techniques to create rich new sonic textures. The plug-ins each have controls designed to quickly access a large variety of sounds. Pvoc Kit can be automated by MIDI controller messages and is priced at $99. A 64-bit release is under development. SoundHack intros four audio plug-ins Studio 108 moves to larger space ICHMOND,VA — Studio 108 (www.studio108.com), a creative/VFX/animation/production/post/audio company, has opened the doors to its new facility.The new location triples the company's previous space and comes during the facility's 10th anniversary. Studio 108 now makes its home within a renovated 19th century warehouse located in the heart of Rich- The studio's new space includes a large lounge. mond's Manchester Art + Design District.The bi-level production and post studio complex includes a 20-by 40-foot studio with HD and SD cameras,as well as a roll-up greenscreen; three suites equipped with Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Cinema 4D; and a dedicated Pro Tools audio suite with its own sound booth.A second level balcony overlooks the lounge area, and two fully equipped vehicles are available for remote productions. "Our goal was to create a design-driven company where a team of top-caliber talent work as a creative unit to develop their shared vision and create a final product that consistently exceeds our clients' expectations," explains company founder Jack Hartmann."Innovative problem-solving supported by strong client service in comfortable surroundings where creativity flourishes:That's what the new Studio 108 is all about." Parks Architecture designed the entire six-acre complex. Studio 108's clients include 1-800-Doctors, Tropicana,Wells Fargo, Geico and Miller Lite, among others. 8 Post • August 2011 www.postmagazine.com L N R