Passport Designs Ships music@passportFirst Music Software that Harnesses the Internet for Music Collaboration and Distribution. The Company Also Introduces PitchWrite Technology, Simplifying Notation for Singers and Instrumentalists. October 21, 1996Passport Designs today released music@passport, the first music software
that provides musicians with a comprehensive solution for creating and
distributing musical arrangements worldwide over the Internet.
(Please note that Passport Designs has gone out of business, and some
of their products have been taken over by G-VOX - www.gvox.com.)
With music@passport, nearly any computer-equipped musician can instantly
record and display music on his or her computer screen as musical notation.
Using Passport Designs' award-winning notation technology plus browsers
from Microsoft, Netscape or service providers such as Compuserve, customers
can create and publish their work through a push-button publisher within
music@passport software. This will immediately post the new composition
at the music@passport web site, a hub for posting and exchanging and downloading
music and information. In addition, users can download music files, collaborate
with other musicians on-line, and get tips and information from the dedicated
music@passport, or Passport Design's corporate Web site.
Anyone with Internet access can download and enjoy music on the Passport
Web site , but only users of the music@passport software program can gain
access to the special publishing area on the Web site to upload music
they have written. Users can reach the Web site publishing area by pushing
a button within the music@passport product.
Also today, Passport introduced PitchWrite technology, which enables
singers and instrumentalists to record music via a microphone and have
their recording saved as MIDI data for notation and communications to
the Internet. Previously, only synthesizer players and computer musicians
with MIDI-equipped keyboards had access to this real-time recording technology.
"music@passport is the only software package aimed at music collaboration,
and Passport Designs' is the only Web site specially designed for publishing
sheet music," said Brent Silveria, marketing director at Passport Designs.
"Passport's integrated music publishing and distribution solution makes
it easy for individual musicians to reach and work with fellow musicians
throughout the worldwide music community."
"music@passport delivers on the dream that all musicians share: creating
and playing music for appreciative audiences," said Steve Bertges, EVP
and general manager of Passport Designs. "No other product on the market
today offers such proven capabilities for creating music and simultaneously
gives the musician access to a such a wide audience."
Already, an estimated 300,000 people use Passport Designs' music software
products worldwide. When combined with the additional half a million users
of other manufacturers' music software products, this customer base has
the potential to form an extended musical community of artists, musicians,
collaborators and listeners over the Internet.
Initial reaction by early users of music@passport has been extremely
positive, with users appreciating the software's comprehensive feature
set, ease of use and Internet facilities.
"I can sing my melody right into the microphone, see my notes up on
the screen, make the changes I want and publish it directly to the Web,"
said Charles Floyd, award-winning composer and musical director for Natalie
Cole and The Boston Pops. "And what's cool is that someone in Bangkok
can see and hear what I've done, download it, print it out and be playing
it on their piano, or trumpet tomorrow, not a year from now.
"music@passport enabled me to produce manuscript hard copies and get
samples of my music on-line," said Jeff Naideau, composer and recording
artist. "Combining the capabilities of electronic distribution and accurate
transcription of musical ideas, music@passport lets me focus on music
expression, eliminates the drudgery of pencil and paper, and is motivational
because I know I can get my music in front of a significant audience really
quickly."
music@passport Leverages Passport Designs' Strengths
music@passport builds on the ease of use and thorough musical grounding
of its predecessor, MusicTime 2.0. Designed to appeal to a broader base
of users, music@passport incorporates a number of significant enhancements
for the recreational musician:
* PitchWrite technology allows singers and instrumentalists to create
music using their voice or instrument and a standard microphone (included
in the package). Users simply select the "record" command, then sing or
play into the microphone. PitchWrite records their input as MIDI data
and transcribes the music as standard notation.
* Users have access to the dedicated music@passport Web site and access
to a wealth of published work on the internet. A single click within the
program connects users to a Web site dedicated to music@passport users,
where they can transfer files, search for information or collaborate with
fellow musicians. music@passport is bundled with Microsoft's Internet
Explorer Web browser, but it also works with Netscape Navigator and American
Online.
* music@passport incorporates the "Show/Hide" Hidden Drum Notation feature
found on Passport's high-end notation software. Users can perform their
music with or without notating and printing drum parts directly on the
sheet music.
Other significant features of music@passport are standard capabilities
found in Passport Designs' other notation products:
* SoftKeyboard technology allows users to create music directly from
their computer keyboard, using the standard computer keyboard as a "piano"
keyboard by mapping specific keys to equivalent notes. This capability
eliminates the need for an electronic piano or synthesizer and complements
standard note entry by digital keyboard or mouse.
* Compositions can be scored for up to 16 staves, which is important
when arranging for larger choral or instrumental groups.
* With the variable metronome, users can input music at speeds comfortable
for them and play it back at a variety of speeds. This feature helps players
who may have compositional instincts but who lack keyboard technique for
performance.
* Users can add, edit and space lyrics in time with the music so that
the written sheet music can be read by another musican or vocalist.
* A transposing capability enables users to automatically reprint songs
in any key signature or range.
* The software automatically generates guitar chord symbols, which is
customary on all published sheet music.
* The software supports all Windows 3.1-compatible sound cards and prints
music on any Windows-compatible printer.
Pricing and Availability
music@passport is available now for Windows-based computers at a suggested
retail price of $129. It is sold through Passport Designs' distributors,
which include Thinkware, Navarre, Arrowhead, Micro Central, VLM, Slash,
Ingram Micro and Merisel. For more information, visit their web site at www.gvox.com. | 
