CRESCENDO NEWS - September 1998 Well, it's almost fall here in New England - we're looking forward to the foliage turning color and the snow starting to fall. The leaves up North aren't the only things that are about to change - we're working harder than ever to deliver the best music products on the Internet. You're receiving this email because you downloaded Crescendo in the past, and we want to keep you up to date with some of the exciting things that are happening at LiveUpdate. We hope you are enjoying Crescendo! These are some of the items included in this newsletter: * Crescendo Forte Showcase is now open * Crescendo PLUS version 4.0 Beta 2 now includes LiveSynth * Crescendo Forte featured on RealNetworks Music Showcase * Crescendo Forte featured in Keyboard Magazine's "net smarts" * Re-enabling Crescendo after installing other plugins * Controlling Crescendo using JavaScript * What would you like to see in future versions of Crescendo? * Subscribing / Unsubscribing ---------------------------------- CRESCENDO FORTE SHOWCASE IS NOW OPEN On September 10th, 1998, the long awaited Crescendo Forte Showcase publicly opened its doors. Crescendo Forte is an add-on to RealNetworks' RealPlayer G2, and allows MIDI music to be synchronized with other media types such as RealAudio, video, animation, and text. Rob Glaser, CEO of RealNetworks sums Crescendo Forte up best by saying "Crescendo Forte Rocks!". Crescendo Forte has been called "unbelievable", and it has been said to be "Music the way it was meant to be heard." See (and hear) for yourself what all the excitement is about at the Crescendo Forte Showcase, found at http://www.liveupdate.com/cforte/showcase.html. After you've heard the difference Crescendo Forte makes to music on the Internet, get Crescendo PLUS version 4.0 Beta 2 for an upgrade to LiveSynth that makes the music sound even better! (Keep reading for more details...) ---------------------------------- CRESCENDO PLUS VERSION 4.0 BETA 2 NOW INCLUDES LIVESYNTH It's finally here! Crescendo PLUS version 4.0 Beta 2 is now available, and includes streaming, a software wavetable synthesizer (for more realistic instrument sounds), and more. If you have purchased a Crescendo PLUS subscription within the past year, you should have already received an email giving you instructions on how to download version 4.0 Beta 2. If you haven't experienced Crescendo PLUS yet, now is the time to do so. LiveSynth uses the processing power of your PC to play MIDI music using real instrument samples. Therefore a Pentium processor is required to take advantage of LiveSynth. If you don't have a Pentium processor, you will still be able to take advantage of streaming and the other features found in Crescendo PLUS. For a short time, the Crescendo PLUS subscription which entitles you to both the shipping 3.0 version of Crescendo and 4.0 Beta 2 including LiveSynth is available for $19.95 at our on-line store, https://secure.liveupdate.com. ---------------------------------- CRESCENDO FORTE FEATURED ON REALNETWORKS MUSIC SHOWCASE Atlantic Records, Polygram, Capitol Records, Warner Brothers, Sony Music, Maverick, Virgin Records can all be found on the G2 Music Showcase area on the RealNetworks web site. And who should be featured among these titans of the music industry? LiveUpdate, of course! Visit the G2 music showcase at http://www.real.com/showcase/realplayer/music.html and hear how the combination of RealPlayer G2 and Crescendo Forte are redefining the way music is heard on the Internet. ---------------------------------- CRESCENDO FORTE FEATURED IN KEYBOARD MAGAZINE'S NET SMARTS Are you hungry for more information on creating content for Crescendo Forte? Would you like to know what Dan Barrett, author of "net smarts" for Keyboard Magazine has to say about Crescendo Forte? Read the rave artice in the October issue of Keyboard magazine, where Dan Barrett says, "It's so satisfying to encounter a product that just plain works" and "The pre-beta version of Crescendo Forte installed easily on my PC and ran transparently inside of RealPlayer G2, keeping the audio and MIDI streams (to my ears) in perfect sync. It's definitely worth a look." Get it at your local newsstand, or check out Keyboard Magazine online at http://www.keyboardmag.com. ---------------------------------- RE-ENABLING CRESCENDO AFTER INSTALLING OTHER PLUGINS Probably the most common question our on-line helpdesk (helpdesk@liveupdate.com) looks something this: "I have been using Crescendo to play MIDI on-line for over two years now, and I love it. I just installed QuickTime to play a movie, but now when I go to a web site that has MIDI, Crescendo doesn't load any more. I want my Crescendo back!" If this looks familiar to you, we have good news - you can have your QuickTime and Crescendo too! Netscape decides which plugin will be used for a given media type based on their position on your Netscape/program/plugins directory. If you go to the Help/About Plugins from the Navigator window, you will probably see "LiveUpdate Crescendo" listed, but one or more of the MIME types listed there will most likely be listed as disabled. To cure this problem, we have created a page which outlines how to re-arrange your plugins directory so that Crescendo will be enabled for all MIDI MIME types, while co-existing with other plugins such as QuickTime. Surf to http://www.liveupdate.com/atlashelp.html for more details! ---------------------------------- CONTROLLING CRESCENDO USING JAVASCRIPT Are you a JavaScript programmer? Would you like to see how Crescendo can be controlled using JavaScript? We have created a page that demonstrates Crescendo being controlled by JavaScript methods and standard HTML buttons. See it in action at http://www.liveupdate.com/wiretest.html. To look "under the hood," just view the page's source to see how simple it is to control Crescendo through JavaScript. ---------------------------------- WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN FUTURE VERSIONS OF CRESCENDO? We are still looking for new ideas to be included in future versions of the Crescendo player. If you have any cool features you would like to see added to Crescendo, send them to feedback@liveupdate.com. Who knows - maybe your suggestion will makes its way into the next version of Crescendo! ---------------------------------- SUBSCRIBING / UNSUBSCRIBING Note: Messages from LiveUpdate to this list will not be sent any more frequently than once a month, and your information has not, and will not, be given to others or sold. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, or if this message has been forwarded to you by a friend and you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, please send a message to newsletter@liveupdate.com. ******************************************* Spread the Music!