From: "LiveUpdate News" <update@annex.liveupdate.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 02:57:03 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Crescendo News - September 1998
Message-ID: <039975445070e98ANNEX@annex.liveupdate.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



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

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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...)

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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SUBSCRIBING / UNSUBSCRIBING

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