Logitech "Sound Advice" CD Lets Users Hear Differences in PC Sound Technologies
Audio Compact Disc Includes Discussion and Original Music
Fremont, Calif. -- February 24, 1994 -- Logitech today announced availability of its Sound Advice compact disc, an audio CD that will be used to educate resellers and endusers about the intricacies of adding sound to the PC. The disc, which is free while supplies last, can be played on any conventional CD player, and will be offered through a toll-free number (800-889-0046). The package includes a $10 rebate coupon for any Logitech sound product.
Sound Advice features a 20-minute discussion about PC sound hosted by radio personality Leo Laporte, with Dave Pelton, Logitech Sound Product Unit Manager, and Wayne Gabriel, a professional musician. The discussion is followed by performances of three original, full-length electronic musical compositions by Mr. Gabriel.
"One of the problems in selling sound boards and audio devices for PCs is that customers are often confused about the terminology and technology they need to make a qualified buying decision," says Mr. Pelton. "Sound Advice not only explains PC sound in layman's terms -- it also lets users and resellers HEAR the difference between different types of technologies such as wave-table versus FM synthesis." The discussion on the CD covers a variety of PC sound topics, including how to buy a sound card, differences between synthesized and digitized sound, MIDI, compatibility issues, and common industry sound standards.
Music on Sound Advice is performed by Mr. Gabriel, who received Gold and Platinum Records with John Lennon, and who has performed and/or recorded with musical personalities including Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ted Nugent, and others. His electronic compositions use wave-table synthesis to emphasize the capabilities of today's technology. "I realize Logitech's newest board, SoundMan Wave, primarily targets the game/entertainment market," says Mr. Gabriel, "but by playing a variety of musical sounds and effects I can dramatize the tremendous difference wave-table synthesis makes in any application -- whether game, multimedia score, or music."
SoundMan Wave, which will ship within a month, is a wave-table synthesis sound board featuring the Yamaha OPL-4 chip offering superior wave-table sound quality and ensures 100-percent backwards compatibility with SoundBlaster and AdLib standards. It also features a General MIDI/MPU-401 interface offering high-quality sound with many of today's most popular games (e.g., X-Wing, 7th Guest, Return to Zork). SoundMan Wave's suggested retail price is $299.
Sound Advice will be distributed throughout North America and in Europe, primarily through advertising. In addition to the CD and the rebate, the package contains a 12-page booklet about Logitech products.
Logitech designs, manufactures and markets "Senseware" -- products designed to give human-like "senses" such as sight, sound, and touch to the computer, making human-to-computer communications more intuitive and natural. Retail and OEM products of the company and its affiliates include pointing devices (such as mice and trackballs), hand-held scanners, digital cameras, pen digitizers, joysticks, sound products, and related software applications for IBM, Macintosh, and other platforms. Logitech International, the financial holding company for the Logitech Group, is traded publicly in Switzerland on the Zurich and Geneva exchanges. With operational headquarters in Fremont, California, the group maintains manufacturing facilities in Fremont, California; Hsinchu, Taiwan; Cork, Ireland; Shanghai, China; and Taiping, Malaysia; and general offices in North America, Europe, and the Far East.
