MIDI Support Coming to NCH Software

If you�ve ever gone rooting around for MIDI support in the feature lists of NCH Software audio products, you most likely didn�t find it�at the time. But soon you will. A myriad of MIDI features are being added throughout our audio software category.

The most notable example at the moment is in MixPad multi-track mixing software. You can load a MIDI file into MixPad and then double click the clip to edit it. This will launch a MIDI editor dialog that allows you to move notes around, create and delete notes and resize notes on a piano roll. Since a MIDI sequence is really only a set of digital instructions, it�s easier to pinpoint specific notes and alter them than with an audio file:


The current version of MixPad already features this new MIDI editor. In the future, MixPad will have broader MIDI support, such as allowing users to connect a MIDI capable mixing deck to control the program.

MIDI is starting to play a larger role in all our audio software. Plans to implement the following capabilities are in the works:

• Playback of MIDI files as music using built in and external synthesizers
  
• Record MIDI control sequences
  
• Edit MIDI files
  
• Control software (e.g., MixPad mixing software or Zulu dj software) with a MIDI device
  
• Convert MIDI files to audio
  

These features will be included in varying combinations in WavePad audio editor, MixPad multi-track mixer, Zulu virtual dj, Switch audio converter, and MIDIPad�a new full-featured MIDI editor currently in development. We�re excited to see how MIDI will contribute to our audio software. How do you think you�ll use it?

Inventory Software Frees Up Time for Other Tasks

Hospitals and pharmacies are required by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to maintain a detailed and accurate inventory of all the drugs and medication that they stock. Keeping track of their entire inventory can be a very time consuming task, especially if the pharmacy is not up to date with the latest technology. Peter McNulty, Pharmacy Operations Manager at Salem Health, has had a significant reduction in the time spent maintaining and tracking inventory by transitioning from a manual system to Inventoria Professional Inventory Management Software.

Prior to using Inventoria, McNulty was manually recording his inventory in a log book, which was a huge drain on his time, requiring several hours daily to keep records accurate and up to date. Inventoria greatly simplified the way McNulty runs his business, "I estimate we save two hours per day in staff time that can now be used in providing direct patient care."

McNulty has found not only significant reductions in the time required to record and maintain DEA records, but greater control over the distribution processes in real time making Inventoria an ideal solution for tracking inventory movement of Controlled Substance Drug Distribution in an acute care Hospital setting.

"Setup was very easy, it required about eight hours of staff time to load items, record beginning inventory count, add customers and give user access," noted McNulty. "I especially like how quickly reports are generated and the ease of saving the report on a daily basis which makes it easy to comply with DEA record-keeping regulations. Inventoria is easy-to-use, requires minimal maintenance and has a high value in comparison to most other programs in this category."

Inventoria stock management software allows businesses of all types and sizes to track and manage inventory at a single location or across several locations. With this complete inventory management system you can manage stock levels by category, location and supplier, transfer stock between locations, set low level alerts, even generate and send purchase orders to vendors directly from within the program.

Be a VideoPad YouTube Export Expert

One of the neat things about our VideoPad Video Editor is the ability to not only output a YouTube-ready video, but the ability to upload a video directly to YouTube, making the transition from local to internet viewing quick and easy, eliminating much of the upload hassle on your part. How? Take my hand, friend, and we'll walk across this avenue together.

Inside VideoPad (and once you�re happy with your finished video), go up to the top menu and select the "Save Movie" button. This will bring up a dialog box with export settings for a variety of formats at the top. From this menu, scroll over to the rightmost selection, (YouTube), and select the YouTube icon. Once selected, you�ll notice that you have new, YouTube-specific options below, such as where to save your file locally, YouTube login details, places to add details about your movie, keyword information, etc. Fill in the blank fields and hit "OK". From here, VideoPad goes into autopilot and will remotely login to YouTube, encode your movie and upload it for you; all you have to do is sit back and relax.

This is just one of the many small innovations that make VideoPad one of the most user-friendly video editing packages available. If you�d like to jump into the editing arena, VideoPad offers an intuitive, simple interface so you�ll be editing your own masterpieces in no time. Try VideoPad free, and if you�re new to VideoPad or looking for a more in-depth look at the finer points of editing, watch our VideoPad tutorial series to help get your feet wet.

Looking Back at 2010

The New Year is always a time of reflection. What went well the last year? What could have been better? This is where many New Year�s resolutions come from. Not only is the New Year starting you off with a clean slate but it�s a good reason to find things you can do improve on years past. In the spirit of reflection I took a little time to look at what our most popular blog posts from the last year in hopes of finding a little bit of insight into what we should work on or write about in the year to come.

1. Change the speed of video clips in VideoPad
   
2. Practice audio transcription files now available
   
3. NCH Software iPhone Software Update, see all the NCH Software iPhone apps
   
4. Make a Glee Music Mash Up with MixPad
   
5. Record audio playing through your computer
   
6. WavePad recognized as top mac audio editing software
   
7. Zulu virtual DJ Software now avaialable for Mac
   
8. The Secret Life of Tone Generator Software
   
9. Complete transcription quickly and easily with FastFox word expansion software
   
10. Radio World User report on BroadWave streaming Audio server software
    
11. PitchPerfect Guitar Tuning Software Now an iPhone App
    
12. WavePad Audio Editor Software Now available as an iPhone App
    
13. FTC Bans Unsolicited robocalls
    
14. MixPad Multitrack audio recording and mixing software now available for Mac
    
15. New Sound Effect Library Added to WavePad Sound Editor
    
16. Create unique sounds with MixPad and WavePad Audio Software
    
17. TempoPerfect metronome software is now also an iPhone App
    
18. Internet Use in the Office and Cyberslacking is costing employers millions
    
19. A movie maker solution for Windows 7�Videopad
    
20. CardWorks new free business card designer software
    

What I take from this is that not only are our big announcements such as the addition of the sound effect library and adding speed control into VideoPad important, but that our readers like to see more about how software is being used by other people in interesting and creative ways. There also seem to be a fair amount of Mac users looking for software solutions who will be pleased to hear that we are going to continue to bring more of our popular software over to the Mac platform. We are also going to continue to try to write about a breadth of different software topics. If there is anything in particular you would like to hear about, let us know.

Video Editing Is Easier Than You Think

Are you guilty of using your video camera to record and then letting all of those videos sit unused in a closet or on your hard drive? If the reason you put off doing anything with all of those video recordings is a fear of how much work it will be, then we have the answer for you—VideoPad Video Editing Software.

In early December we released a new version of VideoPad with more transitions and effects, plus a variety of other improvements including a new overlay track that will allow you to extend the same text over one or more video clips, making things like scrolling credits a breeze. And now we have just updated a two-part VideoPad video tutorial series to walk you through many of the features you will need to transform all that video footage into truly memorable home movies to cherish and share. VideoPad is easy to use in itself, and with these tutorials it�s now even easier.

The new tutorials cover the basics: adding media to your movie, working with the sequence, and exporting your finished movie. They also cover the fun stuff, like placing transitions between clips, and adding effects. You�ll also learn some tips for working with VideoPad, so you�ll always be able to achieve the finished product you imagined.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the VideoPad video tutorials, download VideoPad, collect up your SD Cards and other video recordings out of hiding, and get started. You will be making your own movie masterpiece within minutes.

Hitting the Software Nail on the Head

How many shirts do you need to try on before you find one you want to buy? How many cars do take for a test drive when shopping for a new car? And how many pieces of software do you download and try before you find one to solve your problem? Results from a study of software vendors show only about 1 sale is made for every hundred trials that are downloaded, which is a remarkably low number when you think how many programs people must end up trying or how often they just give up without finding what they want. In the blog post Why Hammers Sell Better Than Your Software, Bob Walsh concludes that the reason there are so many people walking away is that it is simply too hard to figure out how to use the program and they give up.

His suggestion to software companies is something that NCH has been striving for for years - make users immediately comfortable with your applications. Simplify things: provide quick start guides and tutorials or screenscasts to help get the user get through the first few minutes of uncertainty when they don't know what to do with the software they have just downloaded. We have long focused on the first three minutes of a user's experience when using our software, trying to remove as many road blocks as possible so that you can start using the program immediately. Our range of video tutorials and documentation resources helps those who prefer to see how it all works before they dive in. We are doing our best to make sure that when you download our software you will find that the shoe fits and you don't need to worry about breaking it in.

7 Programs You Can't Live Without

Prism Video Converter If you've ever had trouble opening a video file, you need Prism. Prism will let you quickly convert any troublesome video files into a more manageable format. With more formats supported than any other video converter, you'll be hard pressed to come across a video file that Prism can't handle.

Switch Audio Converter There are a lot of different audio file formats out there, and a lot of places you might want to keep your favorite music, from CDs and iPods to your computer or online, just to name a few. Make sure you always have the right format for every song and every application with the Switch Audio Converter.

FastFox Typing Expander Ever find yourself typing the same things over and over? FastFox can be a huge helping hand at home or at work. Use keyboard shortcuts to expand to anything you commonly write, and save time inserting signatures in email, filling out online forms, and writing long responses to customer questions.

Debut Video Capture Whether you want to transfer the video from a camcorder to your computer, are trying to record a video from your webcam, or even recording your screen, Debut is your single software solution for capturing video.

Express Burn Disc Burning Software Burn pictures, home movies, resumes, portfolios, or back up your files to CDs, DVDs and even Blue-Ray discs in a variety of file formats with Express Burn. Simply drag, drop and burn.

PhotoStage Slideshow Creator Bring your digital photos to life and share your favorite memories with family and friends. Tell a compelling story, display your best images, or show off your proudest moments. PhotoStage lets you combine images, video clips, music and narration in a fun and dynamic fashion.

WavePad Audio Editor No list would be complete without one of our all-time favorites: WavePad. WavePad is the perfect application for any audio project in the sound studio or at home. The easy-to-use interface will have you up and running quickly with all the powerful tools you need at your fingertips.