Sweetwater Enters the Plug-In Market
 April 1, 2002
Sweetwater's Research & Development department announces the release of its first
plug-in: Ta!ent
Ta!ent is a TDM/RTAS/VST/DirectX/MAS/MOUSE plug-in that puts professional musical
accomplishment within the reach of everyone. It's the ideal solution for the musician
whose skill level at his or her chosen profession falls far below the standard for
even rudimentary competence.
Dave Stewart, Sales Manager at Sweetwater and consultant for Sweetwater's R&D
department, explains the development of Ta!ent "We were hearing from a lot of people
in the entertainment industry," Stewart says. "They were concerned by the number of
talentless but extremely attractive people they were seeing. They approached us with
the idea of turning all these Baywatch extras and former stars of cancelled television
series into mega-platinum music acts."
The secret behind the Ta!ent plug-in? Sweetwater's proprietary Creativity Resource
Object Compiling/Brilliant Synthesis (CROC/BS) technology. "We sat down with all the
major musicians and songwriters of the last 50 years and modeled their talents," says
Stewart. The results are incredible. The plug-in is extremely easy to use, and can
turn virtually anyone into the musician of their choice.
"It's very simple," says Terry Lee, Sweetwater's Chief Scientist. "Just crank up the
BS control, and the CROC circuit goes into action."
Ta!ent comes with an enormous number of presets, everything from Large Opera Singer
(male) to Pneumatic Pop Star (female). For example, dial in Grizzled Blues Man and a
nineteen-year-old white male surfer from Australia who has never picked up a guitar in
his life can sound just like a 70-year-old blues man from Chicago who has spent
decades dedicated to his music.
"Once upon a time, it required musicians and songwriters years of dedication and
practice to achieve the sound they want," says Robin Jenny, Sweetwater's studio
manager. "Now, people can have that authenticity in a snap, and the performers are far
more attractive. Have you seen some of our most treasured artists recently? Very
unattractive people..."
Troy Hartman, Sales Manager at Sweetwater, sees the appeal for Ta!ent going far beyond
the entertainment industry. "There's a virtually unlimited market out there for
Ta!ent" Hartman says. "Many of our customers are engineers and producers who tell us
they constantly have to work with no-talent musicians who don't want to spend the
necessary time it takes to master an instrument. With the Ta!ent plug-in, our
customers won't have to waste precious energy and studio time explaining concepts like
'tuning' and 'harmony' to people who don't really care anyway. And the musicians gain
all the benefits that come with being an artist, without wasting one second of posing
time."
For Sweetwater President Chuck Surack, the Ta!ent plug-in is the realization of a
long-held dream. "At Sweetwater, we love music technology," Surack says. "But I always
thought it was too bad that music technology can do everything for the musician and
audio pro except provide the talent. Now, thanks to our groundbreaking CROC/BS
technology, we've changed that. Ta!ent, will introduce thousands of musicians to the
full benefits of today's high-end music technology equipment."
Sweetwater will begin taking orders for Ta!ent immediately. The product should be
ready to ship by NAMM 2003.
Happy April Fools Day from the folks at Sweetwater!
For more information, visit their web site at www.sweetwater.com. | 
