MBN: THE MONTE BUBBLES NETWORK

OPEN LABS™ EXPANDS EXECUTIVE TEAM; HIRES HANK COLEMAN AS CEO,

INDUSTRY VETERAN TOM LINKLATER AS VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

Coleman, previously CEO of Twenty/20 Systems (which he sold to Radiant Technologies), has acted as an advisor to Open Labs since its founding in 2002 and will direct the company’s growing product marketing strategy and oversee a reinvigorated product line-up.  Linklater, an M.I. industry veteran previously with Akai Musical Instrument Corporation, will direct Open Labs’ channel strategy and work closely with the company’s growing roster of product specialists and artist-endorsers.  Victor Wong, founder of Open Labs, will act as chairman of the company and will focus on product evangelism, strategic marketing and product development, and artist relations.

Open Labs has realigned its product line-up to focus on mid-level and high-level solutions for computer-based music production products.  Its NeKo™ and MiKo™ products represent the most powerful keyboard workstations on the market, and offer customers a lower price point for what is a powerful built-in, design-specific, full-featured, Windows XP™- based computer system. The NeKo is the first line of keyboard workstations to incorporate a Windows PC architecture.

 “There are few companies that offer a revolutionary product or service that can literally change an industry – Open Labs is one of those companies, and I have been fortunate to have been associated with them the past few years as they’ve introduced the market to a new species of keyboard,” said Coleman.  “We now have the opportunity to greatly accelerate Open Labs’ product distribution, product development, and raise the profile of our products on a much greater scale.”

            Linklater helped develop the MPC series at Akai, and is renowned for his ability to market emerging digital music products.

            “The Open Labs experience combines a visionary approach to merging the personal computer and a high-end keyboard synthesizer, and it has articulated a message that resonates with today’s generation of user-authors,” said Linklater.  “I am thrilled to be working with what is arguably the most creative group of designers in the M.I. industry today.”

            Open Labs today announced at Winter NAMM the new Open Labs Gen 3 series of products, which include the NeKo SE, NeKo LX, and NeKo 76, as well as the MiKo SE and MiKo LX. 

            “Open Labs has now reached its second phase of development, and the addition of both Han k and Tom to our team provides decades of operational experience that will solidify our position in the market,” said Wong.  “The products are strong, and the company is even stronger.”

About Open Labs

Open Labs designs and markets tools for performing and recording musicians of every level of expertise.  The company’s products, NeKo and MiKo, are the first keyboards and computers to incorporate a Windows PC architecture into instruments that can simultaneously play, record, mix, and master high-quality digital audio and effects.  Open Labs, formed in 2002, combines decades of expertise in computer technology, keyboard technology, and product design. The company is headquartered in Austin , Texas .  For more information, visit the Web site at www.openlabs.com.

OPEN LABS™ ANNOUNCES GEN 3™ SERIES OF NEKO™ STUDIO PRODUCTIONCENTER™; REINVENTS AWARD-WINNING LINE

Gen 3 NeKo Windows PC Architecture Is First to Incorporate Intel Core2 Duo Processors; Enabling Users to Record Up to 140 Tracks of 24-Bit Audio; Play Up to 500-Note Polyphony, and Support Up to 300 Plug-Ins in a Single Unit

ANAHEIM, CA – Open Labs™, the leading designer and developer of computer-based music production solutions, today introduced its Open Labs Gen 3™ series of NeKo™ Studio ProductionCenter™ products, with powerful upgrades to its NeKo SE, NeKo LX, and Neko 76 at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim .  The upgrades to the NeKo products provide users with greater power and expanded features at a lower price point for what is a powerful built-in, design-specific, full-featured, Windows XP™- based computer system. The NeKo is the first line of keyboard workstations to incorporate a Windows PC and are now the first keyboard workstations products to use Intel Core2 Duo processors, offering processing speeds up to 70% faster than Gen 2 models.  . 

Open Labs will demonstrate production models of the Gen 3 NeKo SE, NeKo LX, and NeKo 76 at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, at Booth #6015 in the Anaheim Convention Center, from Thursday, January 18 to Sunday, January 21. 

The NeKo SE (standard edition), streamlined for performance, is a 61-key unit that will sell for $3,999 and includes a 2.1 GHz Intel Core2 Duo processor; 2 GB RAM; 250 GB HD; 15" color LCD touchscreen; 15-inch touchscreen; Dual Video/Dual Layer DVD Burner; 24 bit/192 KHz (4ins/outs) Audio; QWERTY controller; master controller and two open controller bays, and Windows XP™ Home software bundle including

Sonar LE.

The NeKo LX (luxury edition), fully-loaded for professional use, is a 61-key unit that will sell for $5,999 and includes a 2.4 GHz Core2 Duo processor; 4GB RAM; 250GB HD; 15" color LCD touchscreen; 2 Dual Video/Dual layer DVD Burners; 10ins/outs audio; Rotary controller; Linear controller; QWERTY controller; Alpha controller, and Windows XP Home Software bundle including Sonar LE.  The NeKo LX also includes Open Labs’ revolutionary Mimik™ keyboard cloning software, which allows any MIDI capable keyboard or hardware sound module to be cloned. 

The NeKo 76, which will sell for $7,399, incorporates a 76-key keyboard; 2.4 GHz Core2 Duo processor; 4 GB RAM; 250GB hard drive and two DVD burners, along with a 15-inch touchscreen and master controller with assignable linear faders and buttons.  The NeKo 76 includes a QWERTY keyboard and NeKo LX software bundle, along with Mimik keyboard cloning software. 

“The Open Labs NeKo customer is our greatest development partner; we have streamlined our production processes to enable faster upgrade paths for our NeKo line, and the new NeKo SE and NeKo LX represent significant improvements for our customers,” said Tom Linklater, vice president of sales for Open Labs.  “The Open Labs NeKo has created a demand for power, speed, and feature-rich capabilities at competitive price points, and we are responding accordingly.”

The Gen 3 products offer increased processor speeds increased RAM and memory to support today’s memory-hungry applications, and an expanded software bundle, which includes landmark piano reproductions from 4Front Technologies True Piano and strings and orchestral samples from WusikStation.  The Gen 3 Neko enables users to record up to 140 tracks of 24-bit audio; play up to 500-note polyphony, and support up to 300 plug-ins in a single instrument.

The NeKo SE, NeKo LX, and NeKo 76 feature Open Labs’ suite of applications – Karsyn™, mFusion™, and the Open Labs Navigator™ - which are a breakthrough set of technologies that allow users to control different musical keyboard devices and software packages through a single interface.  For the NeKo SE, Mimik is sold separately at $199.

“The NeKo community has captured the vision of the product and extended it with passion; we are now delivering an even more powerful product at lower price points for our customers,” said Craig Negoescu, chief architect of Open Labs.  “The historically tremendous interest in the NeKo product is undiminished.”

The NeKo SE, NeKo LX, and NeKo 76 are available from select Open Labs distributors, and from the Open Labs online store at http://www.openlabs.com/store.htm.

About Open Labs

Open Labs designs and markets tools for performing and recording musicians of every level of expertise.  The company’s products, NeKo and MiKo, are the first keyboards and computers to incorporate a Windows PC architecture into instruments that can simultaneously play, record, mix, and master high-quality digital audio and effects.  Open Labs, formed in 2002, combines decades of expertise in computer technology, keyboard technology, and product design. The company is headquartered in Austin , Texas .  For more information, visit the Web site at www.openlabs.com.

OPEN LABS™ ANNOUNCES GEN 3™ SERIES OF MIKO™

MOBILE PRODUCTIONCENTER™ AT WINTER NAMM 2007

Upgraded Versions of First Integrated Digital Hub, with Wi-Fi, to Create, Organize, Play and Distribute Your Music and Videos; Enables HD Video, Animation, and Podcasting

ANAHEIM, CA – Open Labs™, the leading designer and developer of computer-based music production solutions, today announced at Winter NAMM 2007 that it is has introduced the Open Labs Gen 3 series of MiKo™ Mobile ProductionCenter™ products, with powerful upgrades to the MiKo SE and MiKo LX.  The products, which are specifically designed for the modern-day electronic artist and today’s digital lifestyle, will be available from select Open Labs distributors, and from the Open Labs online store at http://www.openlabs.com/store.htm.  Open Labs will demonstrate production models of the MiKo SE and LX at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, at Booth #6015 in the Anaheim Convention Center, from Thursday, January 18 to Sunday, January 21.

The Open Labs Gen 3 MiKo is the first portable digital music, video, and animation system that provides the power of a fully-loaded Windows XP™-based computer, a world-class synthesizer, a video mixer/recorder, and a broadband Internet hub in an affordable unit.  Open Labs will sell the standard version of the MiKo, the MiKo SE, for $2,999 and the fully-loaded version, the MiKo LX, for $3,499.  The Open Labs MiKo was originally introduced at the Winter NAMM Conference in Anaheim in January, 2006. 

“The MiKo has captured the imagination of a wide range of musical artists; it is simple enough to demonstrate in a dealer’s shop and complex enough to perform every kind of multimedia session that a user could want,” said Tom Linklater, vice president of sales for Open Labs.  “The MiKo SE and MiKo LX represent a new breakthrough product for the market, and we will be able to satisfy all requests for what is a tremendous mobile production instrument.”

The Open Labs MiKo extends the power of Open Labs’ award-winning NeKo™, the music industry’s most powerful production stations, to a broader audience of users, which include DJs, VJs, music video hobbyists, and amateur musicians.  At the heart of the Open Labs MiKo is a 64-bit single and dual core processor, which drives a powerful built-in, design-specific, full-featured, Windows XP™- based computer system.  MiKo users can literally record, edit, mix, master, burn, and distribute their creations, whether high-definition video or 7.1 surround sound audio, on DVD or audio CD or send straight to the Internet, either through Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

The MiKo SE includes:

·         37-key synth keyboard

·         1.8 GHz Core2 Duo Intel processor

·         1 GB RAM

·         160 GB HD/DVD burner

·         VGA Out for dual monitors

·         Audio 4in-6out with mic preamps

·         15-inch touchscreen plus assignable Alpha and DJ controllers

·         QWERTY keyboard

·         MiKo SE software bundle

Also included is the Open Labs Karsyn VST host for limitless sounds; Cubase LE for recording, and Traktor LE for DJing. 

The MiKo LX includes:

·         37-key synth keyboard

·         2.1 GHz Core2 Duo Intel processor

·         2 GB RAM

·         250 GB HD/DVD burner

·         VGA Out for dual monitors

·         Audio 4in-6out with mic preamps

·         15-inch touchscreen plus assignable Alpha and DJ controllers

·         QWERTY keyboard

·         MiKo LX software bundle

·         Mimik keyboard cloning software

The Open Labs MiKo is the first integrated portable digital media workcenter to provide a production hub for all digital artistic elements, including:

·         the first portable production unit to support HD video

·         support for non-linear video editing

·         real-time controls, including a dedicated control section for DJ use

·         interconnectivity for MP3 players, video players, digital camcorders

·         expanded podcasting capabilities, as well as support for high-quality playback of digital music and video files via the Internet with full 7.1 surround sound.

MiKo features Open Labs’ suite of applications – Karsyn™, mFusion™, and the Open Labs Navigator™ - which are a breakthrough set of technologies that allow users to control different musical keyboard devices and software packages through a single interface.  Together, they create a clean, efficient environment for creation and performance. Instead of a complicated general-purpose computing environment, MiKo presents a streamlined user experience ideally suited for efficiency in the studio, and clarity and speed on stage.

“The MiKo is a game-changer for today’s digital artists, and the new MiKo SE and MiKo LX capture all of the essential features for a single-unit multimedia unit at a competitive price point,” Craig Negoescu, chief architect of Open Labs.  “We have generated tremendous interest from our initial MiKo product, and can now address an even wider audience with these new units.”

Included with each MiKo is the Open Labs sound library, which contains more than 5,000 preset sounds and hundreds of effects, as well as Cubase LE for direct- to-disk recording and mastering.

About mFusion

mFusion is the latest software component of the Open Labs OpenSynth™ platform, which is used in the Open Labs NeKo, OMX™, and MiKo lines of keyboards, digital audio workstations, and digital media workcenters.  mFusion is a set of software technologies along with a control panel that allows the user to easily navigate, access, and remap control surfaces for all Open Labs control panels as well as all third-party MIDI control devices.  mFusion will be shipped preinstalled in all Open Labs products as well as future products from Open Labs’ growing list of development partners.

With mFusion, users merely need to touch a knob or slider to begin the process. A wide variety of options are available for each control type. For example, a button can send a MIDI note-on, initiate a program change, keystroke, or even launch an application. This versatility extends to encoders, knobs, faders, drum pads, and many other common control types, with the ability to address and remap up to thousands of controllers simultaneously.

mFusion’s unified approach further benefits existing music computing applications. mFusion takes multiple MIDI devices and exposes the system to only one device, creating a virtual gateway with multiple extensions, thereby making it possible for music programs that can only access one controller to gain full access to multiple controllers.

About Open Labs

Open Labs designs and markets tools for performing and recording musicians of every level of expertise.  The company’s products, NeKo and MiKo, are the first keyboards and computers to incorporate a Windows PC architecture into instruments that can simultaneously play, record, mix, and master high-quality digital audio and effects.  Open Labs, formed in 2002, combines decades of expertise in computer technology, keyboard technology, and product design. The company is headquartered in Austin , Texas .  For more information, visit the Web site at www.openlabs.com.

OPEN LABS™ SHOWCASES TOP PERFORMING AND RECORDING ARTISTS AT

WINTER NAMM FOR ITS NEKO AND MIKO KEYBOARD WORKSTATIONS

Prince’s Morris Hayes; Maroon 5’s Jesse Carmichael; Korn’s Jonathan Davis;

And Faith Hill’s Jimmy Nichols to Appear Daily at Open Labs Booth# 6015

ANAHEIM, CA – Open Labs™, the leading designer and developer of computer-based music production solutions, today announced that it will showcase a caravan of leading performing and recording artists who use the company’s award-winning NeKo™ and MiKo™ keyboard workstations at Winter NAMM, January 18-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center .  The diverse group of artists – including Prince’s Morris Hayes; Maroon 5’s Jesse Carmichael; Korn’s Jonathan Davis, and Faith Hill and Reba McEntire music director Jimmy Nichols - will appear daily at the Open Labs Booth# 6015 at NAMM.  Check the Open Labs booth for the daily schedule.

Since its introduction to the market in 2004, the Open Labs NeKo has appealed to recording artists and producers who are attracted by the revolutionary combination of a keyboard workstation with enterprise-class server technologies and matching control surfaces in one fully integrated-compact package.  Designed with producers and remixers in mind, the NeKo can replace an entire studio worth of equipment in a single portable solution.  Introduced at Winter NAMM 2006, the MiKo combines a portable digital media workcenter™ that is the first portable digital music, video, and animation system. The MiKo provides the power of a fully-loaded Windows XP™-based computer, a world-class synthesizer, a video mixer/recorder, and a broadband Internet hub in an affordable unit.

         “We’re at a pivotal point in the music industry, where players want to have everything at their disposal, without having to address multiple rigs, and the NeKo is a tremendous advantage for me as both a player and a producer,” said Hayes.  “The NeKo presents a single-unit rig that is as comfortable in the studio as it is on the road.”

         Hayes played the MiKo on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ in February, 2006 when Prince appeared on the show for the first time in 17 years.  Hayes will play the new MiKo rig with Prince during halftime of Super Bowl XLI in Miami on Sunday, February 4^th.

Open Labs today announced at the Winter NAMM show, the musical instrument industry’s annual trade show and convention, in Anaheim that it has introduced the Open Labs Gen 3 series of its NeKo and MiKo products, which include the NeKo SE, NeKo LX, and NeKo 76, as well as the MiKo SE and MiKo LX products. 

The Open Labs NeKo and MiKo provide artists with an unparalleled level of power and portability and the products have crossed barriers that were hitherto unthinkable for computer-based keyboards.  Prior to the NeKo, most artists would never have considered playing such a unit in a live setting.

“I needed something that I could take on the road with both Reba and Faith Hill.  You have to have something that you depend on, so if they want to have a sequence, record a duo, do strings, you can do that without any problems.  The NeKo is a virtual recording studio in a keyboard,” said Nichols.  “This thing does it all.  And it fits in one case.  Since I build PCs for a hobby, I knew that the NeKo’s motherboard would allow me to work at a low latency.  My concerns were still there, however.  But the NeKo put all of those concerns to rest pretty quickly.”

Korn’s Jonathan Davis has become such an enthusiast of the MiKo that he brings it on tour with him to compose his music on the tour bus.  Similarly, Jesse Carmichael has brought along his NeKo on Maroon 5 tours.

“We are pleased to have such a diverse, and growing, roster of leading artists who are creating music with our NeKo and MiKo products,” said Victor Wong, chairman of Open Labs.  “Some of the leading artists and producers in the industry have made a distinct choice over the past three years to use our products, and they are validating our decisions to make products that are designed by musicians for musicians.”

About Open Labs

Open Labs designs and markets tools for performing and recording musicians of every level of expertise.  The company’s products, NeKo and MiKo, are the first keyboards and computers to incorporate a Windows PC architecture into instruments that can simultaneously play, record, mix, and master high-quality digital audio and effects.  Open Labs, formed in 2002, combines decades of expertise in computer technology, keyboard technology, and product design. The company is headquartered in Austin , Texas .  For more information, visit the Web site at www.openlabs.com.