Give the Gift of Song This Holiday Season; 'Singing Coach' Teaches People to Sing in Tune

Business Wire, Nov 17, 2004

TAMPA, Fla. -- Are there carolers on your Christmas list who just can't carry a tune? Churchgoing friends who make Handel's 'Messiah' sound like gangsta rap? Is your grandfather's rendition of 'Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel' so off-key that the children run away from the menorah?

This year, for the first time, there is hope for those off-key carolers, Chanukah celebrants and other singing challenged friends and loved ones on your holiday gift list. A new software product, called Singing Coach(TM), combines the fun of karaoke with real-time visual feedback to make it easy for anyone, even the hopelessly 'tone deaf,' to learn to sing like a pro.

Singing Coach and Singing Coach Unlimited(TM), from Carry-a-Tune Technologies, use specialized computer-aided pitch tracking with entertaining, animated on-screen vocal coaching to teach people how to sing in tune and on tempo - whether or not they can read music. The Singing Coach software tracks their pitch as people sing and displays it as a pitch-tracking line on the screen above either a 'sheet music' or 'graphic' view of the song. This system allows the singer to actually see what they are singing on a real-time basis. Simple to install and easy for singers ages 8 to 108 to use, the programs work on PCs running Windows XP, ME and 2000.

"Singing Coach makes it easy for families to enjoy singing together for the holidays and throughout the year," said Carlo Franzblau, founder and president, Carry-a-Tune Technologies. "Not only will it help Christmas carolers to enjoy 'Silent Night,' but it will also be a great family activity after the holidays. In the past, families sat around the piano and sang together. With Singing Coach, 21st century families can gather around the computer and sing together."

Singing Coach and Singing Coach Unlimited are available for holiday purchase in Fry's Electronics stores in California, Texas, Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon and Nevada. It is also available at the company's web site (www.carryatune.com) and via a toll-free number, 888-378-5050.

Users get a high-fidelity headset with built-in microphone plus a selection of practice songs and free song downloads from the Carry-a-Tune Technologies online song library of 200-plus selections ranging from hits to standards. The software is available in basic (suggested retail price $49.95) and Singing Coach Unlimited(TM) (suggested retail price $99.95). The Unlimited version enables users to enter any song from sheet music or compose their own original songs, and allows them to import standard MIDI files with embedded lyrics. Over 10,000 songs are available for purchase from three currently selected sites available in Carry-a-Tune Technologies' online music store.

Singing Coach, Singing Coach Unlimited, Carry-a-Tune software and Carry-a-Tune technology are trademarks of Carry-a-Tune Technologies. All other trade names are the property of their respective owners.

This release is available on the KCSA Public Relations Worldwide Web site at www.kcsa.com.