By Frank Wells. Ft. Wayne, IN--Sweetwater celebrated its 30th anniversary by throwing itself a party in June, inviting customers to a homecoming called GearFest '09—the second of this series of events in its $35-million new facility since it opened last year. Fort Wayne mayor Tom Henry was on hand, quipping, “Chuck has been such a significant part of the growth and progress of the city of Ft. Wayne, that quite frankly I’m getting rather tired of giving him proclamations,” before presenting Sweetwater founder and owner Chuck Surack with a proclamation acknowledging Sweetwater’s success as the world’s third-largest MI and Pro Audio retailer and further commending the many ways Sweetwater has shared that success with its community.

By Mel Lambert. The news in late June that Dave Lebolt had left Avid to join Apple sent a wave of speculation through the pro-audio industry. Why the move, which follows a recent exodus of staff from the beleaguered company? And what will Lebolt be taking on at Apple? For a generation of DAW users, Lebolt was "Mr. Digidesign." Will he repeat his success with the Cupertino, CA-based computer firm?

by Clive Young. Ask anyone who owns an Apple iPhone what they think of it, and odds are they'll rave about how it can do most anything (except, you know, get reception when you really need it). As if to underline the point, indie band The 88 recently created its latest single, "Love is the Thing," on an iPhone, using FourTrack, a recording app by Sonoma Wire Works. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the song is now for sale on iTunes, where it's become the top-selling song of the band's online oeuvre; what is surprising, however, is just how good the quirky chamber pop song sounds when you consider its origins.