Microsoft is really turning the screws on Google in the battle for cloud-based office productivity users. Earlier in the week, it launched a side by side comparison of its Word Web App and Google Docs, showing some very glaring holes in Google Docs’ ability to display Word files accurately.
Today, Microsoft is hitting Google where it has no solution yet by partnering with LA-based sound licensing site AudioMicro (Full disclosure: Lalawag founder Sean Percival just signed on board the company as an advisor), to make 1,500 sound effects free for Office users to use in their documents and presentations.
We aren’t talking those cheesy effects that Clippy the Paper Clip Office Assistant used to suggest to you in days of yore either. We’re talking legitimate sound effects made by Oscar-winning Soundelux sound engineers whose movie credits include “Unstoppable, Inglourious Basterds, The Bourne Ultimatum and Braveheart.”
I’m not a huge fan of overdoing it on the Powerpoint presentations with excessive multimedia, but if it’s going to happen, it may as well be with some high quality stuff, right? Let’s just hope your boss isn’t a big Braveheart fan and embarrass himself trying to do a William Wallace impression at the next weekly recap meeting.
You can start using the new royalty-free effects at Office.com today
Press Release Below:
LOS ANGELES, CA – April 28, 2011 – AudioMicro.com, the web’s largest micro stock music and sound effects licensing destination, has landed a licensing and distribution deal with Microsoft® Office 2010. Microsoft® Office users are able to select from a hand picked collection of over 1,500 royalty free music and sound effects tracks to use with any Microsoft® Office project. Users can access the new collection at Office.com.
“We launched AudioMicro in 2008 with a heavy emphasis on the needs of PowerPoint® slideshow creators. To strike a deal with Microsoft® is really a dream come true and a tribute to all the hard work we’ve put into our library over the past two years”, said Ryan Born, founder and CEO of AudioMicro. “Over fifty percent of the entertainment value of a visual presentation comes from the music and sound. With 1,500 new music and sound effect files to choose from, Microsoft® Office 2010 users are able to create more compelling, attention grabbing PowerPoint® presentations to engage their audience.”
Royalty free sound effects include parts of The Hollywood Edge sound effects library created by the many Academy Award-winning sound editors of Soundelux®, whose credits include such films as Unstoppable, Inglourious Basterds, The Bourne Ultimatum and Braveheart. The Hollywood Edge and Soundelux are part of CSS Studios, LLC ®.
About AudioMicro, Inc.
AudioMicro offers advertisers, music supervisors, creative directors, webmasters, filmmakers, and “YouTubers” an affordable, high-quality solution for obtaining stock music and sound effects for use in creative projects. With content purchased from AudioMicro, a movie or webisode can be scored at a fraction of the cost of a traditional music library. AudioMicro offers the largest micro stock music library, with over 225,000 tracks from songwriters, publishers, composers, record labels, and sound designers worldwide. AudioMicro is venture backed by DFJ Frontier and Fotolia.
About Microsoft® Corporation
Founded in 1975, Microsoft® (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Microsoft and Powerpoint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
About CSS STUDIOS, LLC
Hollywood, California-based CSS Studios, LLC ® is a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 180 countries. CSS Studios provides creative services to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and interactive producers. CSS’ services are marketed under the brand names Todd-AO®, Sound One, Soundelux®, POP Sound®, Modern Music, Soundelux Design Music Group and The Hollywood Edge, with facilities in Los Angeles and New York With more than 50 years of experience in providing creative sound services and technical solutions, the companies, collectively, have garnered more than 50 Academy Award nominations and won 26 Academy Awards®.
