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Tampilkan postingan dengan label music. Tampilkan semua postingan

Selasa, 08 Mei 2012

Los Nombres Detras de Las Bandas de Musica


Muchas bandas de música son nombradas a partir de diferentes situaciones, personas o cosas que jamás te haz imaginado. Aquí te contaremos todas las historias detrás de las bandas de música más famosas de la historia. Los orígenes de las bandas de rock y seudónimos de artistas son un misterio que te revelaremos aquí. Diviértete!

1) Los Bee Gees:
Los hermanos Giba primero tuvieron en mente el nombre de " Los Rattlensnakes" para su banda. Luego tuvieron la idea de honorar las iniciales de los dos hermanos Giba y un amigo cercano y uno de sus primeros soportes, DJ Hill Gates, quien no tiene nada que ver con el fundador de Microsoft. Es así como Los Bee Gees fueron nombrados luego de las iniciales Bill Gates.

2) Bob Dylan:
Su nombre original es Robert Zimmerman, y era demasiado largo y además el era un fanático de Dylan Thomas.

3) The Doors:
Primero fueron nombrados Psychedelic Ranger. Luego fueron inspirados por una cita de William Blake: "si las puertas (doors) de la percepción serian lavadas, todo aparecería al hombre como es, infinito."

4) Elton John:
Su nombre real es Reginald Dwight. Tomo su nombre artístico de otros músicos británicos, Elton Dean y John Baldry.

5) Elvis Costello:
Nació llamado Decían Patrick McManus. Cuando comenzó su carrera musical, adopto un alias creado por una combinación de Elvis Presley y Lou Costello, simplemente porque representa lo opuesto de el otro Elvis.

6) Eurythmics:
Su nombre es originado en un sistema de instrucción musical de 1890 que se focaliza en respuestas físicas.

7) Everything but the Girl:
Se inspiraron en una propaganda de ropa británica que vendía todo menos a la chica (Everything but the girl). La implicación era que todo estaba en rebajas menos las cosas de chica.

8) Green Day:
Si fumas marihuana y luego te relajas todo el día, has tenido un día verde (Green Day).

9) Guns and Roses:
De los nombres de Axl Rose y Tracii Guns.

10) Marilyn Manson:
El seudónimo del líder de la banda mezclo dos de las celebridades favoritas americanas: Marilyn Monroe y Charles Manson. Otros miembros de la banda usan los pseudonimos Ginger Fish, Twiggy Ramirez y Madonna Wayne Gacy.

11) Nirvana:
En el budismo significa el estado de bendición perfecta obtenida por la destrucción de uno mismo.

12) Pet Shop Boys:
En la disco gay "underground" habían los cuartos oscuros en los cuales no sabes con quien estas teniendo sexo. Una variación son los Pet Shops: no sabes con lo que lo estas haciendo.

13) Queen:
Una palabra que caracteriza a los travestis y la realeza. Connotaciones perfectas para el nombre de la banda en los ojos de Freddie Mercury.

14) Ramones:
Una historia un poco "freaky". En el principio de su carrera, Paul McCartney se llamaba a si mismo Paul Ramone.

15) R.E.M:
"Rapad Eye Movement" Movimiento rápido de ojos, que es un estado de sueño.

16) TLC:
Las iniciales de los apodos de los miembros de la banda son T Boz, Left Eye y Chilli. También sugiere los acrónimos de "Tender, Loving y Care".

17) UB40:
La banda fue desde un principio relacionada con temas políticos y fue nombrada a partir de un formulario de desempleo en británico.

18) U2:
Un tipo de avión espía usado por los estados unidos, Bono explico una vez que U2 creció de pensamientos de interacción con la audiencia... como en "you too" (vos también).

19) Velvet Underground:
Nombrados a partir de un titulo de un libro de sexo desconocido que uno de los miembros de la banda había encontrado tirado en la calle.

20) XTC:
Esta banda de punk fue formada en 1976 antes de que usar drogas sea popular. La banda había cambiado su nombre original Star Park luego de mirar a Jimmy Durante clip en el que dice:"Estoy en Éxtasis!"

21) Yeh Yeh Yeh:
De acuerdo a Karen O, la inspiración de esta banda de Hip hop vino de la frase Newyorkina que significa "Whatever".


Senin, 07 Mei 2012

Los 7 Mejores Musicales


Aquí te presento una lista de las películas mas destacadas en la sección de musicales para que disfrutes y entretengas.

La novicia rebelde (The Sound of Music):
La clásica historia de la familia Van Trapp en Austria y la niñera, protagonizada por Julie Andrews en 1965, todavía sigue siendo entretenida ya tractiva para la educación de los niños. La trama, la música, las visuales y el mensaje son parte de la niñez de muchos de mi generación.

Chicago:
Del musical teatral protagonizado en cine por Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones y Richard Gere es otro de los recomendados. Su más reciente estreno en los 2000 es de una excelente actuación, baile y sonido que ha ganado un premio tras otro. Vale la pena!

Mouline Rouge:
Protagonizada por Nicole Kidman y Ewan McGregor , dirigida por Baz Luhrmann este increíble musical fue uno de los mas impactantes que vi. En 2001 Moulin Rouge logro traer a la pantalla grande, de la llegada de un humilde escritor ingles en 1900 a Paris, y su encuentro con una bailarina en Mouline Rouge.

Grease:
Grease es un musical para adolescentes, de 1978 que todavía vale la pena mirar. John Travolta comienza su carrera de galán en la pantalla grande, junto con Olivia newton John hacen un dúo inolvidable. Sus canciones siguen siendo un éxito hoy en día, reproducidas en transe y house music.

Mary Poppins:
Julie Andrews en 1964 de nuevo hace una brillante actuación junto con Dick Van Dyke convierten este musical en un mágico de Disney inolvidable para niños! Ese clásico nunca pasara de moda.

El Mago de Oz:
Judy Garland en 1939, junto con sus tres amigos (el hombre de lata sin corazón, el espantapájaros sin cerebro y el León sin coraje) siguen el inolvidable camino amarillo para llegar al Mago de Oz. Excelente.

La Bella y La Bestia:
Un dibujo animado de Disney para adultos y niños que fue capaz de ganar los corazones de millones de personas en 1991. Un gran mensaje para no guiarse por las apariencias, lleno de magia y entretenimiento. Increíble sonido!

Aquí termino mi lista, espero que la hayan disfrutado y que ahora puedan con seguridad elegir su próximo musical!


Jumat, 06 Mei 2011

How Is The Audio Craze Sounding?

Sound effects sell. It's just one type of audio that has joined the race on the information superhighway to fulfill its promise, which some of us have been asking for and using for well over a decade now: The ability to send sound effects from a web site to a client at a moment's notice. Knowing that kind of thing sometimes makes it hard to believe that there was a time when sound effects discs took weeks to arrive! Weeks! And, when they did ar- rive, occasionally they were of pretty shoddy quality, requiring us to take hours to sort through the "sound catalog" and make functional. All self-professed "audio geeks" and sound engineers alike are relieved, to say the very least, that those days have passed. Today, companies are looking for better and easier ways to make their audio libraries accessible to a greater number of users, while making sure their files are at higher resolution and ready to pop in to an already-running production. That said, the latest craze of downloadable single files or entire libraries has been hampered by a bevy of issues. Not only is the Internet's increasingly narrow bottleneck a concern, but so are any number of software compatibility problems and the high cost of putting those files on the Internet. Though most com- panies "audition" sounds on the Web, and a quick per- usal of home pages allows for more specific searches, the overwhelming feeling is that the compact disc method of distribution will not disappear any time soon. The Internet has, however, allowed these audio post houses to offer their own libraries online. In fact, one quick search for "audio: sound effects" generates nearly 1 million links to some of the more established companies as well as to some of the more obscure ones. One thing is for sure. As the number of general sound effects catalogs have grown over the years, demand seems to be decreasing. So, some companies are turning more and more to specialized discs. Maybe there are a lot of general libraries out there, and people don't need another general library. However, more special- ized libraries are coming to the marketplace, People are considering more "niche" categories of sounds and just going out, recording them, and posting them on their web site. It's as simple as that, but it's also very, very com- petitive among big business as well as audio entrepre- neurs or enthusiasts. For example, any high-end automobile TV ad campaign is going to go directly to these kinds of links to locate the best "sound quality" for their ad. For ex- ample, that secure sound of the door shutting on a brand-new car in a TV commercial takes hours and hours of research. And that sound comes from one of these audio posts, which means someone just made a lot of money. Sound sells. It sells more than you'd think, and it's one of those "I've never thought about it," kinds of subconscious realities we "hear" every day. So the next time you see a luxury car commercial on TV, really listen.

Jumat, 18 Februari 2011

Why Using Noise Reduction Headphones With An Mp3 Player Is Better Than Earbuds

MP3 players and portable CD players usually come with the standard “earbud” headphones. Earbuds fit into the ear like a hearing aid and are lightweight and portable. Their advantages, however, stop there. When it comes to the quality of the music you are listening to, that quality can be greatly diminished due to the inability of earbud headphones to filter out the noises that you are not interested in listening to; such as the voices, car engines, train noises, and barking dogs that may be all around you when you are out in public.

One of the great advantages of MP3 players, such as iPods, and portable CD players is that you can take them with you wherever you go. Sometimes the very reason for bringing them along on an outing is so that you can entertain yourself while you are engaged in other activities, such as jogging, riding on the subway, or waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Soothing music being piped into your ear can go a long way in easing tension when you are running errands; and upbeat, rhythmic music can help tremendously when you are exercising and need incentive to go that extra mile.

Fortunately, there is an excellent alternative to earbud headphones. Noise reduction headphones can enhance the quality of the music you are listening to by making sure that you get nothing but the music, in exactly the way you should be hearing it. While earbuds sit inside your ear, possibly causing irritation and discomfort, headphones are styled to fit around your ear like earmuffs, guaranteeing that they will not only reduce outside noise, but will feel comfortable as well. While, with earbuds you usually have to increase the volume to be able to hear the music that you are trying to listen to, noise reduction headphones can keep the volume at a comfortable level and allowing you to enjoy your music in the top-quality manner that it is intended to be heard.

The portability of MP3 players encourages prolonged use, especially by teenagers. Unfortunately, the combination of increased volume and longer listening time may cause hearing damage which can lead to hearing loss. The use of noise reduction headphones can help protect hearing by delivering music without the increased decibel level. This also allows listener to enjoy their music longer without suffering hearing damage.

Noise reduction headphones work not only by surrounding your ears, therefore helping to block out outside noises, but also by using noise-cancellation technology, which further enhances your “music only” experience. Not only do noise reduction headphones help to filter out all noises except what your MP3 player is outputting, they also contain your music thus not disturbing those around you. The noise reduction works both ways – you hear your music like you are supposed to, and others don’t have to listen along with you.

A good set of noise reduction headphones does not have to be cumbersome, either. Taking into consideration what portable music device users need, the makers of noise reduction headphones are making their product light, foldable, and easily portable.

When you purchase your MP3 player or portable CD player, one of the best things you can do after that is to put aside the earbud headphones that come with it and buy a good set of noise reduction headphones. You won’t be sorry.

Rabu, 19 Januari 2011

The Best In Audio Video Tools

What do you use your computer for? Long gone are the days when the computer was strictly a data processing tools. Today, the computer is an all-purpose media entertainment center. Its capabilities have gone far beyond keeping a catalog of all your movies and music – it’s even gone beyond playing all your favorite music and movies. These days, with the right tools you can splice, cut, record, edit, mix, create and publish your own media. And to accompany the new capabilities there’s a dizzying array of new software tools that can help you do everything from rip CDs to encode complete animations and videos. How do you find the best new software tools?

Enter www.audio-video-tools.com, one of the fastest growing download sites for audio and video software. Just like their name says, the site is all about the software that you need to do everything you want with anything audio or video. This is not just another software directory. www.audio-video-tools.com lists powerful audio and video tools in 14 different categories from CD rippers to cell phone utilities. Whether you want to do something as simple as convert a wav to an mp3 or as complex as create a full-length video from scratch, you’ll find the tools you need to do it at audio-video-tools.com.

And you’ll find them easily. There’s no need to wade through page after page of directory structure. You can search all categories from the front page on the site, or click on a category to go directly to browsing that category. You’ll find video editors, audio editors, CD rippers, imaging software, video and audio converters, complete all-in-one packages and more. There are shareware listings, commercial listings and freeware listings – in short, just about everything you’d ever want to play with your media.

Each listing includes a capsule description and a full review as well as a side box that lists all the important details about the software – including both a staff and user rating, and the chance to enter your own rating. The categories include All-in-One, Media Players, CD Rippers, CD Burners, Converters, DVD software, Editors, ID3 Tag Editors, Mobile Phone Tools, Plugins, Radio and Broadcasting (plogcasting, anyone?), Recorders, Utilities and Voice and Text editors.

The reviews are comprehensive, listing all the capabilities of each software package and how well it performs each function. It’s a nice bonus that’s not often found on pure directories.

For software publishers, audio-video-tools.com offers multiple opportunities for exposure. There’s an easy submission tool to add a free listing of you audio or video software, and many different ways to increase the exposure of your listing at very reasonable rates. You can opt for a featured listing, front page exposure, top level search results, footer text links and more.

Among the most popular software featured at audio-video-tools.com is Blaze Media Pro, the popular powerhouse all-in-one media tool that converts between all available video and audio formats .Rip, burn, convert, edit, capture, create, extract and combine files to create your own unique media.

www.audio-video-tools.com is a young and growing directory with a lot of promise. The directory structure is easy to follow and intuitive, the reviews and descriptions complete enough to intrigue and the array of features for software publishers wide enough to attract the best tools the net has to offer. If you need the tools to do absolutely anything with media files, this is the place to find the tools that you need.

Kamis, 06 Januari 2011

Media Players: Entertaining Us Through The Ages

You have been entertained with media player software for years, so it may be that you have not even noticed it. How could you, it looks so real. Everyone has a favorite or several favorite movies that they have to watch repeatedly; movies that they just cannot get enough of. Let us peek into how media player software has improved the experience of watching a movie today, and a little history on how we got here.

Going way back in time, media player history started around the 1700s when magicians in Europe entertained the royalty with a little smoking mirror. The magicians actually used lanterns to produced smoke. However, it seemed to entertain the court. Later on in the early 1800s, the ability to project images from far away onto a screen was invented. With man’s insatiable appetite to entertain, technology continued to develop. Silent films came into vogue and eventually fade, stop actions, CGI and Virtual Reality landed square on our square movie screens.

It is hard to believe that media player software is connected with magicians’ lanterns and silent films, but that is the path. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. There is no way to cover totally the entire film history that lead up to CGI today, but hitting the highlights is both interesting and entertaining.

Media players and digital software have taken off because of several films and has continued to grow in the movie industry. Of course, everyone should remember the first Star Wars movie, but it was not until the Star Wars, Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999 that CGI played a major role in the movie. Interestingly over 92 percent of the movie was nothing but CGI effects on the movie screen.

Other films led up to the popular media player inspired Phantom Menace movie. A full 10 years before was released a movie called The Abyss used media player software for the water scene of faces. In The Abyss, 3 – D special effects were used for the first time. Audiences were captivated by it. Virtual Reality was brought to screen in the Lawnmower Man movie in 1992. After that, the Walt Disney Company made their first film in 3 – D with the hit Toy Story in 1995.

It only got better as media player software guided the next movie, Titanic in 1997, into the outer stratosphere of technology. No one can forget the scenes of the ship crashing into the iceberg or the fateful breaking in half of the ship! In the new millennium, CGI got into the full swing of influencing children’s movies such as Shrek. The software and special effects were toned down before its release to the public. Why were they toned down? Because the characters in Shrek were so real, Disney felt it had no cartoon affect, and children might be turned off by the movie.

It is hoped that in this short review of movie history, anyone can see and understand the importance that media player technology has had on the entertainment industry. In the future, we might have to be warned that all characters in a movie are CGI and Virtual Reality created. What a concept to think about, and who knows when it will happen.

Senin, 27 Desember 2010

Is Your Band Ready For CD Duplication Or CD Replication?

It’s a typical situation. You’ve been putting a lot of energy in your craft and people are starting to talk about your band. You’ve played a few shows and everyone is asking for a CD. I used to think that in order to release your own CD you would go out and play a bunch of shows and then someone would come out and sign you. They’d take care of everything. They’d set up the recording studio, organize the artwork, and pay for it to get manufactured. That’s not the case these days.

At present, technology is readily available for any budding musician to record, create, and duplicate CDs. CD duplication involves CD-R media. CD-R prices have dropped dramatically since the first CD Recorders were available on the consumer market. This makes it an affordable option for anyone who wants to copy their own CDs and pass them on to friends, family, or fans. This is a great option for the young band that is still getting their feet wet in the music industry. Duplicating a limited amount of CDs can keep a limited budget in place.

If your band is at the point were your ready to start selling your CD your best option is to make a retail-ready CD and having it replicated. What is a retail ready CD? These are the same CDs you find in the music stores by the major label artists. They have great artwork printed on CD inserts, a nice tray card insert, silk screened art on the CD, and they are shrink-wrapped.

The retail-ready CDs are not duplicated, but Replicated. This means that an exact replica of your CD master has been stamped out on all of the CDs. CD Replication is the way to go if you are serious about selling your music for profit. In fact most music stores will not sell duplicated CDs. Think about it this way. It is illegal to sell or profit from duplicating copy written material. If you tried to sell CDs that have been duplicated to a retail store you’ll more than likely get turned down. How are they to know that it is really your band? One of the best anti-piracy practices that CD manufacturing plants have instituted is the verification of copyright and ownership through a International Property Rights Form. Filling out an I.P.R. form ensures the CD Replication plant that they are not infringing on anyone’s copyright.

CD Replication not only shows that you value your art enough to have it made retail-ready, but also cost effective. I’ll break it down in general.

DIY CD Duplication

· 1 Computer with CD Recorder
· 100 Memorex CD-R
· CD Jewel Cases
· Printer Ink
· Man Hours

Total $1495.00


Typical CD Replication Package

· CD Replication for 1000 CDs
· 1-3 color on-disc silk-screen imprint
· CD Jewel box, assembly, professional quality film-wrap
· 2 Panel Insert and Tray card
· Bar Code

Total $1000.00

These prices are very approximate and are only used for the purpose of estimating the difference between CD Duplication and CD Replication. Lets dig in a little bit. I’ve already illustrated some of the benefits of CD Duplication and the benefits of CD Replication. You can see above that you are spending approximately $500 more taking on the CD duplication responsibilities yourself and only getting 100 CDs!! Having your CDs Replicated costs less and someone else is doing the work. You can spend the time you’d spend on CD duplication and practice your chops or promote your upcoming CD release party, saving yourself $500 that you can use for items like merchandising, t-shirts, stickers, and posters.

Whether you choose CD Replication or CD Duplication, you’ll need to do some research. There are plenty of resources available for CD Duplication and you probably own everything you need. It is up to you and your band to decide which option is better depending on what level you see your band on. Are you a band that plays parties or small clubs, or is your band seasoned and touring? There are benefits to both. Find a local CD manufacturer in your area and ask for their recommendation. Most CD manufacturers also offer quick turn high quality CD Duplication with printing on the CDs. Keep rockin’!

Senin, 01 November 2010

Differences In Microphones For Your Stage Set-up

Using different types and manufacturers of microphones can make all the difference in the world when setting up a stage for your band. If you use the wrong one, you battle with feedback all night. Even if you use a feedback "eliminator", you will suffer very poor frequency response, because it is being "eliminated" as feedback, instead of the desired freguencies that make your music full and enjoyable.

Here are some things you should know, from the school of hard knocks, about microphones and their uses.

Types: There are many types of microphones available but they generally divide into three groups: dynamic, condenser and ribbon.

Dynamic microphones are the most common and the most basic types of microphones. They consist of a diaphragm attached to a coil that moves through a magnetic field inducing a small electrical signal. They operate using similar principals to a speaker and tend to have a limited frequency response, but are very rugged.

Condenser microphones have become more popular over the years because they have a very wide frequency response (tone) and are not as delicate or as expensive as ribbon microphones. They are, however, more delicate than dynamic microphones. They require a power source that can be an internal battery, an external power pack or phantom power that is provided by the mixer. They work by supplying a charge to a fixed plate that creates a capacitor. A thin diaphragm is mounted adjacent to the plate and induces voltage changes in the plate when subjected to sound vibrations.

Ribbon microphones produce sound by stretching a thin metal ribbon across a gap of a strong magnet. Sound moves the ribbon across the magnetic field creating electrical impulses. They have an excellent frequency response (tone) but tend to be very delicate and expensive. Since they are rarely used in basic P.A. systems, nothing more needs to be said about them.

Polar Patterns: This refers to the directions that the microphone will pickup sound from. Polar patterns tend to be divided into two types: omni and uni-directional.

Omni directional microphones are rarely used because they pick up sound from all directions and often pick up sound from directions you don’t want to have sound picked up from. Can you say...
... "FEEDBACK"...

Uni-directional microphones are the most common and probably total more than 95% of all microphones sold. They range from the shotgun, picking up sound from only straight in front of the microphone, to the cardioid, picking up sound from in front
of, or somewhat around the front of, the microphone in a heart shape pattern.

Knowing the pattern of a microphone is VERY important because it affects what area of sound that the microphone picks up from, as well as its susceptibility to feedback.

Sensitivity: This refers to the level of “hearing” that a microphone possesses.

The higher the sensitivity, the quieter the sounds that it will pick up. This is an important specification, especially dependant on your stage volume.

Impedance: This is important to know so that you buy the proper microphone to match your particular mixer. Although many mixers have inputs for both high and low impedance microphones, some only have one or the other. Generally speaking, if the microphone’s impedance is above 1,000 Ohms (1k Ohm) it is considered high impedance, otherwise it is considered low. Most professional microphones are low impedance and come with a cable with XLR connectors. High impedance microphones generally come with a cable with phone (1/4”) connectors. You can purchase matching transformers for 1/4" connectors that change the impedance of high level inputs, like guitars or keyboards, to low level, balanced inputs, to help eliminate ground loops and noise.

As you can see, chosing the correct microphone for your application can solve and enhance your performance and overall sound field from the stage. After all, your music, as represented by great sound, is what its all about.

Selasa, 03 Agustus 2010

Como hacer que tu tiempo sin compania valga la pena

Cuando empecé a escribir este articulo, pensé en como pase el ultimo mes sin necesidad de un compañero y aun así, muy entretenida. Es importante clarificar que sea la razón que sea que te encuentras sola o solo, mejor así que mal acompañado! Y que no hay por que avergonzarse! Una vez teniendo eso claro ya llega mi lista de recomendaciones, entretenimientos para ti.

Datos útiles para ayudarte a conectarte con ti misma:

1) Si eres miembro de un DVD club cerca de tu casa, mejor. Sino, hazte miembro! Películas que valen la pena para una noche que buscas un poco de acción: The Man Inside (con Live Owen y Denzel Washington), Blood Diamonds (Con Leonardo Di Caprio), Babel (Con Brad Pitt) entre otras.

2) Si estas con amigas y quieren algo romántico, Prime (con Uma Thurman), In her Shoes (Cameron Dias), The Hollyday, (Cameron Dias, Kate Winslet).

3) Si buscas reirte con algo simple y un poco ridículo te recomiendo My Super Ex Girlfriend (Uma Thurman), Just Married, Monster in Law, y The Devil wears Prada.

4) Hablando de satisfacción culinaria, puedes averigua de buenos restaurantes delivery, en Sushi, Pizza, Pasta, Chino, Japonés, cualquiera sea que te guste mas. Si no estas en el humor de ordenar comida y disfrutas de cocinar es una buena opción!

5) Para descargar toda la mala energía o para refrescar tu mente reincorporarte en el deporte que mas disfrutes. Patinaje, Yoga, bicicleta, Gimnasio, etc. Te ayudara a sacar todas las preocupaciones y retomar energías. Si es un día soleado aprovecha una buena caminata o corrida con tu I-pod y relájate!

6) Si disfrutas leer, la literatura también es un buen método para ti. Autores como Pablo Cohelo, cuentos de Harry Potter, Gabriel García Marques, son mis preferidos para desconectarte de la realidad y pasar al mundo de lo imaginario.

7) Juegos en Linea son una gran opción si disfrutas juegos de azar o de mesa. Puedes jugar gratis o por dinero al Black Jack al Póquer mientras chateas con otros jugadores en línea.

8) La música es un acompañante esencial para muchas actividades. En el Jazz, Bossa Nova, Blues, y Soul mis recomendados son Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Maxwell, Jewel, Sting, Sade, Bilberto Gil y Tony Bennet.

Sin duda hay un sin fin de entretenimientos y cosas para disfruta de una noche o día sin compañero y aun así utilizar el tiempo de la mejor manera posible. Películas de acción, libros de fantasía deportes, música, buena comida, pueden ahora ser tus buenos amigos.

Jumat, 07 Mei 2010

Bless Your Ears And Feed Your Brain. Sony Headphones.

Looking to bless your ears and feed your brain the sonic genius your favorite musician's recording engineer intended?

If you're sitting, strolling, painting...even mowing the lawn...and you require an Accurate, Un-Tinged reproduction of music as it was recorded, engineered and intended, a set of Sony MDR-7506 headphones are a must. Chances are...the music that you're listening to may have been recorded and mixed using these headphones.

The MDR-7506 boasts a frequency range from 10Hz to 20kHz. In other words, very low frequencies -ie. thumping bass drums, bass guitar, synth sub-sounds, etc. to whispy cymbals, tse-tse high hats, Kate Bush's trills, even the phlegm in someone's throat upon taking another breath can be recognized. Maybe even a problem!

I've owned these headphones for 7 years. Need I say more? Let me say it again. I've owned these headphones for 7 years after having used many other makes and models. If these ever burn out, are crushed under a truck, are thrown off of a bridge or stolen, I wouldn't think twice about replacing them with the same.

Our daughter was born almost 5 years ago, we would rock her to sleep, and then I was a rockstar in my own mind, er ah, in my headphones with

electric guitars, sampling/ rhythm sequencer, accoustic drums (mic'd), synthesizer, recorder/mixer, and assorted sweetened sonic noise toys. I would rock myself to sleep as well without waking anyone up through the night. The next day I could "unveil" the previous night's workout via the room monitors. "AAAhhhh..excellent! Just as I intended!"

These phones have treated me well with clear clean reproduction of what I've put into them. I have also punished myself, rattled my brain as it were.. But was able to recover without medical attention.

The foam padded 'closed ear cups' essentially focus what you're listening to where you want it. Right between your eyes. Close your eyes. . .Yes there it is. I can see it! No! now it's over there. Fans of Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, Beck, Bjork...JUST TO NAME A FEW! Put down your beer, dim the lights, close your eyes and your mind WILL ride the stereo wave. Undistorted, Un-Colored.

The closed cups also help to prevent ambient (room, yard, gym) sounds from entering your sound-(e)scape. These are not, by the way, considered "Noise Cancelling Headphones". But with the closed cups, and dynamic range...you won't really be paying much attention to anything else.
Another point about volume vs. sound quality and aural health:

With quality sound transducers that are capable of accurately reproducing the complete frequency range of the recording, you will find that you don't have to 'blast' yer phones in order to click your brain into the groove that you know or think ought to be there. Listening through headphones is not like being at a show where you can stand in front of the subs and feel every beat of a kick drum bounce the shirt on your chest.

Headphones are more of a sound quality experience. An.."oh! I've never heard that before..or that way before" kind of experience. Ahhhh! The clarity.

The MDR-7506 phones fold up into about a palm sized package and go neatly into a supplied pouch with drawstring. I wondered about this when I got them. "is this gadgety or what? why do I need to fold these up? How soon before something starts falling apart?" I repeat. I've had these for 6 years...a lot of use..and now have two kids who find and 'play' with them sometimes. I haven't had to address any of my previous doubts or cynicism re: integrity of design.

The cord is an 8'-10' recoil cord with 'UniMatch' plug. Which means it has a 1/8" stereo plug end (for your iPod or video camera) and or a 1/4" stereo plug that screws on over the 1/8" end so you can plug into your home stereo, or your mixing board, synthesizer, or your stereo delay and/or chorus effects pedal for your guitar! Mucho enjoyable!

Not really intended for physical activities. Have lost these off the top of my head from time to time during a few power-chord rock-a-billy rants. Use of a tight knit hat on top of everything helps to prevent this. Whether you're riding a train to work downtown, shoveling your driveway or programming the next hit sensation video game. Built to boom, bop and bash..!

MDR-7506 headphones with pouch -
-unbeatable@under $100.

ps
Don't even mess with those little phones with foamy ear thingys that sort of sit over you ears (if you really want to hear...well..anything).

Ear buds are good if you're jogging or playing tennis. They shouldn't fall out, and won't fall off your head at love 15.

Sabtu, 20 Februari 2010

Accelerator Software Provides a Faster Download

Over half of all households that connect to the Internet have a broadband connection these days, mostly cable or DSL. Which means the other half does not and still uses dial-up. Modems are much faster than they used to be in the early days of computing, but today's websites are larger and require a lot of bandwidth to load quickly. To make matters worse for those on slower connections, even simple software updates are now often dozens of megabytes and can take a long time to download. What it all means is that modem users need a break!

Fortunately, there are things that can be done to make a connection faster. You see, the operating system software on today's computers is not optimized for fast downloads. Microsoft's primary goal is simply to make sure Windows works with all the different hardware out there. Compatibility is important, of course, but it can be frustrating when things just don't work as well as they should.

But not everything is your computer's fault. Your Internet service provider, too, is primarily concerned with reliability (good), compatibility (good), and moving as much traffic as possible with as little investment as possible (not so good). Further, while the Internet moves at electronic speed, not all connections are equal. You may have noticed that downloading pictures from the same exact website is sometimes faster and other times much slower. That may be because the server is very busy, but it can also be because your connection is taking some detours instead of directly getting on the highway.

What does it all mean? It means that between hardware and software designed for compatibility rather than performance, and Internet connections that may not necessarily favor individual dial-up customers, you may simply not get the speed your computer is capable of and that you are paying for. This is bad news for those who frequently download movies, music or pictures.

Fortunately, there are solutions, and I don't mean getting a new computer or waiting until you have broadband access. One such solution is download accelerators. They can greatly increase the speed and reliability of your downloads. How do they do it? By optimizing the way your computer works and by making sure your data downloads the fastest and most direct route possible. With a download accelerator, you are no longer at the mercy of some remote traffic routing computer. Instead, the accelerator in your own system determines the best way to download data as quickly and efficiently as possible.

But speed is not the only benefit of a good download accelerator. How often has it happened to you that a connection times out or is interrupted before a file has downloaded completely? Probably quite often. And then you have to start all over. A download accelerator will keep track of things and will simply pick up where you left off if a connection gets dropped. Imagine how much time you save.

The bottom line is clear. You have better things to do than wait for downloads to complete. If you want to regain control of your Internet connection, accelerate downloads and restore, or just web browsing in general, a good accelerator is invaluable.

Sabtu, 12 Mei 2001

Home Audio Recording For Everyone

I'm not really sure how old I was when I got the gift for Christmas, but I remember thinking it was a pretty impressive piece of electronic hardware. It was really cool looking (technologically speaking), and I was awfully proud to own it. It certainly made for lots of fun times.

What was this high-tech gift, you ask? Why, it was a tape recorder! It was a monographic, reel to reel tape deck that came with it’s own plug-in microphone. I could hold that mic up to my transistor radio’s speaker and record songs onto tape. I could also play the guitar and sing and record every second of it. I could even hide and record conversations from unsuspecting family members. I was in recording heaven!

Years later I owned an 8 track stereo recording deck (ok, that was a mistake). At another point in time I had a stereo cassette recording deck that would physically flip the tape over when one side was finished recording or playing. Now I own a more conventional stereo dual cassette deck, but I no longer use it for recording or much of anything else for that matter.

All my recording is now done on my computer. The audio and midi software available today for computer recording is quite amazing. You can record multiple tracks, edit the recordings and add special effects as desired. Many of the audio recording programs come with their own native special effects such as reverb, compression, flanger, and chorus, to name a few. Some of the recording software can also accept third party effects such as vocal removers, tube amp effects and many more.

Multitrack recording software allows for recording various live instruments, vocals, etc, onto individual tracks. After recording one track, you can play it back while recording another. Once finished, you can mix all the individual tracks down into one stereo track. Some recording software will import and record both audio and MIDI, some audio only. If you have a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI instrument, be sure to pick software that handles both formats.

Creating a simple home audio recording studio is easy. In addition to software, an audio and/or midi interface will allow you to plug all kinds of audio components, microphones and instruments into your computer for live recording, recording from tape or even from your old vinyl lp’s. You can also use a home stereo system as an interface for audio components by running cables to it from your computer’s sound card. A laptop with recording software and a USB interface can serve as a totally portable recording studio. And again, if you have MIDI instruments, be sure to get an interface that will allow connecting them in additon to audio components and instruments.

The digital revolution has made music recording easily available to anyone with a computer. If you enjoy music and want to do more than just download mp3’s from the Internet, get some multitrack recording software and start your own home sound studio.