Archive for August, 2011
What’s Happening With 5.1 Surround Sound Music?
August 31st, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
A few years ago 5.1 surround sound DVD video players looked likely to become standard kit in every living room in the technology friendly world.
So now a few years on, what has happened to the original promise of surround sound music? Well the answer to that is ‘lots, but not nearly enough.’
For those that don’t know already, 5.1 surround sound is basically five speakers and a sub-woofer placed around your room allowing you to listen to music or a movie soundtrack literally surrounded by speakers. The film industry pioneered it for theatres and it then became available as a DVD player add-on for home entertainment systems.
Now at least 100,000,000 people world-wide own systems, which can and should be used for all manner of surround sound music DVDs.
I hear you say, ‘but surround sound music on DVD hasn’t really caught on. All that wire in my living room’.
Even though the consumer can buy a DVD player and surround speaker system cheaply enough, surround sound music hasn’t really caught fire yet. Why?
There are reasons why we should all remain confident that surround sound music will become more popular, but at the moment it’s still an infant child.
The amount of different DVD and surround sound formats is confusing and can be offputting.
The consumer desperately wants an end to the confusing compatibility war between different surround sound formats.
Many music artists would start producing DVDs if it wasn’t so complex, just as there are many consumers that would purchase a surround sound DVD system for the same reason. They should be able to buy a DVD player and play any product claiming to play DVDs.
Consumer surround sound formats currently include sound on video DVDs encoded as Dolby 5.1 surround sound or DTS; the competing DVD-Audio (DVD-A) and Super Audio CD (SACD) formats and MP3 Surround.
There are 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 systems, four speaker systems, even one speaker systems and ‘simulated surround sound systems.’ Phew! See what I mean?
They all have their uses, but the I feel the music business would be wise to embrace one format. Every time the consumer buys a surround sound music product they have to research whether it will be compatible to their particular system.
The good news here is that slowly, but surely things are improving. As long as there is no ‘new’ new format to rock the boat, the problem of incompatibility could become a thing of the past.
There are many great web sites to visit which do explain (in as much detail as you could possibly imagine) all the different formats and help you decide what to buy.
How about all that wire in my living room though?
There are wireless speaker systems available, but the cheaper ones are for mainly rear-channel wireless amplification. This doesn’t quite get rid of all the wires and limits people who have odd shaped rooms. But they are better than nothing.
It would be great for a ‘let’s make it fun revolution’ to occur with surround sound, like the iPod. Small wireless speakers one could place anywhere. The recommended configuration would still be in a circle, but you’d have a license to have fun by placing them in different locations.
Certain types of music would not really benefit from this unconventional approach, but other types mixed specially for surround sound might not suffer that much and it would release the consumer from the pressure to set their systems up in a way that would please an audio engineer or DVD manufacturer.
Not enough of an improvement on CDs and overall lack of interesting music DVD products.
The amount of compression used for music on DVD video is far greater than CDs. So stereo music on CD is generally of a higher quality than stereo music on DVD. However, add the extra speakers and a properly mixed 5.1 surround sound piece of music and all of a sudden the playback bit ratio seems much less important.
‘What is’ you ask, ‘a properly mixed 5.1 piece of music?’
Recreating real space is what seems to interest some surround sound pioneers. The chance to paint a more precise musical picture by placing you the listener deeper inside a musical ensemble or concert venue.
This approach has got its merits, but it’s reliant on people having their speakers in precise locations, and that they will sit dead centre amongst them. Pluses can turn to minuses at this point. If you don’t have a perfectly set up system it might just sound weird, especially if you are used to the stereo CD mix from the same artist.
Apart from all the technical considerations, I consider a great 5.1mix a strong alternative to the stereo mix. Let’s say the artist already has their stereo mix. Why not make the surround mix something that really explores that extra space and is different from the stereo mix.
Give the consumer a choice of two distinctly different sounding mixes. This might inspire more people to make the effort to set up those surround speakers which are still sitting unused in the attic.
Currently it is almost mandatory to include some type of visual content on a DVD.
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In a way, it’s a shame that ‘audio only’ DVDs haven’t caught on…yet.
Depending on the level of production the artist is looking to reach, it can be both very expensive and time consuming producing enough visual material to accompany all the music for a competitive DVD release.
Most musicians have a hard enough time producing their music let alone having to produce hour’s worth of videos as well. So you could say that the need for visual content (as exciting as it can be) is holding back the growth surround sound music.
Live concerts are the most successful type of music DVDs, mainly because they are relatively cheap to produce.
For ‘audio only’ DVDs to catch on, consumer expectation will have to be ‘re-trained’ to expect what they might consider as less. I feel that the days of distributing film or music products on any type of disk is going to disappear fast.
What does the future looks like for surround sound?
The real turning point will come when the Internet becomes surround sound friendly. A new MP3 surround streaming module has just been announced that allows manufacturers to build web radios featuring true 5.1 surround sound.
Many people surf the Internet sitting at their desk, listening to music for hours at a time. Soon they will be able to surf and listen in surround sound. Small near-field computer monitors would work perfectly.(especially wireless ones).
It’s inevitable that 5.1 radio and TV broadcasts will soon become the norm. Even without the music business, embracing surround sound as anything more than a small niche, the amount of people with a 5.1 system is steadily increasing.
At this point, surround sound music becomes a viable ‘audio only’ product. If the surround sound community can simplify the production process even more allowing the average project studio to easily create surround sound content, we should all benefit.
I predict there will be a tipping point where all of a sudden the ‘need’ for surround sound music will exceed the amount of available products.
Live surround sound music can be amazing. I went to Berlin and mixed a gig by the experimental Electronic band ‘Warren Suicide’. Instruments and vocals flying around the room in surround sound mayhem. It was great, and opened my eyes to what I hope is ‘the future’ for certain styles of music.
Dance music is an area I really hope starts to explore surround sound. The drum/synth based repetition is perfect fodder to trigger a quantum leap in 5.1 music production. All the technology is now available to present surround sound mixes in smaller clubs or ‘surround rooms’ in larger clubs.
I have to quickly point out that the 1 in 5.1 stands for sub-woofer (a dedicated speaker designed to carry just low frequencies). This on its own is a major step forward for dance music fans.
DJ producers in particular can take control of the ‘low end’ of their tracks and shake the furniture more than ever before. Because one doesn’t have to squeeze all that low end into the same speakers as everything else it allows for a more overall dynamic mix.
Music mixed in 5.1 surround sound gives us the opportunity to produce and listen to music in a completely new way.
Both as a composer and as a engineer, I personally feel liberated, set free from the confines of stereo. In this case more really is better. The extra speakers/channels give you more ‘room’ to put your music.
My hope is for ‘audio only’ surround sound music to take off. Music is, after all, the world of the invisible – it seems a shame to connect it at the hip to pictures. Your mind processes visual images first, then sound. So pictures can distract people who might listen more carefully without them.
There is room for both music videos and surround sound music without the videos.
‘What kind of gear do you need to start mixing in surround sound?’:
a) A reasonably fast computer
b) Music software package that supports 5.1 mixing (Logic Audio, Pro-Tools etc.)
c) Minimum 8 channel audio interface (Motu, Digidesign )
d) Five matched self powered speakers, and a sub-woofer
Mixing In Surround Sound:
When I first started mixing something in surround sound, I went out and purchased three sets of Sony Mega Bass self powered computer speakers. After connecting them directly to my audio interface outputs, I then assigned the surround sound out-puts in Logic Audio. I opened a song I was working on and spread the instruments out around the channels and hit play… Wow! The five mini speakers sounded great. Mixing in a tiny bit of subs from my Genelec sub-woofer, it sounded even better.
I know… I can hear engineers crying out.. ‘But what about…?’ Well, it’s unconventional but as a starting point this system does work. Now I own a full set of Genelecs, but I still use this approach.
The normal way to mix in surround sound is to have a matched system where the sub-woofer is driven from the speakers. A roll-off decides that everything below a certain frequency is sent on to the sub-woofer. I favour rooting the signal directly to the sub-woofer from a send on either my main out-put fadder’s or occasionally individual instrument fadder’s. This way I can choose which instruments to place in the sub-woofer and which not to.
I say to music mixers; ‘Approach the surround mix with a fresh concept, understanding that it can reflect a different side of the song/composition.’
I don’t recommend the approach of mixing both the stereo and surround mixes at the same time. It seems that one or the other will be compromised. You’re still ‘thinking in stereo’.
The effects needed and levels will be different in a surround mix. I find I use less processing overall especially compression, again it comes down to having more space to place the instruments.
So start fresh without any of your stereo effects haunting you. It’s one of those things that will save you time in the end, plus you will probably mix more creatively.
After a little guess work and experimentation I managed to figure out the right level to print my mixes. Again the sub-woofer channel was tricky, but after burning a few trial DVDs trying different levels I got the hang of it.
I played some mixes I had done in my studio at Real World and Metropolis Studios and they sounded right. It shows you can produce your own surround sound music at a reasonable cost, even in a project studio.
There are hours worth of surround sound production tutorials available from all the major music software companies. Just visit your software makers web site to get started.
Of course the absolutely best way to mix music in surround sound is to go to a top recording studio. If you’re just starting out with surround sound, mix a track with the guidance of a highly trained professional engineer, who has experience with surround sound mixing.
There are great audio engineers who would (for a smallish fee) come to your project studio and ‘consult’ with you on the technical elements of your mix.
If you are producing a DVD for commercial release, it’s still best to get your project professionally mastered. Any decent music mastering facility can (to a point) rebalance your surround mix, so if you are a little heavy or light on the subs they can deal with it then.
Tips on ways to create your own visual content:
The quality you want to achieve is normally connected to the expectations of your audience.
With enough time and energy you can make videos using a consumer DV camera and Final Cut Pro (or PC equivalent). DV cameras are generally just not quite good enough for any ‘serious filming’, but if used creatively for certain situations it’s possible to pull it off. HD camera’s are much higher quality but still do cost a lot more to buy.
Live concerts and gigs can work well though. If you are doing a gig, ask around all the people you know and see how many DV cameras you could borrow. If you have four cameras set up around the club, one camera to roam around and some decent lighting on stage, you’re in business. Make sure the people operating the fixed cameras don’t mess around during the filming. No zooming and out or trying to track the movements on stage. Perfectly still videos are much better to edit. Then in your film editing software, you can cut between different angles and add zooms, even simulate camera movement.
There’s no guarantee, but if the actual performance is strong enough, some of the production values will be overlooked.
Done well enough, you can produce a DVD using still images, like a slide show – again a good film editing program allows you to animate still photos way beyond what one might think is possible.
There are some fantastic animation programs like Bryce 3D, and Cinema 4D that are worth looking into. Start producing convincing 3D text an logos.
Warren Suicide are a great ad-sample of a band who are embracing the audio – visual age. Their DVD was produced by them, and although they worked really hard on it, the finished DVD was not expensive to make, but is just as imaginative and entertaining as any big budget music DVD I’ve seen.
How do I get my mix on to a DVD?:
There are, as you can imagine, quite a few ways available.
The huge majority of DVD players in circulation use the DVD video format. So I recommend choosing Dolby 5.1 or DTS encoding, don’t worry too much about all the others. DTS sounds just as good to me, but I found more options were available with Dolby 5.1.
All you really need is Final Cut Pro and DVD studio Pro or the PC equivalents. DVD Studio Pro comes with a audio compression program called Apac. Apac allows you to compress your six channel mix into a single 5.1 file, ready to place on a DVD.
These programs are not cheap, but they are worth every penny if you’re considering commercially releasing your DVD. Between them you can edit and effect your video footage/audio content, add text, export the outcome in a format which is ready to be authored and finally burned on to a DVD. WOW! All in you back room – not bad.
Merv de Peyer is the Son of virtuoso Clarinettist Gervase de Peyer. He is a holder of a degree in Performance and Composition from the prestigious Berklee College Of Music.
After graduating Merv moved to New York to pursue a career as a jazz pianist, and studio musician.
Through his career he has consistently worked with entertainment’s largest names including: Miles Davis, Pharaoh Sanders, Eddie Murphy and Bernard Perdie.
He recorded then toured Cameo’s multi platinum album “Word Up”. And was recently commissioned to Compose, Score (for full orchestra), and Mix (in surround sound) the sound track to the world’s first 360-degree movie currently showing in Germany.
An accomplished producer and studio musician he has more than 100 major label records to his credit, ranging from working with artists like the Bernard Sumner, Johnny Marr super group Electronic, to mixing Mi Chico Latino, the first Geri Halliwell single to reach number.
For more info go to www.mervdepeyer.com
Article from articlesbase.com
Kermit the Frog sings “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” in New York City. Directed by Simon Owens. www.simonowens.com Better quality: www.youtube.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Reviews on Successful Road of Monster Beats Studio Headphones
August 29th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Nowadays more and more people begin to ask – What brand of headphones has Lady GAGA wore on her ears? The fashionable headphones whirlwind, however, is much stronger than you could imagine. Many stars and stylish people all swagger through the streets in their Monster Beats headphones. Even Monster Company himself has not expected that their products would have become so popular that Kobe Bryant was fined after post-game press conference for wearing his Monster Beats Studio headphones which he bought himself.
Since the first released, Monster Headphones has been linked to Fashion. Its sound quality is excellent; however, Monster sets an idea and concept to its products that: First it is Fashionable; then it is a pair of Headphones. Usually, people would buy something they do not need just for not being OUT. People use headphones widely in daily life; however, seldom someone will buy headphones just for not being OUT. All Monster wanted was to produce a “Fashionable Product” based on the idea of Fashion.
At first, Monster found a Grammy Awards winner Dr. Dre, discussing how to produce a fashionable headphone product. They finally set their aims in the Hip Hop category. As Hip-Hop & Rap is an important branch of nonlocal American fashionable culture, there are many rapper products and Hip-Hop & Rap culture consumer goods in America. This is a market full of strong public appeal and easily attracting the youngs to join and get fascinated.
Like cars having luxury brands, based on high starting point Monster released its first headphones – Studio, and kept its marketing strategy of Fashion. In view of Dr. Dre’s popularity in America, Studio headphones soon received much attention. And because of its excellent quality and built-in amplifier headphone design, Monster Beats Studio can easily drive iPod – the most popular MP3 player in America. Monster Beats received a lot of praise, and, more and more famous people began to choose Beats Studio as their company. It is not because that Beats Studio is better than that of other brand in the quality aspect, but Studio has been labeled itself Fashion since its beginning. For these famous people, they need to keep themselves fashionable at all times and they need a pair of good quality headphones too; thus, Monster Beats Studio headphones become their choice.
As a fashionable product, it must have a fashionable and unique appearance. As the first product of Monster headset, head-wearing type headphones come to the world. Before the very Monster headphones, headphones could be roughly divided into two types: one is high-end professional-grade headphones which are mostly used by people make a career in music, like brand AKG’s high-end monitoring headphones; the other type is best quality high-end headphones, what fanciers pursue, such as Sennheiser HD800. Beyond all doubt, these product have a common feature — splendid acoustic but inconvenient to carry. Other than high-end headphones, there are normal portable headphones which are quite small, and some of which are beautifully designed good looking product, however, still have some gaps in acoustic comparing with those high-end ones.
It is scarcely imaginable that someone fashionable wears a pair of big headphones without any fashion elements and wanders through the streets. However, Beats Studio comes at the right moment. First of all, Beats Studio has the moderate appearance, and taking American people’ body size into account, Studio has the moderate size. In the respect of wearing, though the built-in amplifier headphone designed Studio is a little heavier than normal headphones, you will not feel tight. As a kind of high quality headphone, Studio is very comfortable to wear — On-Ear memory foam and comfortable feeling leather. The unit shell has been done with high-light-reflecting processing. Though this process is challenge – easily to get fingerprint, Sudio’s light-reflecting is very skillfully as it is not reflecting light like a mirror and we will not easily notice that the shell gets fingerprint actually.
Secondly, Monster has designed a simple and easy-remember Logo for its own brand headphones. Complying with those mainstream fashionable consumer goods such as McDonald’s and Nike, they all have their won outstanding Logo as their company logo. These easy-remember logo make people tell these branded merchandise from others on the street or among similar products easily. In contrast, some other main world headphone brands, for example, Sennheiser and Audio-Technica, lack such a sharp logo.
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Last but not least, in the respect of wire design which Monster does best, their designers also stopped the unique branded design, for example, the above optional high-rank “Monster Wire”, it has the same red coat just as the Studio. Going with such an outstanding wire, how couldn’t the Studio catch passers-by’s attention?
Monster has been founded for decades; however, it takes only about two years to successfully run the headphones business. And at the end of 2008, Monster has become the No.1 selling brand on the American native land. Many stars use Monster product and there comes the strong wind of Monster.
It doesn’t matter that you do not know Sennheiser or Audio-Technica. But if you do not know Monster today, then you are OUT! When Kobe was fined US,000 because of his wearing Beats Studio on the press conference, when stars such as LeBron James and Lady Gaga wore Monster Beats headphones in public places, as a young person today, you cannot disregard for Monster, just like that it is impossible that you do NOT know Nike.
We have gone too far from the subject. We had better come back to the Bests Studio headphones. Just as you know, Studio is the first product that Monster team and Dr. Dre developed together. Today, on most Monster headphones there’s the logo of Dr. Dre’s head, and we should say that Dr. Dre is the REAL spokesman of Monster headphones. Dr. Dre himself is also a famous rapper and he had ever won the Grammy Adwards. We have no doubt that when designing this Studio, Dr. Dre offered his great ideas to make it more perfect. We all know that the popular music culture in America is relative bold, quite different from that in China, even in Asia. Rap, Rock and Metal are the three most popular elements in America, of which the tone requirements on headphones are similar. Thus, we usually classify some American brand headphone tone to “American Sound” and Studio is also a kind of headphones full of Native American features.
Studio is the flagship product of Monster, which shows the word “High-end” well, no matter from its materials or design. Though the headphones are dealt with high-light-reflecting processing which will easily get fingerprint, its Mirror-like appearance is so shinning that people cannot resist it. Moreover, the Monster headphone logo “b” on the headphone unit shell is very outstanding. This kind of simple symbol will easily impress anyone. In this aspect Audio-Technica does the same, however, you cannot deny that comparing with Studio, the product package of Audio-Technica is not that good.
Though Studio is big in size, it will not prevent people from wearing it on the streets. As you can see in the previous pictures of accessories, Monster provides Studio with a elliptic case which is convenient for people to carry everywhere. On the Studo body there are also folding and flexible joints. These joints are not fixed by screws but very compact. Just as what we say, we do not have to worry about the quality and workmanship of Studio.
Studio headphones use breathable memory foam on the earcups. In hot summer, however, people will of course feel oppressed by the heat and sweat. We advise that people wear Studio out when it is a little cool. Finally, let’s talk about the advantage of Studio. No matter how outstanding the Studio appearance is and how excellent its workmanship and materials are, there’s still the advantage – the weight of Studio. As a user, maybe on normal conditions you will not feel any pressure while wearing the Studio as there’s the soft memory foam. However, when you want to lift up your head you will find the Studio cannot well fix on your ears because it is too heavy and not tight. So when wearing the Studio on the street, you’d better keep your head steady.
Except as a high-end headset, Studio has some other intimate functions. Maybe it is that these added functions raise the weight. On the right shell there’s a button on the logo “b” which can switch it to silent mode. On some past functional noise reduction headphones there’s also this function. Now, with this function, does it mean that Studio is also a noise reduction headphone?
In fact that was not the case, or you only say half of it. Studio is a headset which can hold batteries. Take off the unit shell on left earcup, there’s the battery case. It should pay attention that only with batteries the Studio can work. Studio is not like other functional noise reduction headphones which can work without electricity and this gives users some inconvenience. Studio headphones use two 7# (AAA) batteries which you can buy in the supermarkets and convenience stores. However, we suggest you buy the rechargeable batteries if you use Studio a lot. According to Monster workers’ opinions, two full 7# (AAA) batteries can continuously support Studio for about 20 hours. If people listen with Studio for 2 hours, then Studio can support for 10 days and needs charged for 3 time a month. Also there’s a power switch on the side of silent button. When you turn off you will hear the tiny electric current sound which is made by Open-circuit, harmless to headphones itself and the sound will disappear later.
As we have mentioned above, Studio is pure “American Sound”. It has thick low frequency power to play the American’s favorite music which requires low frequency and transiently showing on details. Comparing with Tour, Studio is more “balance”. Voice is not so sharp as that of Tour, but integrates into the whole music, making the whole music more harmonious not overstressing on some parts. Otherwise, Comparing with the Tour headphones we have met, Studio voice is a little more “well behaved” as it cuts the limit sounds partially on both extreme and the whole music becomes not that wild but outstanding balancing voice.
Low frequency is still Studio’s focus – performing pretty good in low frequency. Not like Tour, Studio low frequency is thicker and simpler, no exaggerating descending but just meeting the needs of music like Hip-Hop. High frequency is one of the aspects that we have criticized on Tour – it is too sharp and not pleasant at all. While Studio pays more attention to balance and low frequency – a little “overcompensation” on the high frequency, balanced and a little lacking of details. Therefore, as a whole Studio voice is centered in medium frequency and low frequency which is not very suitable for who like bright soprano voice.
Today, acoustic is not the only yardstick for a GOOD HEADPHONE; For the young users, especially hipop fans and NBA fans, the outward appearance is also one of the standards for a GOOD HEADPHONE, and even a crucial standard. As a new emerging force in headphone industry, Monster products lay equal stress on both appearance and acoustic. On the basis of ensuring appearance and acoustic, Noise Reduction function has been added to the flagship product in the Monster range – Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio, which meets high level customers’ requirements and brings them much more satisfaction. It is not a strange thing to accept that Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio becomes the favorite choice for many stars. This article is written by hotsalesmart.com;
without the permission, do not reprint and offenders will be held liable. Thanks!
Today, Hotsalesmart.com focus on headphones business for almost 3 years, We provide Professional Beats by Dr. Dre headphones with competitive price and high quality. All items Made by OEM factory in China. Brand new with original packaging.
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Hotsalesmart.com focus on headphones business for almost 3 years, We provide Professional Beats by Dr. Dre headphones with competitive price and high quality. All items Made by OEM factory in China. Brand new with original packaging.
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Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song” (Studio Session) LIVE!!!!
August 27th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
www.billboard.com Bruno Mars performs “The Lazy Song” in this extended session of Billboard’s Tastemakers series LIVE at Mophonics Studios NY.
‘Rolling In The Deep’ is the first single from ADELE’s new album, ’21′. This is studio footage from the album recording sessions in Malibu, California. For more information go to adele.tv
Top 10 Computer Sound Card Problems and Troubleshooting Tips
August 25th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Sounds card problems that do not always require a replacement card or a new driver can be difficult and frustrating to resolve. Learn more about partial sound card failures and how to resolve them.
Fault 1: quiet sound
1. Speaker power opened? Speaker wire inserted yet? If you have headphones, you can use headphones to test.
2. To set the “quiet” it? Click the bottom right corner of the sound small icon (a small loudspeaker), there volume control slider, below the “mute” option, click the front of the check box, clear the check mark box.
3. The volume moved to the minimum? The volume slider in the above,drag it up.
4. Is after installed Direct X that the sound card can not be audible ? that means this sound card is not compatibie good with Direct X,and need to update the driver.
5. Is a channel mute it? Check the sound card to frequency line of speaker audio cable whether have the broken line.Check the master volume control panel inside the “acoustic” and “master volume” buttons adjust the balance is not in the middle. I once changed the winamp settings becomes a channel, then change back and it’s ok. Another time was not plugged the audio cable,also presents a sound track.
6.Have installed the sound card drivers? Installed correctly?
Before conducting operations, first of all is to be ready to sound card driver disk and the installation CD of operating system (here we Win98 example), and then follow these steps:
The first method is automatically added to the sound card:
First, right-click “My Computer”, select “Properties” command, then click “Device Manager” tab, select “View devices by type.”
Second, the “Sound, video and game controllers” were marked with a cross or exclamation mark items which should be deleted, then click “Refresh” command or restart the Canon BP-827 computer.
Third, Refresh (or restart the system), the system will generally find new hardware, and the emergence of a new hardware dialog box asks you to install the drivers for it. Asked the driver path in the time, please insert the appropriate disk drive, and then click “Disk” button. In the pop-up dialog box, enter or select the disk drive letter (of course, you can click “Browse” button in the dialog that appears select the drive letter and path to disk), click “OK” button, the installation driver.
Driver installed, the operating system will find their own sound card, and then automatically install the driver that best matches. If the sound card still can not sound, can be in the “Device Manager” remove “Sound, video and game controllers” the following items, then use Method 2 to install the driver.
The second method, manually add the sound card:
First, choose “Start → Settings → Control Panel”, double-click “Control Panel” window “Add New Hardware” program.
Second, In the “Add New Hardware” wizard, the system will ask you if automatic detection and configuration of new hardware, select “No”, then click “Next” button, Windows will list all the optional hardware installed equipment.
Third, In the “hardware type” choose “Sound, video and game controllers” option, click “Next” button, enter the path selection interface, the fourth step, click the “Disk” button, select the path where the driver, install the sound card driver.
If the above method does not make you sound card back to normal, please be hit once again remove the cross or exclamation mark in the relevant projects with access methods
Method 3, to resolve conflicts:
First check the sound card if there is a resource conflict with other hardware, especially the sound card’s IRQ value, suggest that the sound card occupy IRQ 9 or 10. Then in the “Device Manager” option page to find the existence of “other devices detected” or “unknown device” option, after found the options above (Windows 98 will not recognize the device are placed here), with the mouse double-click them and delete with a sound, midi, wave the words of the project, and then restart the computer, then install the driver (method see below). Sometimes, open the “Device Manager”, although no yellow exclamation point (sign of conflict), but the CANON NB-5L sound is not audible, in fact, there is conflict, but the system did not check out
Method 4, to modify the registry: Sound card driver installed, if the “Sound,video and game controllers” in the options with an exclamation mark, you can modify the registry way to solve this problem.
First, select the options that are not normal, click the “Properties”, select the “driver”, pop up a dialog box shows the options of these are not normal driver information.
Second, click the “Driver Details” button in the “driver files” list box lists the driver details. If these drivers have the extension “.386″ file, remember the name of the file.
Third, using Sysedit or Edit to open C: Windows folder in the System.ini file, look in the System.ini file that you just remember the file name, in all those file names containing the command line by adding a ” ; “or” Rem “characters, so the command line will fail.
Forth, is to run the Registry Editor Regedit, find the branch in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System Current Control Set Services Class MEDIA contains the file name you remember the key, double-click them, and then press the keyboard “Delete” key to remove it from the registry. Restart the computer, then the problem should be resolved.
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7. Sound card broken? Motherboard Questions? This is the worst result, you can plug in for a good sound card to try.
Fault 2: excessive noise sound card
Common causes of such failures occur:
1. Card is not right. As the chassis manufacturing precision is not evry high, The bad sound baffle manufacturing or the installment bad cause the sound card not to be able to unify closely with the motherboard expansion slot, on the visual obvious sound card “Gold Finger” has the dislocation with the expansion slot reed. This phenomenon is in ISA or PCI card, are common faults. Generally used pliers correction.
2. Active Speaker Speaker input connectedto the sound card output. For the active speaker, should be connected to the sound card’s Line out side, its output signal without sound card amplifier, noise is much smaller. Some only one output card is still Speaker Line out jumpers on the card depends on the decision, factory default is often Speaker, so unplug the sound card to adjust the jumper.
3.Windows driver that comes with bad. When installing the sound card driver, choose “drivers provided by the manufacturer,” and not to vote for “Windows default driver” If “Add New Hardware” in the way of the installation, choose “Disk” instead of from the list box choice.If you have already installed the Windows own driver, choose “Control Panel → System → Device Manager → voice, video and game controllers” sub-point device, select “Properties → Driver → Driver → Change from disk Installation. ” Then insert the card with the disk or CD-ROM, load the driver provided by the manufacturer.
4. Play the video can, play MP3 No, you can put inside the audio Jieba hero to normal 22050 Hz on the line.
Fault 3: Sound Card can not “plug and play”
1. Try to use the new driver or an alternative program. I once had a sound card, under the Windows 98 disk with the original driver how to install the driver has not installed, the only place with a Creative SB16 driver, everything is normal.Then upgrade to Windows Me, not to normal and back to using Windows2000 (Full Edition) comes before the sound card drivers properly.
2. The most headaches than detected under Windows 9X Plug and Play devices has chosen to given a free hand to help you install the driver, the driver side is not used, after re-install every time you delete will repeat this problem, and not use the “Add new hardware” solutions. I reveal here a unique offerings secret trick: Go to Win9xinfother directory, the *. inf file on the sound card and then restart all deleted manually after the installation, this was 100% efficacious, the sound card has saved countless lives … … of course, modify the registration table can achieve the same purpose.
3. Does not support the PnP sound card installed (also applies to not use these PnP means PnP sound card installed): enter “control surfaces”, “Add New Hardware” Next, when prompted “need Windows searches for new hardware required it? “, Select” No “, then choose from the list of the” Sound, video and game controllers “use the driver disk or directly select the sound card type to install.
Fault 4: Play CD silent
1. Completely silent. Using Windows 98′s “CD Player” CD release silent, but “CD player” works at the normal, indicating that the audio cable is not connected drives good.Using a 4-core CD-ROM audio cable to connect analog audio output and sound card CD-in can be, this line in the purchase of CD-ROM will be included.Can use other software players may also be resolved.
2. Double-click the far right below the volume control, master volume in the pop-up panel to see CD column is not selected the mute or volume is minimal.
3.Only one channel to speak out. I usually drive about two line output signal, the middle ground the two lines. Since the audio signal line, 4 lines of different colors usually can be found from the line of color-one correspondence Interface. If only one sound card interface and audio interface or each line did not match, had to change the order of the audio line connection, usually only the two lines on which you can change.There may be the CD’s volume control bar is not balanced in the middle section
Fault 5: PCI sound card appears sonic boom
PCI cards are generally used because of technical causes hang Bus Master PCI bus hard disk read and write, mouse and other operations to enlarge the background noise’s sake.
Solution: Turn off the Bus Master PCI cards feature, and replaced with AGP graphics card, sound card for the PCI slot.
Fault 6: not the normal recording
First check if there is wrong plug into the SANYO DB-L20 microphone jack on the other (usually the other end of the headset is a microphone plugged into a red box red that port, or you see they have a MIC logo, if not understand, try to change the plug test), and second, double-click the small speaker on the status bar (lower right side in most, if not found, you point “start” – “Control Panel” – “Sounds and Audio Devices” – in “place the volume icon in the taskbar” before the tick), the interface that appears, select “Options” – “Properties” → “recording” in the below “Show the following volume controls”, select “microphone” – “OK” in the “microphone” in the “Select “playing in front of the bait on it.
And then “Control Panel → Multimedia → equipment” adjust “mixer device” and “Line equipment”, set them to “use” status. If the “Multimedia → Audio” in the “Recording” option is grayed bad it may, of course, is not no room for saving, you can try the “Add New Hardware → Systems and Equipment” in the Add “ISA Plug andPlaybus”, simply the sound card software installation tool with the card after restart.
Check if there is some problem with headphones (Start – All Programs – Accessories – Entertainment – recorder, see if I could record), if recorded, that is set up correctly, or if the other party can not hear, there may be other settings are not correct, or that chat software problems, for a chat software to try. If not recorded, can put your headphones, try to get other computers. The worst result is that sound card or motherboard problems.
Fault 7: Can not Play Wav’s, Midi Music
Can not play Wav music phenomenon is rare, often due to “Multimedia” → “equipment” under the “audio equipment” more than one, you can disable a; can not play MIDI files may have the following three kinds of possibilities:
1. The early ISA sound card possibly is because 16 patterns are incompatible with 32 patterns cause the MIDI broadcast not to be normal, By way of installing the software wave table to be possible to solve the problem.
2. Today, most of the popular PCI sound card with wavetable synthesis technology, if the MIDI part cannot paly is very likely because you do not load the appropriate wave table sound library.
3.Windows volume control in the MIDI channel is set to silent mode.
Fault 8: PCI sound card is not normally used in WIN98
Some people reflected in the sound card driver installation process as usual, there is no conflict occurs, but is unable to speak in the WIN98 or following other failures occur.This phenomenon usually occurs in the PCI sound card, please check during the installation process Which PCI slot your PCI sound card to insert in. Some friends for thermal considerations, like the sound card inserted away from the AGP slot, near the ISA slots that several PCI slots. The problem often occurs here, because there is a Windows98 Bug: sometimes can only be inserted correctly identify the PCI-1 and two slots PCI-2 sound card. ATX motherboard in the two next to AGP is the PCI-1 PCI and PCI-2 (in some ATX motherboard the contrary, close to the ISA is the PCI-1), so if you do not have the PCI sound card installed in the correct slot, the problem will be generated.
Fault 9: trumpet missing
Start – Settings – Control Panel – double-click the Multimedia – audio – choose “Show volume control on the taskbar”,and it’s ok.
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Music video by LCD Soundsystem performing Drunk Girls.
The Fundamentals of Sound
August 23rd, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
All sound comes from vibrations. These vibrations move through the air as waves. Imagine waves in water, ripples moving through a pond. Instead of these waves moving through the water, imagine them being pushed through the air. This is how sound would appear, if we could see it.
Sound waves are longitudinal waves, with alternating levels of compression and rarefaction. We can see these in graphic forms called waveforms.
The movement of sound is called vibration. Sound is pushed and pulled (compression and rarefaction), causing it to vibrate back and forth. The sound vibrates around the place where it initially was before the sound wave arrived. This original place of origin is called the equilibrium.
Sound has the ability to move through any form; gases, liquids or solids. The object which the sound is traveling through is the medium. Sound cannot exist if it has nothing to travel through, no medium. For this reason, sound couldn’t exist in outer space, as this is a vacuum, containing no gases, liquids or solids, therefore nothing to carry sound.
How do we create sound? Sounds are formed by vibrating an object. For example, when we strike a guitar string with a plectrum, it vibrates up and down. The vibration causes a sound by moving the air around it. As the string moves up, the air above it is compressed, and when the string moves down, the air moves with it and expands. The compressing and expanding of the air produces differences in air pressure. The differences in pressure in the air, moving away from the guitar string, create a wave of sound. This is how the guitar produces a sound that we can hear. The sounds we can hear vary as our ears are subject to various characteristics.
Often we are tasked with characterizing sounds. When describing sounds, we often use words like; loud, quiet, soft, harsh, high and low. We characterize sounds in terms of volume and pitch. The scientific equivalent of this is: amplitude or intensity and frequency. There are some characterizations that the human ear cannot detect. For example, the human ear is unable to detect the wavelength of a sound. Despite us not being able to hear the wavelength of a sound, we can see it when the sound is represented as a wave.
The amplitude of the wave is the difference in pressure as the sound wave passes. As we increase the amplitude of a sound, we increase the volume of the sound, making it louder, just as we would increase the volume on a radio. Similarly, as we decrease the amplitude, we are making the sound quieter. Amplitude can be expressed in a visual form.
Waves carry energy, this is how they move. So it’s logical to assume the higher the energy of the wave, the higher the amplitude, and thus, the louder the sound. Correct! Therefore the lower the energy of the wave, the lower the amplitude, and the quieter the sound. The intensity of the sound dictates the perception of its loudness. Relative sound intensities are often measured in units named decibels (dB).
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As we’ve seen in pictures of waves, a wave is essentially made up of a repeating shape, or cycle. Frequency refers to the number of cycles of a sound in a second. If a sound wave has a high frequency, then the sound will have a high pitch. Conversely, if a sound has a low frequency, it will be low pitched. Just as we measure sound intensity in a unit called decibels, we measure sound frequency in Hertz.
One Hertz refers to the number of cycles per second. Increasing the frequency of a sound, thus increasing the amount of cycles per second, leaves us with a higher pitched sound. As we decrease the frequency, decreasing the amount of cycles per second, we are left with a lower pitched sound. The human ear can only detect sounds within our range. Human hearing is generally limited to frequencies between 12 Hz and 20 kHz (20,000 Hz). The limits, however, are not definite and are subject to variation. The upper limit generally decreases with age, meaning; the older we get, the less likely we are to detect high pitched sound. The limits of human hearing are not shared throughout all species. Dogs are able to detect sound vibrations higher than 20 kHz. This is why humans are unable to hear the sound that a dog whistle produces.
The nearer we are to the source of a sound, the louder we perceive the sound to be. If a sound is to travel a long distance, then the sound needs to start loud. As the sound wave moves through the air, the sound wave gets smaller as it moves away from the origin (equilibrium). The wave gets continuously smaller because the wave is spreading out; this is called spreading loss.
This loss occurs because the total amount of energy in a wave remains the same as the wave spreads from the source. When the wave gets bigger, and the sound increases in volume, the energy of the wave must spread to fill it. Therefore, the energy per unit length of the wave must get smaller. The height of amplitude decreases as the energy per unit length of the wave gets smaller.
Spreading loss isn’t the only reason that sound weakens as it moves. There’s also sound absorption. Just as a sponge can absorb a liquid, sound gets absorbed as it travels through a medium. Sound is caught by the molecules within the medium. The amount of absorption depends on the frequency of the sound. A high frequency sound has many cycles per second, therefore the particles in the medium are vibrating at a more rapid pace.
As we’ve discovered, waves vibrate and sound moves. But how fast does sound move? The answer is relative to the medium of the sound. Sounds travel faster through water than they do through air. Sound travels through water at approximately 1500 metres per seconds, but it travels through air at approximately 344 metres per second. Simple? Unfortunately not. The answer is realistically not that simple. The speed of sound is subject to many variables and is always subject to change.
The temperature affects the movement of sound. Heat, just like sound, is kinetic energy. Molecules at higher temperatures contain more energy and vibrate faster. Because the molecules vibrate faster, they allow sound waves to travel quicker. This means the higher the temperature, the faster sound can travel through it. Theoretically, if you were placed equidistant from a sound source, in the desert, and in the Arctic, you’d hear the sound quicker in the desert.
Temperature isn’t the only variable to affect sound. Humidity also affects the speed of sound. Humidity makes the air denser. When the air is dense, the air particles are tightly packed together. The particles are so tightly packed, that they vibrate more rapidly, allowing sound to be able to travel through the dense air quicker. Again, this is why there is no sound in space; because the air has no density, the sound has nothing to travel through.
In the simplest situations, sound travels in a straight line. However, interactions between sound and medium can make the transmission of sound more complicated, resulting in three effects; reflection, refraction and scattering.
You have experienced sound reflection, commonly attributed to an echo. An echo is simply a reflection of sound. Hard, smooth surfaces can reflect sounds; the reflection we hear is an echo. We are only able to hear an echo in specific environments, for example in a canyon. We hear an echo here because we’re surrounded by hard surfaces to reflect the sound. When in a field we cannot hear an echo, as there’s nothing to reflect the sound.
Sound refraction occurs when a sound wave enters a medium where the speed is different. This causes sound waves to bend from their original direction. Refraction is caused by sound entering the new medium at an angle. Because of the angle, part of the wave enters the new medium first and changes speed. The difference in speeds causes the wave to bend.
That concludes our introduction to sound. Hopefully now you’ve gained a more detailed understanding of what sound is, and how sound works.
Article first published as The Fundamentals of Sound on Technorati.
I like writing things. I hope you like reading them. We’d make a great couple.
If you happen to have stumbled across my stuff completely by accident, you should most definitely read everything and tell all your friends. And if you navigated here completely by choice then I’d assume you’ve already told everyone you know of my unmitigated brilliance. Or not. Either way, I hope you’re amused. I know I am.
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009 Sound System – Space and Time
August 21st, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Great song To get the wallpaper just go to google and search dock or if you have vista it should already be on your computer.
The Best Sleep Music – Sound Machines for Restful Sleeping
August 19th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Sleep music and white noise sound machines are used for sound masking, as usual when having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, due to external sounds. There are several manufacturers on the market, with everything from cheapy white noise machines to moderately expensive machines which deliver quality sound, ensuring a restful good nights sleep for even the most light sleeper.
White noise machines are also very conducive to people who struggle with sleep disorders such as insomnia or restlessness. The many sounds which a quality machine can discharge can definitely be helpful in inducing sleep, as well as obstructing nighttime noises that can interrupt sleep.
Another person who would prefer these machines are those who have to sleep with one who snores. Despite many wonderful products on the market today to alleviate snoring, it still occurs regularly with many people. A quality sound machine can mask such burdensome snoring sounds.
Another possible use for a sound machine is in an open concept office, where even low volume talking from co-workers several yards away can be disturbing to your concentration.
So, here are the top selling, and most highest rated sleep music and white noise sound machines on Amazon today.
1. Ecotones Duet Adaptive Therapy Sleep Sound Machine
The Ecotones unit is very well designed. It provides attractive sound with a separate woofer and tweeter mounted on top. .
The sounds provided are of admirable quality. Unlike lesser quality units, which consistently use a recording that keeps repeating and soon proves bothersome, these recordings, which Ecotones calls sound stories, go on for thirty minutes before repeating. It is implicitly impossible to determine when sound story finishes and then starts up again.
There are several different sounds to choose from including something called city… so a city dweller who is away from home can feel right at home! However, the ever familiar meadow, brook, the crackling fireplace, waterfall, ocean, are all extremely comforting. For something different, try the train, or meditation. There also is a plain vanilla white noise setting, if you wish.
The response feature, whereupon the microphone picks up ambient sounds like coughing and snoring and adjusts the volume accordingly, works extremely well.
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A unique feature to Ecotones is the ‘richness’ setting. Adjusting this on your sound story will result in variations of your sleep music. A nice feature allowing you to customize your own personal sound stories.
2. Sound Oasis s3000 Sound Therapy System
This deluxe model features 20 main sounds & 5 mix sounds, which can create 120 sound environment possibilities. It features 3 speakers (including subwoofer), which results in champion sound quality. It also has an AM/FM stereo radio with 3 presets and a backlit, dual 12/24 hour clock with 3 alarm sounds complete with digital calendar.
There’s a timer with 4 positions: continuous, 30 min., 60 min. and 90 min. with gentle-off, plus a nap timer. Most captivating is the proprietary ‘Bio-Sync’ sound, a random jumble of what sounds like musical notes, wind chimes, voices, and more. While it sounds strange, it is incredibly soothing. You can adjust the Bass and Treble. The sound of the speakers are rich and deep without being at max settings but if you turned it all the way up it would be really loud
The “memo” track is unique in the sound machines tested here – it lets you record up to 15 seconds and plays it over and over again. You can use this as an alarm too if you wish. The capabilities are endless as to what you can use that one feature for.
3. Marpac SleepMate 980A
This is the least expensive sound machine, but it is also a white noise machine only… no collection of sounds. There are advantages and disadvantages… the main advantage is, there is zero chance you will hear a sound looping!
There are two rings on the unit which control the tone and to some degree the volume of the white noise:
1. A Top Ring – You can adjust this ring to allow the anywhere from 3 to 8 holes to be exposed, thereby affecting the sound level.
2. A Base Ring – Allowing a larger opening into the unit when adjusting this ring will create a lower tone. Making the opening smaller will create a higher tone. Again, adjust the ring to your liking.
One of the most effective things for a successful use of this machine is where you place it. Marpac recommends putting it away from you, such as on a dresser across the room. This seems to make the sound bounce around the room and give you a fuller feel of the sound. For some, this won’t generate a loud enough sound, so if you wish, you could put it on the nightstand right next to you and enjoy a loud hissing sound.
4. Ecotones Adaptive Sound Therapy Machine
The grand daddy of all sleep therapy machines, this is THE most exquisite of all those we tried. This unit features twelve Sound Stories which include: Soothing Seaside, Calming Waves, Babbling Brook, Gentle Rain, Distant Thunderstorm, Nature’s Meadow, Crackling Fireplace, Warming Campfire, Relaxing Fan, Big City Background, Restful Train Ride and Pure Meditation.
The unit’s speaker pair and a 2.4-liter sound chamber have been tuned to produce a full range of quality sound that is simply amazing.
This unit, like it’s baby brother the Duet, features the adaptive sound technology that will step-up volumes to mask outside (interfering) noise. It works extremely well and is most useful if you live near a noisy street or even if you have a snorer in the room! But this machine also includes a manual mode (stays at user present level) and a background mode which comes on when the room is quiet and automatically dims when conversation is present. This is the “Cadillac” of sleep music sound machines!
5. Marsona TSC-330 White Noise Travel Sound Conditioner
Here’s a small-ish sound machine that you can take on the road with you. Who hasn’t been in a hotel/motel room and been aggravated by noisy guests next door? The Marsona TSC-330 White Noise Travel Sound Conditioner has rain, waterfall, and surf sounds.
This machine is about the size of a thick paperback novel, so is definitely smaller than competitors “non-travel” sound machines. However, it does have a beefy AC adapter with the power brick on the end. It fits fine in a standard suitcase, but if you’re only taking a small overnight bag, then it does take up a bit more room than you’ll probably like. The unit does have a battery pack so you can leave the AC adapter at home, but it too is somewhat massive.
The sound is very good for such a small unit; base is surprisingly healthy and the unit comes with it’s own travel pouch.
So there you have it, the best of the sleep music and white noise sound machines. See detailed specs and prices, along with other owners reviews, at my website.
See specifications and sale prices now at Sleep Music Mate and prepare yourself for a restful night’s sleep!
Article from articlesbase.com
How to choose the right Dance Studio
August 17th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Choosing The Right Dance Studio For Learning Salsa
This article outlines questions to ask oneself when selecting a dance studio to learn Salsa Dancing brought to you by DanceSalsaInToronto.com
When choosing a particular dance studio for Salsa or a dance studio in general one should evaluate the following questions below. The way you answer the questions below will determine the type of dance studio for you to enroll in to your Salsa classes.
What is your purpose in seeking a dance studio offering Salsa Classes?
This question is the most important one when choosing a Salsa dance studio. If your answer is to learn how to Salsa dance for fun than want to ensure that the dance studio and the staff create that environment. There are dance studios out there that are ran more like a boot camp format and also some dance studios that go at a very relax pace for those who enroll as a casual hobby.
If you want to learn proper leading and following techniques in your Salsa dance studio than you should interview your instructors a little more pertaining to their experience in Salsa dancing and Salsa dancing instructions in the dance studio. Don’t hesitate to ask your Salsa dance instructors it the dance studio about his or her thoughts on these topics. Ask your instructors at the dance studio about their thoughts on Salsa dancing styles, leading, following, and their definitions of beginner, intermediate, and advance at the dance studio. You will find that every Salsa instructor and almost every dance studio has a different perspective on Salsa dancing.
If you are learning how to dance to compete than be sure to ask your Salsa instructor and the dance studio’s experience on preparing choreographies. Just because one is a good dancer does not mean that they can choreograph the same way.
If you want to learn how to dance with proper techniques ask your instructor on how they feel about dance techniques. If one wants to dance Salsa socially outside of the dance studio than there should be no movements taught in the Salsa class that involved having to memorizing turn patterns. Every move has to be lead and be followed without memorizing steps. Make sure that you pay attention to how the Salsa turn patterns are being taught at the dance studio.
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Ensure that the instructor’s philosophies are congruent with yours at the dance studio.
Some dance studios will teach you the essence of dancing and some dance studios and instructors will teach one how to dance with precise and correct techniques. Once again explore the philosophies of the Salsa dance studio.
Is the environment of the Salsa dance studio suitable for you?
Ask yourself how you feel about the environment of the dance studio. Does it give a warm feeling; does it make you want to dance when you are at the dance studio? Are the students and staff welcoming when you arrived at the Salsa dance studio? Ensure that your Salsa instructor, staff and students at the dance studio make you feel welcomed consists. Ensure that the ambience suits you when selecting a dance studio. The environment at the studio should make you feel welcomed and want to instantly dance whenever you are there.
Also ask your instructor at the dance studio about the size of the Salsa classes. The size should be reason so that the instructor could pay attention to every student at the dance studio during classes. If you notice that classes are very large and there is no enough room to move than you should question if profit is the only factor behind the dance studio.
What is the proximity of the dance studio from you? If the dance studio is too far you may not feel motivated to attend your Salsa classes. Therefore make sure you choose a dance studio that is close enough for you to want to attend your Salsa classes.
What are the monthly fees and programs available at the dance studio?
Once should find out what the monthly budget would be to enroll oneself in a Salsa dance studio. Most Salsa dance studios offer packages that are tailored to individuals’ budgets. Do not hesitate to ask the dance studio regarding discounts if you enroll in more than one semester or program at the dance studio.
Find out the type of lessons that are offered in your Salsa Dance Studio. Different lesson types include group, semi, and private classes. Also find out about how often the instructor and dance studios go out to Salsa socials with their students.
Ensure that you are comfortable with the fees that you have paid for your Salsa programs at the dance studio. One should not feel pressured by the staff of the dance studio with up selling techniques.
Why do you want to learn how to dance?
Ensure that you understand how why you want to learn how to dance Salsa. This will be your main motivator to going to your Salsa classes at the dance studio. Some people enroll in dance classes at dance studios for fun, some to really learn how to dance professionally, and some enroll to compete.
There are also social benefits when enrolling in a Salsa dance studio. Being a student in a dance studio is similar to having a membership to a golf club. It will fulfill your physical as well as social needs. Being a member of a dance studio will quickly help you extend your social circle and make new friends. These friends from the dance studio will likely be whom you will be going to Salsa clubs and socials with.
All the points above should be evaluated when choosing a Salsa dance studio and a Salsa instructor. They may not be hard questions to answer, however only yourself would have answers to those questions. The answers and reasons will vary from person to person which is why so many dance studios exist.
In summary:
Your dance studio’s philosophies should match yours
Your dance studios’ instructors teaching methods must be suitable for you
Your dance studio should offer the experience in the object that you have for Salsa dancing
Your dance studio should teach how to properly lead and follow rather than memorizing turns
Your dance studio’s environment should make you feel comfortable
Your dance studio should be within reasonable proximity from you
Your dance studio staff and student should make you feel consistently welcomed
Your dance studio’s fees should fit in your budget
Your dance studio should offer classes that are suitable for you
Your dance studio should have class sizes that are reasonable
William Lu (Program Coordinator, Assistant Instructor)
William’s background is in business management and IT. He is the co-founder of Call4PcHelp an IT consulting firm providing services to his GTA clientele. His interest in Salsa dancing spawned in 2006 where he was invited to a party with a theme of Salsa dancing. Not knowing how to even spell “Salsa”, he immediately subscribed for a Salsa crash course 2 weeks prior to the event. Through many days of intense training he was able to lead a few basic turn patterns. Due to his busy entrepreneurial work schedule he has departed from Salsa training until 2008. Being passionate in martial arts, he wanted to find other activities that will complement his progression and passion in his martial arts training. It is then he gave Salsa another try.
At that moment he met his current instructor Yared Rodriguez. His interest for Salsa spiked again after seeing how his teacher danced. He was amazed at how Yared could make the simplest turn pattern looked really advanced. He thought that the style of his teacher was spectacular as to how he can fuse various different styles of Salsa without being restricted by their “styles” using Cuban Salsa as the foundation. Every turn pattern and body movement performed was in sync with the music that is being played. It was at the moment where William’s Salsa goals were established.
William is still training with Yared Rodriguez to date to continue to enhance his techniques in Salsa dancing.
Article from articlesbase.com
Revenge Nightclub, Broghton – Sound & Lighting Installation
August 15th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Located in the heart of Brighton, UK, the Revenge nightclub is one of the South coast’s premier gay venues. With an ongoing project of refurbishing the club, Showtec was contacted to design a new lighting system for the Box Bar on the 2nd Floor. The system needed to be something which would make the venue stand out from its competitors, offering something never seen before in the area.
The first idea we came up with was to get rid of the existing dj box from the corner of the room and move it to the centre of the back wall. This way we could create a strong focal point which put the emphasis on the Dj or the performer. From this we then designed an LED ceiling which would rise up the wall behind the Dj and run across the ceiling over the dancefloor, covering a total of 36 square metres. This would then be complimented by a series of LED battons mounted on the side walls, which was designed to surround the customers with moving light.
The first job was to move the dj box to the new position. Our team of engineers and electricians removed the existing fuse board from the dj box, along with all the sound system cables which would need to be re-used. These were then routed under the floor to the new position so the old box could be dismantled. The new dj box was built from scratch and incorporated a laser cut logo in the face of the box which would be back lit by two LED battons. By building the new dj box larger than the existing unit, we allowed space to house the new lighting control system and the driver boxes required for the LED systems.
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Once the Dj box was built construction on the ceiling started. In order to get the best results, a false ceiling was constructed to compensate for the uneven surface of the existing ceiling. This would also give us a smooth wooden surface to fix the LEDs to. Once the false ceiling was finished, the spacing for the LEDs was marked out and the LED node holders were screwed up. It was decided that the LEDs would be spaced 100mm apart lengthways, and 200mm apart widthways. This gave us a higher resolution than the standard 200mm spacing we have used before, allowing the reproduction of higher quality graphics and visuals.
For the LEDs we decided to use the iColour Flex SLX from Philips Colour Kinetics range. These units offer a high brightness at a reasonable cost with various options on spacing and lenses. By using the clear lenses we were able to produce a more ‘industrial’ feel to the overall effect. In total, 36 strings of 50 LEDs were used over the 9m x 4m area, giving us 1800 individually controllable LEDs. These LEDs were driven using 5 Colour Kinetics sPDS-480ca driver boxes mounted in a rack within the new Dj box.
To add to the effect of the ceiling, a series of 1200mm long LED battons were fitted to the side wall to carry the lighting effect on down the walls. By building out the walls, we were able to make the battons sit flush with the wall, creating a smooth finish with no protruding edges. 10 battons were fitted to each side wall, each of which contained 18 separate LED segments, each with full RGB control.
For the control system, we decided to use a computer based system running Ecue Lighting Application Suite. This offered a perfect solution to the large number of DMX channels that was required. The ceiling along with the battons and the exsiting Martin MX-4 scanners in the venue used approximately 6,500 DMX addresses. By using the new version 5 of the Ecue software, we were able to connect directly to the Philips driver boxes using the KINet protocol. This enabled us to reduce the amount of DMX output devices required, keeping costs to a minimum. The computer running Ecue was fitted with two network cards, one to run the KINet network for the ceiling drivers, the other to run the ArtNet network for the DMX output devices to run the battons and MX-4s. Two Ecue Butler Silvers were used for DMX output, each of which running two universes. In total, 16 universes of DMX were created in order to handle all of the channels required.
To entice customers up into the newly refurbished room, we fitted two more strings of Philips LEDs along the sides of the staircase to create a welcoming effect that gave people a taste of what to expect. By producing moving light running up the stairs, customers are encouraged to follow the flowing light up into the venue.
Once all of the equipment was fitted, the floor was sanded and varnished and new stair nosings were fitted around the club to finish off the installation and give the room a final finishing touch. Two solid of programming later, and the finished effect looks stunning! The ceiling and walls give the effect of being surrounded by light, truly immersing the customers in the experience. The dj box provides a new centre of attention, emphasising the importance of the dj and music played.
Overall, the finished system is truly unique and has created a real buzz in the nightlife of Brighton.
More information can be found here.
Jon is a technical lighting designer at www.showtec.co.uk, Showtec are a nightclub & bar lighting installation company based in the south of England that offers nationwide nightclub lighting & sound installation sevices. This article relates to Showtec’s sound and lighting installation of Revenge Nightclub.
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Hire a reliable sound system to add thrill to your occasion
August 13th, 2011
Posted in Radio & TV
Be it parties or any events such as wedding, corporate functions or a school annual event, DJs play an essential role to pep up the event and make it lively as well as memorable. An event or occasion becomes lively only when a DJ plays right kind of music or songs along with the appropriate DJ equipment. These DJ equipments no doubt are important to make an occasion successful and unforgettable. The DJ Equipment hire can rightly work in favor of a DJ to generate quality sound.
Right kind of DJ equipments will entertain as well as keep up the energy level high among audiences. Many Disc jockeys prefer computerized equipments that can ensure the smooth transition between music tracks. There are wide ranges of DJ equipments available including DJ mixer, turntables, surround sound speakers, amplifiers, multi-level CD decks, sound processors, sound meter, graphic equalizers, beat counter, sampler, midi controllers, time-coded system, and needles that you can hire through online medium. The sound system hire can add vibrancy to a party.
The sound equipment rental includes the PA system hire, AV hire, plasma screen hire, DJ equipment hire, staging hire and much more. Most birthday parties, weddings, corporate events hire PA to provide a live or recorded music. Basically, the PA stands for public address system. It is an important device that electronically amplifies any sound source. From a speech to play music, a dance hall will require to use a PA. The most basic PA comprises of loudspeakers, an amplifiers and a proper mixer. These PAs are found at concerts and mega events. Meanwhile, the PA system differs from one another. If you are using a PA in a birthday party, then the same PA won’t be enough for a concert or a mega event. The large area of an even requires large PAs.
Staging hire services are rightly available on the web. These sound equipments can be hired for any kind of events. It becomes very necessary to hire the perfect live sound production. A good surround sound can make the experience of an event full of fun. Before hiring the Sound Equipment Installation, make sure you conduct a research. A reputable sound equipment rental services will ensure you quality sound system. The system will bring an event to the next level of enjoyment. All kind of people love to have these kinds of sound systems in their parties.
Are you in search to hire the sound system? Then, the sound services need to be considered. They have varieties of professional sound system hire equipments ranging from 500 watt to full-fledge PA system and full systems. By considering the sound service, you will be rest assured about its high quality equipments. It will definitely deliver exceptional sound for any kind of events. They hold reputation as the sound system delivered by them is reliable and affordable. They are known as professional PA system hire companies around the globe.
Sound Services Limited is the author of this article on Sound System Hire. Find more information, about Staging Hire here
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