Saturday, May 25, 2013

ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE from Odyssey

Currently Feature the most up-to-date ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE From Odyssey

It truly is with great happiness which we are able to announce the fact that we currently offer the most up-to-date ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE available from Odyssey. Though there are many versions like this one, you're going to see that none will certainly give you just as much value for your money as the most up-to-date style coming from such a highly regarded company. Only when you obtain an extremely advised brand exactly like it are you going to feel like your hard earned dollars is spent well.

ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE

So, what exactly is it relating to this specific ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE that positions it inside a type of its own? In this specific situation you're going to learn that received from this sort of well-known producer means that you might be investing in a product which features a history of superior quality items. Other sorts of copy cats appear and disappear leaving behind a pathway of unhappy customers, when you buy one produced by Odyssey, you already know it is possible to depend on constantly obtaining the finest quality item available.

Not simply are we thrilled to have the ability to incorporate the ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE to the collection of fantastic items, but we are excited to have the ability to provide the item to you at such a excellent cheap price. You may be able to find this design elsewhere, but you're not going to get them at the extremely cheap price we have it available for thanks to our special buying power. At a price which is this low, you are going to get a great product and genuine value for your money.

ODYSSEY LSTANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND / STAND ALONE
List Price : $29.99

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LSTANDSPNK

Designer DJ Series Stand Alone Table Top Navy Blue LSTAND"S" *(Does not include clamps)
Make a statement that screams louder than COOL with our LSTAND Designer Series. We've added a sharp twist to the "original" Ever Popular adjustable DJ laptop stand design. Now you can chose from a wide spectrum of colors to fit your personality, your image, and your style.
Our LSTAND is the most versatile laptop stand on the market! Our unique design allows for three basic configurations: table top, clamped to the wall of a case or other sturdy vertical structure. Set it low for a minimal clearance of 6.75" or set it up to 11.5" high. The 10.75" long support arms hold gear with a width of 9" or greater.

Features:

  • Color: NAVY BLUE
  • Dealers:Master Pack of 12 units
  • Optional ventilated interface/gear tray (LSTANDTRAY) and table/case clamps (LSTANDCLAMPS) also available in assorted designer colors.

Feature

  • DJ'S LSANDS PINK LAPTOP STAND
  • ATTACH TO THE CASE
  • ATTACH TO THE TABLE
  • STAND ALONE, CLAMPS NOT INCLUDED.
  • IN PINK.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Odyssey LSTANDGREEN Green DJ Laptop Stand W Clamps DJ Laptop Stand from Odyssey

Odyssey LSTANDGREEN Green DJ Laptop Stand W Clamps DJ Laptop Stand

Odyssey had been correcting all the experiences and modified the high skills to produce this most recent excellence item great for every single house. We've been delivering you and everybody essentially essentially the most effective resolution with Odyssey LSTANDGREEN Green DJ Laptop Stand W Clamps DJ Laptop Stand. Our most present item which can be in a position to respond your demand and it genuinely is out accessible on the market now. We've been enhancing the intelligent capability and particulars that we identified from every single individual resource to make a decision essentially the most productive item idea end outcome for every single house.


According to the idea that's nobody want to spend considerably dollars on a item that would not function properly. This really is especially developed for customers who are into it for high quality and price. The firm has worked with their group introduced this item for the worldwide net marketplace. To give high-quality merchandise which delivers the significance of our lifetime is our job and component of our solutions that any individual paying for has every single single suitable to anticipate. We truly feel very distinct that Odyssey LSTANDGREEN Green DJ Laptop Stand W Clamps DJ Laptop Stand will be the merchandise which you simply have been trying to locate lengthy time. And also this item is just not too precious for every single individual.

Encounter in our production industry created Odyssey LSTANDGREEN Green DJ Laptop Stand W Clamps DJ Laptop Stand will be the latest magnificent item from Odyssey for your home.

Odyssey LSTANDGREEN Green DJ Laptop Stand W Clamps DJ Laptop Stand
List Price : $49.99

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LSTANDGRN: Designer Green LSTAND w/ table or case clamps.Make a statement that screams louder than COOL with our NEW LSTAND Designer Series. We've added a sharp twist to the "original" Ever Popular adjustable DJ laptop stand design. Now you can chose from a wide spectrum of colors to fit your personality, your image, and your style.Our LSTAND is the most versatile laptop stand on the market! Our unique design allows for three basic configurations: table top, clamped to the wall of a case or other sturdy vertical structure. Set it low for a minimal clearance of 6.75" or set it up to 11.5" high. The 10.75" long support arms hold gear with a width of 9" or greater.Color: GREENLaptop stand can be assembled in 3 different configurations:(1) Attach to the case(2) Attach to the table(3) Stand aloneOptional ventilated tray is available in a color.

Feature

  • Includes matching table/case clamps.
  • Green color.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

How To Make A Great Stylish Hop Song

It's probably fair to say that hip-hop has been the most globally influential style of music since some young wag stepped on Elvis's blue suede shoes. Starting out as a voice for African-American and Latin communities in the states, hip-hop soon spread and became the soundtrack to the 80's, 90's and the new millennium. Every year its influence and penetration increase, from commercials to films, and from charts to bars. In this section I will explain the basics of hip-hop production as well as 20 must know tips to make the best hip-hop tracks possible.

BEATS AND LOOPS

With hip-hop its all about the beats - so get inspired!

Beats are the backbone of all hip-hop. Whether you're into the cheeky one-two of Dre's Eminem productions or the juddering steps of Dj Premier, you need to make sure that if nothing else is playing, your beat still stands up to scrutiny. As US comic Chris Rock put it: "If the beat's alright, they'll dance all night."

As we've already seen, hip-hop beats started out as breaks from records, beatboxes and sampling drum machines, so its very easy for hip-hop produced on a computer to sound a little lifeless. Live playing and clever quantisation can fix this, though. The main trick is to keep it sparse and once you have a basic groove going, try taking out different percussive hits before adding more.
Also, its important to keep it simple. If you listen to professional hip-hop productions, you'll notice that its rare for two different percussive elements to play at the same time - unless its a layered clap and snare, and even then they'll alternate over a bar or two between both playing and then only one or the other. You'll also hear many parts were an instrument like a shaker only plays for a small and specific section of a looped bar, almost as if the different percussive elements are taking turns. This is no coincidence, as hip-hop culture is all about this kind of connection. Wether its DJs, MCs or breakdancers, hip-hop is, at its core, about this type of back and forth interaction, and this transfers to every single production element including beats.

STEP BY STEP the drums

1-The first thing I do when working on beats is lay down a hi-hat pattern. Usually , I do an eighth-note pattern and then go back and change it if necessary after I've laid down the other parts.

2-Next up is the kick and snare . I keep them simple at first because I know that I'll be using a drum loop underneath. I start with a drum loop and add extra kicks and snares to reinforce it. The kick and snare are both sounds that I re-use on many tracks.

3-Next I'll add a sampled kick and snare to reinforce the stock kick and snare sounds. This makes the beat sound a bit thicker and grimier. I also leave a bit of 'air' on the tail end - this acts like 'sonic glue', giving the beat a more sampled feel.

4-The basic beat is now complete and ready to send into the arrange screen, later on I'll use this pattern as a template for other sections of the song, were I'll add snare fills and rolls.

STEP BY STEP The loop

1-When using sampled breaks, I always make sure they're either royalty-free, original or so obscure they wont be recognized. That way I dont have to worry about sample clearance. I'm a fan of busy drums so I'll usually choose an action packed two-bar drum break.

2-Now you must match the tempo of the drum break to the tempo of your song. You can do this with any beat-slicing program.

3-Later on, after you've added vocals and such you can use this drum break, were its needed throughout your song.

MELODIES, STABS, SAMPLES AND SYNTHS
Just like every other style of music, hip-hop's gotta have hooks

Melody or bass: it's hard to say which one you should start work on first, because hip-hop is at its best when its simple - great tracks often have a bassline but no melody or vice versa. And sometimes the bassline is the melody.

Most hip-hop is still created using samples as the main musical hooks, but while these samples were, for a long time, almost always sections from classic records, these days they're usually far more obscure, edited and processed. Its no longer enough to sample a section off an 80's rare groove hit and whack it over a beat.

While hip-hop is still very much a sample-based discipline, there are plenty of excellent synth-hop tracks out there. If you've heard Kelis' milkshake, you'll know how funky a good synth line can sound with the right tight beats.

The critical thing to remember is not to over-egg your production pudding. If you take away one thing from these lessons, its that hip-hop is meant to be simple but effective, so always try taking out sections or notes before you start adding more. And remember hip-hop is all about bringing seemingly disparate elements toegether - Run DMC's sampling of Aerosmith on Walk This Way, for example - so dont be afraid to experiment. Even harp solos and steal band recordings make excellent melodies in the right hands.

Finally keep in mind that in hip-hop you can never go to far wrong if your riff plays on the first beat of a bar, is quickly muted, and then picks up again from around the third beat. Seriously, this is a winning formula - try it out!

BASS,BASS,BASS

Busy, bouncing or not at all... its up to you!

While most other kinds of electronic music are all about the highs and lows (well, in frequency terms, anyway), hip-hop definitely works from the waist down, and is all about punchy mids and heavy bass. When you listen to a well produced hip-hip tracks in a club, the bass will shake the room to its core, often even more than much harder dance styles.

There are three main reasons why hip-hop can get away with having such heavy frequencies without it sounding like a muddy mess. First, the tempo is quite slow, giving much more room for individual notes to breath. Second, the make up of hip-hop is much sparser, often with only a simple beat and bassline throughout. And third, the bass patterns are generally not as busy as other genres and are often played so low that the pitch of individual notes are not easy to recognize.

Naturally, there are a variety of b-line flavours in hip-hop, but these days basslines are often just used to reinforce the beats, layered underneath, or at the end of every couple of bars, creating yet another groove under that of the beats. The golden rule of thumb for hip-hop basslines is to treat them as another percussive element, rather than a melodic one. And as with any drum pattern, what you leave out is usually far more important than what you leave in.

WHAT KIND OF BASS?

The question of whether or not to keep your bassline simple or funky is a tricky one, and depends largely on what style of hip-hop you're making fast and funky Pharcyde-style tunes than you can get away with much more bouncy basslines. Similarly, if you're sampling a huge of a famous record, then you can take your lead from that. But for most other kinds of contemporary hip-hop, the bassline is a much more simple affair. If theres some kind of sampled or played melody, then the bassline will often play in accompanying bursts. Another widely used trick is to have simple sub-bass stabs every couple of bars, and then a full on bassline in the chorus. In fact, sometimes there isn't even any bassline in a track at all.

Finally, for all you smokers out there, Cypress Hill and other similar artists were pioneers of the deep, slow and easy rolling bassline. Definely one to consider. In short, the key with hip-hop bass is almost always to keep it very sub-bass oriented and simple.

VOCAL TECHNIQUES

Once the groove is done, its time to start rapping

If the key to good hip-hop is getting a good groove, the second most important consideration is matching your grooves to the right vocalist. There are countless styles of rapping, ranging from the intricate and melodic rhymes of Common and lyrics born to the aggressive growling of Lil' Jon. And different styles suit different vocalists. That's not to say that if your lead is a picked harp loop you shouldn't have an aggressive street vocal on top, sometimes that type of contrast works incredibly well and can be used to great effect, but if your beats are really tough and the samples dark, a mellow rap over top will tend not to work so well, so choose your contrasts carefully!
The MC's timing too, can have a massive impact on your track. If possible, try to get your vocalist to write or improvise their rhymes over the beats you have. Add a few percussion drops and edits in the beats you give them, and try dropping elements and then putting them back in as the MC rhymes to encourage their performance. Good MC's will use these edits to add emphasis on clever lyrical flourishes, and by the same token, truly skilled MC's will use will often use long periods of beats to fire out relentless and pounding deliveries. The important thing to remember is that hip-hop is all about performance, as much as any live rock show, from the evolving beats and edits to the constantly changing styles. Your beats and grooves are the stage and set, so it follows that if you edit the set, the performance will adapt and follow it.

SCRATCHING SKILLZ

Bring the art of turntablism to your tracks

Scratching is actually not scratching at all. It is, in fact, the first type of hands-on sample manipulation the world ever saw. When DJs scratch, they're simply playing specific sounds backwards and forwards at different speeds, and controlling the output with either a volume slider, crossfader or switch, thereby creating those unique effects. Over the years, these techniques have become more and more intricate, and today the worlds top sratch DJs are capable of feats that can only be described as mind blowing - even if your not that interested in scratching. They can create sounds, patterns and tunes that make it hard to believe there's nothing more involved than the interaction of a needle on a record in one hand and an on-off switch for the audio in the other.

Since the earliest days of hip-hop, DJs have been adding scratches to records, and nothings changed. Whether it's inserted loud scratches to obscure cursing in a radio mix, short kick drum scratches on a beat as an intro or percussive variation, or scratching a snippet of an acappella to create or enhance a chorus, scratching is an invaluable tool. So give it a try, even if you don't have decks, you can use software. Just be sure to get sample clearance for any vocals you use!

STEPS FOR PLACING THE SCRATCHES

1-If your going to include scratching , I'd look for an area in your song that needs some kind of hyping. This would usually take place after the second verse or during the chorus, I use scratches as a type of rythym instrument, kind of like a rythym guitar track.

2-When you use more than one scratch track in your song, arrangement becomes very important. It's all too easy to keep piling on scratch tracks until the whole song gets bogged down and cluttered. Sometimes less is more. Remember that!

3-When arranging scratch tracks, panning is an effective tool for separating the action and providing the illusion of movement. This ensures that each scratch doesn't get lost in the mix and provides a level of hectic anxiety.

HIP-HOP ARRANGEMENTS

A simple, tight arrangement is essential in hip-hop

As a rule of thumb, hip-hop arrangements are simple! Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, outro, and maybe a break or middle eight, depending on the song. Occasionally, you'll hear tracks that kick strait in, but usually there will be a brief intro, with vocalists introducing themelves or telling you why this track is the $hit or anything else to hype the track up, and it works well. Always remember the word 'MC' is an acronym for Master of the Ceremonies, its there job to get the crowd excited and keep them interested. Remember this when you make your own songs.

Other variations include intro and outro skits, a lot of songs just fade out at the end, use your creativity to invent unique ends to your songs.

EDITS

One of the most effective tricks in hip-hop arrangements is dropping elements in and out for the last bar or beat of a section. This gives emphasis to the vocals, and can often be used to highlight a funny or particularly good lyric.

The history of this type of choppy editing can be traced back to the time when hip-hop was made live on two turntables and a mixer. As with all hip-hop production techniques, these arrangement tricks are used to highlight the groove and overall vibe of the track.

The elements dropped can be anything from the bass to the samples, the beats, or even everything except one of those. The goal is to build excitement and keep people interested. This trick works particularly well on the dancefloor, getting the crowd dancing to the drops and singing along with the corresponding vocals.

MIXING HIP-HOP

If you want bangin tracks, you better get that mix right

Common sense suggests that more complicated tracks with lots of elements require greater mixing skill, but thats not necessarily true. Minimal mixes run the risk of sounding empty or thin. With hip-hop the problem is compounded by the fact that excessive delay or reverb often swamps mixes and interferes with your carefully crafted grooves, so its usually best avoided.
Make sure you layer up your kick drums so that they have both weight and punch. If your bassline is rockin but you can't hear the kicks, try turning up the punchy kick first before before reducing the bass or swamping the mix with a heavier kick.

Next, try nudging out a few decibels from the frequinces occupied by your vocals, typically in the 300Hz-3kHz range. You'll find that by cutting some frequencies slightly in this range on your lead sounds, you'll actually make them sound louder and more distinct.

And finally, the most obvious of all - if you can't get a sound to sit right in the mix, replace it!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Tape Recording Conferences

Tape recording of conversations in conferences is becoming common nowadays. It is because tape recording conferences allows individuals to understand all the meeting proceedings just like they'd happened. Jotting lower meeting proceedings isn't a fool-proof approach to recording meeting discussions as some details and words spoken and talked about in the meeting are almost always overlooked because of human error. However the tape recording of conferences guarantees that meeting proceedings are recorded. The tape recording of conferences offers an appropriate response to the issue: How you can record meeting minutes? By playing back the tape sooner or later of your time following the meeting, people could possibly get to listen to who stated what in the meeting. They become familiar with every single conversation and dialogue and for that reason familiarize yourself with not only the meeting minutes or gist from the meeting. The tape recording of conferences is based on the 3279 Conference Recorder Package, Marantz PMD511 Conference Recorder with built-in Mixer, Sanyo 8800 - 3 Speed Conference Recorder and Transcriber, Eiki 5090 Package, Panasonic Micro Cassette Conference Recorder & Transcriber Package, The new sony M2000 Micro Cassette Conference/Transcriber Package, The PMD221 Package, The new sony Bm87 Conference Recorder & Transcriber, plus some other well-known devices of the identical type.

Digital Voice Recording

The tape recording of conferences has boosted the phenomenon of digital voice recording. Several ultramodern digital voice recorders have flooded the current market as using digital voice recorders in conferences has elevated tremendously. Probably the most famous digital voice recorders of conferences are Zoom H4n Handy Portable Dvr, The new sony ICD-U60 Digital Voice Recorder, Olympus DS-61 Digital Voice Recorder, Olympus WS-311M Digital Voice Recorder, Olympus LS-10 PCM 2GB Digital Voice Recorder, The new sony ICD-SX700 Digital Voice Recorder, etc.

Moving Recorded Tape to some Compact disc

You can easily transfer a recorded tape to some Compact disc nowadays. Audacity, a wise audio recorder and editor, allows you to transfer a recorded tape to some Compact disc. It's also simple to convert recorded tape to mp3. Transforming recorded tape to mp3 is just about the order during the day. It is because many individuals like to hear their most favorite albums using their computer systems or apple ipods. The Alive WMA MP3 Recorder is a superb device that allows you to convert recorded tape to mp3 files. Recording cassettes to Compact disc formats has additionally become simple with the existence of Audacity, Media Digitalizer along with other products. Media Digitalizer allows you to record cassettes to Compact disc, MP3, WAV and WMA formats.

Significant Effects from the Tape Recording of Conferences

Each one of these facilities have developed to help make the tape recording of conferences simpler and also to make existence simpler. Without such high-performance audio software and products, you would need to write lower all of the proceedings of the meeting in shorthand or lengthy hands which could be time intensive. Besides, your writing could be inaccurate because it is not possible to document all that's stated inside a meeting, properly. Also, without such hi-tech products you would not have the ability to transcribe conversations, meeting discussions and music to various platforms, i.e. you would not have the ability to convert recorded tape to MP3, Compact disc and WAV formats. Should you could not convert recorded tape to various formats, you'd need to carry along your tape recorder everywhere should you wanted others to hear the meeting proceedings. Right now file conversion makes conversations and music portable. It's so much simpler to hold a Compact disc rather than carry a whole stereo system system or any other device. Furthermore, file conversions towards the MP3 format make files accessible out of your PC or laptop. MP3 files can be delivered to key people by email also unlike files on the Compact disc. So, the tape recording of conferences has significant effects. The tape recording of conferences is definitely an activity that addresses the requirements and solves the communication problems of the company on the wide spectrum basis.

Controlling Conferences

While tape recording conferences has acquired lots of recognition, the significance of controlling conferences has additionally acquired priority. Company heads have frustrated of employing the expertise of event organizers and meeting managers since these people charge exorbitant costs and don't make any real impact on the meeting process. So, company bigwigs took to depending on online meeting managers. In the room, they've met with disappointment as all online meeting managers are less than scratch. However, those who have used a dependable online diary happen to be more than pleased. A web-based diary is definitely an online meeting manager, scheduler, and planner. The floor-breaking application has lots of features:

&bull A great online diary is a superb meeting scheduler. The applying functions across different timezones. The internet diary does not allow you to schedule several meeting in a given starting time and date. The Occasions Calendar of the reliable online diary reminds you of your visits just in case you ignore them. You are able to share your meeting arranging particulars and agenda with key people with the online diary to ensure that you are able to agree with the time and date and agenda without disturbing to create any telephone calls or going to people.

&bull A great online diary enables you to definitely upload in it your meeting documents, meeting agenda, meeting minutes, and meeting summaries meeting agendas names and particulars of meeting contacts names and particulars of meeting venues along with other meeting-related information, easily.

&bull A great online diary enables you to definitely retrieve data from this in the click of the mouse. Trying to find and finding data within the online diary is really a quick process.

&bull A reliable online diary enables you to definitely import email contacts from email programs in it. Additionally, it enables you to definitely export redundant email contacts from this to email programs.

&bull A reliable online diary includes a huge data storage capacity. It is capable of doing storing meeting data of conferences which have occurred over many years. So, you are able to retrieve meeting data associated with a meeting that happened years back in the online diary. Inside a similar vein, you can begin arranging a meeting that's scheduled to occur a long time later with the aid of the internet diary.

&bull As an information keeper, a dependable online diary is completely reliable. It doesn't allow any compromise with data security. All of your private information remains a secret in the servers. Solve these questions . access your private information together with your Password.

&bull Finally, and many important, you'll find the very best online diary for conferences and conferences indexed by Wikipedia. Visit Online diary planner and there is a names of two online journals listed under 'Online diary organizers for conferences, conferences and events'. The first is ranked among best online journals on the planet. The very first online diary is definitely an intelligent widget that aims to alter how you manage conferences, think and act. It allows you to restructure your ideas and realign how you behave. The internet diary transforms how you manage your projects as well as your existence. It can make you professional and urges you to definitely think artistically. The internet diary enables you to perform a tremendous work load without your feeling it. This primary online diary continues to be cleverly designed to ensure that it may influence your projects as well as your existence positively. The applying paves the right path to success and also to your dreams, as soon as you begin utilizing it. All of the customers of the online diary have felt exactly the same way. They have stated: 'Who would tape record our conferences before? There is no direction inside them, no energy, no pressure. It is just as we began by using this particular online diary that things transformed. Our conferences have finally become so productive that tape recording in our conferences for future use is becoming imperative.'

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Zoom H4n Handy Portable Digital Recorder from Zoom

Zoom H4n Handy Portable Digital Recorder
List Price : $609.99

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Future of your house innovation is coming to you now from Zoom. Whenever you really feel like you would like to do one thing for your home and your loved ones, you always search for a product that may make you and every person within your loved ones happier. We would like to invite you to obtain a initial touch on the Zoom H4n Handy Portable Digital Recorder, our brilliant design product which is complete technologies for house improvement. And it's out now on the internet market place for you and every person. Soon after the experience in the sector and spending lots of occasions analysis all the idea gave us an excellence notion to generate this item for you.

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Zoom H4n Handy Portable Digital Recorder

Zoom H4n is the most sophisticated portable handheld recorder with new features and improved user experience at every level. Among its many new features, Zoom’s H4n offers superior, built-in X/Y stereo condenser mics that allow variable recording patterns at either 90° or 120°. Higher quality audio capture through its new, digitally controlled, high-quality mic preamp, the ability to use internal and external mics simultaneously for 4 channel recording, a large LCD screen,more intuitive interface and onboard reference speaker will take the user’s recording experience to the next level. The H4n’s onboard X/Y stereo condenser mics are arranged with the right and left mics on the same axis. This design ensures that the mics are always equidistant from the sound source for perfect localization with no phase shifting. Frequency response remains uniform throughout your recording. The result is great stereo recording with natural depth and accurate imaging every time. The mics also adjust for variable recording patterns at either 90° or 120°. Our unique design lets you rotate each mic capsule from 90° (standard) to 120° (wide-angle) stereo for the ultimate versatility in any recording situation. Everyone knows that proper miking is essential to making a great recording. The H4n is the only handheld recorder that allows you to record on four channels simultaneously by using its onboard mics with either external mics or direct inputs. You can then use its built-in mixer to blend the channels for perfectly balanced recordings. Now your recordings can be richer than ever before. Or, to get a great recording of a live performance, use the H4n’s onboard mics to get a room mix while simultaneously recording a stereo mix from the mixing board for a live recording that is easily one of the best you’ve ever heard.

Feature

  • Built-in X/Y stereo mics record at either 90° or 120°
  • Four channel simultaneous recording using built-in and external mics
  • Digitally controlled, high-quality mic preamp for improved audio quality
  • Large 1.9-Inch LCD screen and improved user interface for easy operation
  • 24bit/96kHz Linear PCM recording for pristine recording

Friday, May 17, 2013

TecNec Premium Quality Retractile Audio Cable XLRM-XLRF 12In Extends 6Ft-by TecNec by TecNec

TecNec Premium Quality Retractile Audio Cable XLRM-XLRF 12In Extends 6Ft-by TecNec

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TecNec Premium Quality Retractile Audio Cable XLRM-XLRF 12In Extends 6Ft-by TecNec
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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Numark Mixtrack Pro DJ Controller with Integrated Audio Interface from Numark

Numark Mixtrack Pro DJ Controller with Integrated Audio Interface
List Price : $349.00

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There is certainly nowhere in the globe that can make you and your beautiful household very happy far more than your living house. So whatever you bring for your house have to be the best. It is must not simply very good for you however it have to be the best for your household too. Comfy life style is very important for everybody. Numark is confident that this item is very will probably be the most well-known items about the globe for your home.

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Numark Mixtrack Pro DJ Controller with Integrated Audio Interface

MIXTRACK PRO is a complete DJ system that works with the music on your Mac or PC. MIXTRACK PRO's classic two-turntables-and-a-mixer setup connects to your computer so you can scratch, mix, loop, and much more. MIXTRACK PRO has all the inputs and outputs you’ll need for your headphones, speakers, and a mic. Plus, MIXTRACK PRO is portable, so you'll always be ready to DJ anywhere. MIXTRACK PRO has two decks, each with a large, touch-sensitive turntable for accurate scratching, beat-juggling and locating precise points within your tracks. It’s just like working with a record. In addition to the two decks, MIXTRACK PRO has an easy to use audio mixer so veteran DJs and beginners alike will be able to step right up and get the party going. If you’re DJing for the first time, MIXTRACK PRO is a great place to learn because your skills will transfer to any other DJ system. MIXTRACK PRO comes with Serato DJ Intro, powerful software which makes it easy to mix your favorite music. MIXTRACK PRO lets you create professional sounding mixes at home or at live performances at parties, functions and clubs. MIXTRACK PRO is also a MIDI-over-USB controller, so it's compatible with virtually all DJ software.

Feature

  • Digital DJ controller with large, touch-sensitive control wheels and integrated audio interface
  • Mix, scratch and perform with the music on your computer via dual-deck layout complete with mixer section
  • Communicates with your computer via a single USB connection
  • Illuminated controls provide 1:1 feedback with software parameters
  • Supports MIDI over USB for compatibility with virtually all digital DJ software
  • Class compliant- no drivers to install and thus no headaches
  • Includes Serato DJ Intro, fully upgradable to Serato DJ

Monday, May 13, 2013

Do-it-yourself Seal Coating in 7 Simple Steps

After 25 years in this business, I've pretty much got it all figured out... First of all, for those who've never sealed their own driveway before, all I have to say is RUN! Run to the nearest phone, and call your local seal coating professional and let them do the dirty work. Some of my best customers were people that had tried to do this themselves at home. Unsuccessfully.

However, after studying this do-it-yourself guide to fun and profits in the seal coating business, you too will be able to seal coat with the best of 'em! But seriously, it's not rocket science, and with a few basic tools, common sense, and a little manual labor, you too can learn to do this neatly and efficiently, and before you know it, your neighbors will be asking you to do their driveway. I kid you not! There could be worse things than making a few hundred dollars for a few hours labor in your spare time! So, if you want to have a little fun, save a lot of money, while preserving your asphalt investment for years to come, let's get to it!
The basic tools for making this job quick and easy, include:

1. A weed trimmer, and preferably, a cheap, full face, plastic shield protector, or at least, safety glasses.
This is not an option! Safety is always rule number one. Besides, it hurts like hell to get hit by flying rocks,
and it would really suck (pardon my language) to lose an eye at the same time.
2. A good stiff "push broom", preferably a "wire street broom" type. Either that, or a good stiff drink, and reach for that phone!
3. A good leaf blower, preferably the higher powered push type, but the smaller hand held type will do the trick.
4. A roll of 2 inch wide masking tape.
5. One of those metal paint stirring paddles that fit into a power drill. Often times, the fine silica sand
that is added into the seal coating material for traction, settles to the bottom of the bucket, and you can end up spending more time stirring up the stuff, than you do applying it. The best thing would be to just mix it up in the bucket it came in. You could even use a small shovel to mix it with.
6. Ideally, a professional grade 24 " seal coating brush and handle. This is the one item that will make things so much easier and more efficient for you. You may want to include a paint brush, for hard to reach places.
Depending on the size of your driveway, you could theoretically use the smaller brushes sold at Home
Depot, but my advise here will be saving you hours of time, and hundreds of dollars, so why not buy a decent brush that will give you a better finish, and you can use year, after year? The time saving factor alone makes it a great investment.
7. You should wear old clothes and sneakers, because, contrary to popular belief, you will be walking through this stuff as you spread it out.
You should be using a Latex product, and it washes off with soap, water, and a gentle scrub pad.
One important thing to remember after you've stepped in this stuff is, don't walk off of the asphalt onto something you don't want sealed, like a brick walkway, or nice lawn.

If you must leave the area, shuffle your feet on the driveway, or step off into some mulch, sand, or a piece of old carpeting, cardboard, anything.
Even after you clean your sneakers, never walk onto your house carpeting! There's always some material up in the treads or sides that will soil the carpet. Guess how I know this?

O.K., Let The Fun Begin!

STEP #1. Proper Edging.
Before you begin application of the seal coating material, proper cleaning and preparation is critical. After removing everything from the driveway, you should use a "weed trimmer" as needed, to ensure that all growth along the entire perimeter is removed, and there is no overhanging grass above the surface edge of the driveway, and I also use the trimmer to clean up against stone walls, and garage doors, Depending how close growth is to the driveway, you may get a sharper looking trim by holding the trimmer upside down, with the cutting string vertical, to get a precise edge. Of course, NEVER, EVER, use this type of tool without proper eye protection! I use a full face shield, the clear plastic type from Home Depot. They're cheap, and every time I hear a loud "clunk" as a rock zings off of the shield, I just gotta smile. Plus, the rocks fly up at you more often when you hold the trimmer in this upside down position. Once you've trimmed the edges, now comes the really fun part. The cleaning! I hate the cleaning. Well, actually, unless your driveway has heavy dirt deposits, it's really not too bad.

STEP #2. Proper Cleaning.
It is so much easier to have two people during this part of the procedure. One person on the broom, and one person on the leaf blower. If you're using a small hand blower, that's fine, it'll just take a little longer. If your driveway is relatively clean, this won't take much time at all. Start at one end, and slowly make your way forward in a back and forth pattern, while sweeping, and loosening up any sand or soil deposits, ahead of the blower. Keep marching forward, and make sure you blow off every square inch as you keep your pattern uniform so as not to miss any debris. If your driveway is exceptionally dirty, you may want to pressure wash it first.

STEP #3. Crack Sealing.
This is something that's a little more tricky. Some areas of the country don't do any crack sealing, as freezing and thawing cycles are uncommon. However, water still enters, and gradually washes out the underlying base material, so if feasible, sealing them is best, as this is where most of the premature deterioration occurs. In some areas of the country, the crack sealing is the most important part of the job. Here in New England, it is critical. I use a "hot melted rubber" material, but unless you have the proper equipment, it's difficult for the average homeowner to utilize this process. However, they do make a rubber tape, or rope, that can be applied, and then melted with a torch, and troweled out. You may want to sprinke a little fine sand on the hot rubber, so you won't track it, or have leaves or debris stick to it before it sets up. There are also liquid acrylic fillers available, and depending on the size and quantity, this may work best for you. Any crack sealing should be done prior to seal coating, and if it's the liquid type, follow the instructions, and perhaps give it some curing time prior to seal coating. If you use this method, I would get a cheap paint brush, and after applying the liquid crack sealant, sort of "touch it up" by dabbing the brush to help make the texture blend into the surrounding surfaces a little better. This brush should rinse out with water, and you may need it later on in this project. This would also be the time to address any oil stains that you may have. If it is a long standing stain that has soaked into the asphalt over time, nothing can solve it, but there are oil stain "primers" you can purchase to help the sealant adhere to the surface of the oil stain. It may be available where you purchase your sealant. If not, I could send you some with your wisely purchased professional seal coating brush and handle. All you need to do is pour some out, and brush it out over the stain. It should dry fairly quickly.

STEP #4. Preparing the Material.
This is where it could get messy. The best method, as mentioned, would be the long shafted paint mixer on a drill. Or have an extra empty bucket, and pour them back and forth while intermittently using something to stir it up in the buckets. Depending on the brand of sealant, sand content, and how long it's been sitting on the shelf, this process may vary in difficulty. You may want to mix the majority of your buckets in advance, to eliminate stopping mid application to mix the next bucket. This is where it may help to have an assistant, but if the material seems pretty well mixed when you first open it, it won't be an issue anyways. Be sure to do this mixing on the driveway, where if anything spills, it won't matter. If you buy your material days in advance, you could always place them upside down for a few days to let the sand dissipate, and hopefully, the lid is tightly sealed, and won't leak!

STEP #5. Applying the material.
Once mixed, start pouring it out! Try to keep it evenly spread out across the edge of the driveway in an even row from one side to the other. Don't worry about the amount you pour out at this initial stage, and you can even dump the whole bucket at one passing, holding it out low in front of you to minimize splatter, as you move from one side to the other. It's best to stay back 3 feet or so from the edge, just to play it safe. Once it's on the surface, take your brush, and work from one side to the other, gently pushing a steady row of material closer and closer to the edges of the surface. At this point, you should be walking in the material, stepping gently so you're not plopping into the material and causing splatter.

The general idea is to gradually work the material right up to the very edge, without too much excess material at the edge. You may want to practice in a non critical area first, instead of right up against a concrete apron, stone wall, or brick walkway. Hold the brush at an angle, pushing the material closer and closer, while at the same time, trying to regulate the amount of material you are pushing forward. Better too little, than too much. It's just a little awkward to pull back the excess material when you get too much of it close to an edge. If you need to, and can't get the brush in front of the leading edge to pull back excess material, you can always use some cardboard, your credit card (It's the best use for them these days anyways), fingers, whatever. Another thing you want to keep handy in case of a mishap, or splatter, is a water hose. If you splatter a door in a major way, you can lightly hose it off, and I would recommend you always keep a small spray bottle of water very close by, perhaps hooked on your belt to quickly spray off any smaller mistakes.

Keep in mind, on a hot summer day, this material can dry within seconds on a hot surface, and then its too late to wash off. But don't worry. Once dry, you can usually manage to get it off with a wire scrub brush, sandpaper, or some such thing. There are some solvents, even gasoline (be careful), that will get the material off, but some of these solvents make an even bigger mess, if on a porous surface.

Sometimes it's better to leave a small spot than create a bigger one. I would also recommend you place masking tape over the edge surface of anything you want to keep clean, such as walkways, garage aprons, etc., at least until you become proficient at "cutting-in". Once you've got your first pass completed at the beginning edge, just keep walking back and forth, pushing the material in front of you as you go along. Just relax, and let the brush do the work, but you must keep a firm grip on the brush with a gentle downward pressure, to keep the bristles bent slightly backwards. If they pop forward, or face straight down, it could "chatter" and flick material where it doesn't belong. Just keep the brush handle at a fairly steep angle up near your chest area, and you'll be fine. Make sure you never push the brush with the handle in front of your throat. If it catches on something, or you trip, it's really hard to pull a broomstick out of your throat while you're flopping all over the ground. Oh, sure, it might be great fun to watch this happen from a safe distance as you're calling 9-1-1, but it makes such a mess! Once you get the first row started, just keep on going, overlapping the row you just finished, to help insure maximum penetration of the material.

This may all sound complicated, but rest assured, after a few passes, you'll get a feel for it, and you'll be off and running like a pro. As you reach the end of one row, try to regulate the amount of material as you get near the end edge, and sort of swoop the brush "around the corner", if you know what I mean. Not a real corner, but brushing the material as close to the edge as possible, without spilling excess material off the side, and continuing forward up the side a little ways. Sometimes, I will continue up the side for 4 or 5 feet if I've got a good "run" going. You will find that you switch the brush handle from one side to the other in your hands, as you change direction from left to right. Are you thoroughly confused now? Great, I've done my job!

After you brush out 2 or 3 rows of material, you must now go back to the beginning and brush out all those foot prints you just left behind. Same thing, different technique. Now you need to step out of the path a little as you brush out the footprints in the same pattern as you spread it out. I will sometimes spread out 4 or 5 rows of material before going back to hit the footprints. This gives you a little more room to brush out a few rows of prints, while giving you space to spread out a few more rows of material without having to step in the material you just "finish brushed" the footprints out of. Make sense?

If you brush over any low spots, leaving a puddle of material in a place that the brush missed, just pick the brush up off the surface a bit, and angle it so you just brush out the low spot with the end of the brush. You can also use this technique to "flick off" any pebbles that may mysteriously appear in your material from time to time. Try to keep the rows uniformly straight, as it will improve the final appearance. Many driveways curve, or have odd shapes. Just take a look around as you're brushing, and try to imagine the uniform patterns that make the most sense of trying to keep an even progression towards the finish line. For example, as your coming into a turn, the rows will be wider at the outside edge of the turn, and narrower at the inside of the turn, as you gradually angle the rows to try and stay parallel with the general width of the driveway. Just aim your brush straight while disregarding the previous row you brushed, as you no longer will be keeping the rows evenly spaced. It's sort of like the luggage conveyor belts at the airport. As it hits the corners, the inside edge becomes narrower as the outside edge fans out. It's like magic I tell ya, magic!

Often times, a driveway will have a "turning apron" where you can back into and "turn around". When you come to one of these, there are a couple of ways to address them. The best one is to stop your rows, while making sure you leave an excess amount of material at the leading edge, to minimize the potential of the edge drying before you finish cutting-in the turn-out. If you do this, also make sure you brush out the footprints right up to the leading edge, to make sure they don't "dry-in" while you're busy cutting-in.

Now turn and face the turn-out, and you're sort of looking at a mini driveway in front of you. Just use the same technique as you did from the very beginning, and after you've finished brushing in this turn-out, stop at "it's entrance line" leaving a little excess at the leading edge, like before, and go back to where you left off on the "main field" of the driveway. You then begin spreading the next row, and if it's begun to dry out while you were busy doing the turn-out, try to avoid stepping in the semi dry material, and brush out a row or two while standing on the unsealed side of the driveway, until you can step back onto freshly wet sealant, and off you go.

As you begin to meet the leading edge of the turn-out, just blend the two together in as straight a seam as possible. That's probably the simplest way of doing this. In the event of a driveway that leads straight in, with the garage off to the right, you may want to start at the far end, and work your way out, while cutting in the garage to you left, row by row, as you work your way out. There's no right or wrong ways, just better ways. You need to think about the easiest brushing pattern for you, without boxing yourself in.

There are so many other options and possibilities too numerous to get into during this brief "homeowners" training session. Now, it's semi important to try to keep enough material laid down ahead of you, so you don't run dry. It really helps to have an assistant pour it out while you brush. Especially if your in the hot sun, when it may dry quickly. If the material begins to thicken up, you can always "spritz" a little water into it, and sort of brush it around and mix it up on the surface of the driveway. Like I said, it isn't rocket science. Just use some common sense, and you can't go wrong. Well, you shouldn't go wrong... The material should have the consistency of maple syrup, only a little thinner. Sometimes what you buy may be a little too thick to smoothly spread out. Just add a little water & stir it up! When it is poured out, try to overlap the material already on the surface, to minimize having to "back brush" the material.

The number of buckets you will need may vary by manufacturer, viscosity of the material, and surface texture of the asphalt. You need to figure out the total square footage, length X width, and sometimes it's easier to break up the driveway and measure it section by section because of odd shapes and such. It's far better to have too much material than too little, as long as you don't open the last buckets if your getting close to the end. If you don't have a measuring wheel, or tape, you can pace off the distance. The average long stride is approximately 3 feet in distance, unless you're really short. Therefore, 10 long paces equals about 30 feet. 5 long paces equals 15 feet. 30 X 15 = 450 square feet. The buckets should have their specific calculations printed on the side. You should probably figure in an extra 10% safety margin to keep from running out on the job site. As you're pouring out the material, try to judge how far one bucket goes, and make an educated guess on whether you will need to open the last couple of buckets. If not, you can return them, but it sucks to run out, and if you stop and start again after a section has dried, it may be visibly obvious.

Another thing to be aware of, is that on a hot sunny day, you need to get the footprints brushed out quickly, before they "dry in." If you don't feel comfortable with this technique, you can always brush it out while staying just out of the material, but it's so much more work. Also, #5. "Cutting in" Around the Edges. Often times, there will be a need to "cut-in" around certain areas. If there are a lot of little things to "cut-in" around, up the sides, or in tight areas, you can always do these areas first, and then when you get to that point with your rows, just slightly overlap with the areas you "pre-cut-in" and you won't get bogged down with the small detail work as you're spreading out the rows.

STEP #6. Making the final cut.
As you are approaching the end of the project, the most important finishing touch that really makes the job stand out, is ending with a nice neat "street line". For this, it helps to have assistance. You want to lay down a strip of 2 inch masking tape across the end of your driveway. Depending on the shape, or condition of the street seam, you may want to extend the line a few inches out into the street. Have one person hold the leading end of the masking tape at one corner of the driveway, while you take the spool of tape and walk towards the other corner of the driveway. As you face your assistant, have them place their end of the tape on the ground visualizing where you want the "street line" to be. Then have them "tack down" the tape and begin slowly walking along, stepping on the tape as they go (not shuffling their feet, as this causes bunching up of the tape), while you slowly move the tape in the direction you want the line to be. This is very similar to the sobriety checks the police utilize, so save the stiff drinks until after you're finished, and celebrating a job very well done. You'll have earned it!

Heck, even if you buy the material, have second thoughts and never even do the job, celebrate and have a drink or two anyways. Did I mention I'm Irish? No offense. It's easy to make the line curved if needed, to conform to the geography, simply by moving the spool of tape you are holding, in whatever direction it needs to go, while your assistant continues to slowly walk forward on the tape. The further away you are from the person walking down the tape, the easier it is to control gentle curves, or straight lines. Once the tape is down, I always step back 20 feet or so up the road, in both directions to check that the line looks OK. It may look good while your standing right on top of it, but you would be amazed at how crooked something may appear from 20-30 feet away. It's always best to double check, as this is what people notice first and foremost.

I usually make a gentle "curve in" at each corner of the driveway, or depending, a sharp angle with a smaller piece of intersecting tape at the corner. Whatever looks best for your individual driveway. It varies. Once down, go back and make sure every inch of the tape has been stepped on. This prevents material seeping under the tape, even though it would be a minor seepage. I'm just very fussy, and demand nothing but the best from myself and my assistants, and expect nothing less from you, my dear friends. If a job is worth doing at all, it's worth doing to the very best of your ability. You can do this, and do it well. Have faith. If you feel nervous about your cutting in abilities, you can always add a second strip of tape next to the first, for a wider margin of error.

This is the sequence I would follow to do the job. However, you may want to lay down the tapeline first, so you don't have to stop, clean your feet, and interrupt the flow of your work progress. Now, as you are approaching the end, try to avoid putting out too much material, as you will have to scoop up the excess if you do. Just have a flat shovel or dustpan handy, in case this happens, and you can just brush it into the shovel, and pour it back into the bucket. As you are brushing out the final rows, and approaching the tape, be careful to stay "within the tape lines", and brush out the final prints up to the tape line as close as you comfortably can. This is where you have to step off the driveway to brush out the last of the footprints from the street side of the tapeline.

If you have mulch, sand or gravel at the end side of your driveway, you can shuffle your sneakers off in that, or step onto a mat or cardboard, or simply step out of your sneakers, and finish the final row in your socks. It wouldn't be the first time... DO NOT forget to "wipe" before walking out into the street. Oh, yes, don't forget to "look both ways". It would suck to be run over before you got to finish the job.

STEP #7. "Happy Endings".
Once you have brushed out the last of the prints, if there is a little excess material in the corners, or anything, you can just gently brush it out back onto the driveway. Now for the "getting your hands dirty" part, if you haven't already. When removing the tape, be sure to hold it over the driveway as you are pulling it up, so any excess material won't be falling onto the roadway. If it does, just hit it with a little water, and as long as the water flows away from the driveway, cool. Otherwise, some paper towels will do the trick in mopping up the water. It might be handy to have one of your empty buckets nearby to dump the handful of messy tape into for disposal. Before walking away from the end of the driveway, make sure you place a barricade to prevent anyone from driving on it. DO IT NOW!!! Even if you live on a dead end street that hasn't had another car on it for ten years, the minute you walk away, someone will turn into your driveway, looking for directions because they're lost on a dead end street. Guess how I know this...? Place a row of your empty buckets across the driveway, close enough together so that even a very small car can't fit between them, looking for those directions. If they can, they will.

Once again, how do I know this? One time, this woman pulled onto the newly sealed driveway just as I turned around to get the two wooden grading stakes and a roll of caution tape that I usually use as a barricade. I was literally 3 feet away and just turned my back for an instant. Actually, it's happened twice. I was not very happy about this. No, not happy at all. The second time was a UPS delivery truck right in front of my face. At least I got to scream at him to STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! DON"T MOVE! DON'T BACK UP! DON'T MOVE OR I'LL SHOOT! DAMN...I'll miss that UPS guy. At least he only got his front tires 6 or 8 feet into the driveway, and I had to wipe them off as he was backing off the wet surface onto the dry street. There was a faint tracking, but not bad. The bottom line is, people are just oblivious to their surroundings, and don't pay attention. Not that I've ever done something so stupid, of course. The more I meet some people, the more I love my dog. Anyways... Once the barricade is in place, simply rinse your brushes thoroughly before they dry out, and you're done. Time for that drink now! Once the material dries, it will turn a flat black color. After a few hours, you should be able to gently walk on the surface if you absolutely must, but you should wait at least 24 hours before driving on it, and preferably 48. The longer the better.

Once you begin to use the driveway, you may notice some tire scuffing, especially in tight turns of the wheel. This is normal, and simply the scuffing off of the top layer of fine silica sand that's been added for traction. It's similar to using a piece of sandpaper for the first time. It really stands out. Shortly, it will all blend together as you continue to use it. You should also try to prevent turning the steering wheel of your vehicle unless it is in motion. This will badly scuff the surface, and on a hot day, can actually dig into the asphalt. Well, I guess that's all there is to it.

I meant it when I said, once you've done such a great job, others will ask about it, and it wouldn't be such a bad idea, if you were so inclined, to start making a few hundred dollars an hour doing the same for neighbors and friends in your spare time. If you do decide to take the next step, I can help. This was just the tip of the iceberg. I have 25 years of experience, and that just doesn't fit in 5,000 words or less.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

How you can Digital DJ Guide: Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S4 - What you ought to Know

Native Instruments happen to be the key the means by how you can digital DJ within the last ten years. Constantly changing the way in which DJs perform and communicate with their music. After delivering the Kontrol X1 that was a significant success earlier around Native instruments have returned using the jewel within their crown the Traktor Kontrol S4.

The Traktor Kontrol S4 is really a fully integrated portable connect and play hardware and software digital DJ system. It eliminates the requirement for the DJ to the touch their computer or mouse too among the primary problems faced by digital DJs while carrying out, that is, 'the DJ looks like delivering emails'.

The Kontrol S4 is really a robust bit of package having a 4-funnel mixer, 24 bit soundcard, loop recorder & library, sampler and also the new S4 software. The primary options that come with the S4 unit are it's 4 channels each using their own 3 band EQs, a 24bit seem card, identical to the Audio 4. Two simple to use effect banks each using their own 4 control knobs, and 2 nicely sized dual touch sensitive jog wheels, that have used a brand new electromagnetic technology which has not been seen on midi gamers before. The jog wheels around the S4 offer very precise and responsive deck control and there's an even pitch bending too.

Additional features include input slots for any microphone & earphones and 2 completely new features the loop recorder and sample decks. The system includes many backlights and L.E.D.s, which permit the DJ to focus on playing even just in the pitch-dark of surroundings.

The Kontrol S4 is made to have fun with the brand new S4 software only, even though you can configure and map the control unit with other digital DJ programs. The S4 software is comparable to Native Instruments market leading DJ software Traktor Professional but includes a slight new layout and numerous additional features, namely some deck sampler. The brand new built-in 'sampler' enables you to definitely add effects and sounds for your mix along with the choice to build live from the cuff live edits by sampling live out of your master output or from among the input channels and overdubbing back to the master audio. No mix set would be the same again. It is really an very handy new feature which makes S4 unit stick out from the rivals.

Among the best features concerning the S4 product is a specific item in your laptop screen is duplicated on the hardware unit which makes it very simple for a DJ to make use of.

The main as well as the S4 has over separate DJ systems available on the market is you can simply connect and play. There's no playing around wiring cables to midi gamers, laptops, sounds cards etc. Coupling this without needing to touch your laptop just as much or being able to be totally creative while carrying out, building live edits from the cuff means this technique has elevated the bar above other things within the digital DJ market.

Native Instruments took a large step forward with this particular new digital DJ system, it's now as much as their rivals to ascertain if they are able to follow them. The Traktor Kontrol S4 is certainly worth looking at if you're searching to consider your digital DJing one stage further. At £750 readily stored away well listed with purchasing a professional midi controller and seem card individually. For additional articles and information about how to digital DJ and electronic music production visit http://world wide web.funknaughty.com.

Friday, May 10, 2013

The easiest method to Barbecue Seafood

When visiting barbecue seafood, there's an over-all fear that the seafood will finish at the end of the barbecue stove instead of the well presented pictures in almost any recipe book. More to the point, remaining as on whole piece in the finish from the process. So how do you have that scrumptious barbequed seafood, perfect? How can you stop your seafood from adhering towards the grill and failing?

The main reason why food stays towards the grill and falls apart would be that the grill isn't hot enough when your meals are put on it. You ought to get the grill hot enough not only to make the aromatic sizzling seem but additionally will continue doing so throughout the entire cooking process.

Next, you have to make sure that your grill is clean. Frequently food contaminants find yourself in trouble on the top of grill which are areas that the seafood may stay with. Keeping a clear grill will prevent your seafood adhering.

Seafood normally don't have a look time for you to prepare and it is crucial to be really conscious of mtss is a barbecue setting. People often over cooked it leading to it to dry up as opposed to the enchantingly juicy flesh. To actually don't over prepare your seafood, make certain it's not frozen which is in a awesome temperature although not cold. Do not use frozen seafood whatsoever if you're able to help it to as seafood loose its subtle texture and taste when frozen. These characteristics also deteriorate quickly if seafood are stored in 70 degrees to have an longer timeframe showing health risks.

Flipping your seafood is much like cooking a great bit of steak, you switch it just once. The inclination isn't just to switch it more often than once but attempting to lift up to determine whether it's prepare or otherwise these actions are sure occur. The easiest way from staying away from this rather unmanageable inclination is by using a timer. Purchase one, place the seafood on, place it right duration, disappear, return and switch it once the sensors set off. Another trick would be to always put the skin side face lower first (when the skin is maintained which the suggested method of cooking seafood inside a barbecue because it helps you to contain the flesh together). In addition, it adds the crispy texture towards the whole dish.

To date, cooking continues to be pointed out numerous occasions but exactly how lengthy is the fact that, regrettably that one of individuals 'how lengthy is a bit of string' question - everything is dependent around the thickness, temperature of the stove as well as your cooking technique. However, seafood generally take much shorter time for you to prepare than meat, a great deal shorter. If it's an entire seafood you're cooking, slice diagonally over the middle portion of the seafood (the thickness area of the seafood), create a couple of slices of approximately 2cm apart. This can permit the warmth to cope with evenly.

A different way to prevent adhering would be to wrap the seafood in foil. By doing this, you may also add the taste experience, for example fresh lemon juice and butter. Frequently you will notice that this is actually the simplest way to maintain your seafood moist. It is a lot more hard to prevent becoming dry once the seafood is positioned on the grill. However, bear in mind this may prevent a few of the taste from the barbecue from penetrating the seafood.

A great invention continues to be those of the seafood basket. You can put all of your seafood inside one of these simple and put them around the grill. The benefits of they are that you could switch the whole basket, rather than trying to switch the seafood without them breaking. It will likewise prevent bits of seafood from falling with the bars from the grill.

Recipe during the day - Barbecue Snapper with Chutney and Parsley

Serve

1. 2 People

Elements

1. 1 x 3/4 kg of Snapper whole

2. 1 Cup of freshly chopped Parsley

3. 2 Tspn Apricot &lifier Date Chutney

4. Juice from half a lemon

5. 4 Tspn of Macadamia Oil

6. Salt &lifier Pepper to taste

7. Aluminum foil for wrapping

Method

1. Request the fishmonger to scale and clean the seafood for you personally but ensure that it stays whole rather than fillet it. Make certain it's easily wiped dry using sponges.

2. Make diagonal slice cut over the mid-portion of the seafood but don't cut with the bones and seasoned the entire seafood with pepper and salt.

3. In another bowl, mix the chopped parsley, macadamia oil, apricot &lifier date chutney and fresh lemon juice together, add a little more pepper and salt.

4. Spoon a number of this mix in to the stomach from the seafood and rub the relaxation through the seafood. Wrap the seafood while using foil and allow it to stand it a awesome spot for half an hour.

5. Whenever your barbecue stove is prepared, put the wrapped seafood on the middle of the stove. Allow it to cooked on one for reds for five minutes and switch it over (once only) for an additional a few minutes. Observe that with respect to the thickness, you will need to alter this cooking a little.

6. Once it's cooked, unwrapped the foil but be cautious about the steam within the wrapping, transfer it towards the serving dish and serve hot. Make certain you transfer all of the juice within the wrapping towards the serving dish too.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, Chrome by Hamilton Beach

Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, Chrome

We would like to introduce you to Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, Chrome, that is essentially one of the most wanted unbelievable item out now. It will be one particular from the most compact and helpful item inside the industry. High quality manage is genuinely vital, and in the individual step of development that bring about total this extremely beneficial item for the consumer like you. It genuinely is seemed to be a simply question for everybody that how can I make proper choice to pick from many items which might be all more than the world-wide internet marketing and advertising. Hamilton Beach genuinely think that the only way you might be going to replace what you have now, could be to create an item that is far greater. Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, Chrome will probably be the only answer for your inquiry. And also our design team has been listened of one's comments and requests and we're confident which you will uncover our most recent item has been built to address all of them.



A part from that, every one particular in our team production has a feeling that in each and every function that we have built into this newest prototype. It'll leave you asking your self that where have this Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, Chrome been hiding for all your life. In addition, we confidently believe that as soon as you might have been the owner and tried it, you might be going to know clearly that is why this newest model is selling as quickly as we can manufacture them. Now could be the really finest likelihood for you to turn into the owner even though you'll locate nevertheless supplied in the marketplace spot.

Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer, Chrome
List Price : $39.99

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This Hamilton Beach drink mixer features a 28-oz. professional-style stainless steel cup, detachable spindle for quick clean-ups, tilting head for easy cup removal and two-speed electric mixing for versatility. With all the charm of the originals, it's perfect for milk shakes, health drinks, puddings and even for whipping up omelets. No. 730C. Imported. 14Hx4Wx6D".

Feature

  • Retro, drugstore-soda-fountain style with 70-watt motor
  • Ideal for milkshakes, malted milks, fruit smoothies, and health drinks
  • Professional-style, stainless-steel cup holds 28 ounces
  • Tilting head for easy access; 2 speeds; spindle detaches for easy cleaning
  • Measures 14-1/2 by 5-1/4 by 6-3/4 inches; 2-year warranty

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Audio Engineering Equipment

You've determined that you are looking at a job within the area of audio engineering. You've made the decision you need to attend a sound engineering school, you've investigated the task options, ok now what audio engineering equipment would you have to be a success? In the following paragraphs, we'll discuss probably the most important and customary audio engineering equipment utilized by the very best engineers today.

You will find a number of different audio engineering equipment that you'll likely use while you explore the field of audio engineering. You'll be accountable for tracks, adjusting, editing, learning, and mixing from the different sounds using a number of different equipment both digital and analog. What this means is you'll have to take advantage of seem recording equipment, seem broadcasting equipment, and seem reinforcement equipment.

Mixing consoles

This audio engineering devices are also known to like a soundboard. It's employed for mixing and routing audio sounds. What this means is altering any areas of dynamics, tones, and quantity of a audio to create the seem needed. The mixer uses either digital or analog signal, or a mix of both. This is dependent on which kind of mixing console has been used.

Microphones

Microphones are an essential a part of audio engineering equipment. They're needed to record the sounds of music, voices, movies, and a number of other sounds.

Signal Processors

This can be a bit of audio equipment that defines analog signals and enables for analysis. They are available in two various kinds of microprocessors, either general purpose or integrated circuits.

Tape Machines

These can be used for recording sounds. The sounds in the microphone are recorded and saved to the tape machine, that is then played back the recorded sounds.

Digital Audio Work stations

Also known to as DAW, this audio engineering devices are employed for digital audio. It's employed for recording, editing, and playing back sounds recorded electronically. It can be useful for the manipulation of sounds. Typically, digital audio work stations are generally integrated inside the mixing console or internet based and combined with software.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Online Beat Maker Or Home Studio - Selecting The Very Best Music Production Center (MPC)

Music Production Centers (MPCs) really are a popular option for setting up tracks and making beats, and permanently reason. MPCs offer ambitious and effective producers alike a 1-stop-shop beat making machine. The attraction of the technology is it combines real-time sampling facilities with drum machine programming permitting producer to put lower multi track beats. Actually MPCs happen to be instrumental within the evolution of Stylish Hop and Rap along with other urban music genres and also have caused the on-going explosion of recent or more-and coming producers.

Just how do MPCs work? Well every MPC has got the same fundamental set-up. They have many tap pads plus a variety of controls that manage the amount levels and effects not to mention a screen output that shows track sequencing. Samples are designated towards the pads for instance kick drums, snare drums, high hats, piano, guitar and bass. These samples may either be used from audio sources for example vinyl, Compact disc or mp3 files or bought as complete instrumental libraries.

You may create the track in 2 ways. For those who have good timing you can begin by tapping the groove around the pads after which build the beat with the addition of tracks, every time adding the sample by tapping the information. In case your timing is not so excellent or you start to develop a lot of tracks inside your beat you'll be able to simply employ the sequencer to put lower the needed samples in the precise reason for each bar that you would like.

But is not this costly? Everything is dependent in your perspective. A beginner MPC costs just below 00 and you may very easily spend -3000. When in comparison towards the set-up price of an expert studio rig, its small change. However for an ambitious producer just beginning out this can be a veritable fortune.

The good thing is that you will find now numerous beat makers available on the web which are essentially virtual MPCs and they've most of the same features. You are able to build multiple tracks, tap out grooves on virtual tap pads making plans while using sequencing controls. And since they're software based, they've features which are only found on the top finish MPCs. For instance using virtual piano secrets to input samples is a terrific way to build tune lines. Usually you'd require a midi controller or synthesizer to get this done inside a hardware based studio.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Building a Recording Studio

Studio Considerations

The magic of the recording studio has often mystified even the most seasoned professionals. With all the knobs, switches and buttons on various gear and large format consoles, no wonder confusion sets in to most non-techies. Many people, especially artists, composers, producers, and engineers, will end up putting together their own studio for writing and pre-production, with some eventually deciding to take the plunge and create a full-fledged recording complex that is capable of recording major albums. This article will try to shed some light on the considerations to take into account when making a studio, be it a small home studio or a professional recording studio.

Is size important? Some may say it is so but this is not always the case. The dimensions of the studio are very important. A room too large may become over-reverberant or full of unwanted echoes. A room too small may sound tight and unnatural. It is important that the room size and room sound is relevant to the type of music you are recording. You don't want to go into a very small tight room to record BIG rock drums. Although, big room sounds can be achieved by adding external reverb effects to simulate rooms at a later time when necessary.

It is best to find the room that suits the sound you are trying to achieve from the beginning of the recording process. The smaller the room, the smaller and tighter the sound will be; this is not necessarily a bad thing. Small tight rooms can be good for vocals, guitars and percussion if you are going for a tight clean sound. Larger rooms have more air for the sound to travel in, so it will be in fact a bigger more open sound. The sound has a longer travel time for the sound wave to move, therefore the reflection from the walls will take longer to bounce back creating a bigger more spacious sound. The decision of size and sound has to be made early on before the recording starts. One advantage that a larger room will have is the ability to be scaled down by closing up the room using modular baffles or gobos (go betweens). Gobos are structures that are partitions, that help to block sound by placing them in between the musicians, instruments, and microphones. Placing the gobos around the microphone at a close distance will help a large room with too much ambiance sound smaller. This will eliminate the reflections coming off of the walls that are further away.

Small rooms can produce big heavy tight sounds with the absence of the decay from the reverb that is caused from big rooms. Sometimes a large room can sound like it's washed out, or far away. With a good engineer any room can sound amazing with a little adjusting. A poor sounding room can be manipulated to sound good, although it requires much more work and time. Deciding on the proper room size for your needs is critical to the sounds that get re-produced. This will highly dictate the type of sound the microphones will pick up.

Clapping your hands in a room can give a good representation of what a room will sound like. The reflection coming off the walls will be picked up by a simple hand clap. The true test is to try out some instruments or vocals and position them in various sections of the room until reaching the optimum sound quality. If one side of the room sounds bad try a different spot or move around into a corner until the sound is improved.

Experimenting with different sections of the room also keeps the sound fresh when recording many instruments. If the acoustic guitars are recorded in the center of the room, when the time comes to record the electric guitars you may try recording them in a corner of the room for a different room sound. This gives clarity on the final mix creating separation and providing more distinction on various sounds.

If you are starting your own studio, remember that the bigger the studio the higher amount the bills will be. The benefit is that larger studios can charge more for their studio rates.

Getting the Necessities

If you happen to reach that elite 2% and become that million dollar, hit selling, famous producer or artist (or if you just win the lotto), then you might eventually think about buying serious studio gear and setting up your own producer paradise.

Acquiring the proper equipment and labor is key to a great studio and successful recordings. Studio gear is expensive and the knowledge of those who use the gear does not come cheap. Hiring the right people can save money and time in the long run. Studio designers also are specialty breeds that can make or break your studio. Your buddy Joe the carpenter may be able to help build it for less, yet if the studio is not properly isolated for sound it is a great waste of time, energy and finances.

The studio engineer is also the focal point of the sound that is created. Having an experienced engineer involved in the process will make your sound have a character of its own. He is the extra set of ears that gives another dimension to your productions. He is also a critical consulting partner when building or choosing to rent a studio. Let the experts help you with advice, it will create less of a headache in the long run. The experienced engineer can fill you in on all the equipment needed for recording the music that is relevant to your world. He can also give some guidelines on how the studio should be setup before having to consult a designer. There is no room for guessing or assumption on these issues.

Check List: Part 1

When purchasing studio gear it is wise to research only what is absolutely essential for your style of music. If you're not recording live drums in your studio, there is no need to buy a plethora of microphones for them. By being patient and shopping around for the best prices, a mass amount of money can be saved in the end. When you save to 0 bucks on each piece of gear it really adds up in the end, and there is a ton of gear needed to put a proper studio together.

Below is a basic studio checklist that will be discussed in further detail in later articles. These are the essentials of modern day recordings and the tools that are most commonly used in the best studios around the world.

The Studio Gear Checklist:

Recording / Mixing Console

The engineer or producer operates the console that controls all of the levels for recording, playback and mixing.

This is the big board that has all the buttons, switches, knobs, faders which control the levels and signal routing for each instrument. This could be referred to as a board, console or mixer. The most common consoles in major studios are SSL (Solid State Logic) or Neve. The console is the most important piece of gear in the studio. It controls the overall operations of signal flow and sound manipulation. The console allows for each instrument to be on its own channel on the board. Each channel may then have effects inserted into its signal path to enhance the sound. A signal may also be routed to external gear for further manipulation. Anything that can be imagined, can be done. There are no rules for experimenting with sound. A signal can be sent to reverbs, delays, compressors, guitar amps, speakers in hallways for re-recording

Each channel strip on a decent console will contain: Faders, Preamps, Panning, Equalization, Filters, a Routing Matrix, AUX Sends and Returns, Dynamics, Muting, & Solo.

Other Features Of The Console: Inserts, Outputs, Monitoring, Automation, Fader Grouping, Bussing, Splitting...

Patchbay

Allows the studio to combine interconnectivity with all the equipment by using patch cables. The patchbay can be configured for each studio's specific equipment requirements. All of the outboard gear, console and recording devices inputs and outputs are hard wired to the patchbay. The Patchbays can be be analog or digital. The most common is the bantam TT cable configurations.

Check List Part 2:

Microphones Microphones pickup the initial sound source. The mic is the first source in the recording process receiving and converting the sound wave into electrical energy to be amplified, transmitted and recorded.

Preamps Amplifies the original signal coming from the mic or instrument. Gives initial control of the recording levels. Preamps are located on the console or as external outboard gear.

DI Boxes The Direct box is used mainly for instruments such as keys and bass to be compatible with mic inputs. The DI box transforms line levels of instruments to mic level for console and preamp inputs.

Compressors Helps to further control levels and dynamics coming from the preamp or console. Usually comes in rack mounted outboard gear or software plugins for DAWs. Compressors keep levels from peaking into distortion levels and help to bring lower levels louder.

FX Processors For special effects like adding space, dimension, pitch and time delays on signals and recorded tracks. Usually comes in rack mounted outboard gear or software plugins for DAWs. Multi-FX processors may have reverb, delay, flangers, EQ, compression and more all in one unit.

FX Pedals Small floor foot pedals originally designed for guitar FX processing. These pedals are created for distortion and special effects, which add space, dimension, pitch and time on guitars mainly, but are an inexpensive alternative used as outboard gear for other instruments.

DAW The Digital Audio Workstation is like an entire studio inside of a computer. Protools, Logic and Nuendo are just a few DAWs that provide a digital multi-track recorder, a virtual console, a wide variety of effects, editing, and sequencing(musical programming) possibilities. The DAW uses software, hardware and computers in combination to operate.

Check List: Part 3

Control Surface The control surface acts as a console that controls a DAW or external machine. The control surface usually has faders, knobs and buttons that are controlled by the computer connected to a DAW. This makes operating the DAW similar to analog operations by being able to put your hands on faders instead of clicking a mouse. Some control surfaces have all the same features as a console. The most common control surfaces are made by Digidesign.

Clocking Digital recorders use different clocking formats to operate properly. Digital units sample the sound to be replicated. Clocking refers to the amount of time in between samples taken for reproduction. If the digital clocking is off it will sound jittery or add noise to the sound in the analog to digital conversion. A quality clock will improve the sound. Some common digital clock sources can be found in products made by Prism, Rosendahl, DCS, and Aardsync to name a few. Some clocks have sync generators built in to lock up with other machines.

Sync Generator Generates tones to allow communication between machines so that several recording devices can be synchronized together and operate at the same speed. Clocking works with synchronization (sync) when analog and digital equipment is combined. Sync uses SMPTE, MTC (midi time code), Midi Clock, MMC (midi machine control) to allow recording on several DAWs and tape machines to be linked up together.

CD Recorder Records and plays back compact discs. Gives the ability to record stereo mixes and playback these mixes on other CD players. CD standard for consumer playback is a sample rate of 16 bit and a sampling rate of 44.1kHz. Sony, Tascam, Alesis, and Yamaha all make good studio CD recorders.

Tape Machines Recording machines that use analog or digital tape for recording and playback of music. Some purists in sound recording prefer the sound of analog tape. There are many digital tape machines used for recording both music and video.

Cabling Literally miles of various cabling could be needed for a single studio. Common cables in sound reproduction are XLR balanced mic cables and Unbalanced 1/4 inch instrument cables.

Monitors / Amps Speakers in the studio are referred to as Monitors. Powerful clean amps are needed to run monitors. Many monitors are self powered, which means that they have built in amplifiers. Monitors usually consist of high frequency tweeters, low frequency woofers and cabinets that contain the speakers and components.

Headphones / Distribution By using a set of earphones this allows communication between the control room and the studio, also allows pre-recorded tracks to be heard during the overdubbing process. Headphones are also referred to as cans.

Instruments / Keyboards / Drums / Guitars These are more of the tools of the craft. You may have all the best studio gear in the world, but if the instruments sound bad you are starting in the wrong place. Anything could be considered an instrument if it makes noise that could possibly be recorded on a record.

Amplifiers This is often referred to as an amp. Amps increase the amplitude or volume of electrical signals from sound waves. These are used in powering speakers. Guitar and Bass amps can be used for many other applications such as running a vocal or snare drum through them.

Microphone Stands A wide variety of sizes and styles are needed for a proper studio. The mic stand helps to get the microphone placed properly for the best sound quality possible.

Studio Furniture There are many types of racks and furniture designed to hold consoles and outboard gear. The interior decoration of the studio completely sets the vibe of the working environment.

Electricity

Nothing will work without electricity unless you're jamming at the local drum circles down on the beach. Electrical installation studio power is often overlooked. Studios will setup a "clean feed" that is a separate breaker from the rest of the general power that is being used for air conditioning, lighting and the basic necessities of the rest of the building. Have you ever plugged something in and heard that horrific buzzing sound coming from the speakers or guitar amp? This is usually due to bad electrical wiring, which causes ground noise. This is the first thing to listen for when going in to a studio session. A simple solution to the problem would be to use a simple ground lifter on the gear or lift the ground from a direct box which can also solve the problems. We will go into details later.

Isolated electrical circuits for each individual room are a must in a recording studio. The proper amount of amperage is also a must. Not enough amperage will surely cause your breakers to blow. Consult with an Electrician who is familiar with studio setups to insure that wiring and voltage is regulated and conforming with local codes.

Unregulated Power Supplies (UPS) should also be in place just in case there is a power failure. This will insure that valuable equipment will not blow up or cause a fire. If there is a case of a power outage the UPS will provide enough time to backup important computer files and safely turn off your equipment. Some studios will have complete generator systems in place to keep the studio running for the remainder of the session.

Improper lighting can also cause buzzing ground issues, especially fluorescent bulbs. Avoid using these in any studio. Dimmers can also cause many problems. The average household dimmers will surely put a damper into a clean sound. Make sure that professional grade dimmers are installed to avoid ground noise. Always listen carefully to signals being recorded before committing to a final take. There are a countless number of accounts that the engineer discovers electrical noise on takes during the mix process.

If you are serious about your studio, may I suggest balance power or a separated panel with neutral power conditioning. The evil problems of ground issues are a direct reflection of sources returning or looking for a different ground. Voltage potential between neutral and ground will certainly change your way of looking at things... for example, .5 volts between neutral and ground is the maximum allowance by UL code that electronics will operate optimally without potential induction issues. I would suggest having a meter installed to rate this. Logging this information and having a good rapport with the local electric company would not hurt at all.

Air Conditioning/HVAC

This is another very important area that is often not considered. Studio gear gets very hot. The lack of adequate cooling could result in equipment failure or damage. Blowing up equipment is no fun and it gets very expensive. Some recording studios have a separate Machine Room for computers, tape machines and power amps that is highly air-conditioned to keep everything cool. This also cuts down on the noise from the fans on such units, which can distract concentration from listening in detail in the control room. Having too much air conditioning could also result in moisture or condensation build-up that may also damage the gear. Water in general is bad for electronic gear.

The return air system is used to pull heat out of needed areas and also provides an air intake for the AC units. These are placed in key areas where there is a build-up of heat from the gear, for example near the console or in the machine room.

Separate Rooms: Control Room

Most studios have several isolated areas for recording, mixing, and production. Soundproofing is the main agenda when creating multiple rooms in a studio. To achieve this, the main objective is to make the rooms airtight. If air cannot leak in or out of a room, there will be less chance of sound leaking in or out as well.

Most pro studios have double doors that create a sound lock to help prevent noise leakage. They also have very thick double walls with interior air gaps to also help trap unwanted sound. The floors in the studio should also be floated which means they are lifted from the ground to help further prevent extra vibrations and leakage.

The first focus would be the Control Room where the mixing console and outboard gear are contained. This is where all of the recording and mixing is controlled, hence control room. The acoustics in this room should be designed for hearing the exact sound that is being recorded or mixed. The sound of the room should be as natural as possible for accurate representation of the original sound translated to the speakers in the room.

The first rule for an appropriate acoustically treated room is that there should be no parallel walls .If you were to clap your hands in a room with hard parallel walls you would here the sound bouncing back and forth, this is known as a flutter echo. This is neither good for recording or mixing. The trapping of unwanted bass is important for a room to sound great as well. Twenty five percent of the room should be assigned for bass traps for an adequate mixing room.

Separate Rooms: Live Rooms

The next focus of equal importance would be the Live Room where the music is recorded. This is where the musicians and vocalists perform on the microphones. Live rooms should have more versatility to be able to adapt to different recording situations. Wood floors for example are great for reflection of sound, which creates a brighter tone. If a warmer tone is wanted, one could simply place a rug on the floor. Many live rooms also have a great deal of glass to see between rooms for communication. This is also very reflective. Many studios use curtains to control the amount of reflections coming off glass or hard walls. Non-parallel walls are again needed to eliminate any flutter echoes.

Some studios also contain a vocal booth within the live room. This would be a smaller room designed for vocals. They may also be used for guitar amps and other instruments. There are no rules for what this can be used for; its main purpose is for additional isolation during the recording process. Glass doors or windows are used for visibility of the artists and those working in the control room.

Many elaborate studios may have multiple control rooms and production suites. Lounges and proper bathroom facilities are important in keeping the creativity flowing. A dining area and kitchen are also a consideration if budgets permit. Many hours are spent in the studio when working on projects. It is important to have all the comforts of home to keep everyone happy.

A few proper offices are necessary for the client to be able to have private internet access and to handle business without any distractions. All studios are designed differently. Whatever can be imagined can be created. There are no rules, only guidelines.

Acoustics

Sound is a wave, much like the ripples on a still body of water when a rock is dropped into it. The larger the wave, the lower the tone. Lower tones, known as bass frequencies, travel in wide long waves while higher tones known as treble frequencies travel in a tighter, shorter wave. Frequencies heard by the human ear range from 20Hz to 20K. Just as an indication, a piano's range, probably the widest range of any instrument, is from 39Hz on the low note and 3Khz on the high note.

Sound is measured in decibels also represented as dB. An average concert is about 95-100 dB while a heavy rock concert or hip hop concert could reach levels of 130dB. This is above the threshold of pain; so don't forget to wear your earplugs which are designed to protect your hearing when in extreme sound levels. Interestingly enough, whales can actually produce levels of up to 180dB. It should be remembered that taking care of your ears is the most important thing you can do to prevent damage and have a sustained career. So don't hang out with any whales and put some protection in your ears when exposed to loud volumes.

Absorption is the act of a sound wave being soaked up by a particular material. This is measured by co-efficient ratings. The higher the sound absorption co-efficient rating, the more sound that is being eliminated from troubled spots in your room. Different section of the room may require different co-efficient ratings. Remember that studios start off as an empty shell. Hard surfaces and walls need treatment to provide for a great sounding room. For example, 20 gauge theater curtains are commonly used in studios. They consist of a thick velvet material, which is excellent for absorbing high-end frequencies. The thinner materials soak up higher frequencies.

The thicker materials soak up lower frequencies. This is why thick bass traps are very large and contain ports or holes to trap low-end frequencies. The larger the port, the lower the frequency absorption.

There are endless amounts of products and designs that are used in the industry. Wall panels are also commonly used to absorb sound. These are made from a fiberglass product wrapped in a cloth material. Various sizes and thickness are used for problem frequencies. Again the thin materials eliminate high end and thicker materials absorb low end.

Reflection is the opposite of absorption. Think of the sound as a wave hitting a mirror and bouncing back. This can be used as an advantage for a brighter tone. If a room has too much absorption causing the room to sound too dead, hard surfaces such as wood panels can be placed in strategic locations to add a more live sound to the room.

Some studios have reversible hanging panels that can be flipped between reflective and absorptive to change the room sound at will. For vocals the room may need a more dead sounding absorptive room. Drums may require a more live sounding room. John Bonham, from Led Zeppelin had an amazingly huge live reflective drum sound. This became the goal for the big Rock drum sound.

Prince is underestimated as a drummer. He has a great tight drum sound on his first record where he played all of the instruments as well as the drums. The drums have just the opposite effect using absorption in a small tight room creating a very in your face heavy Pop drum sound.

These are not rules, only guidelines. Using your ears is always the key to getting the best sound.

Designing a studio is quite an undertaking to do professionally. Each room is completely separated and isolated from one another. The most common method is to actually build a room inside of a room. The inner walls do not touch the outer walls, which creates an air gap that traps sound. Each wall can be many feet thick and multiple layers of thick glass and doors divide the rooms.

The floors in each room are floated from the ground with spacers that also create an air space to lower vibrations and help to trap unwanted sound leakage. All floors have different characteristics in the way sound waves bounce off from their surfaces. While wood floors have a warm tone, concrete and tile have a brighter tone. This also holds true for walls.

A solid plan is needed to run cabling between rooms so that each room can be interconnected with each other for microphone signal lines and headphone communication systems. Custom made cable troughs or PVC tubing is used to send groups of microphone cables from a panel to the control room. From the control room the Headphone lines would be run through the walls for communication between all of the rooms.

Materials and Tools

Drywall is needed for walls. The more layers of drywall added will increase the thickness of the studio walls. By using varying thicknesses of drywall stacked and shifted, alternating at the seams will help minimize sound transmission between rooms. Many drywall screws and a good electric drill will definitely come in handy if you are building a studio.

Fabric is used for making wall panels and ceiling clouds that control the absorption in the studio. There are specific fabrics that are designed for different frequency absorption. Each thickness and texture has varying co-efficient ratings at multiple frequency bands.

AC Duct Board and other fiberglass products are wrapped in fabric with spray glue to create absorbing panels called Wall Boxes and Bass Traps. Thermal Fiber or Fiberglass Insulation is inserted in between two sets of walls and ceiling to create an additional thickness providing an alternate texture, containing fiberglass, which is superb for capturing sound.

Sand is also an excellent alternative choice for filling walls to prevent sound wave transmission. Wood provides the skeleton for frames that hold the panels and boxes. Larger Bass Traps with large ports could be made from wood or fiberglass. RPG panels are a series of wooden slats mathematically designed to absorb and refract, or soak up and scatter sound inside a room. Wood can also be used to create custom racks to hold the outboard gear, console and patchbay. Custom studios can be designed for any situation and style.

Doors, Walls and Windows

Doors and walls are the single most important item where recording studio sound bleed is concerned. A small 1/4inch air gap at the bottom threshold of a door will release 30% of the sound. Creating airtight rooms are the first step in sealing all the gaps for optimum sound proofing. The transitions between where the rooms are connected have more possibilities for sound leakage. All corners, gaps and frames for door and window cutaways must be sealed with a silicon or caulking material. Keep in mind that if air can escape through any passage then sound will surely go through as well.