10 Tips for Succesful Production of Dance Music May 31, 2008
Posted by admin in : Headphone , add a comment1. Get the right monitoring.
For dance, bigger monitors = better monitors. Bigger recording room = better room. Remember that dj in club will play your track on big loudspeakers. If you mix your track on a small monitors or headphones, it may happen that your track won’t be good for club and dj will not play it.
2. Make adaptation of your recording room.
Your producing/listening room has to be well damped, otherwise you will hear a lot of reverberation and sound coloration when mixing. It is very important. If you don’t have a lot of funds (expecially for large room), don’t worry. It doesn’t have to look great, more important is to do the job.
3. Do not use noisy sound cards.
Try to avoid using cheap soundcards below $100. They have very poor quality and they are good for games rather not for producing music. If you have enough funds, consider buying card staring from $300 with low latency. Some cards offer also internal crossing which also might be useful.
4. Use good sound synth sources.
There are already some plugins that sound great, however if you can afford, invest in a best synth hardware. Hardware in 90% of cases sounds better than software. There are also many different samples on the internet. A lot of samples like sf2, wav, reason refills, midi, vocal samples and acapellas, you may find on Vipzone Samples website - also a lot of free samples.
5. Use good reverbs.
For your instruments and vocals try to use good reverb units / plugins. Good sounding reverb placed on some instruments in the mix can bring your track to life. If you can’t afford top outboard units, you may use one of impulse-based plugins available on the market. They should work well for your DAW.
6. Use rhythmic delays on your instruments in the mix.
Remember that dance, trance, and techno music is based on rhythm. Don’t forget to use rhythmic delays on leads, vocals, arpeggios or trance basslines and other synths. This will help a lot. Don’t forget also to quantize your midi tracks (if you use midi).
7. Sometimes less bass = more bass.
Don’t overdo with bass on a bass drum or bass line. Kick drum should have a short click at the start and be enough “pumpy” for dance. You can easy find a lot of free good sounding kicks on the internet. Remember, bass should also have some mid-frequencies audible near the 1-3 kHz - not only the lowest bass. Compare your bass to the bass used in a good sounding tracks.
8. Less instruments = cleaner mix.
Instead of making many sound layers, try to use not much instruments. Make sure to choose punchy and selective sounding instruments with not too wide spectrum. Work on each instrument with equalizers, effects - like delays, reverbs, phasers etc. depending on the sound type. Use eq, to make each instrument staying in its frequency, not overlay with other instruments frequencies.
9. Set kick and drum section louder than other instruments.
It will significantly helps during the mastering. If you will set them louder, you (or mastering engineer) will be easy able to make good, pumping master on a good compressor. With drums sounding quiet in dance track, proper mastering can’t be done and noone will play your track in the club.
10. Send your track to the mastering engineer.
Try to not master your track by yourself and use good mastering engineer instead. He has fresh ear since you worked on your track probably a lot of time already. Mastering engineer will tells you the truth about your track, and what you should fix in the mix. You may find a lot of online mastering studios / houses.
Bio
I was interested in music practicaly since I was born. When I was 4 years old, I was very excited with my father’s old Abba-tapes. I listened to Abba all through my childhood. My next fascination was Italo Disco and later Depeche Mode. When I was 16 years old I started to play the guitar. This was the beginning of my next musical fascination - I started to listen to the rock music and groups like Deep Purple, Dire Straits or even later The Cure. My first tracks was recorded on a 4-track tape machine and these was rather some rock-guitar tracks, not dance. Me and my friends founded some rock groups, one of them called Muzyka Wiatru (The Music of the Wind) released album on MC. Unfortunately there was a “time for pop” in Poland and nobody was really interested in promoting new rock band. After 6 years I left guitar…more on http://www.janardana.net.
Interesting samples for producers you can find on my website http://www.vipzone-samples.com
More useful mixing and mastering tips on http://www.master-your-track.com.
Selecting a Portable DVD Player May 30, 2008
Posted by admin in : Headphone , add a commentSelecting a Portable DVD Player
If you want to watch a movie while travelling by road, or while undertaking air travel, or if you want to keep your children occupied with a movie for the duration of a long drive, bring your portable DVD player along! To use it, all you need to do, is to plug your headphones into the set, and relax with your favourite viewing to pass time on the journey. Most portable players have a built-in LCD screen and speakers that can give you a miniaturised home theatre experience. When shop for a portable DVD player, make sure you check for the features that are actually relevant to your intended use before you buy.
Screen Size and Weight
The player size is the probably the first aspect to be considered when you venture out to select a player. Those with larger screen sizes will correspondingly weigh more. The ideal screen size is generally held to be 7″ making it handy and easy to carry. Bigger screens give you better clarity, but the sets are more expensive than models with smaller screens. There are also low priced portable DVD players without screens, if you intend to plug the player into an existing television set or perhaps an old LCD screen from a car video system. These are easier on the purse than those that come with a screen but be sure to check that the player you choose has outputs that are compatible with the video inputs of your screen.
Playback Formats
Besides the standard function of playing DVDs, a number of portable players can support CDs of various formats such as MP3s, audio CDs, CD-R/RW, and DVD-R. Some DVD players are also capable of handling images in JPEG format that are saved onto a CD. This allows you to carry your photo albums on CDs with you, to show your friends when you visit them, while on vacation or at a family get together, without having to lug the extra baggage and weight associated with an unwieldy bunch of photo albums.
Comparing Video Outputs
First, get to know the types of video output the player can support. A component video output separates the different video signals, and maintains high colour fidelity and image quality, all of which go to produce a picture of high quality. S-video output is another high quality output option that presents an excellent picture. It is also possible to connect many portable DVD players with RCA phono connections, but you are likely to lose much of the video quality produced by standard DVD players. Make sure to choose a player with a video output that suits your television or screen.
Quality Audio Outputs
The choice of audio outputs boils down to any optical and coaxial cable type connections that are offered by your chosen player. An optical output is often the better choice from the perspective of producing the best sound effects when connected to a home theatre system. If you are hesitant about using your portable set when there are others around you, you can also opt for receiving audio output through a set of headphones. There are a large number of headphone models on offer, sporting a built-in headphone jack, or multiple headphone jacks, and even wireless headphone support.
Digital Surround Sound
Watching a movie on a portable DVD player with digital surround sound can transport you to a miniature virtual theatre environment. If you decide to use RCA connections, you will be missing out on the sound effects and quality that DVD players are capable of producing but there is little point in paying the extra for optical outputs if you only ever intend to use the player on the move with its own internal speakers or headphones.
Batteries
Portable DVD players are almost always equipped with internal rechargeable batteries, with some having a provision for using AA batteries when the internal batteries run out. Most internal batteries, when fully charged, last for between two and a half to three hours of use. Check to see that your player’s battery is equipped to run an entire movie! If you intend to use the DVD player in your car, remember to get the battery charger that is compatible with the car’s charging system. This charger is sometimes included with the accessories you receive when you buy the player. If not, check its costs as some of them have been known to cost nearly as much as the player itself.
Connectivity and Use - Further Thoughts
If you want to connect your DVD player to other audio equipment, or to the television set, then there are choices of regular A/V connections that can give the best video and audio outputs. If two people wish to listen to the audio simultaneously, look for two headphones, or purchase a ‘Y’ adapter which splits a single headphone output into two. You may also have the option of being able to connect the portable DVD player to your car, and listening to the audio output through the car speakers. Some players can be mounted in-between the seats, using the straps specifically provided for this purpose.
Warranty Period
Portable DVD players usually come with a manufacturer’s warranty of one year. The warranty period varies depending upon the brand you choose to purchase. It is advisable to choose a portable DVD player that carries at least a one-year warranty and consider the extended warranties offered by your retailer (but be sure to check for exclusions and restrictions in the fine print).
Conclusion
Before you buy a portable DVD player, it is advisable to become acquainted in advance with the essential features to look for and to decide which of these actually matters in the context of your intended use of the machine. The clarity, sound and convenience offered by a portable DVD player should give you and your family hours of high quality entertainment.
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Jason Flowers is Managing Director of 3 Wise Monkeys With e-tailers like 3wisemonkeys.co.uk you get the best of both worlds with a guide to buying a portable DVD player. As well as producing quick guides such as the one above to improve your on-line shopping experience, we are always happy to respond to your queries and to give detailed buying advice over the phone with no pressure to purchase. |
Noise Canceling Headphones May 29, 2008
Posted by admin in : Headphone , add a commentSometimes we get so tired with our hectic and noisy world. We simply wish we could go to a tranquil forest and rest our minds for a few hours; to look for peace and calmness. Or sometimes when you are in crowded place or in place where the background noise is a bit too loud, it gets simply impossible to have a conversation with the person sitting next to you. It is irritating as you would have to strain to hear what he is saying, and in turn you have to shout so he can hear what you are saying. Now, thanks to technology, the latest innovation you can actually achieve this-The Noise Canceling Headphones.
Theory:
Noise-canceling headphones reduce unwanted ambient sounds by means of active noise control. The theory behind this is that by picking up ambient sound with the microphone and reproducing it out of phase, you can actively cancel or “null” out background noise. Essentially, this involves using a microphone, placed near the ear, and electronic circuitry which generates an “antinoise” sound wave 180
Tags: noise cancelling headphones, noise free headphones, noise reduction headphones