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Noise Cancelling versus Noise Reduction - The Difference When It Comes to Headphones June 24, 2008

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Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) states, “noise cancelling is a method for preventing unwanted sound. Sound consists of vibrations in the air, which can be represented as a wave. If a speaker emits a sound whose wave has the same amplitude and the exact opposite polarity to the original sound, the waves cancel out and the result is no sound at all.”

While this seems rather technical here is a more simple explanation: sound waves are created by the noise cancelling headphones to counter and eliminate the unwanted sound waves outside of the headphones or speakers. A digital signal processor determines what sound wave is needed to cancel the outside sound wave and it produces that sound and amplifies it through the headphones.

This method differs from noise-reduction headphones which are designed to reduce the noise you hear by physically blocking the sound from reaching your eardrum. This is the same passive, unpowered method that is used by insulation or sound-absorbing ceiling tiles in your home.

Noise canceling headphones tend to work best for constant sounds like lawn mowers and appliances but they allow in intermittent sounds, such as conversation or a ringing phone, so you are not totally isolated. They are also known to be more comfortable than noise-reduction headphones since they are lighter weight and generally smaller in size than noise-reduction headphones.

Some of advantages of noise cancelling methods compared to noise-reduction methods are:
They can be more effective at low frequencies
They can be less bulky
They can be selective in that they can block noise (e.g. from an engine) but not useful sounds (e.g. voices).

Some of disadvantages of noise cancelling methods compared to noise-reduction methods are:

They consume power, usually supplied by batteries that must be replaced. If the batteries die the noise cancellation stops working; and if you are using the headphones to listen to music, in many models, the music stops as well.
They may introduce additional noise, usually in the form of high-frequency hiss. Noise cancellation headphones attempt to block sound by sampling the outside sound and then producing an equal but opposite sound - sometimes the approximation of sound can be difficult.

Whatever method of noise reduction you choose, it can help prevent hearing loss. By using headphones when listening to music, you can hear the music at much lower volumes because you are not trying to drown out background sounds. And those around you won’t have to listen to your music; it can be contained in the headphones.

Lee Blue is an avid musician, composer, and home studio recording artist. He uses Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones (http://www.quietheadphones.com) in his recording studio as well as his office during work to block out distractions.

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Music Screensavers June 23, 2008

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It is important to be careful while choosing a screensaver with music. That’s because the moment the screensaver gets activated, the musical piece accompanying it begins to play. While the same visual images can be escaped by simply looking in another direction, the music surrounds the user no matter where he or she is looking. And, if the computer is placed in a common space, then in addition to the user, people who are around also need to like the music, or at least be able to continue with what they are doing without getting disturbed.

The task of choosing a Music Screensaver can be simplified if the user can identify the effect that it should have. This could be determined based on the kind of work that the computer is used for, and the personal preferences of the user. For instance, if a computer is primarily meant for home use and is located in a private space, the screensaver on it could be accompanied with music that has a well-defined rhythm, which is fast, and lyrics that need to appeal only to the user. However, if a computer is located in a professional space and is used for work, people tend to choose music that has a slow rhythm and does not have lyrics. This prevents people around from getting disturbed as well as getting distracted.

Yet the options available to a user who works in a creative environment, such as an advertising agency or a lifestyle magazine, are very different from those available to a user who works in a customer service environment, such as a legal firm or a bank. In an advertising agency, since the atmosphere is meant to fuel creativity and provide users with ample freedom to express themselves and their ideas, virtually any kind of screensaver with any kind of music is acceptable. However, people who are sensitive to others, and fear annoying them or distracting them, use headphones. When they don’t, people who are getting annoyed or distracted use headphones.

In a bank, where customer interaction is a constant, people tend to use screensavers that don’t have the potential to be intrusive, visually or musically. In fact, most banks and customer-centric companies use the screensaver to display company information with the objective of branding and advertising. The screensaver is the same across workstations, and if it is accompanied by music, the music is gentle and relaxing.

When there are no limitations, screensavers can be accompanied with any kind of music whether it’s rock, pop, jazz, hip-hop, blues, lounge, trance or any other music that appeals to the user. It could even be the sound of flowing water, gunshots, animals, and rustling leaves.

Screensavers provides detailed information about screensavers, free screensavers, nature screensavers, animated screensavers and more. Screensavers is the sister site of Computer Projector Rentals.

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Guitar Accessories Which Ones Do I Need To Buy For My Guitar June 22, 2008

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There are a number of guitar accessories that you might want to buy for your guitar. Guitar accessories are relatively cheap and if you are buying a guitar, you might be able to pick up a good deal if you want to buy a number of accessories as well.

Here is a list of guitar accessories to consider (in order of the most popular):

Guitar Bags and Cases

If you plan on gigging a lot or travelling on planes/trains etc. I recommend buying a guitar case, otherwise a padded gig bag will do just fine. The Kinsman guitar cases and guitar bags are a very good quality and are also one of the most popular. The Kinsman guitar bags come in three grades.

1) Standard - hardly any padding and one small pouch for music books and accessories
2) Deluxe - quite well padded, with two pouches
3) Premium - extremely well padded, with large and small pouches and a shoulder strap.

The Kinsman guitar cases are made for Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Paul shape, electric, acoustic or bass guitars.

Guitar tuner/pitch pipe

There are hundreds of guitar tuners to choose from on the market. The best brands in order of popularity* are:

The two guitar tuners that stand out from the rest are the Stagg Automatic Guitar/Bass Tuner and the Korg GA-30. These two guitar tuners are sold more than any other guitar tuner on the market.

Guitar strings

It’s always wise to have a spare set of guitar strings to hand. You never know when one will brake and leave you in a difficult situation.
You will need to buy steel strings for electric, bass or acoustic guitars and nylon strings for classical, Spanish or Flamenco guitars

Here is a list of the top brands of guitar strings, in order of popularity*:

Effects pedals

For some groovy sounds you will need to buy an effects pedal. The two most popular are the Jim Dunlop GCB-95 Original Cry Baby Wah Wah Effects Pedal and the Ibanez Tone-Lok Series SM7 Smash Box Effects Pedal.

Here is a list of the top brands in order of popularity*:

Amplifiers

Amplifiers are used with electric guitars, bass guitars and electro-acoustic guitars.
You will need to buy a lead to connect up to your guitar.
There are many types of guitar amplifiers ranging from the smallest which is normally 10 watts up to 500 watts! or more:

Practice amps (these are normally quite small)
Standard amps (used for playing in bands or gigging)
Bass amps (used only with bass guitars)
Keyboard amps (used with electronic keyboards and stage pianos)
Mixer amps
Speakers and Monitors
Combo amps (also known as combination amplifiers)
Amp heads

Which brand of Amplifier do I choose?
There are a number of brands of guitar amplifiers, here is a list in order of the most popular*:

Marshall
Fender
Vox
Peavey
Laney
Line 6
Mesa Boogie
Kustom
Crate
Carlsbro
Ashdown
BB Blaster
Yamaha
Warwick
Dean
Crafter
Cruiser
Danelectro

All guitar amplifiers sound different. Some (like Marshall and Line 6) are good for Rock and Roll, others have a softer and less bright sound like the popular Vox amps and Mesa Boogie.

For beginners, I would recommend either the Peavey Backstage or the BB10 blaster amp.
The Peavey Backstage is by far the most popular and best value for money beginner’s guitar amp on the market.

Guitar stands or Guitar Hangers

There are lots of different types of guitar stands, it really depends on which stand is more suited to you.
There is the standard guitar stand, the universal guitar stand, the auto grab guitar stand, the double and triple guitar stand and the wall mounted guitar stand. The standard guitar stand is the most popular and comes in three different types: i) electric/bass, ii) classical and iii) universal.

The most popular* brands are:

Stagg
Hercules
QuikLok
Giraffe
Warwick
Fender
String Swing
Ibanez
Plectrums (also known as picks)

Plectrums are very cheap and can be bought individually, or in packs.
Most commonly you can buy plectrums on the web in packs of 6.
Guitar plectrums come in different gauges. Usually the thinner ones are
used with Classical, Spanish or Flamenco guitars, the medium gauges with Electric and Acoustic guitars and the thickest ones with Basses.

There are lots of brands of plectrums. The most popular* are:

Guitar Leads/Cables

Guitar Leads normally come in different lengths: The most common is the 15 feet/4.5 metre leads. This length is ample if you are playing in a band.

Popular* brands of guitar leads/cables are:

Guitar straps

If you want to buy a gift for a guitarist, there is nothing better than a nice leather guitar strap.

Levys and Gibson are the most famous brands of guitar straps, Levys have the most comprehensive selection.
Other guitar straps to look out for are Dickies and Wrangler.

Guitar Capo

A capo is a clamp that you can use on different frets of the guitar to change the pitch of the open strings. Each fret on the guitar is a half step. If you place the capo on the 1st fret, all of the open strings will sound a semi-tone higher than normal, this makes changing the key of a song easy.
Dunlop and Shubb are the most popular* guitar capos.

Guitar Slide

The guitar slide is a tube of some hard material about one to two inches long. Commonly, it’s made from glass and metals. Each type of guitar slide has distinct characteristics, tonality, and overall sound. The guitar slide is pressed lightly against the strings so as not to touch the strings of the fret, producing a sustained tone which can be varied in pitch by moving the slide across the neck. A quick side-to-side motion is often used in this way to generate vibrato.
The most popular brand to go for is Dunlop.

Headphones

If you want to play at home but don’t want to disturb your neighbours, then a good set of headphones is recommended.
Any headphones will do, so take your pick from any of the following leading brands:

Metronome

If you want to play your guitar in time then you are going to need to buy a metronome.
You can choose from modern electronic metronomes or traditional mechanical metronomes.
Traditional metronomes look very nice and are made from either plastic or wood, they are also known as pendulum metronomes because the ticking sound is produced by a small pendulum that swings back and forth, much like the old Grandfather clocks. The Traditional wooden or plastic metronomes tend to be a lot more expensive than the electronic metronomes.

The leading metronome brands in order of popularity* are:

Wittner
Korg
Yamaha
Seiko
Qwik Time

Cleaning and maintenance (polish, nut file set, wrench set, fret file set)

To look after your guitar you will need to at least buy some guitar polish. Gibson produce a good guitar polish and also Doctor Ducks Axe Wax is very popular.
If you are serious about guitar playing then you might want to have a nut file, fret file or wrench set. You can keep your guitar in top playing condition.

Footstool

The guitar footstool is used mainly by Classical, Spanish or Flamenco guitarists.
Their style of playing and the way they hold the guitar makes the use of a footstool quite important.

Stringwinder (also known as a pegwinder)

If you have lots of guitars, own a guitar shop, or tune guitars on a regular basis, the guitar stringwinder comes in handy as a real time saver. Instead of turning the guitar pegs by hand, you can use the stringwinder to speed up the process.

Straplok set

For replacing the bolt that holds on your guitar strap.

Power adaptor for effects pedals

If you use effects pedals then you will need a power adaptor to connect to the mains.

*Please note that the above article makes references to guitar accessories listed in popularity order. The popularity order of these guitar accessories is taken from www.Soundsmusical.com - the leading UK musical instrument website.

I hope this article has been useful and you are now more informed about guitar accessories.

If you are ready to buy some guitar accessories you can find a comprehensive selection here: Guitar accessories, tuners, bags, cases, guitar strings, stands and more

About the Author
Henry Genry Howard is known as ‘The Music Guru’ and is the chief writer at Soundsmusical.com. Henry has spent his whole life in music. He has played various musical instruments to a very high standard, learnt to build pianos form scratch, tuned pianos professionally and run several music and internet businesses. He loves to share with everyone his experiences and immense knowledge of music. Henry hopes that the above guitar article will help you make the best buying decisions. If you have any questions you would like to ask please email: henrygenry@hotmail.co.uk.

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