Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
E-Music Top 20
# – Artist – Song – Genre
01 Van Morrison | Brown Eyed Girl Rock
02 Elf Power | Wings Of Light Alternative
03 Noam Chomsky | Class War Soundtracks
04 Tal Farlow | Fascinating Rhythm Jazz
05 Impotent Sea Snakes | For The Love Of Chains Alternative
06 Dave McKenna | On Green Dolphin Street Jazz
07 Bob Marley And The Wailers | My Cup World
08 Dillinger Escape Plan | Calculating Infinity Alternative
09 Rocket From The Crypt | Pure Genius Alternative
10 Scott Keeton | Nothing Left To Say Blues
11 TRS-80 | Dub Matrix Electronic
12 Rancid | I Am Forever Punk
13 NOFX | Dinosaurs Will Die Punk
14 Shelley Devoto | Strain Of Bacteria Alternative
15 Sahara Hotnights | On Top Of Your World Alternative
16 Green Day | Welcome To Paradise Punk
17 The Hives | I’m A Wicked One Punk
18 Cap’n Jazz | Little League Alternative
19 Yes | Sign Language Rock
20 The Cramps | Get off the Road Alternative
Why music really is getting louder
Dad was right all along – rock music really is getting louder and now recording experts have warned that the sound of chart-topping albums is making listeners feel sick.
That distortion effect running through your Oasis album is not entirely the Gallagher brothers’ invention. Record companies are using digital technology to turn the volume on CDs up to “11”.
Artists and record bosses believe that the best album is the loudest one. Sound levels are being artificially enhanced so that the music punches through when it competes against background noise in pubs or cars.
Britain’s leading studio engineers are starting a campaign against a widespread technique that removes the dynamic range of a recording, making everything sound “loud”.
“Peak limiting” squeezes the sound range to one level, removing the peaks and troughs that would normally separate a quieter verse from a pumping chorus.
The process takes place at mastering, the final stage before a track is prepared for release. In the days of vinyl, the needle would jump out of the groove if a track was too loud.
But today musical details, including vocals and snare drums, are lost in the blare and many CD players respond to the frequency challenge by adding a buzzing, distorted sound to tracks.
Oasis started the loudness war and recent albums by Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen have pushed the loudness needle further into the red.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication, branded “unlistenable” by studio experts, is the subject of an online petition calling for it to be “remastered” without its harsh, compressed sound.
Peter Mew, senior mastering engineer at Abbey Road studios, said: “Record companies are competing in an arms race to make their album sound the ‘loudest’. The quieter parts are becoming louder and the loudest parts are just becoming a buzz.”
Mr Mew, who joined Abbey Road in 1965 and mastered David Bowie’s classic 1970s albums, warned that modern albums now induced nausea.
He said: “The brain is not geared to accept buzzing. The CDs induce a sense of fatigue in the listeners. It becomes psychologically tiring and almost impossible to listen to. This could be the reason why CD sales are in a slump.”
Geoff Emerick, engineer on the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album, said: “A lot of what is released today is basically a scrunched-up mess. Whole layers of sound are missing. It is because record companies don’t trust the listener to decide themselves if they want to turn the volume up.”
Downloading has exacerbated the effect. Songs are compressed once again into digital files before being sold on iTunes and similar sites. The reduction in quality is so marked that EMI has introduced higher-quality digital tracks, albeit at a premium price, in response to consumer demand.
Domino, Arctic Monkeys’ record company, defended its band’s use of compression on their chart-topping albums, as a way of making their music sound “impactful”.
Angelo Montrone, an executive at One Haven, a Sony Music company, said the technique was “causing our listeners fatigue and even pain while trying to enjoy their favourite music”.
In an open letter to the music industry, he asked: “Have you ever heard one of those test tones on TV when the station is off the air? Notice how it becomes painfully annoying in a very short time? That’s essentially what you do to a song when you super-compress it. You eliminate all dynamics.”
Mr Montrone released a compression-free album by Texan roots rock group Los Lonely Boys which sold 2.5 million copies.
Val Weedon, of the UK Noise Association, called for a ceasefire in the “loudness war”. She said: “Bass-heavy music is already one of the biggest concerns for suffering neighbours. It is one thing for music to be loud but to make it deliberately noisy seems pointless.”
Mr Emerick, who has rerecorded Sgt. Pepper on the original studio equipment with contemporary artists, admitted that bands have always had to fight to get their artistic vision across.
He said: “The Beatles didn’t want any nuance altered on Sgt. Pepper. I had a stand-up row with the mastering engineer because I insisted on sitting in on the final transfer.”
The Beatles lobbied Parlophone, their record company, to get their records pressed on thicker vinyl so they could achieve a bigger bass sound.
Bob Dylan has joined the campaign for a return to musical dynamics. He told Rolling Stone magazine: “You listen to these modern records, they’re atrocious, they have sound all over them. There’s no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like – static.”
Studio sound
— The human ear responds to the average sound across a piece of music rather than peaks and crescendos. Quiet and loud sounds are squashed together, decreasing the dynamic range, raising the average loudness
— The saturation level for a sound signal is digital full scale, or 0dB. In the 1980s, the average sound level of a track was -18dB. The arrival of digital technology allowed engineers to push finished tracks closer to the loudest possible, 0dB
— The curves of a sound wave, which represent a wide dynamic range, become clipped and flattened to create “square waves” which generate a buzzing effect and digital distortion on CD players
Article from The Times.
Songs For Poker Night – Gambling Music
The idea for this page is to list great songs for card playing. Whenever there is a poker night there is always a CD or two of songs that fit to the mood for the night. I’m curious what other people’s songs are!
As people can leave a comment behind with more suggestions, the list will expand.
For now, this poker music list is:
Feeling Good – Micheal Buble
Sinner Man – Nina Simone
Clint Black – Good run of bad luck
Oar – crazy game of poker
Pogues – Bottle of smoke
Bob Dylan – Tangled up in blue
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Growing career opportunities in the music industry
1. Music Teaching in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Candidates trained at an Audio Recording School can seek excellent career opportunities in Elementary and Secondary schools as music teachers. With a renewed focus on the importance of music and art in today’s schools, the demand for music teachers at these learning facilities is huge. Hence a well-trained professional from the very best Audio Recording School should have no problem finding a tension-free career as a music teacher.
2. Music Therapist
Music therapy is slowing gaining popularity among people worldwide for stress relief and relaxation. Music therapy is widely used to improve mental health. Music therapy is also proven to cure certain physical illnesses too. The added advantage of a career in music therapy is that the therapist also gets great peace of mind as he or she helps the patient. Music therapists can seek career opportunities in hospitals – general or psychiatric, schools, outpatient clinics, mental health centers, nursing homes, correctional facilities and private practices.
3. Music Engineers
There are professional music careers too. Candidates trained in advanced music courses can opt for careers as music engineers. However, becoming a successful music engineer depends on the music school where you are trained. There are some unique music training programs like “Master Recording Program II” which covers the topic in depth. These music-training programs cover one thing and one thing only – MUSIC!
Being that this unique music-training program totally concentrates on music, students acquire a wide knowledge of the art and science of music. Covering all the basic principles of sound and the most sophisticated concepts of audio engineering – the Master Recording Program II is the best training on the planet. The program completes in just 42 weeks with 30 weeks of on campus lecture and hands-on training and 12 weeks of internships. Successfully completing the program can be the graduate’s fast track to becoming a successful audio engineer.
Bottom Line
In addition to the careers in music mentioned above, there are many other career opportunities that exist today. In the publishing industry, most large newspapers and magazines and many smaller periodicals hire a music reporter or critic who combines knowledge and enjoyment of music with writing or editing career. Just another reason why training at the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences can lead to a prosperous career in the music industry.
Songs to Play Poker
My iPod is one of the best investments I have made this year. It has become an important part of my tournament game. I have always had a hard time focusing while on the poker table, but it hasn’t been as much of a problem lately. When I turn my iPod on, I am not paying attention to the hustle and bustle in the tournament area. I am not saying “Hi” to my friend a few tables away or getting involved in the idiot chatter at my table. I am strictly paying attention to the action on my game. A lot of the time, I turn the volume down low enough to hear the action and the verbal tells, but the player next to me doesn’t know that. He usually won’t engage in conversation with me because I have the headphones on. Some people might think that listening to music while playing would be distracting, but it has helped me focus ten-fold. As a matter of fact, one final table I played on, Steve told me to put the headphones back on when he saw me conversing with a few of the players. I ended up winning the event. I am certainly not saying that if you buy an iPod, you will focus better than ever and win the next tournament you play in. I am just saying that it has helped me tremendously.
Many professional poker players have an iPod. In fact, one question that Pauly from Tao of Poker asks in his interviews is: “What’s on your iPod?”
I have about 1300 songs in my library, but only listed my most played songs below. There are some artists that I omitted from the list because there are numerous songs of theirs that I enjoy. Those artists are Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Sade, Bob Marley, Christina Aguilera, Enya, Gypsy Kings, John Mayer, Oingo Boingo, Keith Washington, Madonna, Luther Vandross, N.W.A., and Public Enemy. My top twenty songs to listen to while playing poker (they get me really pumped up) are listed first and they have a * in front of the title. My favorite two have four stars ****.
Funny side note: If I ever sang out loud to my top twenty songs while playing a tournament, I would get at least one time out for using the f-bomb. If I ever get that penalty, I will pull this article down and write a new one titled: “Why you shouldn’t listen to your iPod while playing poker.”
The list is below
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2Pac |
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Angie Stone |
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D12 |
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Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg |
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Eminem |
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The Hollies |
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Jay-Z & Linkin Park |
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Jermaine Dupri & More |
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Kanye West |
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Kelly Clarkson |
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Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell |
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Missy Elliott |
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Missy Elliot feat. Ciara |
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Nas |
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Nelly & Christina Aguilera |
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Public Enemy |
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Run DMC |
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Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins |
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Tom Petty |
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Train
|
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Online Music – Great Music with great Ease
This concept of online music gained immense popularity during 2000 and since then it has increased membership and subscriptions many times. More and more people are relying on the online stores for latest and quality music. These days, numbers of online websites are increasing which have enormously large collection of songs and albums of all genres. You can get the latest music on these websites .You can easily find songs and music videos of your favourite pop star and artistes. The most exciting part of these sites is that one can listen to music before ordering it. These days various websites offer the facility of listening music online. Users can also create their play-lists of chosen songs and listen it online. The online stores have a number of categories with different music classifications. This robust segregation helps one to easily find particular song or album.
Imagine one day you feel like listening to some old classic songs which is not much known or popular however you like it. You know the songs lyrics however you are not sure of the artists name or the album title. It may be quite difficult for you to find the particular song in the nearby music store. You need not get disappointed, because you can easily find your favourite track on the internet. These online stores have a very huge collection of songs from old classics to modern hit numbers. Tracks of different genres and music styles are available. You can search for Pop songs, Jazz, Rock music and many other different kind of music depending upon your choice.
These music stores strictly follow the various copyright laws which ensure that you get the original and high quality soundtracks. They have a central large and efficient music repository which helps you find music more easily and quickly. The companies that offer music downloads to customers are accountable to the users. They offer reliable services unlike the usual file sharing programs on the internet.
The major reason for the increasing popularity of the online music stores is due to the fast and efficient availability of the music. You can find desired tracks and albums without much hassle. These online shops are available all the time so you can search for music at any hour of the day. Imagine great music is at your fingertips 24 hours, seven days of the week. Online music portals are attaining tremendous success in the UK. Music stores on the internet are quite famous in London. People ardently admire this novel concept as it saves time and provides great music without much effort.
Categories Of Music
One of the most important categories of music is classical music. This is the type of music that needs a lot of hard work because of its inherent complexity. Classical music is not simple and definitely not for bathroom singers. It needs a lot of practice and learning to master this art. Most operas feature this music and the divas who sing the classical songs are highly respected for their range and layered performances. Classical music is taken very seriously by people who love it and if you are interested in it you may have to be coached rigorously to be stage ready.
Another type of music that has roots in very early days is the tribal music. Tribal music is inherent to particular tribes and does not need any expensive studio equipment for its creation. The tribal music of many African, Hawaiians and the American Indian tribes have qualities unique to them. Lots of African tribal music is fast paced while the Hawaiian music is very lively. American Indian music often has a haunting quality that stirs the soul. Similarly, the Nordic tribes or the Arabic ones have their own music that can be very spontaneous and emotive. If you love dancing to simple, nature based music, tribal music is best for you.
Hip-hop is a rather new kid on the block in comparison to the aforementioned veterans of music. However, it has caught the fancy of the young generation to a huge extent. Low waist pants, gesturing moves, a cool attitude and rhythmic word play – all come together to give a special quality to hip hop music. If you want to be considered hip and cool, you may want to consider a number of hip hop songs while you download music on your iPod.
Another famous music genre is Rock. Long hair, a guitar in hand and a loud voice are the main features of a rocker. The kind of frenzy a rock band evokes is hard to emulate. The pulsating music and aggressive moves make this music, one of the most popular on earth. If you are a member of a rock band, you have a ticket to instant fame.
You can also opt for the rustic and definitely much softer music genre called country music. Other musical forms are jazz which is one of the most soulful categories, blues which as the name suggests specializes in sad numbers, dance which you will love if you work as a disc jockey, folk which is another age old form of music and many others.
Mozart Effect
Exposure to most noises causes irritation, stress, and can result in permanent hearing loss and health problems. It’s difficult to eliminate noise, Often we try to cover offending ambient noise with music. If you like the music, it usually results in fewer physical problems.
We know that brain waves are modified by sounds. Beta brain waves, those between 14 and 20 hertz are most common. We achieve relaxed concentration or lucid awareness when alpha waves, between 8 and 13 hertz, are present Music with about 60 heats per minute–particularly that of Mozart, Brahms, and Bach–shifts the brain’s activity from beta to the higher-awareness alpha waves
It’s called the Mozart Effect. This type of music lowers stress and increases concentration. A study in England found students scored 10 points higher on an IQ test after listening to Mozart compared to those exposed to silence, white noise, or other music. White noise is just low-level random sounds. Examples are radio static and running water.)
Researchers suggest that we respond to music because our bodies are rhythmic. Our breathing, heartbeat, and many other body functions have an intrinsic rhythm.
Certain music invigorates people, while other melodies calm them. Other tunes make you sleepy or keep you awake Supermarkets, department stores, and event managers have used music to shape human behavior. Music can be used to make people move faster or slower, to encourage them to shop longer, persuade them to action, or help them to relax.
Other recent research links exposure to music to improved mental skills. Einstein played the violin and believed this helped his subconscious mind to solve problems. Many people who suffer from insomnia find that some of Bach’s music helps them. Lively popular music boosts energy and endurance. These results aren’t new
But being exposed to music you dislike causes negative effects, including higher blood pressure and stress. Most adults refer to the tunes teenagers listen to as noise. Teens feel the same way about other people’s music. There’s a story about a large group of young people gathering daily near a convenience store. They weren’t doing anything wrong, but their presence irritated the store’s owner and customers. The owner had an idea. He piped classical music outside the store, and the teens quickly disappeared.
Martin Gardiner of Brown University checked the relationship between arrest records of teenagers and their involvement in music. Gardiner found that the more a teen was associated with music, the lower the arrest record. Teens with music education were less likely to get into trouble than students without it. Those who also played a musical instrument, played in a band, or were in a chorus had even fewer problems with the law.
Retail stores have discovered that sales increase when they play easy-listening music. Apparently this music calms shoppers and encourages them to spend more time in the store.
Light, easy-paced music tends to help most people concentrate for a longer time, and improves their ability to memorize facts. However, with some people this music has the opposite effect. It distracts and disturbs those who are more analytical or inhibited than the norm. Listen to various kinds of music to determine its effect on you.
The tempo of religious music induces a feeling of peace and helps a person cope with physical and emotional pain. On the other end of the spectrum, heavy metal, rap, or martial music excites the nervous system and prompts people to dynamic action or aggressive behavior. It’s not surprising that Gulf War pilots listened to recordings of heavy metal music before launching their offensive flights into battle.
Studies are under way to determine if music can cure or help emotional problems and people with brain injuries or Alzheimer’s.
The effects of sounds on other aspects of nature have also been known for centuries. In southern India, farmers believe the gentle sounds of humming and buzzing insects guarantee healthy sprouting of the sugarcane. Carefully conducted experiments have proved that plants grow faster when music, especially tunes in the low frequency range of 100 to 600 hertz, are piped over the fields or into greenhouses. Farm animals and pets have been known to respond to music.
Your heartbeat tends to synchronize with any ambient pulsation. With modern rap music, there is concern as to what the unnatural rhythm changes do to listeners’ bodies, emotions, and even their subconscious. Long-term effects are unknown.
Music will influence our health and behavior. By knowing about its effects, we can use it to our benefit.
Download music online
Free music downloading is not a new thing today because you can find a lot of sites that offer music downloads for free. The only thing necessary is to find out the right place to get one. There can be a lot of reasons behind this and one of them is to propagate a new music band or group. Any new group that has launched its music will definitely want to have its music propagated and there will be no other idea than providing free download of its music. But it is not that only the new groups are providing free download in order to have publicity, you can even have your favourite music for free.
Music downloads earlier were free of cost but as more people began downloading, mostly through peer-to-peer network, some of the websites began charging a nominal amount. There are still a few websites which offer free music downloads. Then there are sites which may charge you per song download, or charge for an annual or monthly subscription. Some may also offer limited free music downloads and then ask you to become a paid member, which should be fine as you get to know the quality of music you download.
Free music download is one of the best things to happen to any music lover. It saves you time, money and space as it is all available from the comfort of your home. There is no age, creed or any other bar that stops you from downloading the music of your choice. You also get a number of added features with online music such as repeat and loop play. Some sites also offer software that help you with efficient music download and offer play back as well. Such features may be restricted for free users and unlimited for members on certain websites.
Before you rush in and start downloading, do check if the music you want to download from the website is legitimate so you do not end up the aiding music piracy. To do this you need to read the terms and conditions of the website. Yes, it may seem a challenge to read the long list of terms and conditions but it is a one time task and at least you know what you are downloading. Better be safe than sorry.
There are various formats of music downloads available online like amr, wav, mp3 and class files. See which format suits the media (music) player on your system before you download. Otherwise you will have to download converting software as well which will convert the downloaded music file to the required format for your media player. There are a few websites which offer you compatible media player downloads for free to ensure you can download and play music on your system without any worry and cost.
What is DRM?
What Is DRM?
DRM is the acronym for digital rights management or digital restrictions management. Digital rights management is a system that provides music lovers like you and I to get legal downloads of copyrighted music while ensuring that the owners of those rights control the digital distribution of that work over the internet. DRM also acts as an internet toll booth; it makes sure that the artists and record labels owning those rights get paid for giving access to their music. It sounds pretty reasonable – after all, no one has a problem with Maroon 5 or Universal Music getting paid for giving us access to their music. But consumers do have a problem with the limits digital restrictions management places on them.
Why Digital Rights Management Is So Controversial
In actual practice digital rights management has proven to be very controversial. While it protects the financial interests of the copyright owner, it has restricted the rights of music loving public that pays for legal music downloads. Limits can be placed on the number of devices the music can be played on, the number of times you can burn a CD or the number of times you can actually play a download. But the big rub is the lack of ownership rights to the music you’ve paid for. You simply don’t enjoy the same rights to legal mp3 music downloads that you do with a CD you buy from Wal-Mart. However, the tide is starting to turn because online music services like Apple iTunes and Wal-Mart Music Downloads have launched DRM-free music download services. Until DRM-free music becomes more widespread, there are some things you need to be aware of when you download music from legal music sites.
What You Really Need To Know
Before you whip out your credit card to join any legal music download service, you need to know whether or not there’s any DRM attached to the music files in their catalog. Not all legal music sites have rights restrictions. Services with music files in MP3 format are free of digital restrictions, but those in AAC or WMA format have some restrictions. The basic scheme allows you to play your streaming music downloads as long as you pay for your music subscription. Music purchased per download can be played after you end your subscription, but as I mentioned earlier in this article, there will be limits to the number of hardware devices the tracks can be played on or how many times you can burn that track on a CD. Ultimately your own preferences will determine how much of an impact these restrictions will have on your legal mp3 music downloads.
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