1st Piano

By Rajeev Dixit   With the world turning into one global village, the need for voice over talents has risen. The global village we envision the world to be has to speak a certain language. This happens to be English, for some it's the standard American English for other it's British English. The role of language in the expression of arts, culture, information and intellectual pursuits is indispensable. As today's people have become more attuned and interested in their neighboring countries and their cultures, the demand for multiple language voice over services has surpassed its merely trending status and is more likely to stay for good. This is much more applicable for voice over services. Businesses today normally demand high technological functions such as multilingual voice recognition as well as speech to text communication. This is particularly true for companies that involve outsourcing. Most work-relevant tools and gadgets also de...

By Nick Ivanov Setting rates for voice over work has always been a headache. How much should you charge your clients for using your voice? How much should you charge your clients for your studio facility? How much should you charge your clients for your time spent converting the audio in the appropriate format? How much should you charge your clients as an overall project rate? Still most talents and companies out there calculate their voice over rates manually and I hope these articles will help understanding the basic aspects that take part in the formation of voice over rates. So what are the different aspects of the process you should have in mind when forming your voice over rates? Here they are: 1. Media Exposure- how the content you voice will be used and exposed? Generally, there are 2 types of media content in regards of exposure: broadcast and non-broadcast. These categories are pretty much self-explanatory but still let me give you some exampl...

By Ivon Andric One of the best ways for unsigned music artists to get a breakthrough to fame and success in the music industry is through online musical talent promotional sites. It is not necessary for all talented musicians or singers to be million-dollar platinum successes like Carrie Underwood or One Direction. It is possible for unsigned music artists to enjoy a good income by selling their music or songs on the Internet. New platform of success There are millions of web users who would be willing to pay a few bucks to download some new song in the market even if the singer may be unknown in the music industry. These few bucks add up to a fair bit for an unknown artist even without being famous on the high streets. Online promotional platforms charge a small fee to upload the unknown music as long as it is original. Good responses from the web community may lead on to greater opportunities such as recording of song by record companies. These platfor...

By Alex Rojas Starting your own business in the wedding industry can be a daunting task if you do not have the right knowledge and experience, so here are 6 simple steps to guide in the right path. 1. It is essential to learn your craft by taking on a short course that will enhance your knowledge on working the camera. There you will learn the different techniques of photography and video making where you can start to develop your own style. 2. Getting unpaid work experience is a great way to build up your confidence in your own work and to build your own trust in yourself to be able to take on jobs on your own. The best place to start gaining work experience is by working with the best in the industry. 3. Once you have gained some experience, it is a wise to offer your service for free or for an ultra-low price so that you can get your first few gigs to immediately start building your portfolio. There are numerous ways you can offer your service for the...

By Ariel Hyatt Several months ago I wrote an article on my 6 favorite Facebook apps. Since then Facebook has relaunched with a new design and now as a musician you can create a band / musician page. Here is an updated version that explain how to set up a page from scratch and my favorite apps for you! Getting Started & Ariel's Top 6 Facebook Apps For Musicians Facebook is here to stay. I know a lot of artists who are already overwhelmed with MySpace tend to feel daunted by the whole concept of introducing yet another social network into their lives. On September 4, 2008 Facebook launched "new" Facebook and the new interface is easier to use than before. You won't believe how many people who you never saw around MySpace are on Facebook. All of a sudden you will be back in touch with your babysitter from grade school, a ton of old friends, and even the drummer from your first band. And, if you have been resisting because you think Facebook is just ...

By Alan Williamson In a previous article I talked about a method of creating realistic live Guitar solos using my keyboard. However, if you are like me and cannot play a real guitar, how can you create believable guitar tracks in your home studio when either composing, or producing audio backing tracks for your solo performances?. Well, the answer is VST. Briefly, VST or (Virtual Studio Technology) is a software interface designed by Steinberg, which allows a person to simulate either musical instruments or studio hardware effects realistically, such as Reverb, Compression, Delay, Audio Mastering to name just a few. Many VST 'plug-ins' can operate as stand-alone programs but generally they are used (or 'Plugged in') to your music sequencer - Cubase, Logic or Sonar are prime examples. There are many VST plug-ins available on the market, but for the purpose of this article I am concentrating on the use of VST Guitar plug-ins which, through the use of audio...

Every audiophile has their preference of how they listen to their music when they are on the go. You can choose from the many sleek designs of earphones or you can stay with the traditional headphones. Shure has a variety of both that are bound to fit your listening needs as well as keep you comfortable. The Shure line of headphones and earphones are professional quality and are suited for the serious listener. The technological precision that goes in to the making of these headphones and earphones is evident in the unmatched quality of sound that comes through them. There are many models of both Shure headphones and earphones you can choose from and they all have their own style and minutely different characteristics that set them apart from other models. There is something for everyone here, and if you are as serious about your audio as we are about making what you use to hear it, you will have as much fun shopping for them as you will listening to them. We take prid...

By Neville Booth Home cinemas can be the perfect accompaniment to the gadget home. It can be difficult to decide where to begin as there is a multitude of options available and with technology advancing all the time an installation can be out of date almost and soon as it is installed. Ideally you want to future proof you system as far in advance as possible to ensure you get the maximum use out of your system. This is especially the case if you plan on spending thousand's of pounds on a system. Here are some helpful tips on deciding what products to choose: - TV's (3D, LCD, PLASMA)- What format do you wish to watch What size TV do you want - DVD- Standard, HD or blueray - 3D player, necessary if you take the 3d route - TV receiver- cable digital or freeview (you will probably have something already)but is this to be linked in - Sound: dedicated home cinema system with surround sound Simple hi fi system - Remote control: all in one or separates Ultimately the s...

By Marc Gunn Haste To The Wedding by Anne Roos Anne Roos performs Celtic music on the Celtic harp with accompanying instruments. The tracks flow in the order that music flows at a wedding. Ideal for future brides and lovers of Celtic music alike. This unique CD was recorded live in a church, without overdubbing, to give the feeling of a live ensemble performing at a wedding. Vow: An Irish Wedding Celebration by Aine Minogue This is a beautiful CD of traditional Irish wedding ceremony music. The music is very well-produced with a beautiful modern new age sound that could be likened to Enya playing irish wedding music. The vocals are exquisite. The performance is fantastic .The music is beautiful and enrapturing. All in all, this is just a great CD and well worth the experience. Princess of Flowers by Margaret Davis The instrument Margaret performs on, the Celtic Harp, is based on the traditional British Isles instrument that predates the modern concert harp. Of Scottis...

By David F Samuel The studio is not a place to hammer out your ideas so come to the table with a dish that is ready to be dressed seasoned and served. You should understand how to chart out your song before entering the recording studio and have charts to give to all the session players involved and notes to give the engineer for each tune. Example for what kind of notes to give to engineer would be as follows: I want the snare to sound sonically like the one on "billie Jean" from the Thriller Album. I'm looking for that tight in your face sound. Be specific for the engineer/producer to know what you are looking for on the overall sound of the mix. You should also grasp the importance of playing to a click track and have the bpm's (beats per minute) figured out for each track beforehand. In order to be successful in the studio you must be able to perform to a click track. This allows you to utilize the day and age of cutting and pasting in the studio....

By Ryan Gill Why Is DUBTurbo The Best Beat Maker? Read This And Find Out... If you want to make your own music online or on your computer then you may well have heard of DUBTurbo. If you haven't it will not be long before you do! Especially if you are interested in making real rap, dance and pretty much any electronic music that you can think off. So why should you pick DUBTurbo? Well there are a few different options out there but the problem is that most of them are for people that really know what they are doing. You will need to know how to master, record and have a recording studio with all of the features and equipment in order to use high end solutions like Cubase or Fruity Loops. Of course if you have got the money and a few years to spare while you learn all about production this might suit you. For most of us however that want to start this new awesome hobby it is not feasible to spend this much money, especially not knowing whether or not you will like i...

By Christopher Braun Combine a great sounding piano sound with attractive wood finish, then add in a host of useful and advanced features and the Yamaha YPG-635 88 key weighted portable grand piano might just be the perfect portable digital piano for you. After this review, you will know significantly more about the YPG-635 including its pros and cons and other important considerations you should be aware about. Overview The Yamaha YPG-635 digital piano comes with standard 64 note polyphony, a two-way speaker system (separate woofers and tweeters), a handy digital display, a multi track recorder, built-in reverb effects and digital signal processing (DSP) which adds different special effects. If that's not enough, Yamaha also throws in a fully adjustable metronome is also available together with a total of 130 voices, 12 special effects and drums kits, and 361 XGlite voices. That's quite an impressive list of voices and features for a piano of this modest cost...

By David A Robinson Hundreds of second-hand pianos change hands privately every year. Only a mall number are in good playing condition. We know for buying second-hand pianos and preparing them for resale is an important part of our business. Of the many pianos offered to us we actually buy fewer than one in ten of them - and almost every one needs work on it to a greater or lesser extent When looking for a piano it is important to remember two things. Pianos are not all of the same quality. Before 1914, in the boom years of piano sales, huge numbers were made in small workshops to satisfy the demand for cheap pianos. They were of poor quality when new and hundreds are still around, several generations later, in dreadful condition. There were some excellent pianos made in the 1920's and 1930's. They are now 60,70,80, years old - nearly old age in the lifespan of a piano. If they have been well maintained during their life they can still be good instruments, but ...

By Chris Rockett Music promotion companies are great for bands who have a little bit of a marketing budget. You can get more fans and more success without having to spend hours and hours every day in front of the computer spamming the social networks and record companies. I think it's a crime that so many musicians spend two to three hours a day promoting their music, then spend only an hour a week actually producing any songs. There is a little sum I like to do that keeps me on track with my music marketing. It goes like this... Spend 80% of your time making music. Spend 20% of your time marketing music. The 20% may be two hours a week talking and working with music promotion companies creating a marketing plan. Making better and better music is like rocket fuel for all your marketing efforts because suddenly people will be falling in love with what you do and the real fans will start rolling in. I have a dream.... Let's say you're in a band with four o...

By Rebbeca Stone Do you want to have Sonic Producer software to help you create your own beats? Well, is you are then I cannot blame you, because personally this software has also allowed me to make and form my own brand of music and beats that sound professional. I like this product so much, and I find the technology very intuitive and user friendly. The Sonic Producer software in my experience is created ahead of its time. What I mean is that, although there are a lot of other beat making software available online who seem to offer similar services as the Sonic Producer software does, but I find that they pale in comparison. Not only did the Sonic Producer software seem to anticipate the need of every musician, but the quality of sound it produces is just simply amazing. The things I like about this product are the following: • It includes production lessons. In it, it discusses all about Pro Tools, lessons in keyboard and other instruments and also included is softwa...

By David Patullo The device that holds flat screen televisions in a stable or fixed position are known as a TV mounts. There are mounts that can be used to hang the new types of televisions on the wall there are also mounts that can stand on a desk or on the floor depending on the size of the television. Flat screen TV mounts are devices that are necessary to hang a flat screen television. The mounts usually come with a complete kit that is needed to mount the television. There are things that need to be noted before installing the device. Flat screen TV mounts should not be placed near the sources of heat as this may cause damage to the flat screen TV in place. It should be placed on a stable platform or floor area; this is to prevent wobbling of the flat screen TV in place. If the mount is intended for wall installation it is necessary to ensure that there are no electrical or any house hold cable connection behind the target area of placement. The tools you need to i...

By Scott J McIntosh Music licensing can be boiled down to three tasks - locating the perfect song, negotiating a license for that song, and agreeing on a price. These are not simple tasks though and have long required multiple entities to complete the process. The Internet, however, has made these tasks less difficult as of late and the new process of crowdsourcing may be the simplest way to quickly complete all three. It's no secret that locating the perfect music for commercials, film, or television can be a daunting task. With thousands of new songs being uploaded to the web weekly, quickly filtering through them to locate specific types of music that are best matches for a project is simply not possible. This may be the reason that studios and music supervisors continue to work with labels and publishers to license mainstream music as opposed to working with new independents. Even though it is more expensive and can be difficult to license music from these entit...

By Mishaun Taylor Having your own karaoke system will provide you with one of the most awesome and inspiring entertainment activities you could ever own. You get to practice in your privacy of your home, or have a karaoke party anywhere you want - home, office, school, or even outdoors in the park, club, or beach. The requirements are pretty basic such as: • A computer, desktop or laptop • A CD writer that is capable of handling CD+G, WAV, and MP3 files • Speakers • Microphone • Writable blank CDs • Karaoke Software The key to writing your karaoke CD is to make sure your software is the right one. This ultimately means a paid software like Singing Superstar that will not scam or infect your computer. Freeware can be very risky because there is a price to pay - your computer could be exposed to a host of malicious files that could damage system and data files, and be very difficult to remove. Other peripherals like the microphone, speakers, and CDs can be either branded ...

By Robert Dant Currently owned by Armadillo Enterprises, in Tampa, Florida, the Dean creates many types of guitars. When a search for the perfect electric bass guitar is on the rock and roll agenda, look no further, a Dean would be a great choice whether one is a beginner or a professional. Should the individual decide to look into this American guitar manufacturer, they might be asking what is a Dean acoustic electric guitar? Dean Guitars were born in Chicago, Illinois, founded by Dean Zelinsky, this guitar company has created a bass electric guitar with a big body, big sound, full size bass guitar that rules the music world. If excellent pick up is what the musician is looking for, whether they are a professional or just a novice, then the Dean for sound and quality is where it's at. Rocking the music world since 1976, this guitar will fit into any jam session, country or rock, blue grass or classical, this is the guitar of choice for musicians. With models like t...

By Mark McBride The Pioneer CDJ 200 desktop CD/mp3 player is a professional DJ CD turntable that is suitable for both entry level and professional players. The CDJ 200 is suited for a wide variety of genre with multiple digital effects. It is both versatile and easy to use and its overall design and build quality make it both portable and robust. The CDJ-200 has taken many innovative features that are normally found on the more expensive CD DJ players and come up with an exceptional CD player. Including feature such as full mp3 playback, Hot loop, Beat loop and a one button Loop cutter. With the CDJ-200 being fully mp3 compatible, DJ's can easily stay up to date with the latest downloadable music trends and tracks without the need to reformat the audio file to mp3 before copying to a CD. An established highlight of Pioneers Pro DJ CDJ players, is the jog wheel. The jog wheel has many functions including creating amazing sound effects when used in conjunction with t...