Why the Sound of Music Sucks Today – Part 3
September 18, 2008
In Part 2 we learned how the loss of dynamic range has helped make music today sound like a bag of butt-holes. Now we’re going to talk about the worst thing to happen to sonic quality since the cassette . . the dreaded MP3!
We all know how the MP3 has helped change the entire music industry. The file size of an MP3 at 128kBit is one/tenth the size of 44.1kHz WAV or AIFF file (CD quality audio). One minute of CD quality audio is about a 10 megabyte size file. The MP3 of the same audio takes up only 1 megabyte. By reducing the file size the MP3 made it easy to send and receive music over the internet and revolutionize the industry.
Midweek Geek Links for 9-18-2008
September 18, 2008
It’s time for this week’s Geek Links!
- Chase Jarvis recently worked on a promo for the Kung Fu HD Network. He posted a behind-the-scenes video on his site along with some stills that he took. Incredible stuff.
- The guys over at Wired interview with Charlie Kaufman about his work on the upcoming movie, Synecdoche, New York. This guy is very interesting and the interview is pretty cool.
- Patrick Lavoie gives us an inside look at his Digital Photography Workflow for Fashion Photography.
- Here’s a mass of other tutorials recently found around the web:
Viral Networks Prelaunch Contest
September 16, 2008
ViralNetworks, a new social networking site built for online businesses and marketers, is holding a pre-launch contest. All you have to do is sign up and start referring people. It’s a race to the finish, though, and the first person to reach 1000 referrals wins the top prize. All other prizes (21 of them!) will be distributed according to the remaining participants current position in the race. Read more
Midweek Geek Links for 9-4-2008
September 4, 2008
It’s time for this week’s Geek Links!
- Google just released a public beta of their new browser, Chrome. For in-depth reviews on the broswer, check out Ars Technica and LifeHacker.
- More Google tidbits; Geekabout.com gives us the 17 most bizarre sights on Google Earth.
- Last Google entry, I swear! Here’s 101 Google tips, tricks, and hacks. Seriously, no more Google stuff today.
- Steve over at PaxtonPrints gives us a good tutorial on Using Textures to Create Scratches and Distress Your Images.
- Even though it feels like the Adobe CS3 install disc is still warm from our disc drives, it looks like Adobe CS4 is not that far away.
- For all you science geeks out there, check out the Periodic Table of Videos, where you can see a video presentation on each element.
Why the Sound of Music Sucks Today – Part 2
August 21, 2008
In Part 1 we learned that the loudness of music we hear has an effect on how we perceive the way it sounds. More to the point we learned that a louder song sounds like it has more bass and treble and therefore sounds better on most small stereo systems. So what harm can it do for an engineer make their mix sound louder than someone else when the volume limits are set by the playback format and the listener?
Back when music was delivered on phonograph records there was a limit to how much information could be etched into the disc before it cut across the grove and rendered the disc unplayable. On magnetic tape there was a limit to how much magnetic energy the tape could hold before it became distorted. With digital audio there is a limit on how loud you can go when sampling the sound-wave. That limit in digital audio is called 0 db (zero).
Unreadable Disc Error – Xbox 360 DVD Drive
August 18, 2008
Last Wednesday, I decided I would play some GTA IV before the wife got home. So turned on the Xbox, popped in the disc, and got to it. About 20 minutes into my session, I began to hear a horrible noise coming from the DVD drive. After a few seconds of growling, a Xbox blade came across the screen saying the disc was unreadable.
Cursing under my breath, I got up from the couch to give the Xbox and game a close look. Of course, the disc was fine. I put in another game just to be sure, and got the “unreadable disc” error once again. I inserted a movie we had watched over the weekend. No dice. Read more
Midweek Geek Links for 8-14-2008
August 14, 2008
It’s time for this week’s Geek Links!
- The Orwell Diaries, which were previously unpublished, are being posted online as a blog. The entries begin on August 9, 1938, and are being made available online as each entry reaches the 70-year-old mark. I think this is a really neat idea regardless if you know who George Orwell is (aka Eric Arthur Blair).
- USB 3.0 is on its way, which when maxed out “will offer ten times the bandwidth of USB 2.0 – 4.8 Gb/s, which translates into a massive bandwidth of 600 MB/s.” That should be useful for external storage and HD Video Cameras.
- Yet another break-through in the quest for invisibility has been made. This time, scientist say they are able to “cloak” 3 dimensional object with the use of a special “metamaterial.” Probably not recommended for people who loose things easily.
- Google will help you stay onto of your favorite Olympic games with their new 2008 Summer Games site.
- A startup company in Texas claims to have made a new battery that has an energy density three times greater than lithium-ion batteries. It seems that they’re taking steps to bringing this technology to mass manufacturing, which could in turn make cheap electric cars a reality.
Why the Sound of Music Sucks Today – Part 1
August 7, 2008
We’d like to welcome Aaron Gant as our very first Guest Geek on GeekInspired.com. Aaron is a professional recording engineer and music producer.
Anyone over the age of 30 has been thinking the same thing: Why does this new CD sound like crap when my old copy of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” still sounds great? Shouldn’t new music sound better?
There are many reasons for the change in audio quality over the last few years but I’ve got a few of my favorites I’ve been wanting to vent about for awhile now.
Midweek Geek Links for 7-24-2008
July 24, 2008
It’s time for this weeks Geek Links!
- To all my fellow strobists out there, Scott Kelby has found a great strobist lighting kit bag for your portable lighting gear.
- And while we’re talking strobist gear, check out this 15 second DIY adjustable snoot. Great idea, and for under $5!
- This gallery of sawn-in-half cameras is actually really cool.
- Here’s another great idea to turn your bike into a mobile camera tripod.
- And finally, here’s one I’ll be trying out very soon. Make a DIY softbox out of an umbrella!
That’s all for this week. Tune in next week for even more cool links from around the innerwebs!
Midweek Geek Links for 7-16-2008
July 17, 2008
It’s time for this weeks Geek Links!
- WordPress 2.6, Tyner, was released this week. Check out the blog post detailing all the new features on the WordPress Development blog. Just in case you were wondering we recently upgraded to 2.6 and love it.
- I came across a pretty cool set of cheat sheets over at MakeUseOf.com. Seven cheat sheets to help you in your online adventures await you!
- Microsoft recently announced their partnership with Netflix at this years E3. Netflix customers will be able to stream Netflix movies straight to their television via their Xbox 360. I can’t wait for this to go live!
- There’s lots of talk about the new iPhone G3. Apparently, the G3 sold out in 21 states! Geeze. For more information on the new iPhone, check out Popular Mechanics’ G3 comparison to see how it holds up against its predecesor as well as other popular iPhone alternatives.
- Yesterday, Gas2.org posted a really interesting article on the new Air Car. That’s right, a car that runs on compressed air. According to the article, “Compressed-Air Powered cars could take you over 800 miles on a single fill-up, at speeds of up to 96 mph. They should refuel in less than 3 minutes, and at speeds over 35 mph emit about half the CO2 of a Toyota Prius.” Where do I sign up?
