The World in the eyes of the common sense man.

Healthcare overhaul - at what cost?

2009-06-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

There are many terms and ideas being thrown around today, and one that seems to strike to the heart of many people (especially if you are getting a stint) is universal health care. Now I could bore you to death with stats and figures, show you what plans have the greatest statistical chance of success and what figures back up who's ideas.

But instead, I'd like to look at this issue from the eyes of the working class person who does not have the time or the desire to look up this information. Those of us who simply want to live our lives, be healthy, and be happy. What does universal health care mean for the average citizen and family?

You wake up one morning getting ready for work. A cry comes from the other room. You check on your toddler and feel a has a warm forehead while she coughs repeatedly. Your child is sick.

If you're a parent, you know that this event is filled with many different emotions, from no big deal to dire emergency. Is it simply a small fever, common cold, flu (swine being worse), or something worse. Step one for most parents is a trip to the local pediatricians office.

You have recently received your new government health care card in the mail, so the trip is should be a stress free one. No worry of the visit not being covered by a greedy insurance company, no co-pay, and the expectation of the beginning of great medical care in America. After all, the public officials healthcare plan is good, so yours now is too!

Upon arriving at the pediatrician, you notice the parking lot is full of cars. No worry you say, I'll park across the street. The walk into the office brings you an unfamiliar sight. The office is full, more than you have ever seen. Once again you are not worried though, the new government health care that covers everyone means more doctors because their are more people! The wait in the office beings as usual, but the emotional fatigue begins to set it after the first hour and a half have passed with many more still in front of you. Guess they didn't hire any more doctors for this office.

Finally after two and a half hours, your name is called for service. You enter the room with your child as usual, the nurse asks about the general symptoms, and tells you the doctor will be right in. At least your finally in the room.

Another hour goes by. You begin speaking to yourself of how ridiculous this is, and how it shouldn't take this long at a doctors office. A knock on the door brings relief as the doctor comes in to examine your little girl. He seems agitated, grumbling about the tests results he is constantly waiting for. After what seems like a very quick exam of your little girl, the doctor tells you "She has a cold. Take this antibiotic, and if it doesn't get better in a week give us a call."

"That's it? No further checks, no tests to be sure? Are you positive it's just a cold?" you ask as a typical concerned parent.

"If the symptoms are still there in a week, bring her back" he says with a fatigued look. You reluctantly accept the diagnosis and head home.

A week goes by and the symptoms get worse. The antibiotics haven't helped, the fever is getting worse, and you begin to get very worried. You decide you don't want to go through a three to four hour office visit again, so you decide to take your daughter to the emergency room. Didn't make much difference.

The wait in the ER is 4 hours, people from all walks of life are here to seek medical care. Everything from severe accidents to small splinters are seen in this ER today. The process repeats. A long wait for admittance, overcrowding of the hosptial areas, and what seems like the same or fewer doctors available to speak to you.

Finally a doctor arrives to take care of your daughter. After some general diagnostic work, he orders swabs and blood samples to be taken. You think to your self finally I am getting somewhere.

"The samples will be available in a few days, we'll let you know what we find."

How could this be? You go into an ER, your daughter with a fever and a bad cough, and you are sent home to wait on the results from testing. You remember the time when it seemed like things were taken seriously, when the doctors wanted to know you were ok before you left the hospital. This is not the same medical care you remember.

A few days later, as your daughter continues to lie suffering from cold sweats, fever, coughs, and is continually crying in what sounds like dire painyou get the much awaited phone call.

"Your daughter may have a possible appendix infection, appendicitis. Further testing will reveal this for sure, you must schedule an appointment for testing."

So you schedule the appointment, for one week from that day as told would be the earliest time, and continue to wait for your daughters medical care.

That little girl would have been a bright spot on this world. She had her whole life ahead of her. A life of fun, excitement, and joy of experiencing all life has to other. Now her mother, grieving in her daughters absence, will never be able to shop for a wedding dress with that girl, or hold her first grand child from her daughter. The girls father will never give her away at the alter, and will never get to give her first boyfriend a hard time. That little girl....is gone.

The rupture of the appendix was sudden. After a rush back to the emergency room, it was too late for the little girl. The doctors left others waiting int he beds to try and save the young screaming child, but instead they watched her last breath come from her little body, only to not see her chest rise again in a breath. If only they had got to her sooner, paid more attention, had the results right away, and treated her properly for the condition, she may still be alive in this world.

This is the reality under universal health care. A purely fiction story you say? Imagine 40 million more people, whom are generally those in need of the most medical care, suddenly showing up in hospitals and doctors officers. The doctors are now dictated their pay and services by the government, and must place patients in order of highest chance of survival and lowest probability of immediate danger. The waiting lists are long, the office visits are frustrating, and the obviously already overwhelmed ER's are packed to capacity.

There should be new doctors, but a flood of people have come before new doctors can come in. Less sleep for the current doctors in inevitable, more harsh working conditions, and a dictation of care from a committee of politicians sitting thousands of miles away under minds the care of which doctors are tasked with providing. People go to the ER more often for minor things now because it's covered, whether it could truly wait or not. This is the environment of Universal Healthcare.

Other nations use this system. Britain and Canada both have stories of coverage for all with longer waiting times and rationed care. Their governments decide who gets to live and who dies, not their doctors. Many people go untreated or under treated, as in our example, for lack of available doctors. Keep in mind their population is lower.

Take a look in a metropolitan emergency room on a typical weekend night before universal healthcare. They are packed with people and not enough beds as it is. Add 40 million more people to this without having a much greater infrastructure in place and you begin to see the trouble with rushing this idea through.

A better bet would be to fix this system, along with other issues, all at the same time. We are required to place money into social secruity for retirement, of which we will most likely never see the full benefit. We pay an income tax so that our government can buy car companies, give money to banks, and tax us for everything we do. It's time to realize that the answer is not the government, it's the people.

A private health care fund would be a much better investment in the health of our citizens. A system that allows people to save for their health, while at the same time decreasing the amount put into social security. As the governments own reports have said, social security and medicare are nearly bankrupt as it is. Can you imagine the medicare system when it covers everyone, along with paying for social security and income tax? In a time of slowdown all over the world, losing even more disposable income is a bad idea.

Our healthcare system isn't perfect. We have people who suffer that deserve better care. Government provided care however is not the answer. At what point do we as a society tell people that we cannot afford to care for everyone at all times. That personal resonsibility is necessary to survive in this world. When do we realize that it is not the responsibility of the government to care for our every need. I hope this epiphany comes soon, as we are most assuredly running out of time.

Moore’s Law, Why Doesn’t It Apply To Operating Systems?

2008-02-14T12:15:00.001-08:00

So there I was, browsing my favorite tech parts site looking for some possible system parts for my brother. In doing so I noticed something that really should bother me after all these years working with and building computer systems for various needs. I built my new computer system 3 years ago and at the time had a top of the line computer, with all the bells and whistles added on as I spent quite a good deal getting the latest and greatest components. The core of the system cost me about 850, being the motherboard processor and memory. Today, I found that I can build the whole system, minus a high end video card, for $302 shipped. I am talking everything minus a monitor, with case hard drive, cd-rom, case with power supply, everything you need to get a fully functional computer.

Now I know Moore’s law says that about every two years the processing capability available to the general market should double, and it’s been fairly consistent throughout the time of the personal computer. What strikes me as odd now is the operating systems that use this capability are not keeping up to this pace. For the first time since I started really diving into the hobby and trade of system building, I am finding the upgrades in hard hardware to not carry over into real performance in the software. A dual core processor will run XP almost identical to a quad core in terms of normal use. Copying files doesn’t noticeably decrease in time, and general times of opening multiple programs at once doesn’t seem to be extremely faster on the new processors you can buy today.

Now I know that Vista is out and that it is the “latest and greatest” from M$, but when I run a new operating system that is supposed to be better than the last, and have it full of holes and bugs (ex. Windows Millenium), it makes me not want to consider it until the bugs are worked out, if they ever are. So far in my usage tests of vista, it runs slower on dual core systems than xp, and runs that same amount slower with quad core systems. The file copying is slower, the overall interface is slower, and many programs and drivers either are very buggy or just flat out don’t work.

It’s been speculated that the next O.S. from M$ will be out in the next 2 years, which would harken back to the millennium days of a declared failure. My question is, if XP has peaked out in terms of performance, and vista is having so many problems, at what point does Moore’s law become ineffective. In other words, at what point does the increase of processor speeds become irrelevant. At this time, I can have 10 programs open at the same time, while I copy files and surf the web, and go through all my menus and suffer little if any slow down. Why should I upgrade to either an operating system that is SLOWER than the previous one, giving me no real necessary extra features, or a processor that won’t show a difference in capability because the O.S. is maxed out? If it were up to me, XP would just go all 64 bit native and have DX 10 capability, with the option to have a 3d graphical interface. Wait a minute, that sounds strangely familiar…Isn’t that exactly what Vista is now? Don’t fix what’s not broke, although then M$ wouldn’t make as much money now would they.

Sennheiser e604 Drum Microphones

2008-02-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

When looking for drum microphones, specifically well matched tom mics, my partner and I looked far and wide, listened to many opinions, and listened to as many as we could to ensure the best quality we could afford. We heard offerings from AKG, Shure, Nady, and a few others that I just can’t remember off the top of my head. When we took our annual trek to the local Guitar Center, we were determined that day to get the best we could afford, and had the idea to just get 4 SM 57’s, one for the snare and three for the toms.

While sitting at the checkout counter, we noticed in their sales case a set of Sennheiser e604 tom mics. Now I will be the first to admit to everyone that I have never been a huge Sennheiser fan. I don’t know exactly what it is about them, but Shure has always had my heart. I have tried the comparable Sennheiser products to the SM58 and the Beta 58 as well as their higher end wireless systems, and while I don’t see anything wrong with them really, they just don’t give my ears the same rich sound that the Beta58 and the Beta87 produce (just my personal opinion, I know many people that feel the complete opposite). So while I hesitated to pick up the 3 pack of e604 tom mics, I decided with advice from the salesman to give them a shot. After all I can return them if I don’t like them, so why not?

What I was expecting was a generic microphone sound, something that would amplify the toms, but not necessarily create a high quality sound worth anything more than a generic instrument mic. What I heard was an engineering masterpiece. The sound of the toms was crystal clear, with tons of headroom before peaking. The clips are perfect for the toms (or snare if you get a fourth mic). The small size is great and I have never had a drummer complain about them being in the way yet. All that and I have the added benefit of not using up mic stands.

Now when we bought these mics, our only intended use for these little marvels were for the toms of sets we had mic’ed. During a bluegrass groups performance, the bass player was using a standup bass with no pickup available. I looked at the size of the e604 and figured it was worth a try to see what sound I could get. I was amazed at the quality of the standup sound through the little mic, and began experimenting with other instruments.

I now consider the e604 one of, if not the best instrument mic for the money in my gig bag. It has a crisper sound than an sm57, and the size to be used on just about anything, amped or not. Clip one on to a saxophone and enjoy a very rich and natural sound. Guitar amps? As Gallagher would say, no problem! Hand drums are perfect candidates as well. I have yet to try them as vocal mic’s but I am sure that gig will come when I run out of all other available mic’s.

If you are looking for some drum kit microphones, I highly recommend checking these e604’s out. They won’t break the bank at roughly $139 a piece, or $339 for 3, and can take the abuse of an occasional drumstick smashing into the microphone while the local slamming drum heads soloist goes to town. The versatility of these things rates as the highest in my gig bag, and you would be hard pressed to find a better sounding instrument mic at this price range. You can also buy these inside of a Sennheiser Drum mic kit with a kick drum mic, but I have not yet used the Sennhesier kick drum mics, so I don’t have a good opinion on those…..yet…..

When Did Music Become Illegal?

2007-12-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

So I feel I must discuss something that is a plague on the art of music more than anything else it has ever faced. The very core of the way we are fed our music today has become nothing more than a scam. A way to take your money, either by sales or by force of lawsuit. I came across an article today from the Washington post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800693.html

The RIAA has decided ripping music from our purchased cds is illegal, after years of saying it’s ok to do that as long as we buy a copy of the cd we are ripping to change formats.

What can we do about this? How can we take back the music and get it out of the hands of the corporate greed mongers? I say we call for an all out boycott of anything involving the RIAA.

The artists have to know that we are not against them, just the industry that represents them. I want to hear great music, and I want to hear new artists that are talented, but when you sue all of the potential customers, what hope does that give of those groups succeeding. I feel saddened for all of the musicians out there with raw talent and ability that are going to never get a chance to show it to the world because the RIAA tactics cause less bands to be signed, with less pay for the ones that are because most of the music is now made by a single person through electronic loops. The music is fading, and unless we do something about it soon, we can expect the art form to dissipate until the desire is gone.

We need a change. We need to stop buying RIAA backed albums. We need to endorse our favorite artists by seeing them live, or telling them you would rather pay them directly for their music than pay the industry. Web radio is in a fight for its life because of the RIAA, and that is the future of great independent music. The movie industry realized this when they said TiVo was acceptable, and I have not heard of any cases of them suing people for making copies of their movies.

As in the time of prohibition for our grand relatives before us, we need to take a stand, not to get the industry to change it’s mind, because that is futile. The way to their pocketbooks is through a change in the horribly outdated copyright laws in this country

Canada already has a law in place stating “the act of reproducing all or any substantial part of (a) a musical work embodied in a sound recording, (b) a performer's performance of a musical work embodied in a sound recording, or(c) a sound recording in which a musical work, or a performer's performance of a musical work, is embodied
onto an audio recording medium for the private use of the person who makes the copy does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the musical work, the performer's performance or the sound recording.”

The keywords here are the private use of the person making the copy. If the U.S. would adopt this type of laws, we would not have these horribly frivolous and absurd lawsuits by the RIAA.

Write your elected official if you can, make your voice heard. At the very least, hit them where it hurts, by boycotting anything involving the RIAA. Support your artists through concert promotions and merchandise, and continue to obtain your music the that best suits you within the ideal legal grounds. iTunes, Napster, buying cds and ripping them, using your mp3 player. Whatever the movement takes.

I am hopeful that the artists of today will realize that they should be part of the revolution instead the end of the previous evolution. We are becoming more and more connected as a culture, and the time of one person buying a hard copy of media is fading fast. I hope the RIAA realizes it is now declaring Microsoft’s Windows Media Player an illegal piece of software by taking this stance. It can rip copy protected cds with the option “rip protected cds” checked. According to the RIAA, software which leads to the infringement of copyrighted material is illegal, as is their case in getting p2p software sites shutdown. All computers in this country running windows (something like 98%) are now considered illegal by the RIAA. How do you feel about that?

The Working DJ’s Acquiring Music Program Of Choice

2007-12-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

So you want to be a DJ? One of the first things you will need to decide after you figure out what equipment you want to use will be how to get all the music you will be playing. I do not want to get into all the legal issues here because frankly I don’t think there is a DJ in the whole U.S. that actually does his trade 100% legally. That would involve paying performance fee’s and royalties for every song played and a requirement to track all of the song on your playlist. I have never met or heard of a DJ that does all of this, and any that tells you they are 100% legal in getting their songs is 99.9% likely to be incorrect.

With that being said, there are ways that at least feel more legal and are less likely to get you looked at by anyone when getting your songs for gigs. The two most popular are iTunes and Napster. Both let you purchase songs for around $.99 a song, and have a large selection of artists to choose from. The software is pretty straight forward on each and a few clicks will have the music flowing in no time. A different option is to go with Limewire P2P, but this has the risks of getting unedited or low quality copies of songs, and you are taking the risk of paying nothing towards license fees if anyone ever asked (although there are certain occasions that the only way to find the song you want may be this method.) So what should you pick? This DJ chooses to use Napster. A business accomplice I work with many times throughout the year chooses iTunes. It all depends on how you decide to use your music.

I have decided to take the Napster route. The majority of gigs I am involved in are at places with wi-fi connections. If you use Napster, you can actually stream the songs directly from the Napster servers without having to download. You also can use a laptop card or a tethered phone service to connect to your favorite cellular net provider and stream songs where w-ifi is unavailable. If you choose to download the songs, they are in a high quality windows media audio format and work well with any of your favorite music players, as long as Napster is installed and able to work. The biggest advantage is the price. 15 a month for a large majority of songs you could want, and library that can be played on the fly without paying $.99 per every song. You will occasionally run in to some songs that will cost you a dollar to download, but that’s much better than a dollar for every song you want. It seems hard for me to fathom having to pay a dollar for every song you want for a gig, when you may play 70 or more songs per gig. After a while of getting your library built up it would not be as bad, but why not just pay 15 a month and enjoy a large majority for nothing else.

iTunes is obviously all the craze in the portable music and DJ world. A large number of DJs I have seen use iTunes in one way or another, and are hard to show any other way of getting songs. Must be the apple craze, but I see no reason to it. It will get the job done if you need it to though, and is good to have as a quick source if Napster doesn’t have the artist you are looking for. Without he monthly fee, you are able to get only what you can’t find elsewhere (assuming it’s on iTunes,) and there is no other fee to use it.

I would almost call them compliments of each other. Napster is a good core service, while iTunes can get you few more songs that you may have a hard time finding. If I were to start my DJ gig all over again, I would go to Napster to start. The choice is obviously up to the individual, but unless someone can give me an argument for iTunes, I will stick with Napster.

Advertise Your Blog

2007-12-26T12:33:00.001-08:00

Do you think a blog should be advertised? If so, whats the best way to do so while reaching your target audience? I would like to let others see my opinions, and I am sure all of you bloggers out there would like to advice in sharing yours. Does this call for a social strictly blogging site? Ideas are flowing here, what do you do to get your blog seen?

Southern Gospel View

2007-12-26T11:56:00.001-08:00

Growing up as a youngster, I listened to souther gospel and quartet style music the majority of the time. Going through the teenage years saw rebellion against the "moral high ground" and thus a different taste of music. I now see looking back that my entire musical ability and keen ear is based on the hours upon hours of hearing the Kingsmen, Gold City, The Oak Ridge Boys, Gaither Vocal Band and so on. It taught me skills I use to this day and developed my ear to hear the amazing harmonies and forms of many different styles. As a core to expand upon, Southern Gospel hits the root of all modern music, and I attribute it to my appreciation of the art form of music as a whole.

My brother Kyle is a part of the Southern Gospel music rebirth as I see it, and I invite you to check out his blog, the Southern Gospel View. Enjoy!

Q and A with Kevie B.

2007-12-26T11:39:00.001-08:00

I will be the first to admit that I am still learning a whole lot when it comes to audio and production techniques. I do however feel that I can offer help to those that are just starting to get into the industry of live sound engineering or disc jockeying, and I have extensive technical knowledge dealing with the majority PC usage. Even though this blog is mainly for music and audio purposes, I will be happy to help out with computer questions if you need it. If you have a question you would like to ask or have some suggestions, feel free to post them below. I will try to respond to everyone but will refer you to a past blog if I have covered the topic already. If I don’t know the answer I will try my best to help search for the answer, because I will be really curious myself at that point. Happy posting!

Does your favorite editing suite play nice?

2007-12-26T11:27:00.001-08:00

So we have the standards of software, Pro Tools for audio, Avid or Premier for video on PC or Final Cut for Mac (depends on who you ask), and Fruity Loops for beat making. But it seems to me there is a major software suite that many people over look when searching for their choice of editing software. This suite is the Sony Media Suite. I don’t think that’s the actual name for it but that’s what I call their collection of the programs Acid, Vegas, and Cinescore.

If you have never heard of these programs and are an enthusiast of computer media creation, then look them up or go to Sony’s website and take a look at what they have to offer. If you are a professional media creator and you have never heard of or used this line of products, then shame on you, download a demo now!

In general, these software programs work very well together. They are all designed around the Sonic Foundry ACID program that Sony purchased some years ago. They mainly support ASIO interfaces and have a large support for firewire devices.

Now to the specifics. If your looking for a cost effective audio editing application with large features and looping ability as a bonus, Sony acid is one of my favorites. You can get it for around $300 usually and most major retailers. There are many times I have been working on a project in Cubase that I want to edit in a different way, so I’ll import the track to acid. Or, if I want to put some nice loops and tracks together, ACID’s beatmapper and insane zoom level work great to match up your tracks. Doing a quick scroll in, cut, and scroll out has never been simpler. If you don’t have any other audio editing programs, and are on a budget, this is the one I would get. It can also produce full 24/96 recordings and multi-track pretty simply easily and get great quality, while utilizing VST plug ins.

If video editing is your thing, a copy of Sony Vegas 7 or 8 is perfect for the aspiring director/film creator. A copy of Vegas 8 will set you back about $575, but considering it also has the ability to multi track record audio like ACID, this may be the best solution anyone interested in video production by itself or video and audio production. The best part of this application is the ease in editing. Not in iMovie, Final Cut, Premier or Avid have I found an easier yet effective way to edit your movie. You click, Press the S key to split, move the clip where you want, and your done. It’s that east to put together footage. But Vegas is just simple, it’s also powerful. Green or blue screen shots, overlapping footage, 3d effects and animations, full color correction. Anything that you could really want out of a full video editing program is included, and can import and render in full High Definition with no extra plug ins. Another major perk is the format support. Very very few programs allow you to import almost any video file into your timeline without extra plugins, but vegas has it all covered. This is the best value editing you can get for your PC that is capable of motion picture creation.

Now to the last and kind of odd program, Sony Cinescore. Ever thought of putting soundtracks to your movies or compilations from the comfort of your own home? If not your probably not alone, as I had never thought about it until I saw an ad for the program. This nifty tool allows you to import a video, and then chose a theme you would like for adding a soundtrack. There are a large variety of trance/electronica mixes, but also available are wedding themes, orchestral scored, and some rock band themes. Looks like this one is more of a program in testing and development for future use, but if you don’t mind the chance of sharing the same musical score as someone else, then it’s a fun tool to play with.

If you haven’t checked out the latest production offerings from Sony lately, I suggest you at least download the demos and give them a test drive. You may or may not like them enough to warrant a purchase, but it’s hard to beat their simplicity with the amount of full features they incorporate into their software. Just remember that the split key is S and you’ll have no trouble at all. Does your favorite software suite (if it isn't Sony's) let you play nice with so much software?

Guitar Center vs. Sam Ash

2007-12-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

In this latest match up we pit two powerhouse music stores, Guitar Center and Sam Ash, against each other to see what the pros and cons are and which is more worthy of getting your hard earned money.

In the Cincy area, we have a Sam Ash and a Guitar center within 2 exits of each other down the highway. It makes sense to call them and have them go against each other for the best price when it comes to buying gear. Audio gear seems to be something that can be bargained with price wise, unlike going to a major electronics retailer or other retailer. Saying “can I have this ipod for 30 dollars less” is unlikely to get you anywhere. However music stores seem to love wheeling and dealing, so why not take advantage of it?

Sam Ash in my area is the direct descendant of MARS music. MARS is now gone, and Sam Ash is in it’s place, using the majority of display decals left behind from the MARS store. Their product selection is decent, and they have the ability to order most products in as do most music retailers. You have all the goodies of a mega music store, including DJ gear, Drums, Guitars, Pro Audio and Recording, as well as a band instrument section.

Guitar Center is located just a few exits away from Sam Ash, and has a considerably smaller piece of real estate inside of a local mall. They sell the same category of products as Sam Ash does, minus the Band Instruments. They have a large variety of products and a large inventory onsite of the most popular items.

Now to compare. I venture into both of these stores quite often looking for the latest gear and the best deals. You can’t really walk into a small local music and school band store and pick up a variety of P.A. and DJ or recording gear, so I don’t usually go that direction. I am a very want-it-now type of person, and generally both of these stores have most of it now. So what’s the difference?

Service. Service. Service. The biggest complaint I have about Sam Ash is the level they go to satisfy you. The only time I have ever argued with an employee at a music store was over pricing of a product at Sam Ash that I was quoted that they decided to not honor after quoting. I have had multiple occasions of Guitar Center quoting me a price only to realize they made a mistake in the quote, then honor it anyways to keep me a loyal customer. Why can’t more stores do this?

If you are looking to get the best service and great prices, along with a company doing their best to gain your business, I suggest Guitar Center from the list of major retailers. I will say that I do not have experience with the other major music retail companies and that some guitar centers may not work this way, but if the Cincy store is an example of the rest, then they have my business!

Dell Products Of Any Kind

2007-12-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

(start rant) This review I write with a smile on my face. I am sure 99.9% of you know what I mean when I say I will enjoy bashing all that is Dell. I have many opinions outside the realm of the music world on Dell but I will try my best to limit it to just that as best I can.

I will start out by saying I used to work for Dell. I know I know, why would you EVER do such a thing? Well at the time it seemed like a good idea, and it took me till I started getting personally physically threatened before I decided to get away from that company. I know better than most how their service works and how their products are built, so take that as you will.

My first use of a Dell product in the music side of my life was with a projector I owned. It was a Dell HD projector, and I used it as a combo TV for my house and projector for my DJ gigs when I first started offering projection as an option for my DJ packages. This worked great to begin with, but within the first year the projector began to fall apart. After getting a major run around from Dell we purchased a light bulb to see if that was a problem. It was not, so we sent it back to them for a refund. Never got the refund and never got the bulb back.

During this time I also purchased a Dell Inspiron 1700 series laptop to replace my aging Compaq for DJ gigs. This seemed to be an ok system, until I discovered the majority of CDs would not play on this laptop. Apparently dell was using drives that had issues playing protected discs, and had no fix for it. After hours on the phone with Dell, explaining to their highest level “techs” what the problem was, they offered a $50 gift card to Dell. What am I supposed to do with that? I don’t want anything else from you, I want your product to work! Needless to say after causing a big stink on their message boards and returning the laptop, they finally acknowledged the problem and issued a patch over 2 months later. Way to go Dell.

For any of you that want to stick up for Dell, explain to me why they have one of the highest complaint numbers with the Better Business Bureau, and why they have lost their spot as the number one computer maker in the world. Poor customer service coupled with low quality product and shady business practices is why.

Bottom line, stay away from all things Dell, you are doomed to be disappointed and frustrated, so spend your money elsewhere. You will thank me in the long run when you are not waiting for hours on end on the phone to get someone who is 100% incompetent and rude. (end rant)

Ultrasone HFI 700 Headphones

2007-12-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

Some reviews I have read on these headphones like to get into the long technical terms and extensive features of these particular headphones, but I am going to take a different approach. I feel you can’t make a decision on any audio product based on specs. I have heard many pieces of high end audio gear that have not lived up to their expectation based on specs alone, and have heard many pieces of low and mid range gear that blow my mind in the cost/performance ratio.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get right down to it. These headphones are great. I mean they sound really good compared to the many choices or higher end headphones available to choose. The frequencies are represented very well, changing the EQ is almost unnecessary on most selections you listen to, and if you decide to mess with your EQ settings, you’ll realize right away just how accurate these headphones really are. Their S-Logic (fancy name for great separation) system does a wonderful job of making the music seem around you instead of inside your head, and they do an amazing job of canceling out any kind of background noise. For example, I tested these during a family session of the local favorite guitar simulation game playing on a surround sound system. The volume was loud enough to really rock out to, and the background was full of laughing and cheering for each player. I didn’t hear any of it while listening to the Big Phat Band blow their horns in amazing harmonies, and all this at a pretty low listening level compared to my normal music experience.

Ultrasone advertises the S-Logic system to also be able to reduce listening levels 3-4 db’s from standard level due to the design of the can. While that may be true, I find that the real perk is being able to listen to audio at a lower level than I normally would because I am not competing with background noise at all. It would take a jet launching off a carrier to find a reason to turn up the volume much on these headphones, and even then I have a feeling most of it would be kept out of your ears.

One other big perk I found was in the package of the headphones. Included was an audio clip cd of very high quality recordings. For some reason I find myself not getting tired of hearing just how good these things can sound with ideal sound being pumped through. You get a collection of clips ranging from New Orleans style big band to some nature scenes that actually had be turning around looking for instruments and bugs on a few occasions.

While this has all been very positive so far, be forewarned that they are not for everyone, as I have found through listening to a variety of audio clips and formats through these clear cans. Like I said in the beginning these headphones are good, and I mean really good. That means they will reproduce the audio you are hearing very realistically and very true to what they REALLY sound like. Audio that suffers in this category…..almost every converted mp3. If you are looking for a pair of headphones to listen to your latest collection of converted or downloaded mp3’s, these headphones are going to disappoint you. I found myself many times wondering how I listen all of the compression on a standard mp3 after hearing what they actually sound like in that form. Pop in a CD and you will start to notice little flaws and mistakes that your average home stereo or headphone pair will not let you hear, at least not without trained and super sensitive ears. This is not a knock really against the headphones, more a knock against the accepted quality of music in this digital age of high end recording. If you are really curious to how it all actually sounds, these headphones will tell you, good or bad.

These headphones also have a somewhat heavy feel on your head and neck. I found myself adjusting them many times to just the right spot on my head before they felt comfortable. If you are not used to wearing these types of full sized headphones, they take some getting used to before they feel natural to wear.

So how can you make the best choice on if these HFI 700’s are for you? Look at your application. If you want to hear the clearest sound you have heard in a long time, and want to know what’s really going on in your audio, these headphones are for you. If you want to use them for a home studio to track and mix, I give them an A+ for true sound reproduction and value toward getting the most out of a home studio. If you are a DJ and want a pair of headphones to mix with that will give you good results, these may be a little high priced for your needs and you may consider looking down to the Ultrasone 550 model to get the performance you are looking for, but the 700’s certainly would be a worthy addition to your DJ gear. If you are like me and plan on using them for many different applications, versatility is a high point for these cans. So go out there and listen to some of the competition at the local music store, and if the budget allows, you’ll be springing for a pair of these Ultrasone HFI 700’s.

Shure 58 Series Microphones

2007-12-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is the obvious choice mic choice for many working and aspiring musicians all across the world. The Shure 58 series of microphones offer some of the best sound for value on the market, and have become an industry standard with years of proven ability and durability. I debated on whether or not I should place this review as separate ones for each mic individually or as a series, and I have decided to take the series route. I did this because they all have their place in the gig bag, and I feel should be looked at as a natural progression in equipment quality for the gigging, budget minded musician or sound/audio extraordinaire.

PG58:

The first entry in the 58 series is the PG58. This budget vocal mic is great for the starting out vocalist, and is a very handy backup mic in larger gig scenarios. Also works well for doing small voice over work with a panty hose pop screen (beats buying one for $20-$40).

The mic can get a fairly nice sound out of the budget p.a. system, which typically will include a powered speaker of some kind and an acoustic guitar at the local watering hole. It may not be the warmest and clearest mic around, but for the money will satisfy most small gig needs. If a small budget is what you are working with, this mic may be what you are looking for.

I have found myself on a few occasions needing one more mic, wishing I had an extra SM58 for a vocal or a 57 for an instrument. In those scenarios, I have found a PG58 to be a great performer when used as a last mic available, and have never had it stand out as sore thumb in the mix.

If you need a good starting out mic or a great backup mic in a pinch, a PG58 can work just fine.

SM58:

This is the bar. The industry standard by which, unless you have a full professional studio, you will judge all mics above it and below it from. This is a very versatile mic, used at one time or another to mic just about anything you can mic. The SM58 has a clear and warm sound, and most working musicians will have multiple SM58’s for whatever they may choose to mic.

I don’t think I have ever seen this mic for under $99 regular price. I don’t know if it’s ever been different, but so far it seems to be the best $99 a working musician can spend. The majority of mixes I typically work with involve at least 3 of these if not more, and they are very easy to mix with just about any type of equipment. It’s hard to argue with the industry standard, and if you are trying to book a few more gigs than the bi-yearly event, get an SM58 to bring along with you.

Beta58:

Once you have worked a while with an SM58, you will start to notice things about it you wish you a little more of. A little more warmth, a little more head room, a cleaner sound. Enter the Beta58.

This mic is the top of the line 58, and usually goes for about $160. This is the mic to get if you are a lead vocalist or your group wants the lead vocalist to sound as good as he can within the budget. Sure, you can spend more and get a higher end mic and get a little crisper and better sound, but you would really want to take that to a bar? I have used a beta 58 in everything from a crowded bar, a fancy ball room, and a huge rainstorm. This mic withstood it all, and still provides as good of a vocal sound as the day it was purchased.

I find this mic very useful in amplifier settings too. It’s clarity and threshold work well for getting that guitar clean through the mix if you run out of instrument mics, and spoken voice sounds great as well. In my experiences with bass singers, it can also work well if you do not have a condenser available for those powerful low notes.

Wrap Up:

When using any mic out of the Shure 58 series, it’s easy to tell why they set the industry standard. They perform time and time again, with the best price/performance ratio on any mics I have found so far. Some people prefer alternatives from Sennheiser, Audio Technica, or other manufacturers in this price range, but to me, the ability of the core design to last around 40 years proves to me they are worth serious consideration for any musicians gig bag.

Pro Tools vs. Cubase/Nuendo

2007-12-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

This seems to be an internet wide debate without an answer, and I will be glad to throw my opinion out there as to what I think of these two competing products. I have been fortunate enough to have experience working with both of these product types throughout the past few years, and I must say I have grown to like one over the other for multiple reasons. Before I reveal which one I prefer, I am going to try to give my limited review on each to the best of my knowledge. I am not an expert on either by any means, but have worked enough with the core to decide which one I like more.

Pro Tools is the industry standard computer recording DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation. It is in use by almost every major studio that I know of, and is typically the advertising point of most studios paraphernalia. It is sold with it’s own hardware, and uses a proprietary system of plug ins and hardware to give you the full pro tools setup. Pro tools features multi track recording, with the ability to edit your audio just about any way you would want, and can render out your final product for sale and distribution. This is obviously a very basic summary of pro tools, but for purposes of this view point, not much more is needed.

Cubase/Nuendo (I’ll refer to it as Cubase now since Nuendo runs the same engine but has more high end features for large studios and is out of most people’s price range) is a competitor to the pro tools system and performs many of the same functions as pro tools. It is a computer recording DAW, and performs the same core functions as Pro Tools. You can multi track your recordings, edit your audio just about any way you want, and play with the variety of plug ins to get your desired sound for final rendering.

The biggest difference between the two systems I see is their ability to place nice with others. Any Pro Tools engineer will tell you the system digidesign has is built to make them the most money. Their software only works with their approved and licensed hardware, typically coming from their company, and therefore gives them the option to charge more for what they produce if you want their product.

Cubase so far seems to buck that trend and go with the more open VST and ASIO standards. Many different types of ASIO hardware will work with the cubase engine other types of software that use the ASIO standard, and many VST plug ins work the same way. If you are on a budget and looking to get the most out of your home or small budget studio, I say cubase is the better option. There are some good free plug ins out there if you want to try out new things, and the ones you pay for are generally easy on the wallet. You can work with Pro Tools if you need to, and vice versa, but it takes a little more time to transfer back and forth. Sony based software works without a problem, with their Vegas, Cinescore, and Acid products being a great compliment for production needs without breaking the bank.

Pro Tools does have advantages, like being able to transfer sessions with larger studios easily if you need to do tracking in a better environment, but does that warrant the considerably higher cost of hardware and software. I use the Digi 002 from Digidesign and the Firestudio from presonus as my two budget examples. A Digi 002 is typically $200-$300 more in price than a Firestudio. The Digi uses Pro Tools and the Firestudio uses Cubase. If you are building a budget studio, why spend the extra money on the box with 4 fewer XLR preamps and a proprietary system. You could buy a descent mic, some headphones, monitors, whatever else to enhance and build your studio with that extra money.

This is just one guys opinion, but I have yet to find anyone that could justify to me why I should not stick with Cubase for the budget studio. The crossover of plugins between editing applications alone justify to use of Cubase over Pro Tools to me. To each his own, but I say spend wisely.

My Take On Behringer Products

2007-12-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

I will start by saying I have not used every Behringer product, and will be reviewing in detail some specific ones I have used myself. This is more of a broad review of a very under rated and often over looked company that I feel I owe a lot to in my pursuit or better sound.

If you are a working musician with budget in mind, you no doubt have seen or used a piece of Behringer equipment before. They manufacture just about every piece of music equipment, from speakers to guitar pedals, effects boxes and mixer boards. Behringer is the utility player in the music industry, filling the need for less expensive gear while still maintaining a quality you can use. I have used a range of their mixer boards, crossovers, effects, mics, amplifiers, and speakers, and have come away with a single impression of the company: they deliver a good product nearly every time.

Now this is not to say they make the best sounding products or the greatest pieces of equipment you can buy. In fact, many things they make you can get at a not so much higher price from competing vendors that are slightly better in sound quality and production. The question I ask is why? Why spend another $50 on that $250 product that Behringer makes for $200. When you compare them side by side, Behinger will typically have the same features, and unless it was absolutely critical for you to have that other piece, the Behringer will do just fine.

I own a Eurodesk SL3242FX-PRO board by Behringer. While I will be having a separate review for this item, I use it as a prime example. I paid $300 for this used, and have run full weekend sound festivals with it while have no issues and great sound the entire time. Those with a knowledge in pro audio look at me like I must have no clue what I am doing to own such a thing. People with no pro audio experience think it’s a large board with a bunch of knobs so it has to be good. In reality I know exactly where this board stands. It is not a Mackie, or an Allen and Heath, or Soundcraft, or any of the higher priced boards. What it is though is something that gets the job done, and does it well, with good pre amps, plenty of inputs, built in crossover, effects, auxes, and good headroom for a budget price that can’t be beat.

This is representative of most of Behringer’s products and gives me confidence in using other Behinger products for my audio needs. This is not to say there aren’t other companies out there with the same type of products and prices, but so far I have found none with this level of built and audio quality while maintaining a low price point. If you are looking for a specific piece of gear and do not want or are not able to spend the money on higher priced gear, give Behringer a try. Even if you can, check em out anyways, it’s hard to go wrong with any of their products.

QSC RMX 1450 Power Amps

2007-12-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

This is the amplifier which I have used time and time again for a large range of applications. Street price on this amp is around $429, ranging from $400-$450 area depending on the place of purchase. It is a heavy amplifier weighing in at about 40lbs., and takes up two rack spaces inside your deep rack. The specs show the amp output of about 1400 watts max at 4 ohms bridged, meaning you can get roughly 1400 watts if you chain two 8 ohm loudspeakers together.

I have to admit that my experience with this amplifier has been typically using it outside of it’s realm of stated specs. I typically use it in a 2 ohm bridged mono setting, with two 4 ohm loudspeakers probably approaching the 1900 watt area of output. I must stress that this is not the intended use of the amplifier and should be done so at your own risk. I have yet to find a spec of the actual output of the amp at this rating as it is not rated to do so.

This all being said, the amp works great in this way. I have it paired typically with two JBL SRX speakers or two Peavey TLS 4X speakers running in chains, and get great results every time. The amplifier comes with clip limiters and filters, giving you plenty of pushing power without damaging the amp. Clipping is a bad thing meaning something is being driven too hard, and the limiter is a great way to protect your pricey gear.

These things are built like tanks, and I have seen them survive being dropped, kicked, blown fuses, power surges, rain and hail storms, freezing temperature….the list goes on. They just keep working. You may have to clean the knobs once in a while for dirt on the contacts, but that’s a small maintenance item that should be done anyways.

As I stated before, these amps are heavy. Carrying more than one at a time can be a pain the….uhh…..back. 40lbs. may not seem like much until you carry them back and froth multiple times in a gig. QSC does make a lighter amplifier that performs great as well, the PLX series, but the price range is out of some budget musicans. If you can afford the $600-$700 price range per amp of the plx series, then by all means save yourself the weight and do so. For the rest of us, use a dolly whenever you can.

The amplifiers are typically the grunts of the P.A. setup. They give you the power to throw your voice great distance, and give volume to all of your other gear. A critical piece of equipment like this should be clean and quiet, and let the rest of your gear determine the end result of the powered sound. The QSC RMX 1450 does this with flying colors, and can take a beating while letting you shine. If you are looking for a fairly priced amplifier for your expanding rig, p.a. or stacked, check this great amp out.

A Word On Reviews

2007-12-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the review section of Wavemakers Media. Most sites that review the latest and greatest gear are full of expert opinions, technical analysis, and industry professionals telling you what they think of a product and why they are right about that product. If you want the opinion of the everyday, average joe musician who uses the products reviewed, and gives opinions for the budget minded enthusiast and musician, then this is the place to look. I have 10 years experience in sound and audio equipment (started working audio equipment when I was 12) and am aspiring to do big things with a sound a media company someday. That said, I am going through what most of you probably are or at some point were; trying to find myself in an industry with huge competition and great stakes involved. Take my opinions as you will, and leave here knowing you are hearing from a person probably in the same shoes most of you are. You are most likely on a budget, wanting the best quality you can get with that budget, and doing everything you can to make your dreams come true.

I am open to any comments and criticism, but ask that mail stating “you suck, you don’t know anything” be respectfully left in your mind if that’s how you feel. Instead, send suggestions for reviewing, or criticisms in ways I review other than you suck. That helps no one.

My hope is that these reviews and opinions will help someone searching for that perfect piece of gear to find what they are looking for, or at least take a look at items that may traditionally get overlooked when searching for the next addition to your equipment list. Happy reading, and enjoy!

Signed: Kevie B.