Vocal Recording Techniques and Tricks of the Trade

By Evan Shaffhauser

Before you record your next vocal track, take a moment to consider a few basic best practices which will improve any vocal recording. Keep in mind that once you get the performance down, you can always add effects or dirty up your track later, but starting with a clean track is always the best.

Good mic technique basically means you need be aware of two things. Firstly, understanding that each microphones diaphragm reacts with varying sensitivities to all the subtle variations in your vocal delivery. Secondly, developing the skill of being able to adjust your body position according to the dynamics of your performance.

For intimate vocals that remain soft from start to finish, you can stay just a few inches from the mic for the duration of the performance. If you're going to belt it out, stand back a couple feet. If your performance uses a mixture of both, then you should start getting good at moving closer and further away from the mic as your delivery requires, even if its just for a couple words or a short phrase.

Ideally, you should keep your mouth just a few inches from the mic as long as you're not overloading the levels. If you do overload the levels, two things can happen to your track. One, you will get digital clipping- which sounds horrible. Two, it's possible that your mic will shut down temporarily depending on how sensitive it is. Both scenarios effectively ruin your recording, but both are also easily avoided by just 'wasting' your vocals a little. by this i mean just pointing mouth to the side or above the mic so you're not singing directly into it during loud bursts.

Mouth pop and lip noise can easily be rectified. Stage mics like the Shure SM57 and SM58 have a pop-filter kind of built in. Stage mics generally have a foam layer just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Many musicians and engineers submit that these dampen om high end frequencies, and prefer the nylon stocking style O-ring pop-filters. Positioning one of these between the performer and the mic will effectively eliminate any uncontrolled blast of breath from overloading the mic.

Mouth noise can really make for a lot of clean up work afterward if you dont deal with it during the recording session. There is a surprisingly easy solution: drinking lots of water throughout the recording session will keep mouth noise WAY down. A few extra trips to the bathroom and no mouth noise Voila!

If you follow these simple rules, you will start with a nice clean vocal track. From that point you are free to add reverb and whatever crazy effects you can dream up without enhancing the unwanted noise when you're trying to get at the meat. These simple practices will save you hours on Mr. Fix-it time in the end. - 18780

About the Author:

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Movies Tv Shows File Download Movies

By Pirogov Odenwald

Did you know that you can download movies right off the internet these days? Sound interesting? "Closer Movie Download", "Watch Movies Com" and "I Watch Movies For On The Internet" are all good search terms to find related information on movie downloading.

Rugrats Go Wild: Painful hybrid of 2 trendy energized Television succession, Rugrats and The Crazy Tlornberrys, as the cast of the prior washes ashore on an island where the botanists of the newer show have set up camp. Unimaginative characteristic plays like a distended Television show, and not a horribly excellent one at that. Cast includes voices of Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Lacey Chabert, Tim Curry, Bruce Willis, Chrissie Hynde, Nancy Cartwright, Cheryl Pursue, Tara Hefty, Melanie Chartoff, Jack Riley, Tress MacNeille, Michael Bell, and Flea. (80 minutes, 2003)

The Last Safari: Boring action story with discouraged virtuoso hunter (Stewart) coming to terms with himself and the opulent youthful couple who employ him. Cast includes Kaz Garas, Stewart Granger, Gabriella Licudi, Johnny Sekka, and Liam Redmond. (110 minutes, 1986)

Cluny Brown: Admirable comedy which charts the growing relation between orphan Jones and penniless Czech defector professor Boyer in pre WW2 England. Cast includes Charles Boyer, Jennifer Jones, Peter Lawford, Helen Stroller, Reginald Gardiner, C. Aubrey Smith, Reginald Owen, Richard Haydn, Sara Allgood, Ernest Cossart, Una O'Connor, Florence Bates, and Christopher Severn. (100 minutes, 1946)

A Lawless Street: Tough marshal Scott tries to remove malevolent powers from western town, and then encounters his bittersweet past with a lyrical megastar. Cast includes Randolph Scott, Angela Lansbury, Warner Anderson, Jean Parker, Wallace Ford, Ruth Donnelly, and Michael Pate. (78 minutes, 1955)

No My Precious Baby Girl: Commonly ludicrous film with opulent industrialist's dayghter, ripped between 2 suitors, playboy and a tough businessman. Cast includes Michael Redgrave, Michael Craig, Juliet Plants, Roger Livesey, Rad Fulton, and Renee Houston. (97 minutes, 1961)

The don't Tempt Me Sin of Harold Diddiebock: Intriguing notion of updating Lloyd's 1920s personality to show what's occurred to that the go getter doesn't satisfy its pledge. Aimless comedy couldn't top opening pattern in spite of excitement of fine cast. Cast includes Harold Lloyd, Frances Ramsden, Jimmy Conlin, Raymond Walburn, Edgar Kennedy, Arline Magistrate, Lionel Stander, and Rudy Vallee. (100 minutes, 1984)

Toy Story Two: One of the few continuations to live up to and top the first. The film is a brainy and involving story of male doll Woody dropping into the hands of a sleazy toy trader. Shows the relation of toys and their owners in a canny although heartwarming way, wjth incredible gags, a heart rending melody, "While She Loved Me" by Randy Newman (sung by Sarah MacLachlan), and amazing orchestrating by the pc-expression people at Pixar. Cast includes Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Wayne Horseman, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, Estelle Harris, R. Lee Ermey, and Jodi Benson. (92 minutes, 1999)

Alice Adams: Phenomenal Americana with on her way up gal ultimately finding love face to face in humble MacMurray. Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer Prize winning novel gets to be fine film, if not entirely believable with the supper-table scene being most vivid. Cast includes Katharine Hepburn, Fred MacMurray, Fred Stone, Evelyn Venable, Ann Shoemaker, Frank Albertson, Hattie McDaniel, Charley Grapewin, Grady Sutton, and Hedda Hopper. (99 minutes, 1935)

Chief Crazy Horse: Brilliant if dull-moving Western with Mature impeccably cast as the pleased, idealistic Sioux chief who joins the Indian tribes (and conquers Custer at Little Large Horn). Cast includes Champ Mature, Suzan Ball, John Lund, Ray Danton, Keith Larsen, Paul Guilfoyle, David Janssen, and Dennis Weaver. (86 minutes, 1955)

Movie downloads is definitely the wave of the future. "Downloading Streaming Movies" is a good starting point for searching for info on movie download sites. "Buy Movies For Zune" would be worth a search too. - 18780

About the Author:

Now you can download films from the internet straight onto your computer. A website that will teach you all you want to know about movie downloads is How To Download Movies From Websites.

The Internet and Buying Concert Tickets

By Ian Sawyer

I can still remember my first parent-free concert experience which occurred in 1990, when I was 17. I went with a handful of friends to see Canadian prog-rockers Rush at the Worcester Centrum in Massachusetts. I remember sleeping in my friend's beat up Toyota Tercel in front of the Centrum in the early hours of the morning the tickets went on sale. Back then we didn't have cell phones with speed dial, and we certainly didn't have online access to ticket websites.

With a growing light the sun rose, we stumbled out of the car and took our place in a small line that was forming outside the box office. We stood, bleary-eyed, in line for hours and waited for the tickets to go on sale, excited by the prospect of getting front row seats to our favorite band. At 10 a.m., when the box office opened, a grouchy older woman reluctantly and slowly began accepting cash-only for tickets. Back then, $20 was a fortune to a high school kid, but one that was well worth it. Needless to say, we didn't get front row seats. In fact, we ended up in 'nose bleed' balcony seats. But the show-the sound, the lights, and the songs-were incredible.

As time went on, I would go on to wait in line for other concert tickets as a young adult, but clearly things have changed in the last 18 years in regards to how tickets are bought and sold. Technology has made it possible to purchase great seats for great concerts without even leaving the house. However, with ticket prices skyrocketing to as much as hundreds of dollars per ticket, there is obviously a price to pay for such convenience.

These days, the easiest way to go about obtaining concert tickets is to get online the moment they go on sale, which is usually at 10:00 a.m. on a Friday or Saturday. Repetitious clicking of your browser's refresh button starting at 9:59 should secure your place in the digital queue no matter where you are, or what you're wearing.

Best ways are to have a plan and communicate with other concert-going friends. With them at their own computers ensures that at least one person will have access to great seats. Registering and establishing account information with ticket websites beforehand can speed up the process and prevent the possibility of being 'dropped' from the queue for taking too much time entering credit card information. Believe me, there's nothing more frustrating than being offered fantastic seats to your favorite band, only to lose them because you couldn't type fast enough.

A growing trend in the world of online concert ticket sales is the option to buy during a 'presale.' More and more bands are offering memberships to fan clubs that announce pseudo-secret presales that occur a day or two before the actual public sale. Some people believe that this is just another way to fleece music fans as it usually costs around $40 just to join the fan club. And there's no guarantee that you'll get the best seats anyway. However, some online fan clubs (one for a huge Irish band comes to mind) offer other incentives, such as a 'free' t-shirt or a 'free' CD of rarities. So, online club memberships just might be worth it for rabid fans with plenty of disposable income.

To be smart and to keep with the theme of Internet-based concert ticket purchasing, getting on ticket website email lists will keep you informed of any show in your area that may be of interest. It used to be that you would hear of an upcoming concert from a radio ad or from fan-base word of mouth. Being the first to learn of an impending Rolling Stones concert, for instance, was a source of pride and power that would impress others. On the other hand, missing a concert of great importance was also a possibility. These days, registering with major ticket agency websites or with your local event venues will keep you in the know, and make sure you never miss seeing your favorite band in concert ever again.

On those occasions where you have missed the presale and the public sale, and find out that the only tickets left are behind a giant pole, you do have other options. Post-sale ticket agencies have decent tickets to just about anything. However, they sometimes tack on considerable fees and mark ups. If you have the money, this is usually the last ditch option to get concert tickets to popular shows. You can also try auction websites, as they have become a haven for scalpers to get rid of tickets for high prices. Either way, the price some people will pay for their tickets reflects the true power of a live performance and the effect it has on music fans.

Taking the technological advances of the Internet age out of the equation, some people still prefer to get their tickets the old fashioned way-by standing in line at the venue or other local ticket agency location. There's an excitement and electricity when standing in line next to other hardcore fans, and camaraderie and new friendships are often forged. This is a more organic and hands-on approach to buying tickets. If you choose this route, be sure to wear a vintage concert t-shirt and have your cash handy. Those friends you've made in line will quickly become enemies if you hold up the queue by trying to pay by check or credit card. In the end, maybe it's better to remain in the comfort of your own home or office, jump on the computer, and login to a site that house various concert ticket sales in one location. - 18780

About the Author:

Ian Sawyer is a Freelance Writer for YouMusic.com, The Social Networking Site for Musicians, Featuring a vibrant Music Community has Music Chat Rooms, Real-Time Music Forums, Music Blogs, Instant Messaging, Music Groups and Concert Tickets Outlets to be able to Buy Concert Tickets Online

Downloading The Top Movies On Your Own Computer

By Heather Morris

You no longer have to stay in line at the video store or wait for the mail to come to watch the movie that you want to see. You can now watch the exact movie you want almost right away by downloading it directly to your computer.

In the future all of us will be downloading movies straight from our own computers right in the comfort of our own homes. We will no longer be renting or buying videos but we will get them all by downloading. In reality, you can take advantage of this excellent technology right now.

If you do a search engine search for downloadable movies you will see that there are plentiful options. You can even download movies for free and while you may be tempted to take advantage of that alternative you will be putting your computer at a high jeopardy for different types of adware, malware and even viruses. A decent membership site will cost a few bucks but it won't nearly be as much as if you have to get your computer repaired or replaced.

The free options could potentially put your computer at risk for any number of difficulties. Downloading movies for free is just too risky particularly since the charge of memberships is so cheap.

The prices of memberships are very economical. They tend to be in line with the membership costs of the standard video store and the mail in membership sites. The foremost benefit that they offer is that you can get whatever film you want when you really want it.

Right now on the Internet there is a lot of file sharing going on. There are more and more websites that are letting users download movies, games, music and software. Just make clear in your mind that you are downloading from a dependable site that will not contaminate your computer. When you join a respectable membership site you can usually download numerous movies at just one price.

Membership costs will differ depending upon the time-span of the subscription. You can also take advantage of a pay per download alternative if you are not planning on watching many movies. That may not be practical if you love to watch movies though because you will always be seeing new ones that you want.

Most of the sites offer not only movies but also games, software and music. All of these options should be included in the original membership cost. - 18780

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Buying Really Cheap Apple Ipod Deals

By Jimmy Shakkur

If you still belong to the almost extinct CD player-toting, stacks-of-CDs-in-the-bag generation of music lovers, it is time for you to enjoy the finer things in life infused with ease and convenience by buying an Apple iPod. Cheap versions like non-Apple brands are available but why settle for less?

The emergence of these remarkable iPods has definitely brought a hard blow to the music industry since music lovers can opt to download the music they want for free. Not only is it illegal, music stores' CD sales have really gone down.

Since you've got a stash of CDs in your possession, discover the wonders of the iTunes application and begin converting raw audio files to a format Apple iPods can understand which the Mp3 is. Although there are some protected albums so you can't immediately revise fields unless convert them to AAC then to Mp3.

Ask any music lover if they got overwhelmed with the emergence of the Apple iPod and the only answer they will give you is a deep sigh and a smile. They are indeed frantic over what iPod to choose -- 1GB or the ultimate 120GB?

This wonderful gadget not only allows you to listen to a multitude of songs but allows you to relax, watch a movie in the comfort of your home or practically anywhere. Apple iPod, cheap music players and other non-amusing brands have already emerged in the market to cater to consumers who are on a restrictive budget.

The latest addition to the iPod omnibus is the iPod Shuffle. It is so useful for people on the go who just needs some rhythm going on at the back of the minds. The iPod Shuffle was designed to be the smallest digital music player ever invented and released in the market. Packing a cool 4GB worth of music, it is such a breeze to listen to around 960 songs.

Purchase your version of the Apple iPod to suit your listening preferences. Do you know that there are some people who even fall asleep while being connected to their music players? Bear in mind that the high decibel of sound for a long period of time leads to loss of hearing. With the latest in-ear technology of the earphones, it would be more possible for you to experience a louder than life performance of your favorite band or crooner. - 18780

About the Author:

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