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Production and Design
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Friday, 27 August 2010 19:44 |
 Sonic Reality just unleashed “Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit”, a music software recreation of the legendary sound of Neil Peart. Nick Raskulinecz, producer/engineer for Rush, Foo Fighters, and other bands with massive drums sounds worked with Sonic Reality to create the authentic sounds of Mr. Peart and make it available as a sound library for sample playing software such as BFD2 and Kontakt.
It’s pretty epic. The samples can be tweaked with features such as deep level dynamics, humanized random alternating hits, discrete multiple mic mixing and more. Sonic says this deluxe sampled kit is an ultra-realistic recreation of Neil’s actual acoustic set as used live on tour and in the studio.
We can’t wait to play. Neil is a rock god and drum legend. His technique and the sound of his kit on “Moving Pictures” is still a benchmark in dynamics, clarity and overall kickass playing style. To think you can pick up a legendary sample set like this for under $150 is insane. Insanely awesome! We’re expecting greatness from this product and we’ll tell you more after we rock out a bit with it.
Visit Sonic Reality for more information. |
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Production and Design
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010 20:18 |
 The Sony HDR-CX150 combined with the Sony SPK-CXA underwater sport pack makes a great little package for capturing underwater footage. We recently shot an underwater video for a Silicon Valley company demonstrating a technology product in a pool.
The camera and underwater pack worked great. The hardest part of capturing the footage was getting oxygen to our camera team.
 Sony says the SPK-CXA underwater sport pack is good for depths up to 17 feet. We would have expected a round number such as 20 or 50 but 17 is plenty. Besides, just beyond a few feet under water and you have to start thinking about lighting anyway.
The HDR-CX150 works with SD cards and Sony’s memory stick though we imagine they will soon phase out the proprietary format. You can pick up the Camera, underwater housing and video ready SD card as a package for under $1k. It’s a nice setup for all you Jacques Cousteau wannabees.
Visit Sony for more information.
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Mobile
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Sunday, 15 August 2010 05:41 |
Pick it up for your iPhone free this weekend only. Here is the link to the promotion on iTunes.
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Computers and Accessories
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Saturday, 07 August 2010 15:56 |
 The SanDisk Blade is an ultra portable USB Flash memory drive that comes in capacities up to 16GB. The Blade has a curvy indentation that makes it easy to grab and insert or remove from PCs and other electronics. It’s perfect for students or anyone else that wants a solid portable flash drive and doesn’t require the highest capacity or speed available.
The SanDisk Blade is built sturdy enough but don’t step on it. It will survive a tumble in the washing machine but not a crushing as it’s made of nearly all plastic.
Our favorite use of the SanDisk Blade is for moving movies and music from the computer to the TV and car. Many DVD and Blu-ray players include a USB port on the front of the device and support myriad codecs of pictures, video and audio. Ford, Hyundai and other tech savvy car manufacturers are all including USB ports in its vehicles.
The SanDisk Blade is perfect for this. The reason is the Blade is nice and short so it doesn’t stick out too far when connected to the front of a DVD player or in the console of a car. Most USB Flash drives are too big and cumbersome and can easily be broken or damage USB ports when accidentally bumped into while sticking out of the port. The SanDisk blade can be connected to the front of a DVD or Blu-ray player and still allow you to close the media cabinet door and you don’t have to worry about it being snapped off.
Visit SanDisk for more information for more information. |
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Computers and Accessories
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Monday, 02 August 2010 14:12 |
 The Samsung S2 is a super sleek 2.5 inch that weighs just 0.34 pounds. We tested the 5400 RPM, 250GB version that sells for under $50.
The S2 comes with a short USB cable just long enough to connect the device and place it next to a compact desktop machine. It gets power from the USB port so no additional power supply is required. The S2 worked fine with both legacy and USB 2.0 systems. It's extremely quiet and emits very little heat.
We also used it as a local drive as part of a Mozy backup scheme. The S2 worked great and would be a good solution for someone without massive storage needs. By the way, the new version of Mozy works good too.
The Samsung S2 comes with a little carrying case but we don't recommend using it because you may end up dropping the drive when sliding it out of the case. Just use it for the warranty period of 3 years and change it out when the time comes.
These little drives come in handy for all kinds of things. With this super slim form factor this drive can go just about anywhere a USB flash drive can go and you’ll get a lot more storage for the money.
Visit Samsung for more information. |
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Mobile
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Sunday, 18 July 2010 06:28 |
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 The DROID X from Motorola could not have launched at a better time. With Apple in turmoil over its flawed antenna design in the new iPhone4, the market is ripe for competing smart phones that may not have the elegance of an iPhone but still pack a punch, and guess what, work really great as an actual phone.
I run into people in Silicon Valley that carry an iPhone and a second phone for voice calls. Often the iPhone is issued through work and the second phone is on the Verizon network. We all know the reason why. The iPhone is an incredible little portable computer but tends to drop calls. If your cell phone is your lifeline you just can’t tolerate dropped calls. Whether AT&T or the iPhone is to blame is moot.
Like other Android phones before it the DROID X from Motorola on the Verizon network makes a pretty compelling case to handle all the necessary mobile tasks for consumers in North America.
The DROID X is big and at first glance simply looks cumbersome. But we’re happy to say it’s actually very comfortable to hold and doesn't feel to heavy for its footprint. The soft touch paint makes it easy to hold and it’s not slippery like the iPhone. We rarely used protective cases for our phones because they usually become antiquated about the same time we tend to break them. The DROID X feels solid and should make it through Verizon's "New Every Two" plan no sweat.
Our initial impression of the DROID X is a good one. It’s fast, sounds good, makes a great media player with the large screen and is easy to carry and handle despite its large size. Navigating the menus and fiddling with apps or grabbing pictures and video is nowhere near as elegant as using the iPhone. Of course, if the DROID X came before the iPhone we'd be saying how slow and quirky the iPhone feels by comparision. However, once you get used to the flow on the DROID X the quickness and multitasking mask some of the ergonomic challenges. Plus it doesn't hurt that it's on the Veizon network. We'll add more to this review after we've lived with the DROID X for a while. It's certainly a device that makes you want to dive in deeper and that's a really good sign for both Motorola and Verizon.
Visit Motorola for more information. |
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Computers and Accessories
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Friday, 14 May 2010 23:35 |
 The HP P6310Y is a great choice for an everyday computer. The P6310Y comes loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium, Norton Antivirus, Microsoft Works 9.0 and a 90 day trial version of Microsoft Office. So it’s ready for the home office right out of the box. We we’re up and running with multiple applications and Pandora streaming music in the background in no time.
The motherboard leaves very little room for expansion but the good news is the P6310Y is loaded plenty of features to handle just about any application. There’s a 15-in-1 media for various types of flash memory, a dual layer DVD burner with LightScribe so you can etch labels into the discs your burn, 6GB or PC3-10600 memory, an Athlon II 630 quad-core processor, 1TB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9100 graphics.
If you’re a hard core gamer or in need of 3D rendering power obviously this isn’t going to cut it but for casual gaming the P6310Y can hold its own. There’s plenty of power for editing home movies and making DVDs.
The HP P6310Y is a good choice for anyone that needs a new PC for all around computing tasks in the $600 price range. You may be able to find other systems with slightly better specifications for the money but HPs online support and frequently updated drivers make their systems worth considering.
Visit HP for more information. |
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Computers and Accessories
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Tuesday, 04 May 2010 21:32 |
 The Motorola SB6120 cable modem is the next generation DOCSIS 3.0 compatible modem which provides a 4x speed improvement over DOCSIS 2.0 cable modems such as the original Surfboard series from Motorola.
We replaced a Motorola Surfboard SB5101 for this test. On the SB6120 Motorola moved the status lights to the side of the modem so when it’s placed in a wiring closet of a house it’s easy to check if it’s online or not without removing it. The older SB5101 requires you to remove it to check the status and the reset button could easiy be accidentally pressed. The SB6120 is a boxier design but only takes up slightly more space than the SB5101. It’s pretty much a straight swap although the SB5101 was easier to slide into tight spaces because of its wedge like shape.
The Initial setup took a bit longer than anticipated. The Motorola Extreme SB6120 takes longer to restart and get online but once it’s up and running is rock solid. The control panel and status indicators are very similar to previous designs. Basically, get it up and running and forget it.
At lower service speeds the improvement over the SB5101 is marginal. Of course, the real reason to upgrade the modem is to take advantage of the upper tiered Internet service offered by Comcast and others. After we had Comcast turn up the speed the SB6120 came to life.
If you frequently move large files via FTP, like to stream HD video, or have lots of data on your systems you’re backing up via an online service such as Mozy than the SB6120 combined with a faster level of access is certainly worth considering. For general web use, email and sending the occasional photo…etc., you won’t see that much benefit.
Visit Motorola for more information. |
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Electronics and Home Entertainment
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Saturday, 01 May 2010 16:26 |
 Samsung BD-C5500 Blu-ray Player Review Samsung is one of the fastest growing consumer electronics companies on the planet. The BD-C5500 Blu-ray player illustrates why. It’s packed with features, easy to use and priced right.
For a while there if you were in the market for a Blu-ray player your best bet was to simply bite the bullet and pay for a Playstation 3. But prices have gone down while features and performance have gone up and now you can get a player like the Samsung BD-C5500 for about $150.
The cloud is changing everything. When Netflix launched several years ago the name seemed silly. Why were they calling the company Netflix when they ship DVDs back and forth in the mail? Well clearly the vision was to eventually deliver any movie at any time via the net. We’re not they’re yet. However, once you have an IP enabled box like the BD-C5500 it changes everything.
The BD-C5500 starts up fast to access Blu-ray discs and the picture and sound look great. We inserted The Matrix and quickly lost track of time. The soft touch controls on the unit and the remote control are very nice for a player in this price range.
The best way to connect the BD-C5500 to the Internet is with an Ethernet cable. Wireless requires a special Samsung part which we understand as it would be more difficult to support other wireless adapters at this price point. However, if you have an Ethernet port nearby you can jack into you’ll be very happy with the BD-C5500.
Pandora is one of the best music experiences around and now you can stream it live with BD-C5500. An authorization code comes with the Samsung BD-C5500 that you use to synchronize the device with your Pandora account. The best way to get started is to set up all your channels on the PC first and then fire up the BD-C500. Samsung did a really nice job with the GUI of Pandora on the player and integration with the remote. This feature alone makes the BD-C500 worth considering for music lovers. It competes nicely with the Music Choice channels provided by Comcast but would benefit from additional streaming elements ala Tune Wiki or simple photos and trivia. How about direct links to music videos?
The BD-C500 also includes Blockbuster, Vudu, YouTube and a variety of other apps and connectivity programs. Plus with a USB on the front of the unit and the ability to play all the most popular audio and video formats you truly have a complete entertainment system in one box.
The menu for accessing content on a USB drive is well laid out and easy to navigate. We loaded up music and videos on 16GB microSD cards and connected it with a little SanDisk microSD adapter. Works perfectly and barely protrudes from the front of the unit. We loaded some MP3 files with embedded album art but the BD-C5500 failed to recognize it instead displaying some arbitrary art based on the genre of the track. So it’s grabbing some of the meta data but not all of it which is totally lame. In fact, that’s a biggest complaint about the BD-C5500. How can you have an internet enabled device like this and not grab meta data or display the content that’s part of the file?
Other than that we love the Samsung BD-C5500. If you’re finally ready to phase out the old DVD player and want something more than a basic Blu-ray player the Samsung BD-C5500 is an excellent choice.
Visit Samsung for more information. |
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Production and Design
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Monday, 12 April 2010 00:31 |
 AmpliTube 3 from IK Multimedia is the latest version of the popular AmpliTube series that’s packed with new amp models, stomp boxes, mics and cabinets. More is the operative word when it comes to AmpltiTube 3.
We’ve been looking forward to this release since our first impression with the Jimi Hendrix series. We figured we’d hear a few more amp models, a few more effects and maybe another speaker cabinet or mic model. Suffice to say, we grossly underestimated the folks at IK Multimedia
Playing with AmpliTube is addictive. With previous versions it became a default plug-in for everything from guitars to analog synth parts and vocals and drums just to add some character. We fell in love with the SLIGHTLY overdriven clean sounds and the effect of a well placed wah pedal in a static setting for dramatic filter effects. It’s been impressive since day one and it’s easy to forget it’s sound emulation and not a real mic’d cab.
AmpliTube 3 is built on the same basic flow as previous versions: a single tuner feeding two complete Stomp Box / Amp / Cabinets / Rack effect signal flows. As before, AmpliTube 3 provides multiple series / parallel setups for these modules, so it’s easy to run two complete rigs at the same time, or have two pedal boards simultaneously feeding a single amp with two different cabinet options. Eight routing options are on offer here, so you’re bound to find a configuration that suits your needs. You’ll also see a preset browser and a Speed Trainer and both of these have undergone a major face lift.
New in AmpliTube 3 are a number of options. A full 31 amp models are included, and some of these are very welcome surprises. In addition to the expected (yet still great) Marshall and Fender options, you’ll find both a blue face and a copper face Vox model, “classic” and triple rectifier Mesa / Boogie simulations and even an Orange OR120™ that will launch you into power chord heaven. And for our four stringed friends, they have included four thumping bass head models to get the low end moving. Add to this 51 stomp boxes, 15 microphone choices, 46 cabinet options and 17 pieces of rackmounted outboard gear and you should expect to spend a bit of time checking out the sounds on tap.
We can’t cover everything here but there are a few truly incredible additions to AmpliTube 3 that make it stand apart from earlier incarnations.
Let’s start with the stomp boxes. Expect to enjoy the fuzz boxes, flangers, phasers and wah pedals as much as ever, but be prepared to be amazed by the step filter and the swell pedals. By rhythmically adjusting filter resonance (Low pass, Band Pass or High Pass) the Step Filter turns gently strummed chords on a Ric 12 string turn into a percolating pseudo-techno background texture. And if blooming, backwards sounding volume swells are your bag, try the...wait for it...Swell pedal. Essentially an auto wah – but for volume control instead of filtering. For a truly WOW experience, try these two effects in series and strap across the bus for your background vocal submix. Add a bit of amp drive, sit back and enjoy.
Next comes the Cabinets and Microphones: Similar to previous versions but now you get two! Yep. In version 3, each of the cabinets in the signal chain can be mic’d by two mics – both user selectable from a stunning array of options. What’s more, each mic can be freely moved from center to outer part of the speaker cone and set near, far or anywhere in between. Add variable room reflections, relative volume and individual mic panning and you can get some very serious spatial effects. This addition in particular makes it easier than every get a great guitar tone to sit around a lead vocal.
The Speed Trainer is no longer a simple MP3 player with speed control, this is a full bore 4 track digital recorder with tempo and pitch controls. This particular feature is rapidly becoming a favorite as I no longer have to fire up my DAW for getting ideas down before they go away. Now everything is on one easy–to–use screen.
The Preset browser is very logical addition. As there are now so many sonic options crammed into AmpliTube 3, they have kindly included a database driven Preset Browser that allows you to quickly find a great starting point for your next sound by sorting on any of a number of options such as instrument type and sound character. Prepare to spend some time playing here as you will explore for hours.
If it seems as if we’ve glossed over the amp models…well…it’s just because they’ve always been so good. If you liked the previous blackface Fender tones, or Plexi Marshalls, then you’ll dig the mid 80’s Boogies and 70’s Oranges. But what really makes this the “Go To” option for a variety of instruments and vocals is the effects, cabinets, mic'ing options and the overall usability tweaks.
Our test instruments included a 1976 Les Paul Deluxe – Mini Humbuckers, a 1969 Gibson SG – Humbuckers, Rickenbacker model 1997 Reissue – Vintage Toaster Top Single Coils, Gretsch G5120 Korean series (transparent orange...what else?) – Filter-‘tron”ish” pickups, 2005 Jay Turser Beatle Bass Copy – Mini Soapbars,1975 Arp Axxe. We found something tasteful in AmpliTube 3 we could use for all of the above.
AmpliTube 3 is more than a simple facelift. They have re-imagined the concept to extend far beyond being a guitar amp simulator and have created a comprehensive audio processor that can be used on any audio source that needs to be tweaked, brightened, fuzzed, fizzed or generally whacked out. If you finish a project and have only used AmpliTube 3 on the guitar tracks…well…you missed out on a lot of fun and a lot of great sounds.
Of course, a serious piece of software such as AmpliTube 3 requires additional processing power compared to previous versions to truly be useful. Our system didn’t lock up as long as we kept multiple instances of the software in check. If we went beyond 3 or 4 instances of AmpliTube in a project a bit of halting and crackle was noticed when launching the interface for tweaking and knob twiddling. Once the settings are made, however, the audio artifacts go away. So while it may slow the workflow a bit it’s still workable. Our test machine was an Intel Dual Core system with 3.16 GHz CPUs and 2.5GB of memory.
During our review we received notification of a patch for AmpliTube 3. We didn’t experience any unusual behavior prior to installing the patch but it’s nice to know IK is actively providing updates and staying ahead of any issues. Apparently this update addresses quite a few compatibility issues with different DAWs. The ability to view actual parameter values during the knob twisting sessions is a nice addition as well.
If you’ve tried AmpliTube before, then you have no doubt already downloaded the trial version and been rocking out. If you’re new to AmpliTube than make sure you have a long weekend in front of you before you install this software. You’ll need some serious time to play.
Visit IK Multimedia for more information. |
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