Archive for the 'audio' Category



The Basics of USB Turntables

Tuesday 10 March 2009 @ 6:04 pm

Digital music is great. Everyone loves to hear digital music. But wouldn’t it be great if you can access your digital music especially the old vinyl to your computer with the use MP3 or compact disc? Nowadays, you can actually convert your old vinyl to your computer through MP3 or CD. You can even convert this old vinyl straight to your computer.

A USB turntable is like a modernized version of the old turntables our grandparents used to love. The big difference is that USB turntables are more advanced and are plugged in a USB port for it to work. This invention paved the way for the revival of old music long forgotten since turntables became obsolete.

The basics are very simple. Just plug your USB turntable to the nearest USB port. After plugging, activate the idiot-proof audacity software and you can start having your old vinyl collection converted. This is much easier to do than using a record.

USB turntables have adjustable gain and an anti-skating control. It has high speed recording function that you are surely looking for. Its belt driven can be connected to home stereo that has CD or auxiliary inputs. So even if your records are not converted, you can still play your vinyl at home.

Turntables can play the oldest recording, like Whitesnake. Even the speed is not a question. Turntables can let you forget the option of buying a new music. They let you reminisce how beautiful old songs are.

There is also a turntable with iPod. This lets you transfer vinyl records to your iPod even without a computer. All you need is an iPod dock and you can already transfer vinyl to your iPod. Just prepare your player, let it spin and start recording. This is easy and fun to do with your iPod.

You can even use this kind of turntable when recording to MP3. There are just simple steps to do this. On the Audacity preference, choose USB Audio CODEC in the Device.Prepare your vinyl and click record to begin. After recording, press play and you can start your USB turntable.

However, the USB turntables with iPod dock are not for laptop use. It is compatible with Windows Vista and Media Center. It is also compatible with PC and Mac. This is compatible with any recording software as long as it supports USB audio devices. This has UK 3 pin plug.

This has extra features of 3.5mm stereo line input, automatic play or pause button and modern styling.

The computer requirements of turntables with iPod dock are much greater than an ordinary turntable. It requires higher software to run this turntable. The computer should have Windows XP or Vista with a Quicktime of 7.1.6. Its Mac OS X should at least be 10.3.9 with a Quicktime of 6.5.2.

This gadget is brilliant and useful to music lovers. The money you spent for buying this gadget is really worth the service that the gadget offers. This can also be a best gift for your love ones. Let your love ones enjoy their favorite vinyl just like how you enjoy your favorite vinyl while using the turntable.

For more information on DJ Turntables and Mp3 turntablesplease visit our website.

[tags]USB Audio CODEC, Export as MP3, LAME library, USB Audio devices, Quicktime of 7.1.6[/tags]




Five Top Tips For Successful Audio Conferencing

Wednesday 10 December 2008 @ 10:26 pm

Conference calls have revolutionized the way businesses communicate, saving time and money. Many companies now hold regular daily, weekly or monthly calls between 3 or more participants. However, for participants that are new to audio conferences, there can be a tendency to not properly follow protocol, which ultimately makes calls less effective. Here are five simple tips so that you can contribute in a positive manner and enjoy your participation in a audio conference call:

1) Be early on the call, not Late! - Like any normal meeting being punctual is very important. If you are not on time you may miss important information about the agenda for the call and protocol. You may also be left until last to speak or even worse left off altogether. This can become extremely annoying if you have important information to pass on. Logging into the conference 5-10 minutes before is good practice.

2) Call from a quiet place - If you are participating in an audio conference call then you should ideally select a quiet room or place to call from. If you are calling in from your home then you will have children and pets in the background or appliances making distracting noise. In the office there are different distractions such as phones ringing and people chatting. You may be able to mute these from the call, but once you start talking they will be causing you much distress whilst you are thinking of what you are saying.

3) Try to avoid calling in from a mobile phone - Using a mobile phone to conduct an audio conferencing call is a bad idea. Mobile phones cause call interference as they use a different format for transferring data. This may irritate other participants, as the line will appear crackly or fuzzy for all listening in. If a mobile phone is all you have, use the mute function if you are not speaking as this will lessen the distraction on the side of the participants.

4) Don’t put the call on hold - Putting the conference call on hold distracts the participants especially when the phone has hold beeps or music. Many users will be left bemused and it is hard to catch up when you are not focused. If for any reason you need to leave and you are not sure at what time you can join the audio conference call, it is better to hang up and call again if you are ready.

5) Raise your hand to speak - Avoid butting in whilst others are talking or it is not your turn. There will usually be a method to attract the attention of the chair person or organizer. Most audio conferences have a ‘raise hand’ option, which seems to work best. This informs the chair person you wish to speak and they will usually invite you in once and chance is available. If you ignore this option and simply talk over people, you will very quickly alienate others and could be asked to leave.

Follow these simple steps and you will have much more productive and enjoyable conference calls. If you don’t then you will soon encounter delays, interference and general annoyance of all participants involved.

Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about audio conferencing. For more details about audio conferencing please visit our types of audio conferencing service page.

[tags]audio, conferencing, tips, participation[/tags]




The Basics of Setting Up a Teleconferencing Service

Monday 8 December 2008 @ 2:06 pm

Teleconferencing has emerged as one of the as one of the most cost effective and useful tools for business communication. Companies all over the globe have managed to slash the costs of their executive travel by moving meetings onto phone and web. Multiple participants can engage in conference calls at low costs saving time and money. So for those businesses that are still in the dark when it comes to teleconferencing, here are some tips on setting up your own teleconferencing service.

It is important to remember that something as important as teleconferencing needs to be done right to reap the benefits. In the following paragraphs, we’ll see how to setup teleconferencing calls for successful usage.

The first thing to consider is; how great is your need for teleconferencing? This form of communication only makes sense if the number of participants is three or more. Usually teleconferencing calls are facilitated by dedicated service providers, who offer the service for a fee, normally for specific periods of call. Once the user agrees with their terms and conditions, they will be given a toll-free number and an access code, which is to be distributed among all the participants who are to take part in the teleconference call. Also, it is required for the person reserving the service to mention the exact date and timings of setting up the teleconference call or meeting. This time slot booking is usually done in order to avoid clashing with other meetings, as it is a possibility that more than one customer may demand the same time slots on a particular date.

At the chosen date and time, each of the participants will join the online conference call by dialing the toll-free number and authenticating their invite using the access code they were given. Once in the conference, each party can talk as much or as long as they want, (one person at a time is recommended). The entire session of the call will be controlled by the host, and they can decide who should be online and can knock people off the call if necessary. In the usual settings, if the host is to hang up, the entire teleconference will be terminated. But, alternate options are available so as to continue the call even if the host exits, but it is optional and that right entirely rests with the person who setup the teleconferencing service.

If you are looking to select a teleconferencing service, always setup with service provider who offer recommended conferencing solutions and technical support. Make sure you follow the instructions given by the service provider. If you follow these simple steps you will find that your business will also benefit from teleconferencing as many other businesses already are.

Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about teleconferencing. For more articles like this please visit our conferencing blog.

[tags]Business, teleconferencing, calls, conference[/tags]




Why Reservationless Audio Conferences Beat Pre-Booked

Friday 29 August 2008 @ 8:52 pm

If you’ve know a bit about the audio conferencing industry you will almost certainly have come across the term ‘reservationless audio conferencing’ but what does it mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary there is no such word as reservationless but it seems to have worked its way into the jargon of teleconferencing.

Reservationless, as the name suggests, simply means that you do not have to reserve your place at the audio conference in advance of the call. The host simply invites the participants to join the conference call by dialling into the audio conference bridge access number at the time of their choosing and the system will automatically set up the call. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but being reservationless offers you huge benefits over the pre-booked conference calls as we will find out shortly.

Pre-booked or reserved audio conferences
Back in the early days of the internet, some ten years ago, the only way to host audio conferences was to call up your conference call provider in advance and pre-book a conference call. You would need to specify the date and time you wanted to book the conference call for and also the number of participants and duration of the call.

The problem with this system, apart from it being a massive inconvenience having to pre-book of course, was that if more people than you were expecting wanted to attend they couldn’t and if your call over-ran then you risked being cut off. Moreover, you often had to pay for the number of participants you booked the call for even if they didn’t actually turn up on the day.

If you are thinking this all sounds like it was a bit of a pain, you are right, it was. Surprisingly, some audio conferencing providers still use this model today! Even though there is absolutely no need to host your call in this manner.

Why the move to reservationless conferencing?
It is only in the last few years that that technology has advanced to the stage where hosting reservationless audio conferences has become possible. Prior to the emergence of high capacity reservationless conference bridges, capacity on the systems was very limited and it was therefore necessary to manage its allocation very carefully. If too many people tried to dial in at the same time, customers were likely to get the busy tone or, worse still, be connected to overlapping conferences.

The billing systems attached to conference call bridges were also quite rudimentary meaning that unless there was a manual record of who was dialling in when and from where, it was impossible to bill the customer.

With today’s modern technology, pre-booked audio conferences are fast becoming a thing of the past with the vast majority now being reservationless. The one exception to this is a special kind of pre-booked conference call known as a managed event call. This is where human operators are used and therefore advance notice is still required. However, with the added use of an operator comes added cost.

Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article is taken from the resources section of the Ozone Conferencing website. Other recent articles includeCheap Conference Calls
and Free Audio Conferencing.

[tags]reservationless, prebooked, audio, conferencing[/tags]




Benefits Of Quality Streaming Audio For Your Website

Thursday 26 June 2008 @ 5:42 am

Streaming audio is a method of sending an audio signal to the receiver’s computer through Internet. It is different from standard methods of receiving audio files through Internet, where you have to download a .wav or .au file before hearing the audio files. However, with streaming audio, you can hear the audio immediately as it arrives on your PC. Thus, you need not wait for long minutes for the entire download.

When the data arrives on your computer, it buffers for few moments and playback begins. As the audio starts playing, more data streams (arrives) on your PC. Therefore, you will hear the constant audio as long as you receive the regular stream of data.

Sometimes, while receiving the data, stream may break down due to net congestion and you receive a message as net congestion and rebuffering.

Benefits of Streaming Audio:

Streaming audio is an efficient mode of communicating when huge spectators watch a live broadcasting on the Internet and listen to opinions of unlimited participants. Participants can simply participate in the discussions using web browsers. Streaming audio enables individuals to increase the number of their spectators by archiving the conferences so that individuals, who are unable to listen at that moment, can listen to it later.

Individuals, who are listening to Streaming audio, may select the method and time that they need to tune to a conference. It encourages more participation rate at little cost. Individuals just need to tell the time and provide details of the conference to other individuals.

Streaming audio is beneficial in case of an internal as well as external purpose when conversing with analysts, investors, employees, media, customers and public.

Streaming audio provides many fold broadcast options such as:

Live broadcast: Using this technology, you may conduct live broadcast as discussed above.

Archived broadcast: People can listen to the participants of a live broadcast any time they want.

Indexing: It allows individuals to gain an entry to the archived files in an effective way by simply clicking link of the audio file, which they wish to listen. This saves time, as individuals do not have to listen to an entire audio file.

Hardware and Software Requirements:

You need to have following requirements in your system to listen to a live broadcast or archived file.

1. A personal computer having 16 MB RAM, 28.8 Kbps (kilobytes per second) modem, 16 bit of sound card and headphones or speakers.
2. Microsoft Internet explorer 3.0 or higher, a Java enabled web browser, Real networks player or window media player.

About Internet Connection:

Some people say that they reactivate the Streaming audio at 14.4k but do not opt for such slow connections. Minimum recommendation for good quality audio file is 28.8k and for video, it is 56k. Moreover, this also proves better if you wish to go for faster Internet speed.

If you have a fast modem, you need to note that certain problems may disrupt your stream. Few problems may include noise in phone lines and slowdown from ISP end.

How to Obtain Good Quality Streaming Audio:

First, you need to shut down all the unnecessary applications, which are running on your PC. Simply keep the web browser and media player open. If there is an adaptor on the wall jack to plug the regular phone in the same outlet as in your computer, take it off when you are streaming.

If you find lot of disruptions or noise on the phone lines, contact the phone service provider. They will rectify the connection and this will help you listen to the streaming audio file efficiently.

This article was written for Find This Online an online resource guide that offers a variety of articles written on different subjects. Visit us at Here for more articles on streaming-audio.

[tags]audio-streaming, audio-streaming info, audio-streaming information, streaming-audio[/tags]




Using Legal Music Download Sites For Your Mp3 Player

Sunday 3 February 2008 @ 10:07 am

Modern technology makes music more accessible than ever, with a huge percentage of people now downloading music from the internet onto their MP3 player. Many people use file sharing sites to obtain their MP3 player files, but these sites do not have copyright ownership. This alters the stability and quality of the product, and can also lead to legal proceedings being brought against the user. Therefore, the best way to download music to your audio player is to find a legitimate site.

Online MP3 player downloads from a legitimate site have the benefit of being licensed by either the record company or the artist. This means that there is no infringement of copyright laws and so enables many benefits for the user. Approximately 35% of all MP3 player owners now use this method to download music files. Of course, licensed MP3 file downloads come with a price tag but this is minimal when compared with the cost of CDs and minidisks.

There are two ways of paying for MP3 player downloads. The first is one off fee or monthly payment that acts as a subscription. This method enables subscribers to download unlimited music files to their audio devices, and is cost effective for any consumer who requires regular use of the services. The second method of payment entails a pay per download or burn scenario. This is more cost effective for those who will use file downloads less frequently. Either payment method will enable the user to reap the benefits of legitimate MP3 file downloads.

The main benefits of using a legitimate MP3 player download site is that the sound quality is the best possible as state of the art digital recording equipment is used. The download speed is also excellent, and many download sites have great additional extras such as MP3 ripping and MP3 tagging services. Licensed MP3 player files will not corrupt part of the way through, and so you can be confident in the service received. The licensing means that the download site will not be closed due to copyright infringement, which is common amongst file sharing sites. One of the main benefits of using a legitimate site is that there is little risk of encountering and picking up a virus. Licensed MP3 player download sites have advanced security measures which are updated frequently to ensure the best possible product is received by customers. There is also better privacy guaranteed, with spyware detected and removed, keeping customers safe from risk.

Of course there are some disadvantages to be had. Licensed MP3 player download sites have a much smaller selection of music available than the file sharing sites. There are also very few licensed mp3 download sites available, so there is little choice in terms of which service provider you can use. However, the quality of the sites available is very good, so this should not be a problem. The cost involved with licensed MP3 player sites is off putting to many, but overall the advantages of subscribing outweigh the disadvantages. The licensed site guarantees a quality product for your audio player, which is safe for your computer and which follows laws and regulations. It is fast, accessible and cost effective.

Many MP3 player download sites offer free trials of its product and services so that you can test the site thoroughly before committing to any purchase. This involves being able to download a specified number of MP3 files or being able to use the services for a set length of time before a payment is required. To be more informed, read reviews of the sites before trialling their product as this will save you time.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author’s name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/mp3-player.php
Roberto Sedycias works for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

[tags]ipod, mp3 player, mp4 player, podcast, podcasting[/tags]




Top Twelve Ways to Use Voice Over Internet Protocol in your Business

Wednesday 23 January 2008 @ 11:44 pm

It seems that each year in this age of the internet, that every day there is a new technology being introduced. If you are like most of us, you are looking for technology to work for you not against you? Have you heard of Voice over internet protocol but not sure if it is worth your time and energy to explore the possible benefits to your business?

In this article we will demonstrate that Voice over internet protocol is a very powerful technology that transcends your normal latest greatest technical tool that is being introduced but you can’t see how it applies to you. As the voice component of IOVC strategy and technology, we will list capabilities that you can use to reduce your business expenses and improve your ability to attract customers using just this one technical component.

Voice over internet protocol is a well known technology in some areas and in others it is relatively unknown. However as one of the internet, office, voice and customer management technologies, IOVC, it is a voice over internet protocol technology, which you may not realize, can work wonders for your business. Voice over internet protocol to most people know it as tool that can reduce their phone bill but not necessarily as a tool to help improve and grow their business. But you can use voice over internet protocol technologies:

1. As your phone service and eliminate your current traditional phone service
2. To reduce your phone bill and save some money in your pocket
3. As a marketing tool and let it help you brand your business
4. To run Teleseminars for a very low cost
5. To record audio messages and talk for you when you are not available
6. As your instant support tool and show your customers you are very customer focused
7. For voice mail when you can’t be available
8. To open up international office and do this all in 5 minutes
9. For your call forwarding service and let voice over internet protocol enable you to go mobile now
10. As an office extension especially if you need to build a bigger office or add on staff
11. To pay your bills as a convenient way to send money to your Paypal contacts
12. To integrate with Microsoft Outlook and save time, money and energy

As you can see from the list of Voice over internet protocol capabilities above, this voice technology has many beneficial capabilities. It is one of the reasons this IOVC technology is starting to garner more attention in the small business community.

Most people as you can imagine only use Voice over internet protocol as phone replacement technology. But now that you know it can help you market your business, or help you present your business, even when you can’t be there in person. The fact it can help you pay your bills while on the road should show you this can be one powerful tool The fact that most of this comes for free should really excite you.

Learn to build your business on the web using IOVC strategy and technology solutions at http://www.iovc.com. Download a free IOVC pdf now. Skye is here to stay and can help your business - learn more here http://www.techoss.com/voice.htm

[tags]VOIP, Skype, Voice over internet protocol, internet, IOVC Technology[/tags]