Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, March 12th, 2010
DJ gear is unique in audio in that more than any other equipment, it has to be flashy and able to take a pounding. Usually in the form of spilt beer. My main concern with Pioneer’s new DJM-2000 is how the touchscreen will react to the rough-and-tumble world of house music and ecstasy. But it still looks gorgeous. And you can hook in up to 4 CDJ turntables. 4! Unless you spontaneously grew extra limbs, I’m not sure why you would need that kind of power. Specifications after the jump. Number of Channels: Audio x4, Mic x1 Power requirements: AC 120V, 60Hz Power consumption: 42 W Weight: 18.7lbs Dimensions: 16.9in(W) x 16.1in(D) x 4.3in(H) Headroom: 19dB Sampling Rate: 96kHz A/D, D/A Converter: 24bit, 32bit Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.004% or less Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 107 dB (LINE) [via Gizmodo ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
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Short Version: The AVerMedia MTVHDDVRR is a PCI Express video capture card with HDMI, component, S-Video, and composite inputs. The card retails for around $100 (you can find it for close to $90 online) and is capable of capturing up to 1080i video. Features: PCI Express video capture card HDMI, Component, S-Video, Composite inputs Records up to 1080i resolution in MPEG-2 format, also records H.264 and iPod formats Includes low profile bracket and 10-in-1 input cable, plus on-card HDMI input Pros: Easy installation Good recording quality Relatively inexpensive Cons: Included media center software looks like it’s from 1999 No 1080p recording HDMI connection is wildly unpredictable Review: The AVerMedia AVerTV HD DVR video capture card (model number MTVHDDVRR) is for people who want to digitize footage of some type. Be it old VHS movies or camcorder tapes, video game console gameplay, or grabbing shows off of a DVR, the card handles most recording tasks pretty well. Setup is easy, provided you’ve cracked open a desktop and installed something before. The card face has two slots; one’s an HDMI port and the other is used for the included 10-in-1 AV cable that’s got component, S-video, and composite connectors. You can plug a bunch of different sources in at the same time and then switch between them using AVer MediaCenter. The included AVer MediaCenter looks and feels like very early DVR software. It’s got TV, Video, Audio, and Photo functions but you’ll just use the TV function to record stuff. The video player, audio player, and photo viewer are just fluff. Recording works well over anything but HDMI, which was a total crapshoot depending upon which device was hooked up. My Comcast DVR box caused the software to crash every time without fail (see photo below), my Xbox 360 would sometimes only record the sound but no picture, and a Gateway notebook with HDMI output worked fine every time. For reference, I’m running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, the latest 64-bit Beta drivers for the card, and latest AVer Media Center software. I used the latest stable, non-Beta version of the card’s drivers for a while, too, and experienced similar results. Anything hooked up via component, composite, or S-video recorded just fine without any problems. So it’s likely an issue with HDMI’s digital handshake and could also have something to do with the whole copy protection thing (HDCP). After a while, I just stopped trying to hook things up via HDMI. Here’s a video of HDMI video capture that actually worked—a Gateway notebook playing a 720p video recorded at 720p by the card. Download the full-size original MPEG-2 file… Your format options for capturing HD video are MPEG-2 and… well, that’s it. You’ve also got H.264 and “iPod” settings but they max out at 720
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
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The MOS Technology sound interface device (SID) has been a favorite of electronic musicians for decades. Originally released within the Commodore CBM-II, 64, and 128 series of computers, this little chip could create 4 different waveforms on 3 analog channels. The guys over at HyperSynth have some custom SID synthesizers for sale, along with a software plug-in to talk to your favorite recording software. The HyperSID is MIDI driven device, containing a microprocessor and a real SID chip. No emulation here kids. This is the real deal. All three versions of the chip are supported (8580, 6582, and 6581). MIDI signal goes in, and the audio comes out of a balance 1/4″ output. The brightness on the front panel is also controlled by the incoming MIDI signal. ‘Cause if you can’t see your music, you’re not making music, right? Right. The unit itself comes in the below seen half-rack or rack mountable versions. The VST controller is a very powerful plug-in giving you real-time control over the synthesizer. LFOs, envelope filters, pitch bending, this thing’s got it all. There are other SID units and emulators on the market, but the HyperSID looks like the most plug-and-play, fully contained system available. These units will run you between $300 and $450 fully assembled, or if you want to put it together yourself, as low as $50. via [ Retro Thing ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
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Stage aesthetics all contain a common trend. Generally, the equipment should be seen as little as possible, leading to pretty much every guitar amplifier in existence being black. Orange Amplifiers said, “To hell with all that nonsense” and proceeded to create some of the most visually offensive and sonically powerful amps on the market. Their latest release, the Thunder 30, should start coming out into the wild sometime this spring. What you get are four EL84 class A power valves pumping out a total of 30 watts. A new addition to Oranges is the twin channel setup. Your standard clean channel and a dedicated overdrive/distortion channel with shape control. They also threw in an FX loop not found on previous models. Configurations include the head alone, or in a front loaded 1
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
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Well, I have to say, this is by far the coolest iPod amp/speaker set I’ve ever seen. To be fair, it’s not actually new — it’s the same basic audio components as the iBox, by the same people — and of course the ammo box is vintage. But put them together and BAM, new product. So, so great. With the speaker grills and everything? Brilliant. Lots more info and big pics at Thodio’s site , where you’ll also find that this sucker costs a hot €475, or around $650. Damn! You could probably hack something like this together with some decent speakers, a T-amp, and an ammo box from Army/Navy Surplus, but unless you’re a real cool hand at it, it’s not going to be nearly as good as this one. I was thinking of emailing these guys and asking to review this thing, but who am I kidding? First, they’re in the Netherlands and it would cost them like $200 to ship the thing, and secondly the iBox has been around for a while, as I mentioned. Though I’m sure I’ve never seen one. Well, Thodio, if you feel like sending one my way, I think you have a general idea of what kind of review it’d get. I know, that sounds unethical, but really, a sweet self-contained speaker set that’s actually bulletproof? How could it go wrong? [via The Awesomer and Gizmodo ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Contact microphones are all sorts of fun. You can get some crazy sounds by sticking them on non-assuming, everyday items. Or you can make a tiny thumb piano with a tube clamp and some pieces of guitar string like Ranjit Bhatnagar up there. Check it out. [ MoonMilk ] via [ Make: Online ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
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Japanese artist / designer Yoshi Akai has quite the repertoire of zany instruments and synthesizers. Not only do they have a wicked steampunk aesthetic, but the control formats range from credit cards to wireless signals. Cool stuff all around. This particular one is a 3 channel, 8 step synth that uses different colored LEGO blocks as triggers. You can even create 3D shapes to get really crazy. Video after the jump. [ Make: Online ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, February 26th, 2010
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Chances are that the next Samsung TV you’ll buy, if you buy a Samsung TV that is, will have DTS Surround Sound. The TV maker just signed an agreement with DTS that will place the magical sound decoders in “”virtually all Samsung digital televisions worldwide.” This is good. Of course the audio won’t sound all that spectacular if owners settle for the quarter-sized speakers built-into most Samsung TVs. The decoders will be best utilized if a proper surround sound system is connected through the TV’s digital audio out. Sure, many people likely connect their audio system up through a cable box, but there are also a good amount that use the built-in digital tuner and this addition is for them.