"Mind Games" - This American Life

It has been known for quite a while now that This American Life is one of the hottest radio documentary stations on the East Coast. Personally, this is the first time that I found one of their shows interesting enough to compel me to listen to an hour of talking. I was astounded. Not only did I get to hear the types of stories that I love so much (because psychology interests me greatly), but I really got to experience a somewhat different type of media for the first time.

Let's get down to the program itself. This program was the most recently aired audio documentary on the sight, and it was (of course) about mind games. It was "stories of people who try simple mind games on others, and then find themselves way in over their heads." Just this summary is enough to grab the attention of any passers-by. The program was just as the summary had described. Host Ira Glass covered three stories which each revolved around a different type of mind game.

You may have heard of the group Improv Everywhere before. This a group which coordinates "missions" which have the goal of giving random people a day of bizarre happiness. This is what made the show for me. The stories that Improv Everywhere are involved in (two in this show) are both stories which involve a lot of fun and a bit of heart break. You are kept in the dark until the very end about whether they were successful missions at all.

The other two main stories are slightly more serious and showed the darker side of these mind games. In the first story, a woman told a little white lie and ended up being lied to herself. In the last story, the program focuses on the event where a girl was taken hostage, brainwashed, and ended up walking the very streets she used to live on for months before she was even noticed. These two stories, although much more serious than the other one in my opinion, offer a much more realistic depiction of what can happen when people mess with each others' head.

If you find psychology or any other types of trickery interesting, Mind Games is a audio documentary that I highly recommend. If you don't find those things interesting... Oh let's face it everyone finds those things interesting at some level.

Here you can listen to and read the summary for "Mind Games": http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1329

Website for Improv Everywhere (You know that you are interested): http://improveverywhere.com/

SR-71

SR-71 is an rock band that was formed right next door in Baltimore, Maryland. As you may know, SR-71 is also the name of a supersonic aircraft that is used by the U.S. Air Force. SR-71 has gained renown for their singles "Right Now" and "Tomorrow."

SR-71 Website: http://www.sr71music.com/
SR-71 Discography: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/sr71/discography
SR-71 Bio: http://www.sweetslyrics.com/bio-Sr-71.html

Korn

Korn is an American metal band that was formed in 1993. Korn has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and have won two Grammy awards (they were nominated six times in total). Korn is seen as a pioneer band for the genre of nu metal even though the band's members don't all agree that this is the proper genre for their music. The members state that the term nu metal doesn't mean anything. Korn is simply Korn and nothing else.

Official Korn Website: http://modlife.com/korn
Korn's discography: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/korn/discography
Korn's biography: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Korn-Biography/62593FBB6059AC5948256860002E6662

Tenacious D

Tenacious D is a band that was formed from the acoustic duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Critics have dubbed the duo's style of music as mock rock. This is because of their rock music which is used as a basis for absurd and vulgar songs. At times they also use music to tell stories, an example of such as song is "Tribute." Tenacious D has been the subject of a television series as well as a movie. The members played themselves in both the series and the movie, but the plots of both movies are fictional.

Tenacious D's Website: http://www.tenaciousd.com/main.html
Tenacious D's Discography: http://n82records.blogspot.com/2009/10/tenacious-d-discography.html

Mix 106.5

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I generally listen to 98 Rock in the afternoons. During the morning however, I prefer to listen to Mix 106.5. Just like 98 Rock, they play songs in the afternoons and have a talk show portion in the morning. Surprisingly though, the talk show for this station is very entertaining. They have contests and giveaways every day. It's always fun to listen to.

Website for Mix 106.5: http://www.mix1065.net/

Music Appreciation

I have noticed a trend nowadays (partially because I used to be like this myself) where people like music, but they do not know why. They have no true appreciation for the art of making music. Especially concerning all of the work that goes into recording and editing songs before they are put on a CD. I notice this trend now because I think differently. At this point, I cannot help but think about everything that goes into a song whenever I listen to it.

Life Starts Now

Life Starts Now is the newest CD from Three Days Grace. Frankly, this CD wasn't nearly as good as it should have been coming from such a good band. On their last CD, I wasn't able to find a song that I wasn't thrilled with this CD however, most of the songs are average at best. Last to Know and Break are the two songs that are the best on the CD so far in my mind. Maybe if I listen to it some more, it'll grow on me.

Three Days Grace's website: http://www.threedaysgrace.com/
A good review on the CD: http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/116916

The Guitar Hero Issue

Many people have the belief that people play Guitar Hero because they can't play any actual instruments and they want to feel like they can. I feel that this idea is ludicrous. I play Guitar Hero because I like to listen to songs and the game presents a challenge that I can't resist. Obviously, I don't believe that I can play guitar just because I can play Guitar Hero. Anyone who does definitely has a different mentality than me.

Guitar Hero website: http://hub.guitarhero.com/

The benefit of an early start

Almost all instruments are easier to start learning at an early age. This is a fact that I am now experiencing for myself. I am now learning to play the piano and I feel there is at least one big reason for this fact. I don't have the time needed to practice wholeheartedly. The other reason younger kids learn faster is just based off of the mentality of adults. Adults tend to have misconceptions stored in their minds that often inhibit them from learning new abilities such as instruments and languages. Other than this, there isn't truly much difference in speed. The benefits that a young child gains from learning an instrument, however, far outweigh anything that I would gain.

What children gain from learning to play the piano: http://musicappreciation.suite101.com/article.cfm/piano_lessons_for_children

Soundtracks

Ever since I started taking Digital Audio at my school, I began to listen more closely to any music that I hear. A result of this was evident while I was playing Zelda the other day. Since then, I have been listening to game soundtracks to find what I thought was my favorite. I must say that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has the best soundtrack out of any game that I have played. If you have ever played the game, you may know some of how I feel. Also, when we watched Koyaanisqatsi in class it seemed like I was the only person who actually liked most of it. I think that the movie was just a tad bit long, but overall I enjoyed the experience because of the amazing music.

Hear you can download the sounds of Zelda: http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Soundtracks-Ocarina%20of%20Time%20Original%20Soundtrack.php
Koyaanisqatsi on the database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/

Top 10 Music Instruments for Beginners

- Violin
- Cello
- Double Bass
- Flute
- Clarinet
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Guitar
- Piano
- Harp

Based on these, you can see that both strings and woodwinds are very desirable to begin with. Other than the harp, most of these instruments are quite popular so it shouldn't be hard to find a teacher. I'm currently learning to play the piano myself.

Website with the Info: http://musiced.about.com/od/musicinstruments/tp/top10musicinstruments.htm

The Stigma of "emo"

Too many times I have heard bands that I like being insulted as "emo" music. Really? What type of music would be made if a song was devoid of emotion? Okay, techno is an exception to this rule, but that is the only exception. Just because a song is a little bit different in communicating it's message doesn't mean the message or the messenger is any less legitimate. Another sub-category to the emo music is dubbed "screemo." Now this is just ridiculous. Every other music genre known to man has been named based on the style of music played. Emo music is dubbed such just because of the lyrics. This encompasses such a large group of music that it makes no sense. Don't profile music in such an unfair way. Some music can actually fit with this title, but it still doesn't make the music bad.

Different styles of emo music: http://www.fourfa.com/styles/index.htm
History of emo music: http://www.fourfa.com/history.htm

Station 97.9 - 98 Rock

Radio is a topic that I have yet to cover on this blog and one that I hope to get more into soon. 98 Rock is one of the two stations that I listen to most often in my car. 98 Rock is characterized by it's morning talk show with Mickey, Amelia, and Spiegel and it's dedication to rock music. Really, the morning show is the only downside to the station in my eyes. Sometimes they can be funny, but I'd usually rather listen to the music they could play in the morning. The music they play suits my tastes quite well, so I generally listen to 98 Rock every day one the way home from school.

98 Rock's website: http://www.98online.com/

Top Ten Rock Bands of the Current Century

*Although these bands do suit my tastes, I did not make up this list. It is from a site where people vote on their favorites.*

1. 30 Seconds to Mars
2. Linkin Park
3. Muse
4. Green Day
5. Foo Fighters
6. Nickelback
7. The Killers
8. My Chemical Romance
9. Disturbed
10. Slipknot

The site where you vote: http://www.the-top-tens.com/lists/best-rock-bands-2000s.asp

Why I Love Instruments

Have you ever taken a slow song for piano or something similar and heard it played on the guitar? Have you ever heard Metallica played on the piano? If you haven't, you should. There is nothing more thrilling than watching a pianists fingers blaze back and forth while playing Master of Puppets. I didn't even believe it could be done until I saw it. On the other side of the spectrum is Pachelbel's Canon played on the electric guitar. It really is quite amazing when played on one. It is simply amazing how much the sound can change due to a change in instruments!

Comedic Songs

Bands that use music as a form of comedy seem to be severely underrated nowadays. Frankly, music is one of the best forms of comedy to me. Jonathan Coulton is one singer who uses comedy a great deal simply because his songs don't make much sense otherwise. Flight of the Conchords is another band which focuses mainly on comedy and has enjoyed a great deal of success. On the other hand, I recently saw a comedian named Stephen Lynch who mainly uses music as a median for his comedy act. Both are fully legitimate in both aspects, and I never tire of the hilarious songs.

Lynch's Site: http://www.stephenlynch.com/

Coulton's Site: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/

Flight of the Conchords Site: http://www.hbo.com/conchords/

Country Music

There is one good thing that I will say about country, and that is it's being distinctly American in origin. Other than that I really hate country. Now, I realized that some people have varying opinions on different types of music and I understand that many people like the style. I just can't bring myself to like a style which, for the most part, seems to be based on lyrics. Lyrics are important, but I also need a variety of instruments in my music. Just saying, that's what I think.

Foley Artists

Any sound effect in a movie could be considered Foley. The term Foley came from one of the earliest practitioners of the art, Jack Foley. Foley artists are important in movies because of the enhanced sounds that they provide. A fist fight would never sound as good in real life as it could in a movie. There are also some movies that are entirely Foley in terms of audio because they are recorded without mics.

The Art of Foley: http://www.marblehead.net/foley/

Mudvayne

Mudvayne was founded in 1996 by Chad Gray, Greg Tribbet, Matthew McDonough, and Shawn Barclay. In 1998, one of the members contacted an old friend who happened to be a good manager. Thanks to their new manager, Mudvayne signed with Epic Records. During the earlier stages of the band, all of the members wore extravagant make up during both the concerts and music videos in order to add a visual effect to the music. After 2003 however, the band released a new single titled "World So Cold" and abandoned their make-up entirely. Mudvayne really has the best of two worlds in their music. Mudvayne uses both light and heavy parts of songs to bring the whole thing together.

Mudvayne's website: http://www.mudvayne.com/
Mudvayne's discography: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/mudvayne/discography

Wayne Static

He was born in the 1965 with his birth name being Wayne Richard Wells. Wayne got his first guitar at the early age of seven and was in a band by twelve. Wayne now has a successful career as guitarist and lead vocalist of Static-X. Wayne is well known for his absurd hairstyle which goes completely vertical. Allegedly, it takes him 20 minutes to fix his hair in this fashion. Wayne is also a self-proclaimed atheist and vegetarian.



Wayne's biography: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Static-X-Biography/FC4B549B574A0537482568AC003C9614

Writing Lyrics

Today, I realized how hard it can be to be a lyricist. When trying to write lyrics for a country song, I drew a total blank. It was frustrating to realize how different writings a song is from writing poetry. I think that this is an excellent lesson for me, and I know that I now have much more respect for lyricists of all kinds.

The Amplifier

An amp's job is to take small electric signals and enlarge them. The amp must take the vibrations of the strings, which are a form of energy, and change them into an electrical charge, which is another form of energy. The electric charge is then sent through a transistor which opens and closes rapidly. This action allows the transistor to let out as little or as much as you dictate. The transistor acts as a valve which dictates how much of the electric current is sent to the speaker. This is how the amplification is achieved.

A somewhat simpler guide to amps: http://stereos.about.com/od/stereoscience/a/howampswork.htm
A very complex guide to amps: http://sound.westhost.com/amp-basics.htm

The Guitar

I will now teach you about the guitar. I would like to start with a basic knowledge of sound. If you don't already know, sound is simply vibrations in the molecules around us. Those vibrations once picked up by the ear drums are translated into our sense of sound. A guitar works because the strings vibrate when plucked. This vibrations resonate differently depending on which string is plucked and which frets are held. This is why the guitar makes any sound at all. The hole in in an acoustic guitar is used to get more bass out of the instrument. That's about all there is to know about the acoustic guitar.

For a more in-depth analysis: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/music/guitar/guitarintro.html

A Recent Concert

About a year ago, I went to a concert at Ram's Head Live with my brother. The band we had gone to see was the headliner Sevendust. The only problem lay in the fact that the opening acts were terrible. They had a decent amount of good background music, but their singers were pretty much crap. The first singer gradually took off his clothes until he was just wearing pants and then he started to pour water over himself and the crowd. It was really odd. Sevendust, on the other hand, was amazing as always. They even played some of my favorite songs by them. Overall it was a great time.

Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton is a renowned geek and musician. He once did a project that he called Thing a Week. During Thing a Week, he wrote one song per week for an entire year. Some of the songs turned out really well, but during weeks when he couldn't come up with anything the songs can be just plain nonsensical. As a result, Coulton did not know his songs very well and sometimes forgot his lyrics mid-set. I think the fact that he managed to do this shows how skilled he is.

Coulton's Website: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/
Coulton's Biography: http://www.last.fm/music/Jonathan+Coulton/+wiki

My First Concert

When I was about thirteen, I went to my first concert. My first concert was a Queen concert at the Verizon Center. I know that it was Queen without Freddie Mercury, but it was still Queen nonetheless. It was pretty cool getting to see a band that I grew up listening to perform live. It was actually kind of funny at times. Since Paul Rodgers, the substitute for Freddie Mercury, could not sing Bohemian Rhapsody quite like Freddie Mercury, they ended up playing a recording of Mercury's voice during the song.

Queen's Website: http://www.queenonline.com/
Queen's Discography: http://queen.shanemcdonald.org/album-list.php

Nightwish

Nightwish is known as a symphonic power gothic metal band. If you don't understand that, just know that it is amazing. Their approach to their music makes every song seem like an epic. This makes sense considering most of their songs would sound great in a rock opera. Nightwish is also characterized by the female lead singer's operatic singing, though this has diminished somewhat once the lead singer Tarja left the group in 2005. Listen to Nightwish when your in the mood for some epic music.

Nightwish's Official Website: http://www.nightwish.com/
An Archive on Nightwish: http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=39

Nightmare Revisited

I'm guessing that almost everyone has heard of the film The Nightmare Before Christmas before. For those who haven't, it is a Tim Burton movie with a soundtrack composed by Danny Elfman. Nightmare Revisited is the soundtrack remade by various artists. For the most part, I thought that Nightmare Revisited was a little bit disappointing compared to the original soundtrack. The only songs that I like off of the album are Marilyn Manson's This Is Halloween, Korn's Kidnap the Sandy Claws, Rise Against's Making Christmas, and Plain White Ts's Poor Jack.

Album information and track preview: http://disneymusic.disney.go.com/albums/nightmarerevisited.html
Nightmare Before Christmas Original Soundtrack with previews: http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hnfwxqugldhe~T0

Theme Song

A couple of days ago, my friend asked me to consider something. She asked what would be the theme song for my life. Honestly, I was stumped. Certain events during my day remind me of different songs so it is difficult to choose a single song. If I had to choose, I would most likely say that my theme is Survive by Rise Against. It really is a great anthem for my life.

Mike Shinoda

Shinoda was born and raised in Los Angeles. Towards the end of high school, he formed a band together with Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon. After college, the band brought in a second vocalist named Chester Bennington under its new name Hybrid Theory. After a lawsuit, Shinoda's band was forced to change its name to Linkin Park (as it is currently known). Shinoda has been very successful with both Linkin Park and his own project titled Fort Minor. This is what makes Shinoda one of my favorite rappers.

Shinoda's Website: http://www.mikeshinoda.com/
Biography on Shinoda: http://www.nndb.com/people/084/000030991/

Rise Against

Rise Against was originally formed under the name Transistor Revolt. Since they signed with Dreamworks Records in 2003, Rise Against has recorded three albums. I may love Rise Against for their music, but the beliefs held by band members go against my own. Each member is either vegetarian or vegan and are active members of PETA. They are all nature freaks who absolutely despised now former President Bush. Although I dislike their beliefs, I still love their music.

Rise Against's website: http://www.riseagainst.com/
Rise Against's Discography: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/riseagainst/discography

Ozzfest

In 1996, Ozzy Osbourne was not allowed to participate in the music festival Lollapalooza. This prompted Ozzy to start his own tour called Ozzfest. Ozzfest had good commercial success from the years 2000-2006. The 2007 Ozzfest however, had free tickets. This caused numerous problems because of the tickets' codes. The bands appearing in the festival didn't even get paid. Now Ozzy is currently recording so there was no Ozzfest 2009. Hopefully Ozzfest will continue on for years to come.

Ozzfest's website: http://www.ozzfest.com/

Pandora Radio

Pandora Radio is an online radio station that automatically analyzes the type of songs that you listen to and plays only those kinds of songs. Pandora uses the Musical Genome Project to analyze the music you listen to. Pandora has no concept of genre. What is great about Pandora Radio is that it is free until you reach the 40 hour per month limit, and it only costs $0.99 a month for infinite use.



Pandora Radio's website: http://www.pandora.com/
How Pandora works: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pandora.htm

Top Ten Bands of All Time (According to Me)

10. Finger Eleven
9. Sevendust
8. Static-X
7. Skillet
6. Rise Against
5. Disturbed
4. Linkin Park
3. Three Days Grace
2. Smash Mouth
1. Metallica

Serj Tankian

Serj was born and spent his younger years in Lebanon. His family later moved to Los Angeles. In the early 90's Serj met Daron Malakian and formed a band named System of a Down. System of a Down enjoyed ten years of wide success, and the band went on hiatus in 2006. Since then, Serj has released his own album titled Elect the Dead. Serj played most of the instruments on the CD himself since he knows how to play almost everything. About System of a Down's hiatus, Serj has said, "Every few months I am honored to hear interesting rumors about whether the band is going to tour or break up permanently. I find them all to be very entertaining."

Serj's website: http://www.serjtankian.com/
A biography on Serj: http://artists.letssingit.com/serj-tankian-m5h79/biography
System of a Down's website: http://www.systemofadown.com/

Daft Punk

Daft Punk, at its core, is a pair of two people who make incredible techno music together. The duo of Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter always play their role in the band during photo shoots and interviews. They originally wore their masks because of shyness, but their robot outfits have now become quite popular among fans. Daft Punk was one of the leading techno bands of their era, and have always been my personal favorite source of techno.

Biography of Daft Punk: http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEn/biographie/biographie_6151.asp
Daft Punk's discography: http://www.music-city.org/Daft-Punk/discography/

DJ Hero

DJ Hero is a new game that is being developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision (the same company as the Guitar Hero games). DJ Hero will feature a sound track consisting of over 102 individual songs, and a turntable controller with the ability to scratch, cross-fade, and beat match those songs. Personally, I think that DJ Hero is a very novel idea, but I don't believe that it will be as fun as Guitar Hero.

Official DJ Hero website: http://www.djhero.com/
DJ Hero game overview: http://www.djhero.com/game/

Beatboxing

Beatboxing is a vocal imitation of any types of percussion, turntables, or other instruments. It could also involve some singing. Modern beatboxing style has its origins in the early styles of hip-hop, but the art of vocally imitating instruments existed long before that. Although vocal percussion has probably existed just as long as man, such an imitation of instruments first existed in the U.S. in the form of "scat." Scat was an improv style used by jazz singers in order to imitate instruments such as saxophones and trumpets. Today, beatboxing is quite popular and can be a very competitive style of music. It is similar to freestyle rap in that respect.

History of beatboxing: http://www.humanbeatbox.com/history/p2_articleid/27
Scat's enclyclopedia article: http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-9066055

David Draiman

Draiman was born on March 13, 1973. He triple majored in Business Administration, Political Science, and Philosophy. Draiman became a star by simply answering an wanted ad in the paper. Today, he is part of the immensely successful band called Disturbed. In my opinion, Disturbed's only flaw is their lack of much individuality between their songs.




An interview with David Draiman: http://www.concertlivewire.com/interviews/disturbed.htm
A biography on Draiman: http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/david_draiman/index.shtml

Smash Mouth

The band was formed around 1994. They play a mix of ska punk and retro pop music. That may sound like a very odd genre, but it works quite well for them. Smash Mouth has released five albums to date, with the third, Astro Lounge, going triple platinum. Smash Mouth remained popular for over a decade, and it was the first band that I could really say was my favorite. Smash Mouth is the band of my childhood and one of my all time favorites.

Biography of Smash Mouth: http://music.msn.com/music/artist-biography/smash-mouth/
Smash Mouth's discography: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/smashmouth/discography

History of Surround Sound

In the 30's surround sound was first being introduced in movie theaters. However, It wasn't until the 70's that the audio information of four channels could be encoded into two channels. Then in 1982, the Dolby Surround first started showing up in home theaters. In the mid 90's DVD's were beginning to be produced, this allowed for surround sound use in-home. Now, surround sound systems are quite commonly found in any home, and they sound incredible.

Go here to read more: http://www.5dot1.com/articles/history_of_surround_sound.html

The Sound of Madness

About a month ago, I first heard of the band called Shinedown. After listening to about four of their songs on Youtube, I bought the band's newest CD, The Sound of Madness. This CD is amazing by my standards. It has a good mix of heavy and light songs so that it doesn't all sound the same, and I generally like the band's style. You should try some of their songs out if you like rock.

Shinedown's website: http://www.shinedown.com/
Sound of Madness's tracklist: http://artists.letssingit.com/shinedown-album-the-sound-of-madness-rqnc3k

Britain

This is, of course, a reference to the British invasion of music. Starting with the rise of the Beatles, the United States had a massive influx of British bands. These bands made the American bands work harder and reach greater heights in order to survive in the business. It is thanks to British music that American music has come so far.

List of British invasion bands: http://oldies.about.com/od/britishinvasion/British_Invasion_Bands_and_Artists.htm
British invasion encyclopedia article: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/80244/British-Invasion

The Piano

The piano is one of the oldest of instruments that there are. The theory behind it is quite simple, you press a key and that makes a hammer strike a steel string. I think that the piano is one of the most elegant instruments around. A grand piano is a beautiful thing all said and done, but maybe I am biased since I am now learning to play the piano.

The History of the piano:
http://www.uk-piano.org/history/history_1.html

Everything technical there is to know about the piano: http://www.concertpitchpiano.com/GrandPianoConstruction.html

Adam Gontier

Gontier and his band, Three Days Grace, originally got together in 1992, but their first album (which is self-titled Three Days Grace) was not released until 2003. In 2005, Gontier went into rehab for his addiction to Oxycontin. While in rehab, Gontier wrote some of his best songs for the next album, One-X. Recently, Three Days Grace released their third album called Life Starts Now. Overall, I simply love his band.




Gontier's Biography: http://authspot.com/biographies/adam-gontier/
Go here to see the Band's website: http://www.threedaysgrace.com/

Skillet

Skillet is one of my favorite modern bands. They are a Christian Rock band and have released eight albums to date. If you ask me, their CD Comatose is simply godly (no pun intended). They came out with a new CD recently that is called Awake. It has a few great songs, but sadly they toned down the rock a little too much for my tastes.

Here is a link to Skillet's website: http://www.skillet.com/enter.php
Click this link to see Skillet's discography: http://www.skillet.com/disc/

Digital Performer

In 1985, Mark of the Unicorn (also known as MOTU) first released a music sequencer named Performer. In 1990, MOTU gave the program the ability to synchronize music and renamed it Digital Performer. Today, Digital Performer is one of the more popular Digital Audio Workstations and allows users to record, mix, and master any audio. It is one of the premiere DAWs for Macs.

Emile Berliner

Emile Berliner was Born in Germany in the year 1951. While Emile was a young man, Alexander Graham Bell created the first telephone. Emile was then inspired to create a device that could record and play back sound at a louder volume. It is thanks to Emile's first start that such amazing strides have been made in the world of microphones.

Term Check

1. A dynamic mic will only pick up noice that is within a certain frequency which is useful to record instruments. A condenser mic will pick up the entire spectrum of noise which is good for recording singing or an entire ensemble.

2. Studio moniters give a raw sound because they add nothing. They have a built in amp. They can project their sound. If you sound good on the studio moniters, it'll sound good anywhere.

3. The digital interface will take in the sound and translate that sound into code that can be read and edited by a computer.

4. Reverb is how sound acts when it hits something either close or far away. You can adjust it to sound like a large open area or small room.

5. Yes, I am having loads of fun at this point. I never knew so much about sound before.

Proposal for the Radio Station

I would like to do my audio-doc on my dad. He organizes a pickup of donated computers and gets them to wherever they need to go. For interviews, I could talk to him, his coworkers, the people that the desktops went to, and, if possible, to the guy who gives these desktops to my dad. I think it would be pretty interesting, and it would also fit into the theme, whatever we do.

The Verizon Center

This place is home to some really awe-inspiring concerts. The Verizon Center holds a great variety of events as well. On October 13, Kiss has a concert there and on November 5, The Wiggles have a show there. I don't know of any two more different bands than those. I myself went to see a Queen concert at the Verizon Center a few years back. It is definitely the place to go if you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime concert.

February 9, 1964

This was a day that everyone old enough to remember must remember. It was the day that The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. It is estimated that 45 percent of Americans were watching. That translates to more than 73 million people. This day paved the way for the British Invasion of music, and it completely altered the youth of America. Pop music geared towards youth began to rise in stature, and it became cool for people to grow their hair long in The Beatles style. This day changed America's entire music scene.

Noise-Canceling Headphones

All types of headphones have a certain amount of passive noise-cancellation, but recently there have been many different types of actively noise-canceling headphones. they work by pumping out sound that is the same as the external noise in both amplitude and frequency. These headphones are especially useful because they allow one to listen to their music regardless of what may be going on around the user. They are the headphones of the future.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley is one of the most widely known artists in America. He is sometimes referred to as "The King" or "The King of Rock 'n' Roll". He has even been inducted into four different music halls of fame. Unfortunately, Elvis began to decline in health at a young age. He had bad drug problems, and during his last year, he couldn't even stay on stage for a full hour. He died when he was 42. Yet, he is still such a historic man. Elvis is a legend that will live on.

Metal

The music genre known as metal is a very heavy type of rock. It combined distortion with crazy guitar solos and hard beats to obtain an overall thick sound that cannot be matched by any other genre of music. Personally, metal is my favorite genre of music. As it's description says, it simply combines some of the best beats in order to make an amazing sound.

3 Savile Row, London

I don't care who you are. If you didn't die before the year 1960, you have no excuse to not know of The Beatles. The Beatles must be one of the most well-known bands of all time, and 3 Savile Row, London was the last place that The Beatles ever played a live concert. This place may not be important itself, but the event that occurred there will go down in history.

1981

The year was 1981 when Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield met. If you are as into metal as I am, you should already know what happened later in that year. If you aren't, then here's a hint: Metallica was formed. Metallica is credited as one of the most influential metal bands of all time, and the band is the most commercially successful thrash metal bands as well. Metallica has been an inspiration to many bands so far, and will continue to be so for a long while still. Metal wouldn't be where it is today if Metallica had not formed in 1981. That is why the year 1981 is very significant to me.

Tesla Coil Music

I have just recently heard of something that blew my mind. They are Tesla Coils that can be wired to electrical instruments. As you play the instrument, the coils give off electric charges into the air. This is one seriously dangerous way to play music. Even with how disastrous it could turn out, I can see them being used as props at techno concerts. Now that is awesome music.

Jimi Hendrix

There have been many great guitarists in the past, but Jimi Hendrix has to be considered as one of the greatest of all time. Even though he was a self-taught guitarist, he became known for his fabulous trick playing. Today, he is remembered for his exemplory playing and songwriting.

Nu Metal

Nu metal is a very recent genre in terms of when the genre started. The genre was supposedly started by Korn in 1993. Since then, nu metal has gained popularity. Some of the first bands to play nu metal other than Korn were Static-X, Sevendust, Disturbed, and Godsmack. All of these are very high on my list of great bands. Unfortunately, nu metal has declined in popularity. This resulted in some bands changing their style. Nu metal needs to make a comeback.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland, Ohio. It pays tribute to some of the most influential artists and producers from the music business. Some names that you might recognize are Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Queen, and U2. These are all very major bands that have each had a very significant effect on the music business as a whole. I would jump at any chance to go to this museum, and I'm sure that any band would jump to be inducted into it.

November 24, 1991

I doubt that any normal person would try to keep this date at the top of their head, but it was a very sad day. November 24, 1991 was the day that Freddie Mercury died. Freddie Mercury had one of the most unique voices I have ever heard. For those of you who don't know this, Mercury was the lead singer of the band Queen before his death. I grew up listening to Queen, and Freddie Mercury was one of my favorite singers during my youth, and I wasn't even alive before he died.

Sansa

When you ask someone about their mp3 player, the first thing that you say is, in stead, "Do you have an I-pod?" I don't understand this close-minded attitude towards other brands of mp3 players. I own a Sansa Fuse video and mp3 player that holds 8 gig of memory. It cost $200 dollars less than a comparable I-pod with the exact same specs. Sansa is a much too undervalued company.

A Rock Chronology

These are (in my opinion) the most amazing albums of this decade:

10. Comatose (skillet, 2008)
9. Elect the Dead (Serj Tankian, 2007)
8. The Sufferer and the Witness (Rise Against, 2007)
7. Meteora (Linkin Park, 2004)
6. Sound of Madness (Shinedown, 2008)
5. Start a War (Static-X, 2006)
4. One-X (Three Days Grace, 2008)
3. Appeal to Reason (Rise Against, 2008)
2. Indestructible (Disturbed, 2008)
1. Hybrid theory (Linkin Park, 2000)