Author: Steve

Categories
internet tv Netflix Online Games

Quality Audio in FLAC File Downloads

FLACThe most common digital audio format is MP3 and it is widely used in the digital audio industry today. Basically the MP3 format is a patented digital audio encoding that has been standardized to be compatible in most audio and media players for sale today, whether portable or not. MP3 files are compressed audio files, also referred to as lossy comprehension. One of its defining characteristics is that it doesn’t take up too much space (the average size for an MP3 file is 3 mb) but the quality of the sound is still a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio. So if the MP3 files seem to be a standard music format for listening to music, then what’s the deal with FLAC files that are now considered to be the fastest-growing audio codec today?

One of the greatest weapons that FLAC files can showcase to all music enthusiasts and audiophiles is that when it comes to audio quality, this audio format ranks the top one. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec – with an emphasis on the word “lossless” (as opposed to the “lossy” quality of MP3), meaning, “without loss in quality.” If the MP3 format is a patented digital audio, FLAC is considered to be non-proprietary and in most cases, independent and clear from patents. With those qualities associated with FLAC files, you cannot blame most audiophiles and music enthusiasts to switch from MP3 to FLAC.

But FLAC remains to be in the background compared to MP3, albeit the fact that it can offer high quality audio sound. Why? There are also downsides when it comes to FLAC. For one thing, FLAC files cannot be played in iTunes so if you are a die-hard Apple fan, then you will find this extremely discouraging. FLAC files play in Windows Media Player and Winamp though.

Another reason why many people shrugged off FLAC files is that they take up too much space, with a FLAC audio file taking up to 43 MB compared to MP3’s average 3 MB size. Some people prefer to skimp on storage space and sacrifice music quality. One must consider, however, that compared to downloading movies from sites like Netflix, the amount of bandwidth and storage space required for music is trivial.  Even the highest quality audio contains less data than a decent video stream.  This makes opting for MP3’s a false economy in todays bandwidth rich world.

Still, if you find quality audio important to you then you’ll discover that you’re not really interested in compressed music files. After all, you can always buy extra hard drives – they are cheap these days. So make the switch to FLAC file formats, grab a cold beer from the fridge, and settle in for some quality music appreciation today!

Related articles
Categories
Home Rental Trials Netflix

The Anatomy of a Guitar

In 1996, Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa about mus...
Image via Wikipedia

The modern guitar has evolved over the years from the early vihuela, invented in 15th Century Spain, to become the instrument that we all know and love. There are some lovely instruments out there that would make even those who don’t particularly care for the guitar sit up and take notice. There also exists a dizzying array of options and paint jobs to choose from these days, and the salesmen in the music store use so much jargon that it can be quite intimidating for a beginner who just wants to buy their first guitar.

So let’s demystify the guitar jargon and explain what all the different terms mean that relate to its anatomy.

The Parts of a Guitar

The different parts of a guitar have quite exotic sounding names that don’t necessarily give any obvious clues about which bit of the guitar they relate to. You wouldn’t expect a musical instrument to be made partly from a “nut”, or a “bridge”, would you? Some of the other pats are more logically named, for example the “sounding board” is a no nonsense description of the the function of that part of the guitar.

So lets look at a few of the parts in turn.

The Body

The body of an acoustic guitar is hollow and has a hole in it between the fretboard and the bridge. The purpose of the hollow body and the hole are to amplify the sound generated by the vibrating strings. Electric guitars on the other hand do not require hollow bodies because their sound is amplified electronically using an amplifier, or “amp”.

The Headstock

The headstock of the guitar is right at the opposite end of the guitar to the body and is the important section of the guitar from the point of view of making sure it is in tune. The headstock is where the tuning pegs are located. The tuning pegs (sometimes called “machine heads”), are used to adjust the tension of the guitar strings, thereby altering the pitch produced when they are played.

The Nut and the Bridge

The nut is usually made from plastic or bone and is a narrow strip with grooves cut into it across which the strings are stretched. The strings reach along the length of the guitar and pass over the bridge, which is located on the body of the guitar. The distance between the nut and the bridge defines the length of each of the strings that is free to vibrate when plucked. The further this distance, the lower the note produced.

These are the basics of the guitar. Now you know them you can go to the guitar store with confidence and not feel intimidated by all the jargon.

Don’t forget to take your wallet!

Related articles
Categories
Home Rental Trials Netflix Online Games wii

Popular Anime Series Available on DVDs

Japanese animation has grown tremendously in popularity over the years. A once local phenomenon has become a worldwide past time. Heavy translation of both manga comics and animated series has lead to a global fascination with the unique culture and interesting stories told through anime.  Anime classifies a whole array of categories that cater to many different audiences.  There are children, adult, and countless other types of animated series to satisfy any interest.

Action Based Animation

Perhaps the most common type of anime is the action adventure story. There is a hero and he embarks on some journey or quest. This popular story line however, is often presented in new and intriguing ways. Animation can bring an old and tired plot device into a new light, creating excitement and interest in fantasy characters. Some of these shows quickly fall flat, while others like Naruto air for years, clearing hundreds of different episodes and maintaining a incredible following of viewers.

The only issue with this type of series is maintaining interest. Driving a simplistic plot through three hundred episodes is no easy task. The journey often consists of a number of throw-away episodes known as filler allowing the story and it’s plot line to stay ahead of the curve. These episodes can detract from the overall excitement of a series and cause lasting damage to a brand name if they aren’t developed correctly. Keeping a long running series packed with excitement is a problem facing any kind of TV show, not just anime.

Drama and Thrillers

Another adaptation seen in popular animation are short stories that target an older audience. Death Note comes to mind as a particularly well executed thriller.  It tells the story of a boy who is granted god-like powers of life and death and can use them at a whim. Dark themes clouded by ethics and moral dillemas run throughout the series, making for an interesting and exciting ride. The audience, a smaller and older group of people, is less specialized since they don’t need to watch hundreds of episodes to reach the shows conclusion.

Both types of series can present exceptional commercial success. Naruto is an obvious slam dunk for the producers, who have targeted a specific audience and delivered flawlessly. This combination is not easy to achieve. Establishing a fan base and keeping them satisfied with the direction of the series might be easy for awhile, but somewhere around the 300th episode it might get a bit difficult. Shorter series will always hold a bit of higher regard because they are cleaner and unblemished by silly side plots.

To learn more about these different anime series or to buy anime DVDs, visit the online store located at LufuMall.com.

Related articles
Categories
Home Rental Trials Netflix

How to play Guitar for Beginners

Have you started playing guitar lately? It’s hard when you are starting out and when you have a very few resources. But there are actually some things you need to do first to make the most of your guitar playing. Once you focus on these guidelines, you’ll be off the beginner phase already. Try to check on them on these ways on how to play guitar for beginners.

Get a good guitar

First and foremost, one should have a good guitar. One that sounds well and that is fine with your playing. If you are still planning to buy, you might want to check on this checklist to get the best guitar:

  • It should tune well
  • Stays in tune
  • You should like it
  • Comfortable
  • It should be audible enough or no blockage from its sound for acoustic, while electric should sound well when plug (without any hissing or muffing)
  • Complete strings

It’s quite simple, but some people just go through buying a guitar without checking these things, resulting to returns or other repairs.

Practice chords and play a song

Learning chords is one of the hardest part of the beginner phase. However, to play guitar you’ll have to learn this first. To start learning, you’ll need to devote time and patience. An hour a day is fine. The technique here is to learn the easiest chords, which includes C, D, E, G, and A. Exclude the F and B first. From those chords, you can already play a song. Find those songs and sing through them. Once you learn a song you’ll b e able to learn a lot, you sing through a song, you improve timing, you improve chord transition, you don’t mind much about forming chords and so on. Learning songs is a technique to help you learn the chords quick. Over time you’ll gain the strength of the finger and thus helping you form more chords.

Learning guitar scales

You should learn guitar scales as early as you can. This will easily enhance your skills in both rhythm guitar playing and much especially with lead. This is where you understand the keys of a major scale and learn to transpose them in the fret board. It’s simple once you know how the major scale looks in the fret board. It stays the same among other chords as well. So a C major scale that starts at the 8th fret can turn into another key, let’s say G major when started on the third fret.

Once you knew these concepts and guitar tips, your playing also develops. It swiftly makes you become a beginner to an amateur and well-trained guitarist. You’ve got nothing to lose, start your journey as a true guitarist today.

Related articles
Categories
Uncategorized

Finding Things To Do In Oklahoma City

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

When traveling through the USA this year, persons may want to make a stop in Oklahoma City. While there, travelers may want to find some things to do in Oklahoma City. There are plenty to be found in this city of over a million people which offers entertainment to meet nearly anyone’s taste.

Food and Drink

There are many cattle ranches in Oklahoma, so this is a good place to find a great beef. Red Prime Steak offers many different types of cuisine, but steak it the leader. This is the perfect place to enjoy a filet mignon, ribeye with the bone in or even Kobe beef. For the beer drinker, plan a visit to TapWerks offering an English pub atmosphere and over 200 different beers, all on tap.

Cultural Events

Travelers will find a wide variety of Oklahoma City attractions. These theaters show everything from art films to the mainstream movies. For a blast from the past, try a movie at the Winchester Drive-in. The Museum of Art offers a more high culture experience which offers a very nice film program. The Oseology Museum features skeletons and skulls from around the globe. These exhibits place their focus on the diversity, form and locomotion of vertebrates. They welcome cameras for so that the fun can travel home with you.

Sporting Events

The Oklahoma City Arena has been home to the All College Basketball Classic for over 75 years. This is the oldest basketball tournament in the world. On December 17 of this year, there is a scheduled double header with OU playing Houston and OSU playing New Mexico.

If searching for things to do in Oklahoma City, there should be plenty from which to choose. Families with children as well as couples in search of a romantic dinner will find that there are many options available for them.

Related articles
Categories
Netflix

Oklahoma’s Annual Fair Features a Rodeo and Horse Show

There are many exciting happenings in Oklahoma but nothing compares to an Oklahoma City Rodeo at Oklahoma’s annual fair and spending the day there. If you intend on going to the rodeo or to the Oklahoma Horse Show, you are guaranteed an adventurous day.

If you take pleasure in watching a horse who or rodeos, you will wish to get right up front to watch these events. This year, the Xtreme Bulls circuit is even larger and more enjoyable than it ever was before. You could take the whole family or invite a friend or two along to watch bull riding that like never seen. It is sure to jump-start the hearts of all the audience. If you, your friends and relatives enjoy thrilling barrel races and/or roping, you are sure to have a ball. If you have gone before but did not seat up front, the events will be even more exhilarating than the prior year. You can get an up-close-and-personal experience in a front-row seat, especially when the draft horse appears in the Oklahoma Horse Show. Now if your opportunity. These tender giants put on such a spectacular show. The draft horse competitions are the greatest, the overload horse-pull. It surely is a scene to watch and have embedded in your memory forever. You will enjoy the mini-donkeys as well, as there will be a mini-horse show at the Oklahoma fair this year as well. Oh, and the ponies, they are exciting to watch as they race. There is so much entertainment with the Oklahoma City Rodeo and Oklahoma Horse Show, you will not be sorry you went. Did we mention the ranch sorting? If farming intrigues you, you will love the ranch sorting as it consists of everyday farm work and is it extremely fun to watch. Since the dressage race is such a favored event, you might wish to purchase tickets prior to the events.

If you enjoy spending time with all the farm animals at the fair, take pleasure in tasting free food samples or like to look at the selection of wines in the wine day festivity, you will have fun and so will your family and friends. Your children will be so excited when they see and ride on different rides and play some popular children’s games, the favorites of little ones during fair time in Oklahoma. You could take the entire family through all the exhibits as well and allow your daughter(s) or son(s) to learn what exhibiting consists of and what it looks and feels like to be an actual farmer for the day.

The Oklahoma State Fair opens in September, from the 15-25, and is usually chocked full of outstanding, interesting and exciting events. You can purchase your tickets when you reach the fairground gates or you can buy tickets now. Adults pay $9 each. Children can get in for $5 each. You probably do not want to miss opening day, so head on over to the state fairgrounds on September 15 and you will only have to pay $2 to go to the fair. If you wish to take pleasure in the celebrations, you could purchase a pass for the whole season, which only costs you $25.

Obtain your Oklahoma Fair tickets today, take some friends and/or your family, and enjoy a full day, quality time, going on rides together, playing games, eating delicious food and watching the Oklahoma Horse Show and Oklahoma City Rodeo and so much more.

Related articles