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Author: John Bortz
Who ever said that you had to be on a world tour with your band, a professional deejay or other in some other broadcast position to buy professional audio equipment? The truth is simple- you don't have to be a pro, but be prepared to spend a few extra dollars, as there is a colossal difference between commercial grade and personal audio equipment. If you're up for the mission, read on to get some info on the different types of audio equipment available.
We'll start on this venture with speakers, as that's the final frontier of audio equipment. You can have a great sound system, but with poor quality speakers, you money is wasted. Of course, the situation is also true in the reverse, with great speakers and a lousy system. But just because a set of speakers is pricey, it doesn't mean the quality is there, or that they're the right speaker for your purpose. Speakers and subwoofers can run into thousands of dollars, so be sure that you're not buying more speaker than you need.
Heading backwards from speakers, we'll cover amplifiers just a bit. Again, your purpose for their use is crucial, as amps can run you some serious cash, so your overall seriousness and intent should govern the amount you spend. Brand names like Mackie and Crest are synonymous with the best quality. Atlas puts out a decent amp for the money, but it's not known as the cream of the crop.
So, what do you want to do with what's coming out of the speakers and/or amplifiers? Do you want to transmit over the World Wide Web? Do you want to record? Every different option requires different mediums to get them there, so you might want to have some sort of idea before you go out and purchase the wrong products.
Any good deejay knows the importance of a good mixer, not to mention the right headset to cue up the next song. If you're spinning records, turntables and needles (also referred to as phonographic cartridges) come in a variety of quality levels, but they'll all produce the same result. When spinning, you're the star, not the music blasting out of the speakers. Needles break often, as the wear on them while spinning is just not what they were designed for.
Words of advice- if you're just starting out, don't spend all of your hard-earned cash buying the latest in technology for podcasting kits and the etceteras that go along with it, as high-priced technology of today will be much cheaper tomorrow. Keep an open mind, and don't buy what you don't need. The better pro audio equipment companies will see you as a good customer for years to come, not as a commission today.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/types-of-pro-audio-equipment-79401.html
About the Author:
John Bortz recommends that you visit http://www.sjmediasystem.com/ for more information on Pro Audio Equipment.
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Tips to Buy a Classical Guitar
Author: Guitars from Spain
Buying a new guitar is always an exciting process for the beginner or experienced guitarist. A basic knowledge of the instrument and an assessment of your musical goals will help you make a wise purchase, a purchase you can enjoy for years, perhaps even a lifetime All guitars produce sound through the vibration of the strings. Classical guitars transmit the vibration of the string to the soundboard via the saddle and bridge. The combined resonance of the strings, saddle, bridge and soundboard are, in turn, amplified in the sound-box or body of the guitar. The design and quality of the, saddle, bridge and soundboard have a major impact on the guitar's sound.
Have in mind before buying…
Nylon produces a round, mellow sound and is the preferred sound for classical, Low, medium, normal and hard tension strings create a tension up 75-90 pounds. Less string tension makes a classic guitar easier to play. The fingerboard, 50-52 mm at the nut, provides room for intricate finger picking. The longer string, 650-655mm length from saddle to nut enhances the bass response and sustain. The classical guitar body style is smaller than most other acoustic designs which make the instrument easy to handle and feel. Always remember, when buying a handmade guitar, you are buying a live instrument. Temperature and humidity are the main factors to ruptures and instrument deterioration if not cared according to the maker's instructions.
See" taking care of your guitar" below.
Setting Goals
What are your goals? Are you anticipating a serious hobby or majoring in music? If so, buy the best solid top guitar you can afford. An inexpensive guitar is a good choice if your goal is merely casual enjoyment for a semester or so (or if you're really poor!). Do you need to be amplified for church or stage? If so, an acoustic-electric classical will afford maximize versatility. Before shopping, decide on a budget so the dealer can show you guitars in your price range.
Trying Out a Guitar - Action
Each guitar is unique in feel due to variations in neck thickness and shape. If the neck is comfortable, the guitar will be easier to play. The string height above the fingerboard--the action--also influences playing ease. The action may vary according to personal taste and playing style. High action is difficult to play but allows buzz-free high volume playing. Low
action is easy to play but buzzes during aggressive playing. A compromise between the two is best for most players. Fortunately, the action can be adjusted to suit your needs. If you are a steel-string player, remember that classical action is higher than steel-string action due to nylon's lower tension. Listen carefully to the timbre (tone color) of the guitar. A balance between dark and bright is the most versatile. However, timbre preference is subject to taste and playing style. If your right hand technique is on the bright side, a dark sounding guitar will help balance your tone. If you play without
nails, a brighter guitar will help bring out the upper frequencies. Play single notes throughout the guitar's range and listen to how they sustain. Listen to the relationship of the bass notes to the treble. The bass should be firm with a long sustain. However, the treble notes must be able to stand out in relation to the bass so you can project the melody. Finally, have someone play the instrument so you can judge the projection. What's the difference in sound between a $300 guitar and a $3000 one? Budget guitars are less resonate and have a smaller tonal and dynamic range than expensive guitars.
Workmanship
Whether you are a beginning or advanced player, a quality guitar is crucial to your success and enjoyment. A fine instrument is easy to play, exudes workmanship, and sounds resonant and responsive. A quality instrument inspires you to practice and excel as a musician. Buy the best guitar you can afford and it will greatly enhance your learning and enjoyment. Note the quality of workmanship in the seating and polish of the frets, the binding between the top and sides, and in the finish. However, in all fairness, you normally get what you pay for. Budget guitars cost less because cheap materials and lesser workmanship are used to trim costs. Budget guitars should be playable but will have numerous finish defects, unpolished frets, messy glue joints, unsanded bracing and poorly adjusted action (a good dealer will adjust the action if needed). Premium quality guitars will have a near perfect fit and finish of all components. Even the interior bracing will be neatly glued and sanded smooth! Before purchasing a guitar, confirm that the tuning heads turn smoothly and allow reasonable pitch control. Fortunately, cheap or broken turning heads are relatively easy and inexpensive to replace.
Price Ranges
Professional classical guitarists play instruments handcrafted by individual makers, e.g., Fleta, Hauser or Gilbert. Depending on the maker's reputation, these guitars cost $3,000 to $20,000. Guitars made by a specialized group of builders in a small shop cost from $1000 to $10,000 e.g., Ramírez, Hirade or Asturias. For most people these instruments are out of each.
Most beginners are looking for an inexpensive guitar. Buyer beware: most guitars retailing for under $100 are disappointing junk. Don't throw your money away on a cheap toy, pay a little more and get a real guitar. Really cheap guitars have
unacceptable compromises in design, materials and construction quality. Fortunately, there are many factory-made guitars costing from $150 to $300 that make fine beginning instruments.
Recommended Classic Guitars
These models are excellent values in their respective price ranges. Granada guitars from Sevilla- Spain range form $299- $499, Prudencio Saez - guitars form Torrent - Spain. range from $380 -$1,800. Amalio Burguet guitars- Catarroja- Spain, range fro, $999- $4,500.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/tips-to-buy-a-classical-guitar-85882.html
Author: Victor Epand
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that produces an acoustic sound through the vibration of its six strings. When we talk about guitar, the first thing that comes in our mind is Spanish guitar.
Acoustic guitars have a rich history. It had changed its design many times. Acoustic guitars are 5000 years old. Spain has a big contribution in its development.
The earliest form of modern acoustic guitar is the Cithara. Romans introduced this instrument in Hispania. After this, Moors developed the shape and made it a four-string instrument. But in Europe, the six-string lute guitar was very popular.
A Spanish guitar like instrument called Vihuela was introduced later in the 16th century. It's body looked like guitar, but it had to be tuned like Lute.
Modern acoustic guitars are of various types. Like, twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, still guitar etc.
Given below are some of the popular names and description of acoustic guitars.
- Renaissance and Baroque guitars: These guitars are very similar to the classical guitar. But they are smaller and quieter than classical guitar. Their strings are paired up like twelve string guitar. But they do not have six courses of strings like twelve string guitar. They have only four or five courses of them.
- Classical guitars: Classical guitars are made of nylon strings. That's why they are also known as nylon string guitar. Playing system of the classical guitar is somehow different. Fingers play it. Plectrum has no role in this specific playing process.
- Portuguese Guitar: This guitar is used in Portugal. This guitar is playing their traditional Fado song. This is guitar is a Portuguese twelve string guitar.
- Flat top guitar: This guitar is almost like classical guitar. But it is larger than classical guitar. It has got still strings. Still string produces louder sound. This guitar is used with varied kind of music like, jazz, bluegrass etc.
- Arch top guitar: This instrument is very much inspired from violin. This too is a still stringed guitar. Lloyd Lure invented this guitar this guitar is very much popular among the jazz guitarists.
- Twelve string guitar: Twelve-string guitar is a still stringed guitar. This guitar is made of six courses of paired up strings. This guitar is very popular in rock and roll, folk and blues music.
- Russian guitars: This is a seven-string guitar. It is a Russian guitar. This guitar is tuned in open G Major.
- Acoustic Bass Guitar: Strings are made of steel. Have only four strings.
- Guitar battente: have four or five metal string. Smaller than classical guitar. Used to accompany with voice in Calabria (Southern Italian region).
Apart from these there are other sorts of acoustic guitars also. Like, Extended range guitars, Harp guitars, Tenor guitars, Dobro guitars etc.
Acoustic guitars are very interesting instrument. The best thing about them is, they are absolutely hassling free. They are very easy to carry. And you can create magic with them in a family gathering also.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/all-about-acoustic-guitars-254093.html
About the Author:
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: acoustic guitars, acoustic bass guitar , drums, drum sets , and synthesizers, keyboards .
How to Buy an Electric Piano Keyboard (part 1) << SEND ME AN EMAIL IF YOU WOULD LIKE PARTS 2 & 3 >>
Author: Mike Shaw
You want to learn to play a keyboard or maybe your partner or your children want to learn and you need to buy a keyboard but where do you start.
If you follow my recommendations, buying your first keyboard will be an easier experience. Prices for keyboards range from about £100.00 to £5000.00 or more. In this article, we will deal with keyboards that are more than adequate for beginners. As a beginner, there is no point in spending thousands of pounds on a keyboard because you will not be able to use the more advanced features that are included on these keyboards because you can’t play yet.
Before you go and buy your keyboard, you should consider that the keyboard you buy is going to be the first of many or the first and last keyboard you ever buy.
So the first thing you need to think about is budget. For a beginners keyboard I would personally not spend more than £500.00 but would be looking in £100.00 to £300.00 range. Obviously, you need to set your own budget within this range. When you have set your budget, you need to decide where you are going to buy your keyboard.
I would defiantly recommend buying a keyboard from a music shop. I know you can find cheaper keyboards on the internet from various mail order companies and eBay but there are many advantages to buying from your local music shop. The first advantage being that you can hear and see the keyboard you are about to buy. Also generally, the sales staff in these shops know what they are talking about and can play the instruments and show you how they work. Many music shops can also offer keyboard lessons and provide sheet music to get you started.
When choosing your keyboard, it’s important you like the look of it and like the sound of it. There are various manufacturers to choose from, the main ones being Yamaha, Casio and Roland. Many musicians have there own preferences as to which make they prefer, including myself, however, I would urge you to make your own mind up, after all you have got to look at it and listen to it.
So to recap:
Set your budget.
Buy from your local music shop.
Make sure you like what you see and hear.
In part two I will tell you what keyboard features you should expect for your money and maybe some features you don’t need.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-buy-an-electric-piano-keyboard-part-1-210759.html
About the Author:
Michael Shaw teaches students of all ages to play the organ and keyboard. You can now download his popular Lesson 1 eBook for beginners at http://www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk http://www.keyboardsheetmusic.co.uk and http://musical-instruments-uk.mikesmusicroom.co.uk/