Reviving Your Mac Musicomputer

If you've been doing music for any length of time, you know that you don't have to be into recording for computers to be a big help. They help out in every other area of life, so why should your music career -- whether it's full time or part time, amateur or pro, singing or drumming -- be any different?

Even if you're not ready, willing or able to try building a sub-$1000 recording studio (not counting the cost of the computer, which you already have, of course), you can use your PC or Mac to do flyers for gigs, keep the books, tweak digital photos and even movies, pursue some (legal) e-mail campaigns and lots of other things. But if you have jumped off into computer-based digital recording (as opposed to digital recording using a stand-alone, hard-disk-based, all-in-one studio like a Roland V series or Korg D series), then the computer is more than your bookkeeper or staff artist. It's your co-producer.

You're the boss

Sometimes you might not feel like you are the boss, though, especially when the computer freezes in the middle of a session, or crashes during an important up- or download, or does any number of other ungeeky things. It is not uncommon for both Macs and PCs, when used as the hub of a busily spinning music production environment, to become occasionally "uncooperative." It might not start up one day, it might start and freeze at some point, it might just sit there or it could heave and chug and go "sproing," too.

Let's take a look at what to do when the reluctant or troublemaking co-producer is not your human partner (for once) but your computer. This time we'll look at dead, dying or dysfunctional Macs, and another time we'll talk about PCs. We will deal with the most common situations, where you have power and all the pieces are hooked up right (double check your cables anyway), but you get the infamous blinking question mark, a frozen desktop after start-up or a start-up chime followed by zip, zero and nada.

Work the problem

There are various startup methods that allow for getting around simple "admin" password protection, which is what most situations involve; in other words, there's probably no fancy third-party software running that will defeat most or all of the following workarounds. None of the methods are completely painless or free, but you have to decide how important it is for you to have the contents of that drive on the unbootable machine. Now, let's break down the methods for you one at a time.

(1) By holding the "c" key during startup, you can boot from a CD or DVD with a valid Mac System on it. Some G4's (silver-door tower and earlier) will boot into either OS 9 or OS X, so you can get one or the other versions or both. You can buy the final OS 9 package (9.2) for about $50, or you could buy Mac OS X with the latest version (10.5) setting you back $100 or so. If you don't need the newest version of OS X, you can buy 10.3 or even 10.2, which will cost you significantly less than the latest release. If you do start up with a Mac OS installer disk, you can go to Reset Password on the Installer or Utilities menu (depending on what version of OS X you get). And then you're in business.

(2) Another startup option is to do just that -- meaning hold the "Option" key as you hit the power switch or keyboard button. This allows you to choose a boot volume among any connected drives, including Firewire devices. The only way this will work is if you have an external Firewire drive, with a Mac OS and some utilities installed, attached to your computer. Although the Mac also has USB ports, you cannot start up from an external USB drive; don't believe anyone who says otherwise, just look it up on Apple's site for yourself. Who knows why they made 'em that way, but they did. If you can beg, borrow or steal an external Firewire drive with a System and some utilities already on it, this will definitely work. Then you can back up whatever you want from the drive before reformatting it. If you cannot borrow such a device, one would cost you about a hundred bucks, plus you'd need the OS to put on it, so this is a potentially pricey option.

(3) A slightly more geeky approach is to hold down "Option-s" while starting up, so that OS X boots into "super user mode." No password is required to muck around with what is called "Root" access. Of course, you would be using Unix commands at this point. If you don't know Unix at all, you could probably get enough help from Wikipedia and other geeky sources online to learn how to seek out and disable the password protection scheme. If you are not a "computer type," though, this is probably not a realistic option for you. This is a free option, money-wise, but you can do untold damage mucking around in the Mac's brain, if you will, if you're not sure about what you're doing.

(4) Finally, you could start up while holding the "t" key down, and turn the Mac into a Firewire target disk. What this means is that you could simply plug the computer into another Mac, and that other Mac will see the first as an external drive. Then you could copy all the files you want to keep to the borrowed Mac, or to an external drive that you have also hooked up to it. This option, like #2 above, requires coming up with some equipment from somewhere, and of course you want to beg or borrow it (not steal) it if money is tight. Do you have any friends with a Mac laptop (a third millennium PowerBook, iBook, or new MacBook or MacBook Pro with the Intel chips)? Sure, you could use a newer iMac or a Mac Pro tower, but a laptop sure would be easier. You will also need a Firewire cable (an "A to A" one, meaning both ends are the same size).

You're not alone

If you have a sad (or konked out) Mac, this is what you are up against. It can seem hopeless at times, but it's not. In the Old Days, Macs were fairy easy to troubleshoot and maintain. Not so any longer with the Unix-based OS and more sophisticated hardware. But, with a little help, you can do it. If you need more technical assistance, there are literally hundreds of Mac-centered websites where everyone from noobs (beginners) to power users can get hold of the best Mac troubleshooting help and even some freeware or shareware repair utilities.

The Mac community is still a supportive one, so keep asking for assistance, and rendering some to others however you can. You may be surprised by the amount and quality of the assistance that other Mac folks offer you. With some help, some persistence and perhaps a bit of luck, your Mac's sad startup face -- and your own -- will be home once again to a smile.

By Scott McQuarrie, representing the EZWatch Pro brand, a leading provider of computer based security camera systems for business, commercial and government applications.

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Helpful Tips For Getting Your Perfect Guitar Tone

The guitar tone is the timbre, color and quality of the sound. Basically, it's how your guitar sounds like when you play and record. Thus, it's very important getting your perfect guitar tone. For serious guitarists, it's not enough to just play incredibly well, but sound amazing while doing it.

Know that there isn't just one way to getting your perfect guitar tone or even such a thing as one perfect guitar tone; it all comes down to taste and what you feel is right for the song. Plus, no matter how great a tone you get, your guitar won't sound good if it's out of tune or your playing is bad. However, also know that buying expensive equipment won't automatically give you a better tone. What's more important is knowing what settings to tweak and how, so you can use your current equipment to achieve your perfect guitar tone. That, and mastering the guitar, of course.

If you're having trouble getting your guitar playing sounding great or translating a sound in your head into a guitar tone, our helpful tips for getting your perfect guitar tone will help you to know what to tweak and hopefully how to find the guitar tone faster and more efficiently...

What Creates the Guitar Tone

One of the first helpful tips for getting your perfect guitar tone is to know what creates the guitar tone itself. While technically any aspect of your equipment can change your guitar tone, there are some things that affect it more than others. The type of wood your guitar is made of, the strings you play with and the pick you use, the cables you connect with, the guitar amp and speaker cabinets, any guitar effects and pedals you plug into, and, naturally, how you play.

In fact, the most important element in getting your perfect guitar tone is your playing ability! The better and more professionally you play, the better and more professional your guitar tone will be. While buying the best equipment can help you tweak your tone, it won't make you sound better if you don't know how to play. The reason the greatest guitarists sound so amazing is because they play amazingly well!

Much more so than getting the same equipment as your favorite guitarists, learning to play on their skill level is what will make you sound like them. If you focus on improving your playing and mastering the guitar and couple it with knowing what settings to tweak and how, you will be well on your way to getting your perfect guitar tone.

Also, note that while things such as microphone placement and equalization affect the sound of your guitar during recording, it's not necessarily changing the tone, just the way it's captured and processed for the song.

Guitar Maintenance

Treat your guitar well, including the body and the strings. Maintaining a good condition of your equipment will ensure that your tone doesn't degrade with time. However, strings inevitably wear out with playing and should be changed frequently. If you want to know how often you should change them, please check out our useful tips and guidelines on how to change guitar strings.

Hey I heard a lot other stuff effect the guitar tone such as your guitar pick, cables, amp, and effects? How should I approach these to get a good guitar tone? Visit our site our site to find out.

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The Convenient Technology of Bluetooth Wireless

Everyone is so excited about the newest wave of technology in cell phones, Bluetooth. By now many of us have started throwing out our old cell phones and updating with this new technology. But the rest of you just have one question …..What is Bluetooth technology? Well you’ve come to the right place, read on to find out more about this exciting new technology and how it could change the way you communicate to the world.

If you hate messy cords then Bluetooth may be just what you’re looking for. This technology works by using radio signals to connect devices in a short range, creating a wireless network. Bluetooth technology is not just for cell phones it also can eliminate the messy bundle of cords you use to connect all of your computer equipment. With the level of technology from a Bluetooth enabled USB adapter you can clean up your workstation and have room to connect more products and hardware to your computer.

The major feature that makes Bluetooth technology so attractive to so many people is its ability to use less power. Using Bluetooth technology is a great way to connect all of the computers in a network. Bluetooth technology can handle both voice and data transmissions simultaneously. Meaning you can enjoy hands free printing and faxing and hands free talking. Other products besides computer and cell phones have began to use Bluetooth technology in innovate ways including digital cameras and MP3P Players. Many new products you buy off of store shelves are coming with Bluetooth technology preinstalled.

Bluetooth technology is here to stay, incorporate Bluetooth into your home and office today! The technology is easy to install, very affordable and can make your technology needs more convenient and hassle free. The technology offered from Bluetooth will only continue to get better so stay tuned!

Jakob Culver is the owner and editor of AZArticles.com, a article directory and search engine where you can find more articles related to The Convenient Technology of Bluetooth Wireless

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Is Bass Or Guitar Harder To Play?

The question of whether bass or guitar is harder to play often comes up in the minds of guitar beginners. Some even think that the bass must be easier to play because it has less strings than the guitar. Right at the beginning of guitar playing, instead of just trying to learn a chord or finding a course of guitar lessons on the internet, newbies always start looking for the easiest or the "best" way to learn guitar. So wondering about which is harder to play between guitar and bass is another question that holds up progress.

The guitar has six strings while the bass has only four but the thicker strings on the bass make it more difficult to play. The choice of which notes to play is harder for a ball player. Once the band has departed from simple chords, playing the root note is not enough for the bass player.

Playing bass needs a completely different frame of mind which needs to be learned and practiced. The bass player does not just stand there and play in the background. He is supporting the drummer and the rhythm guitar player.

There are certain musical styles that are less complex than others. Take punk rock, for instance. You learn a few power chords and you are almost there. For bass players pop rock is not too difficult. Hard rock is more challenging, and genres based on the blues tradition offer the new guitar player a little more background to absorb before he can consider himself a player.

Some musical genres feature the bass in the role of a lead instrument. Funk rock, jazz, groove metal, soul or reggae all demand alot from the bass guitar player.

The fact is playing bass guitar or regular guitar is as easy as you allow it to be. People say that bass is easier to play, but the guitar student's attitude can change that.

The main thing is your love for music and your wish to play and create music. If you can keep time, have some idea when to be a part of the group and when to be at the front, then you have a start to being a guitar or bass player. Once you start playing, how hard it is does not matter.

For the bass player who started out learning the guitar bass is usually easier to learn. That is because the guitar player already has a feel for the instrument, His body has already become used to fingering chords, playing scales and using a pick, so most bass players who started with the guitar will advise others to do the same.

The most practical approach to the question of whether bass or guitar is harder to play is to take a lesson or two in both. If you cannot afford lessons, check out the free guitar or bass lessons on the internet. Another way to decide is to watch guitar and bass players on YouTube. If your feelings go towards either the guitar or bass, then that is where the rest of you should go. Whether it is harder makes no difference.

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Games in Music Lessons and Their Benefits

How my music school grew from 6 to over 200 students in under two years.

When my husband and I started our music school - everyone around us thought it couldn't be done. It had not been done in our home town much and no one we knew had ever quit their day job as a teacher to go and run their own music school business. we weighed up the pros and cons of it all and decided after it all that it was a challenge that we wanted to pursue. So we went ahead and before we knew it we leased a commercial premise, found ourselves a program and we were on our first opening day ready a raring to go!

Our first term was tough- we enrolled thirty students and half of them quit within a few weeks. We couldn't work it out - here we were fully established, credible teachers and it wasn't working. What were we doing wrong?

We could no longer think the same as we previously did in working in schools and operate the same teaching methods because they were not working. Something we were doing was not right and we had to find out what it was quickly.

We talked to our six families that we had on board and any families which came through our doors. We asked them all the one simple question:

"What is it that you would like to get out of have music lessons for your child?"

With this question we found out some very important information. Because our parents were doing this in their free time with their children, it had to be FUN. A parent didn't want to pay for lessons if it was all too hard or if their child didn't enjoy it and they definitely didn't want to bring their children because it was good for them. The other observation we made was that if a parent enjoyed lessons, then their child would as well. The parent didn't even have to be in the room, but when a parent asked their child how their day was and what happened in music, if their child was excited about it, it would in turn make the parent excited as well. It had to be fun for both child and parent.

With this information, we started implementing different ideas. The children would tell us that they enjoyed playing games and so we took this to the next level. In fact everything in our music sessions became a game of some description.Teachers never had a chance to sit down in our school - they were too busy having fun and playing games. Notes would be learn't with stories and note races, kids would be running up to the piano with special cues, games were played learning pieces - even aural activities were a game. In general the place became a bustling games area! .... And the other thing that started happening was that we were suddenly growing out of control. We only had a small music school premises, but suddenly there was no room left in the car park, in the hallways and parents wanted to start learning in this method as well in our lunch hour!....many had told us that MUSIC HAD NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN! On top of this, our older students started achieving the highest exam results we had ever seen...

So what changed?

All we did was come up with strategies in playing games. Basically we came up with literally thousands of games ideas and on a lesson to lesson basis and for two years we tested them, made them work and we taught them to our staff members and students. The spin off effect was that students started remembering more...and therefore achieved higher grades.

In essence this is what the FUN music company is about. We no longer have time to teach anymore because we are too busy packaging the ideas we have been using in our years as music teachers. It is impossible to be a teacher and to keep coming up with more and more ideas without an end in sight. So now we are ready to share these ideas with others.. so that they dont need to be spending years getting it right. Our passion is to make music learning fun and easy for everyone at the click of a button - not just for those in our home town, but to share it around the world and increase the enjoyment of music for everyone.
Janice shares regular tips, tricks and advice on keeping music lessons fun with her blog The Music Teachers blog at http://www.musicteachersblog.com visit now to discover more information and tips on the power of games in music lessons.

Janice Tuck
Music Teacher, Mother, and Chief Musical Fun Officer
The Fun Music Company Pty Ltd

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