Click on the thumbnail for the full resolution version.

The verdict: OGG wins again. at 1.0 quality, it is roughly 1/3 the original file size, yet maintains pretty much all the spectral information intact. I used default settings for everything, with no special options, and always highest quality settings. I included 128 kbit MP3 as a comparison. The vertical runs from 0hz to 22khz. Except for the 128kbit mp3, most of the audio information missing is not in the human audible range (it is mostly past 18khz).

1. Too Big

Have you ever seen the kid who lugs around a 17 inch laptop to all their classes at school? Did you notice how it does not completely fit on the desk, and forces the owner to type in an awkward yoga-like position? 17 inch laptops are called desktop replacements for a reason, they aren’t meant to be lugged around casually. These systems are often compounded by problems 4 and 5 as well.

2. Bad keyboard

Remember, you are going to be typing on this, perhaps a lot. Try out the keyboard before you buy a certain model and see if it works for you. Also, do some research and find out how resistant the keyboard is to liquid contamination. Recently a friend spilled tea on her Macbook which damaged it to the point where it was necessary to replace the motherboard because the liquid seeped inside the system. Systems with easily replaceable keyboards are a plus.

3. Bad Sound Jack Placement

Most people don’t think about this one. If the headphone and microphone ports are in the front of the computer, then watch out. If you happen to actually use your system on your lap, there is a good chance the headphone jack will get bent in an awkward position which will eventually break the port. A Toshiba owner had this happen 3 times on the same system, with each incident requiring several days repair time to replace the components. Headphone port placement is not standard, and varies across models from the same manufacturer (my Toshiba has the headphone port on the right hand side).

4. Too Heavy

Take the weight of your computer and add the charger, which likely approaches a pound itself, and add the weight of several textbooks if you are a student. Imagine lugging this around every day of the week, and you will realize why you probably don’t want a computer that weighs more than 6 pounds on its own. If you are going to be doing a lot of traveling, you should aim for a system that is 5 pounds or less.

5. Underpowered Battery

Unless you are looking to buy a glorified Imac, the battery life of your system is pretty important. Many budget laptops ship with weak batteries, but you might be able to replace it with a high capacity one. Anything less than 3 hours of runtime with a new battery is best avoided. Remember that you will have to replace the battery every 2-3 years with regular usage. Online reviews are a good source for information on the battery life.

6. Low-end Video Card

Integrated video cards are fine for most users provided you have enough ram (since they use some system ram). Due to the use of some of the main memory, a system with 1 gig of memory that uses an integrated video card will perform worse than a system with 1 gig of memory and a discrete video card even in non video related tasks. Also, integrated video cards are essentially useless for modern games, so even casual gamers might want to avoid the lowest end laptops that ship with integrated video cards. Remember that in almost all cases you cannot upgrade the video subsystem in a laptop, so you will be stuck with what you get.

7. Lack of Available Ports

When your laptop is at home there is a good chance you will have a mouse and a printer attached and you might also have a web cam, external USB hard drive or key, and possibly some esoteric devices such as a midi keyboard, cell phone with USB connectivity, PSP, etc… In other words, the more ports the better. Placement is also important; ideally you want your ports to be further to the back of the system to keep them away from where the mouse is normally placed. You should consider getting a USB hub as well, although some devices might have to be plugged in directly to the computer. A firewire port is also a plus if you want to attach a digital video camera, high performance hard disk, or firewire sound interface to your system.

8. Treated Screens

I’m not a big fan of treated (aka glossy) screens. They often have names such as brightview, trulife, and xbrite. The main reason for my dislike is that treated screens do not perform well in sunlight, as they are more prone to distracting reflections. This might not be a problem for some people though. If you are buying your system primarily to play games and watch movies, then these screens can actually be a plus, as they tend to have richer, more exaggerated colour.

9. Bad Trackpad

This goes hand in hand with bad keyboards. A poorly performing or awkwardly positioned trackpad can limit your mobile usage. While trackpads are usually ubiquitous (most manufactures use Synaptics trackpads), some manufacturers place them oddly relative to the keyboard, or use a smaller, less responsive model.

10. Slow Hard Disk

Avoid 4200rpm hard disks like the plague. They are dismally slow. A faster hard drive is better than a bigger hard drive for a laptop. 5200rpm is better, and 7200 rpm is the best (these drives are uncommon in the low-end, though). Invest in an external hard disk as well to back-up your data, since laptops are more prone to accidental damage or theft.

Whatever your choice, make sure you try out whatever system you are using before you buy it. Check out demo systems at retailers and pay attention to the screen quality, keyboard quality, and overall design of the system. Consult online reviews to get a good idea of the battery life. Ask your friends and relatives about their experiences with various systems. If you follow these steps you might get many years of good usage from a quality laptop.

Get a pair of good headphones

As a music producer, you need a proper sounding system to work with. Computer speakers are generally not adequate for creating music, even though they may have impressive bass and loudness. I’d suggest to anyone who is getting into music production to look for a good pair of headphones to use. While a pair of professional studio monitor speakers is definitely an item to consider in the future, it might be too much of investment at the start.

Be patient

The process of learning to create music, especially if you do not have a background in music theory, can take some time. It took me at least a couple of years before I was really happy with the quality of my music. Some will learn more quickly than others, but what is really essential is to be patient. I’d suggest starting off with an easier program, such as fruityloops, reason, or garageband if you are using a Mac, because the large software studio programs such as Cubase and Logic Audio can be quite unforgiving at first. There are many elements to deal with in music production; the more technical aspects can take quite some time to master. Eventually you will have a breakthrough and it will all seem quite easy, in my case it took a couple of years.

Be adventurous

You won’t get anywhere hiding in your basement or bedroom and keeping all your art to yourself. If you want to gain some sort of a fan base you mustn’t be afraid to release your music, even if you think it sucks! When I first started producing I released almost every song I finished, and some of the ones which had the best reception where the ones that I thought were the worst! Hearing even one encouraging compliment on your music can really encourage you to produce more. You also should consider that some people will not like your music, don’t worry too much about them. Some people only like music that involves bamboo sticks for drums and melodies involving screeching hyenas; they might not like your trip-hop (unless it involves the former aspects). However, constructive criticism is always a good thing, especially from someone who is knowledgeable in the field of music you are into. As always, don’t make music to please others, make music to please you. The fans will come later.

Don’t just follow trends

If you are producing music, especially electronic music, it is important to be original. If you jump on a bandwagon you may risk becoming typecast later. When a trend dies, so does your audience. I remember when electronic music was a trend in itself, and people would like anything I made regardless of whether it was good or not. Most of them have now given up on the rave scene and now listen to emo rock and have bad tattoos. Ouch.

Don’t spend all your time trying to sound like your favorite artist, it is an impossible endeavor! On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with incorporating elements from artists you respect and using them to inspire original music. If you like a certain style of drumbeat, incorporate it in your music! Learning to imitate certain elements of music is a good way to really push yourself to learn the most you can about the programs and technology available. For instance, programming synthesizers is sometimes easier if you have a certain sound in mind that you want. As you modify all the parameters, you will begin to learn more about the synth you are using and its features. It is possible you may end up creating the kind of sound you want, or something new and original.

K.I.S.S.

K.I.S.S. stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”. I learnt about this principal when I was taking high school math classes, but I find it can apply to art as well. In math it means using the simplest method to solve a problem, in music it is about keeping your production simple but efficient. You do not want to swamp yourself with too many details when you first begin creating music. This is one reason I suggest using a simple setup at first (a computer, midi controller, and software) instead of taking out a second mortgage on your home and building a studio before you know how to create a drumbeat. You should start off with a simple program and a few software synthesizers, but try and master them the best you can. If you are a guitarist, I suggest purchasing one of those small soundcards with a guitar input which are available from companies such as m-audio. Don’t buy a new piece of equipment until you really need it. This will also help you save money in the long run.

I hope these tips were useful, stay tuned for more.

The Korg Electribe R, or ER-1, is a square device which is about one square foot by one inch thick and has plenty of buttons to press and knobs to turn. The device is made up of a metal top and bottom and a hard plastic body. It feels rugged and has a decent weight for its size. It is powered by a wall wart 9vDC adapter. The keys are semi transparent and back lit by LEDs, which is a great visual cue, both in bright daylight and in the dark. When playing, the LEDs flash to the beat as the sequencer runs through the loop you programmed in and this provides a very fashionable light show.

The user operates the device using four sections: the settings and play control section, the sequencer section, the ‘keyboard’, and the sound editing section. The controls are pretty self explanatory. Pressing a button on the ‘keyboard’ plays a sound, which can then be modified from the editing section. Pressing a button in the sequencer line places the sound. Then you repeat the process until the beat fits your preference. I won’t go any deeper than this as the device is very hands-on and is a gadget to explore. It will instantly relieve any computer musician from the absence of immediacy, a problem we have all suffered through. (Editor’s note: it took me about 5 minutes to figure out this device, it’s very easy)

Under the hood, this is a DSP driven analog modeling drum sequencer. It provides simple but efficient sounds reminiscent of ’90s techno emanating from an oscillator coupled to a modulation LFO. Except for a basic delay, it is devoid of effects. The device features two inputs that can be gated through the sequencer, which is a really great feature. In the end, I find the sounds are just not versatile enough to use for production. I personally only use its synth capacity for training.

Where I believe this machine shines in the age of computer music production is how it gives the electronic musician the controls they need to experiment with drums. Connected to a computer via midi, the device provides a dynamic platform for drum track writing. While this device can sometimes be clunky to deal with in some software packages (especially if you want to throw midi clock into the mix), you will most likely find the negative aspects offset by the hands-on feeling the ER-1 provides.

It is interesting and sad to note that while the ER-1 has many knobs, they are recognized as only one unique controller via midi. Finally, the most important feature this device has to offer is its great price. It can commonly be found used for between 50 and 100 CAD. Otherwise, the Korg ER1mkII can be found brand new for about 150 CAD.

What’s good: It’s the ultimate surface for controlling drums, great for experimenting, small but rugged. A must for live performance.
What’s not: No USB connectivity. The keys are not velocity sensitive. Sound will not accommodate every kind of music.
Who needs it: Anybody that can lay hands on one.

Let’s start with the screen. It’s huge. I thought Apple was nuts when they made their 20 inch imac a year ago, but this system absolutely dwarfs it. The extra screen real-estate comes at a high cost, with the base model clocking in at 2249$ CAD. The model I tested had a 2.33 ghz processor, 2 gigs of ram, a 256 mb Geforce 7600 GT video card, and a 250 gig hard disk and cost a hefty 2,849.00 CAD (not including tax or 3 year apple care plan). For those penny pinchers who question the purpose of Apple selling such an expensive imac, remember that their 23 inch cinema display is about 1100$ CAD (that’s the same price as the lowest end 17 inch imac!). The resolution is 1920 x 1200 which is a bit higher than 1080p resolution as the ratio is 16:10 instead of 16:9. Unfortunately there is no easy way to view HD content on the system yet, although Apple is expected to begin shipping systems with blu-ray drives next year (2007).

There are many reasons why one large monitor can be more convenient than several small ones; anyone who does music, video, or image editing will benefit from the large resolution of this screen. You can fit more tracks of audio or video at the same time without having to pan between multiple monitors. You can also have several programs open at once, all directly in your field of vision. You can easily see and edit longer sequences of video or audio without having to scroll. If you need even more space though, don’t fret, you can use the mini-dvi output to span to another screen (up to 1900 x 1200) or a television set.

I did a quick test to see how effective the display on this system was for working with multimedia programs. Reason is a popular music program which is praised for its easy interface and powerful features. It is composed of two sections: a rack of synthesizers and effects and a sequencer of notes and automation data. When I use this program I typically have the rack on one display and the sequencer on the other (I normally use 2 displays). On the imac’s high resolution screen, you can easily fit both aspects of this program on the display at once. Check out the video review above to see this in action. Other programs such as final cut pro or logic audio will also benefit from the 24 inch screen. Having all the information right in front of your face makes the work flow a lot easier.

The features of the 24 inch imac are very similar to those of the 20 inch imac. In fact, they are almost exactly the same. Aside from the screen, the only difference between the two systems is that the 24 inch has a firewire 800 port. For power users, this is a big deal. Firewire 800 enables you to attach a high performance external hard disk (or array of drives). While firewire 400 is plenty fast for most users, audio/visual users will benefit from the added performance of a firewire 800 hard disk. This is especially important if you are editing high-definition video (which the 24 inch imac would be quite apt at). Clearly apple is aiming this system at the power user as opposed to the typical home user. The addition of firewire 800 is also important because the imac only has room for one internal hard disk. The 24 inch imac ships with up to a 750 gig hard disk, but it is an expensive option. I would advise those who are interested in this system to get it with the stock hard disk (250 gigs), because the premium you’d pay getting the 500 gig or 750 gig hard disk could more wisely be spent on a high performance external firewire 800 hard disk from a company such as Lacie. Finally, to nitpick, apple could have gone one step further and added an eSATA port for connecting external drives.

The stock video card is a geforce 7300 GT with 128mb of ram. Get the upgrade to the 7600GT with 256mb; it’s worth the low cost of that option (90$ CAD). If you are going to be playing games on this system you will definitely need the 7600. It’s not the fastest card on the planet, but it can handle modern games pretty well. I was able to play quake 4 at 1600 x 1200 with 4x anti-aliasing and the performance was quite acceptable. I wouldn’t buy this system for gaming though; you’d be better off with a custom made high performance PC.

I do have a few issues with this machine. First of all, it is expensive. While it is a powerful computer at the moment, in a few years technology will undoubtedly have jumped way ahead and you may end up with a great display stuck to a dated system. Also, while this is a powerful computer, it still does not address a segment of the market apple is sorely missing: users who want cheap, expandable systems. While the Mac pro is great, many of us cannot afford it. I beg apple to make a core 2 duo based desktop system for under 2000$. The 24 inch imac is the closest thing Apple offers to a mac pro lite, but it does not have the expandability of a standard desktop system. Personally, I’d rather have all the features of this system and the option to purchase my own display. There are no pci express slots, so you are stuck with USB or firewire to add peripherals. I have heard rumors the video card might be upgradeable in the future, but currently there are no companies that offer an upgrade kit.

In some ways, I’m kind of baffled by this system. While I definitely want one on my desk, I am a bit confused at what consumer segment apple is aiming at. The best imac deal right now seems to be the 20 inch model, and you could spend the price difference between it and this model on a pretty nice secondary lcd display. The addition of firewire 800 is great for multimedia producers such as myself, but I’d still rather have a stripped down mac pro system than a high end imac. However, at the moment, such a system does not exist. This system is also in the same price range as the macbook pro laptops, which while not offering as much screen space and performance, are more expandable (with a cardbus slot) and they are portable. When the price of this system drops, it will be worth checking out; in the meantime, the 20 inch imac seems to be a more reasonable choice if you need an all-in-one system. However, for the power user, this is a very good option if you can’t afford the mac pro.

What’s good: Great screen, great design, quiet, firewire 800.
What’s not good: Not very expandable, very expensive.
Who needs it: People who need the combination of a large screen and a powerful mac.

Don’t let the fancy looking tube fool you; this preamp does not have the warm response you would expect from a high end tube preamp. If anything the tube is just for show as the sound is quite thin and digital sounding overall. With vocals there was a slightly harsh quality in the mid range. I have noticed this with all the microphones I have used with the unit (dynamic as well as condenser mics). Pairing this unit with a cheaper microphone such as an SM58 will result in a somewhat harsh vocal sound, although you can attenuate this during post processing. The phantom power is 48 volts and works as advertised.
Each channel of the Ulltragain has its own EQ unit. While the EQs might be fine for minor attenuating, they are no replacement for a good outboard unit, and they may end up amplifying the harsh response of the unit if pushed to higher settings. The variable low cut filter is very useful, however. The Ultragain also features phase reverse, which is a useful feature to have for some stereo miking techniques. The ultragain also features level conversion (-10 dBV to +4 dBu) and it can be used as a DI box for guitars. You can chain the two mono channels into one stereo pair as well, using one set of controls to adjust both channels. Overall the unit has a good set of features.

The construction is sturdy and utilitarian, with the common black on silver colour motif. There are many LEDs and the tube is pleasantly illuminated. The rack mounts can be inconvenient if you are not using the unit in a rack setting; once the mounts are removed there is nothing to protect the inside from dust. The power cable provided with the unit is rather short, so you may have to use an extension cable depending on your setup. I should note that I know several people who have had this unit fail on them (either one channel or both). Behringer gear has a reputation for being unreliable, and you should consider that if you purchase this unit. From my experience, I’d have to say that reputation is justified. If you need a preamp for a critical application, I suggest you save up for a higher-end unit.

If you are looking for a quality preamp for vocals, you might want to consider investing a bit more and looking at a higher quality mono preamp. But if you need a preamp for instrument miking or something that is versatile yet inexpensive, then the Ultragain might be a useful option. This preamp might also be ideal for some live situations, such as at bars, where the equipment might take a beating and an expensive preamp would be a liability. Just remember that with preamps, you usually get what you pay for.

What’s good: Cheap, good set of features, stereo, less noisy than smaller units in its price range.
What’s not good: Overall harsh sound, EQ is weak, possibly unreliable
Who needs it: Casual users or those who need a preamp for non-critical applications.