Monday, November 26, 2012

Hawaiian Slack String Guitar Tuning

alternative Hawaiian guitar tunings I started my holiday season this year visiting family in Hawaii and in addition to some fun in the sun, and some really amazing produce; we took the opportunity to learn a bit about Hawaiian culture and music. It sometimes amazes me how much technology and software surrounds me and is a part of my life even when I am trying to unplug myself from the grid. This time it was my appreciation of music that started me thinking about PitchPerfect guitar tuning software.

I had the chance to listen to a very interesting performer who not only played for the audience, but talk about the history of music on the islands. He talked about the traditional instruments they played on the islands, how music and hula played a big part in their oral history and how the Hawaiians began to adopt the guitar and use more western melodies learned from Spanish contractors and other traders. As they continued to embrace and experiment with the guitar Hawaii made two contributions to guitar music before also creating the ukulele. The lap steel guitar and the slack string guitar both originated on the Hawaiian islands.

Unlike my instrument, the cello, the guitar has many alternative tunings that can be used to achieve different sounds or make it easier to play certain chords. This makes the guitar a very versatile instrument but it also makes tuning the guitar more of a challenge. This is why it can be extremely useful for guitar players of all levels to take advantage of an easy-to-use tuning program like PitchPerfect when tuning their instrument, especially when using a tuning pattern you aren't as familiar with.

For a tropical influence to help you relax as we all make our way through the rest of this holiday season maybe you will try a slack-key guitar tuning and look up some Hawaiian music to help you hang loose. Also be sure to take a look at our other musician software for guitar players and more. Because even software can help you relax, by doing things for you, like taking the stress out of tuning.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Best Software for Making Music

Award for MixPad Multitrack Audio Software
Software Review Boffin recently reviewed MixPad multitrack mixing and recording software, adding it to their list of music making software titles. In the review they praised not only MixPad alone for being exceptional software, but noted that "the [high] standard is consistent with other NCH products that Software Review Boffin has audited before." The review also went on to say:

"With MixPad Multitrack Recording Software users are able to record instruments and vocals for their music production. Users will find it simple to rearrange, copy and integrate music to the intended state the user desires. Create audio productions within minutes of downloading is a great start for music making software."
  – Software Review Boffin

You can read the complete review of MixPad music mixing software from Software Review Boffin, or download MixPad today to test out the multi-track recording and mixing features for yourself. Also be sure to check out our other exceptional and award-winning, audio software or musician software titles for additional music making tools.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

W is for Web Access

NCH Software ABCs Series

software Web Access is a feature of freedom. Using the web access feature on many of our business software programs including Express Invoice invoicing software, Express Accounts bookkeeping software or Inventoria inventory management software allows businesses to provide multiple users with access to the program's data and features. Users can log in remotely from other computers or mobile devices with internet access. So you can update inventory levels from the warehouse or send an invoice while on road. So you don't need to be chained to your desk to get things done, a freedom many small business owners can appreciate.

Web access isn't limited to business products; with DesktopNow you can also set up easy access to your home PC computer so you can have access to all your files, plus desktop viewing and control, when you are away from home. So you don't have to worry about forgetting a file on a flash drive, if you don't have something you need you can simply log into your computer from wherever you are to upload or download files from your home machine. Peace of mind coming in the shape of a small software program.

<<< Previous: V is for VideoNext: X is for eXpress >>>

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Audiophiles Rejoice



Do you have a significant investment in audio equipment and want to get the most range from your music collection? Do you want the crisp highs and deep bass you’re used to from CD’s? Then stop listening to audio compressed in the outdated MP3 format! Anytime audio is compressed, even with 320kbps quality MP3s, some range is sacrificed to reduce the file size and sound artifacts can occur.

For true studio sound, lossless formats such as an uncompressed WAV (Waveform Audio File Format), or a compressed FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), are the better option, even though they require more storage space. The smaller file size of the lossless FLAC is great for music collections, supports tagging for artist and album information, and is ideal for streaming audio because it is fast seeking. One note of caution if you’re straying away from your computer, while FLAC is a popular lossless audio format, not all devices, like car stereos, will support playback without modification.

Additionally, editing music in lossless formats, like with our WavePad Audio Editor Software, means you can exercise more control, on more sound data than with other formats. Starting with the highest quality possible source will result in the best final product. Use our other audio tools, like Switch Audio File Converter Software, to batch convert audio files between formats, for example if you don’t have room for your FLAC collection on your gym iPod.

Give your equipment and ears the quality they deserve!

Monday, November 12, 2012

V is for Video

NCH Software ABCs Series

V is for video software Video is all around us. From the big blockbuster movies to YouTube, from video surveillance cameras in retail stores, to parents recording their kids first steps, and that is just the beginning, so it should come as no surprise we chose Video for 'V.' Plus like all of our software programs they our Video software is designed to be easy to use, so if want to record your screen or edit together a highlights reel of the tee-ball season, we have the video software you need to get the job done:
<<< Previous: U is for UtilitiesNext: W is for Web Access >>>

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Help Managing Remote Workers

Guest post by Tony Stokes of Contracting Solutions (New Media)

We are a software solutions provider specializing in Digital Media and Customer Flow Management software employing around 65 staff based here in the UK and Hong Kong.

While tracking staff members and timekeeping in our main offices is not normally an issue we are seeing an increase in the number of coders that prefer to work flexible hours from home. We started the home working scheme over 3 years ago and in general most staff members worked the required hours and were generally productive but we really had no way of recording the hours being worked by each employee. Looking around the market place we found many solutions but most were very expensive or required an on-going monthly payment dependent on the number of staff using the software.

After more searching we came across Flexi-Server Employee Attendance Software which initially we thought was quite cheap in comparison and perhaps would not fit our requirements. Nerveless we downloaded the trial and were amazed that we had it up and running in about ten minutes. Initially we only wanted to record the times that each employee was working and allow them to take breaks and work flexible hours that suited them. We found this initial requirement was very easy to configure and the web dashboard produced all of the statistics we needed.


The new CSMN office in India
During the period of setting up the initial Flexi-Server installation we were in the process of opening a new Office in India to outsource some of our extra coding requirements. We found an existing company and that fitted our requirements and asked them if they would be willing to use Flexi-Server to record each team member's hours to which they agreed. Having put this in place we then looked into the other features offered and found the most invaluable capability of recording screen shots and having them uploaded to our server, this has not only helped us monitor progress remotely but has also allowed us to spot issues and help to get them resolved.

Since then we have we have purchased a majority stake in the Indian company and have made considerable investment in a new office, extra staff and upgrades to the IT equipment. We would not have had the faith to do this remotely had we not had the monitoring, reporting and added peace of mind that Flexi-Server Productivity & Attendance Software provides.

CSMN logoTony Stokes is Technical Director of Contracting Solutions (New Media), Innovators of Digital Signage, enhanced visual communications and multimedia solutions.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Do More with Video - Blog Carnival November 5, 2012

do more with video To continue in the footsteps of the Do More with Audio blog carnival that we have been hosting for the last two years we have decided to add a Do More with Video blog carnival giving people the chance to share any video filming, recording, editing, production, projects, tips and more. To get things started I did some online to find some interesting posts to share in this first edition, and we hope you will submit your own video posts for the next edition.

So with our further ado here is the first edition of Do More with Video:

Teaching Video Storytelling. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what must a video be worth? Read about one professor's formula for video storytelling.

2012 CamcorderInfo Best of Year Awards. If you are looking for equipment here is what the professionals at camcorderinfo.com would recommend to family, friends and you.

Can I Edit Video from a DVD? An interesting post about the possible compression problems that can arise from extracting video from DVD and then compressing it again.

How to Create 3D Videos. A post about both converting 2D videos into 3D and filming with 3D in mind for better results.

10 Most Popular Types of Viral Videos. If you are hoping to make your own viral video it might help to know what the top are viral video categories.

Music and Video in Windows 8: a work in progress. Promising first steps, but latest offerings don't always play well with others.

What Filmmakers Need To Know About Video on Demand. Traditional theatrical and DVD film distribution models are being replaced by video on demand platforms which will forever alter the ways movies are seen and sold.

Optimizing Videos Embedded on Your Site for Search Engines. When you are putting a video online you want people to find it, and that is where SEO comes in to play to help make sure your video is found and viewed.

You might also be interested in: That concludes the first edition of Do More with Video. If you have a video story to share from home movies to video production submit your video blog posts for the next edition.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Record Skype Calls - Easy Audio & Video Call Recording

call recording software We have posted before about recording phone calls through a TRX personal call recorder, recording multiple phone lines across a business network with VRS call recording software, or even saving conversations with the Express Talk softphone’s recording feature, but with the advent of internet technology like Skype, what if you want to record a phone conversation on your computer?

Record Skype Audio Calls
The solution to recording your voice-over-IP calls is our SoundTap streaming audio capture software. With SoundTap you can record any audio that is played on or through your PC or Mac, making it easy to record both sides of your conversation; instead of only your microphone input. It is akin to tapping your virtual phone and you can save the audio in .wav or .mp3 format.

Record Skype Video Calls
For video, we suggest you turn to Debut streaming video recording software. Debut is a powerful video capture program that can grab video from virtually any source, including your screen. Make sure your Debut options are enabled to record both video and audio, and then you can easily record your video calls, including Skype, to play back or edit later.