Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Planning a Car Audio System Installation

With such a wide range of components and gadget on the market for car audio systems, the big question is "Where do I start?"

First you must decide what exactly you wish to do. If you are wanting to build a car audio system for a daily driver (the car you drive back and forth to work) with good sounds, but you are not interested in competing, a system can easily be put together for under $1000. However, if you are looking for the all-out bass monster, be prepared to drop in some big bucks into your system.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when building a car audio system is planning. Get an idea of where you are going to place components, subwoofers, amplifiers, and power distribution. A lot of headache can be avoided with the proper planning!!

For the basic system, lets look at some of the components needed.

Let's first start with the head unit (CD player). Obviously you are going to want a nice head unit. If you start with a good quality cd player, and choose to upgrade your sound system in the future, purchase a head unit that will grow with you. Some of the features you may want to keep in mind are:

1. CD changer controls

2. XM / Sirius controls (if you decide to add Satellite radio in the future)

3. Dual RCA outputs (carries signal to the amplifiers)

4. Pause button (important for competing)

5. Detachable face, or other security devices

6. High voltage line driver - this will send the sound signal at a higher voltage to your amplifier/s reducing noise and improving overall sound quality.

After you have chosen your head unit, you will want to make a decision on amplifiers and subwoofers. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. A $30 subwoofer will be as big as a $300 subwoofer, but the capacities of each will differ greatly. Look at the power handling of each subwoofer and decide accordingly. You will want subwoofers will work with your amplifier/s (see compatibility).

You must also keep in mind the available space in your vehicle. Are you willing to give up your entire cargo area? How many subwoofers will fit? Decide on the size. Sizes will vary from 8" up to 18", some are square (Kicker), but most are round. Also keep in mind the resistance (ohms) of the subwoofer and make sure they are compatible with your amplifier/s (see compatibility). The subwoofer decision will also have an effect on the enclosure you decide to build or buy. For the basic system, I would recommend purchasing a pre-fabricated subwoofer enclosure. This will save you a bit of money and headache (especially if you end up building it two or three times!!). Make sure you take accurate measurement of your cargo area before building or buying an enclosure!!

Other components may be needed depending on the type of system you are building and how elaborate you want your sound to be. For the competition vehicle, figure on upgrading your alternator, adding a battery to your system (maybe more), running high quality RCA cables, power cables, ground cables, and speaker cable. You may need to add a capacitor to provide your amplifier with a reservoir of power for bigger hits from the subs. You may need an electronic crossover, an equalizer, replacement factory speakers, an amplifier for your mid-range and tweeters, additional speakers within your vehicle for staging, etc.

For the next step, visit us online at www.maximumspl.com Warning: This is an addictive hobby!!

I have been involved in the car audio arena for several years, and have competed locally in the Kansas City are with USACi. You may find me online at http://www.maximumspl.com.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Reece

Picking the Right Stereo System for Your Car

Most cars have a fairly average sound system in their car. This is why most people turn to after-market products to enhance their listening experience. There are so many different things to consider when enhancing your car stereo. We will go through some of these things in this article.

The first thing to consider is your car itself. Is it a 2 door, 4 door, hatch or sedan. This is important as it should greatly influence the type of sound system you purchase. Smaller cars don’t need as much power as larger cars, simply because there is smaller cabin space and too much power can be overkill.

Let’s start with a small car. Smaller cars generally have 4 speakers in the cabin. Simply upgrading these speakers will not be enough to greatly increase the sound quality. Most small cars come with CD players as standard, but the sound quality that can be obtained from the CD player will be quite poor. After all manufacturers don’t pay too much attention to the quality of music the CD player puts out. Upgrading the CD player to one that puts out 50watts per channel will give a great increase in sound quality.

For larger cars it gets a little more complicated. In some large cars there are 6 speakers in the cabin. It’s not necessary to replace all 6. Replacing the 4 will be sufficient. One thing to consider in larger cars is getting a sub-woofer. Sub-woofers usually sit in the boot of the car and can put out a good amount of bass depending on the sub-woofer. To run the sub-woofer and amplifier is also necessary.

Most manufacturers pay little attention to the sound systems in their cars but this doesn’t mean you have to put up with inferior sound quality. There are several products on the market that can make your listening experience a lot more enjoyable. www.technologyslice.com

For more great technology related articles and reviews visit http://www.technologyslice.com


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Downloading MP3's Made Easy

The MP3 movement started out with a huge audience of music enthusiasts on the internet. The MP3 digital music format has had, and will continue to have, a huge impart on how people, gather, listen to and share music.

The MP3 format is a compression system for digital music that helps reduce the size of a digitized song without disturbing the sound quality. Digital music is converted to MP3 format and made available for use, usually via the web. MP3 files can be downloaded onto your computer from the internet and special software, either commercial or freeware. Using your computer and software you can convert digital music from a CD into MP3 format.

MP3 files can be played in three different ways:

1. They can be played directly onto your computer.

2. They can be decompressed and recorded onto a CD.

3. These files can be played on a portable MP3 player.

The advantage of MP3 players is that they are small, lightweight and rugged. They are a great way to carry your MP3 files with you!

With a portable MP3 player, a personal computer, and the appropriate software, you can do the following:

1. Obtain free or low-cost music from the web.

2. Create your own mix of music by downloading MP3 files from the web and converting the tracks from CDs.

3. Listen to near-CD quality music wherever you go.

4. Listen to more music (up to 10 hours' worth).

If you want to convert your songs from your CDs into MP3 files, you can use ripper and encoder software. A ripper copies a song's file from the CD onto your hard disk. The encoder compresses the song into the MP3 format. By encoding songs, you can play them on your computer or take them with you on your MP3 player. The ripper and encoder software may come with your MP3 player.

The specific instructions will vary with the individual software programs, but the following steps will definitely take place:

1. Place the CD from which you want to convert songs into your drive.

2. Select the track(s) that you want to convert to MP3 format.

3. Convert the selected track(s).

4. Copy the new MP3 files on to your computer's hard disk.

Now you are ready to download these MP3 files into your portable MP3 player.

Once you have MP3 files on your computer, you can use the software that came with your MP3 player to download the files into your MP3 player. Again, the specific instructions will vary depending upon your software program and player, but you will:

1. Create a playlist from your MP3 files.

2. Plug the player into your computer's parallel of USB port.

3. Transfer the MP3 files according to the instructions.

Once you have downloaded the MP3 files into your portable MP3 player, you are ready to take your music anywhere. Most MP3 players are small, lightweight, and solid-state. Because most players are solid-state, there are no moving parts to break down or skip, so the sound quality is uninterrupted regardless of your physical activity. MP3 players are equipped with various types of headphones or earpieces.

Portable MP3 players can play music longer than a portable CD player. The length of play for a CD player is about 74 minutes, the length of one CD. However, the length of play for an MP3 player depends upon its memory capacity, which can be upgraded on some models. A standard MP3 player can play for about half an hour (32 MB) to a few weeks (40 GB)! Some models can be upgraded with additional memory devices.

Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher, offering information on downloading mp3's such as Eminem MP3 and finding free internet radio stations


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Kingston

Thinking Which Music Player To Buy? You Have A Better Choice Now

If you are an avid music buff, you would be looking for information on music players and their various variants. Music technology has undergone quite an interesting change since yesteryears. From bulky and big music players to compact and sleek models, the change has been pleasant as well as convenient. Let us have a look at the options available in the market to make your life more musical and tuned in.

A digital audio player is the new buzz word in the music arena today. It stores, organizes and plays music stored in the digital format. It also allows you to fiddle with your music and do music recording in a number of interesting ways. All this makes your music more interesting and worth humming. Your digital player is also commonly known as an MP3 player; however it is more than just a player. It is your complete music solution in more than one ways.

MP3 player is the most recent innovation in the music formats field. The player has completely transformed the way music was stored. It has helped people enjoy their tunes and made life easier, facilitating even home recording. Let us see how.

Do you remember the earlier golden age of music formats such as eight track records, cassette tapes and CDs? While these formats did serve the music lovers for quite some time, none of them provided the convenience that MP3 players provide. With an MP3, you have an option to personalize your music list of thousands of songs. It also enables you to have a digital music recording feature available for your use.

The biggest advantage of an MP3 player is the size which is smaller than a deck of cards. Do you remember carrying a CD player and CD storage case with you? How inconvenient it was to deal with that. However, with an MP3, life can not get any better as far as your comfort factor is concerned. These players come in a variety of shapes and sizes to appeal to a wider audience.

There are different kinds of MP3 players available in markets today. You can choose flash based players, MP3 CD players or hard drive based players, which are also known as digital jukeboxes. Flash based players are relatively low memory based storage media. These are solid state devices, holding your audio files on internal or external media such as memory cards. The capacity is restricted ranging from 128 MB to 10 GB, hence need you to put extended memory chips.

On the other end of the spectrum, digital jukeboxes read your music from a hard drive and can have storage capacity of upto 160 GB. With 160 GB, you can store your entire collection of songs and download music in one MP3 player, and still have place to spare. What an efficient way to store and play your favorite songs!

MP3 CD players can read and play audio files from a CD- ROM apart from audio CD. These players are also quite popular among music enthusiasts.

Choose the type of MP3 player as per your requirement- there’s one for every need!

The author loves music. You can setup a home recording studio by downloading some free music software. It is not difficult to learn audio mastering either.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarika_Kabra

Choosing the Best Audio Book Player

One of the things that will help you enjoy your audio book to its fullest potential is to invest in a good audio book player. Portable media devices are good tools for listening to your audio books, but audio book players are specifically designed for listening to audio books. An audio book player typically includes features that make listening to your book just as enjoyable as reading your favorite book.

Many people still enjoy the original format of audio books on tape. Even with modern technology, audio books on tape provide conveniences that other players do not provide. Listening to an audio book on cassette eliminates the problems of skipping and losing your place, so people can enjoy listening to their favourite book while jogging or exercising. Others may listen to books on tape in their cars because they are the most convenient option for enjoying a book during those long daily commutes.

Compact discs have also had an impact on the audio book industry. For people who do not have an MP3 player that they can use to take their files with them, CD audio books are the next option. This format allows listeners to easily skip and repeat certain sections of the book. Unlike cassette tapes, you cannot simply stop a CD and resume listening from the place it was stopped. Listeners have the option of "pausing" the book, but if the CD player is running on batteries this will quickly drain its power.

With the innovations of internet technology, the ideal audio book player is an MP3 player or any other portable media device with large memory capabilities. Downloads of audio books in digital format are often large, so it takes a large memory to store even a few of your favorite books. The most popular MP3 players are iPods. Audio book players, specifically made for enjoying audio books, are quickly becoming popular as well. With these devices, you can bookmark particular pages or sections so that you can resume listening at the last place you left off. An audio book player is also compatible with a greater number of the audio books available for download. iPods are typically only compatible with audio books downloaded from the iTunes service.

Audio books are a convenient and popular way to enjoy your favorite books. Their growing popularity has added demand for new advances in technology to appreciate them. While audio books on tape are considered old-fashioned, some people still prefer this method for playing their audio books. Downloads, however, have surpassed both cassettes and CD audio books because of the ease of accessibility. Digital formats are also more cost-effective and space-efficient, which is an important thing to keep in mind. Before investing in a new audio book player, evaluate your specific needs in order to choose the best player for your lifestyle.

Mike Selvon is the owner of various niche portals. Our audio books portal is a great resource for more information on audio book player.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon

How to Burn a Downloadable Audio Book to CD?

When it comes to burning (or copying/writing) a downloadable audio book to CD, you must be sure that it isn't for commercial purpose, but strictly for personal use. Violating this law can get you into serious copyright infringement problems.

Yes, the downloadable audio books are still under copyright, even after paying to download them.

The only instance where they are no longer under copyright is when the authors or translators have died over 70 years ago. There are certain publications by government that are not under copyright.

But the rule of "only for personal use" is still ultimate when it comes to burning any downloadable audio book to CD or any other such formats.

You won't believe it, but there are even certain audio book publishers that won't allow their audio books to be copied to CD. Audio book publishers can easily disable the ability to burn the files to CD.

To be sure that your audio book publishers allows this, do check it out before going ahead to buy.

It will not be beneficial for you to buy it with the primary purpose of burning it to CD to listen with your CD player, only to find that you can't burn it to CD.

Also, when it comes to burning audio books to CD, you might certainly need more than one CD for an audio book. For example, an audio book of about 10 hours can take as many as 7 CDs.

That being said, below are the steps to take to burn (or copy) any downloadable audio book into CD:

NOTE that the below instructions are based on Windows Media Player Version 10. If you are using an older version, you can download the latest version from Microsoft's website. Here's the exact link =>http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download

First, the computer you want to use to burn the audio book to CD must be equipped with a recordable CD drive and CD-burning software.

In other words, it is this CD-burning software that can burn the audio book to the CD. And it is the recordable CD drive that can be used for this purpose.

Second, play the audio book on Windows Media Player. Ensure that you choose "Full Mode" when doing this, not "Skin Mode".

Third, you will notice the "now playing" information displayed on the right-hand side of your Windows Media Player. If it isn't displayed, you should click the "Restore the Video and Visualization Pane" button to display it.

Fourth, you can now click the "Library" tab. You will notice the "Start Burn" button displayed.

Fifth, at this point, insert the blank CD into the recordable CD drive.

Sixth, click the "Start Burn" button. Your Windows Media Player will begin burning the audio book to the CD you have inserted.

Lastly, if the audio book is larger than the CD (most always are), Windows Media Player will prompt you that it requires a new CD. You can remove the one inside and insert another blank CD.

When the entire burning process is finished, it will display the status as "Complete".

***Visit OdioMall.com for over 5,000 Downloadable Audios.***

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*Please feel free to copy, send, or distribute this article at anytime as long as the article is not changed, and the entire author resource box is included with the article as written.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lily_S.

CD Duplication Explained

It took some 20 years before CD duplication methods became efficient and cost-effective. From a single CD to thousands, better tools and devices have made it possible for anyone to duplicate CDs even in the comforts of their own homes. The end products are not too shabby, either. CDs duplicated using modern software and hardware can boast of top quality and reliability.

Years ago, CDs came mainly as readable discs but as more and more consumers began clamoring for the kind of quality usually only available in digital recordings, manufacturers began producing CDs that could be encoded easily. Called CD-Rs or CD-Recordable discs, these discs made it possible for anyone who can operate a computer to perform CD duplications.

What CD duplication means

CD duplication is, put simply, photocopying, since light (laser) is being used to produce a duplicate. Imagine taking a master disc and making copies of it in a short time. What you have is a number of CDs which are exact replicas of the master, containing the exact files and data that the master disc has.

What you need

For starters, you will need a reliable computer, a CD-writer or burner and a music- or data-management software. Depending on what kind of files you will be copying, you can choose 'data CD' or 'music CD'. Most softwares will also allow you to choose which speed you want to use to burn the CD with. While faster speeds allow you to produce duplicates within a short time, slower speeds are less likely to produce errors.

What a CD burner does

A CD burner essentially functions as a photocopier. It is either a device that's already built in to the PC or an external writable drive. These days, desktop and notebook computers already come with CD drives or burners as standards. Even music enthusiasts are hooking a separate CD burner to their audio and stereo systems to facilitate faster duplication.

The CD burner uses a moving laser much like a regular CD player, except that it not only has a 'read laser', it also has a 'write laser'. The write laser interacts differently with the blank disc by producing a stronger light to change the disc's surface and thus alter it.

How CD duplication is done

When people say they 'burn' CDs, they mean copying data from a master source – a hard disc, a floppy disc or another CD – to a blank CD. A blank CD is either a CD-R or a CD-RW or re-writable. A CD-R will allow you to copy data on it but not change it. Whatever data you have on the disc will remain unchanged; you cannot make modifications nor delete anything. With a CD-RW, however, you can erase data and copy over and over again.

A blank CD has a flat, smooth surface, made of a reflective metal layer. Another layer underneath this reflective metal is made of photosensitive dye. This dye is translucent when the CD is not yet encoded. But when the CD-writer begins to 'burn' data onto the disc, the dye later is heated using a particular frequency. This is where the dye layer turns opaque and this time, will not allow light to pass through.

What the blank CD now has is no longer a smooth, flat surface but a surface that has microscopically darker areas which contain a digital pattern 'burned' into them. The altered surface now contains data copied from the master source.

Speed matters

The rate at which CDs are duplicated will depend greatly on several things: the amount of data on the disc, the speed of the copy disc, the speed of the connection between your PC and CD burner and the speed of the CD burner itself. At a 1x speed for example, the disc will spin at the same rate it does when you put it in a CD player. So if you have a CD that contains 120 minutes of recording, you will be able to duplicate that CD in 120 minutes as well.

Bob Janeway is owner of http://cduplication.knowsmart.com/ which is an up-to-date CD duplication information site.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Janeway


Choosing An MP3 Player To Groove To

If you've decided that you want get yourself a portable MP3 player, or digital music player, you've probably discovered that there are myriads of choices to choose from. Not only that, you can easily spend fifty dollars or five hundred dollars on an MP3 player.

In this article, I'll go over the three major categories of MP3 players, with tips for choosing the best one.

1: MP3 CD Players
An MP3 CD player is a digital music player that plays CDs – either standard audio CDs or MP3 CDs. MP3 CDs use a different file format than standard CDs, so they can hold many times the number of songs a standard CD can. With most computers, you can easily burn MP3 CDs for use with your player.

2: Flash Based MP3 Players
A Flash Based Player uses a static form of media such as a memory card to store your digital music on. You can get Flash based players that hold any where from 64MB (about 15-20 songs) up to several Gigabytes of music.

Flash players are general the toughest of the three types, and can take knocks and bangs better. My flash based player (a Rio Sport model) has been dropped and kicked many times while running, but it still goes strong.

Most flash players use a USB interface to connect to your computer so you can easily load them up with music.

3: Hard drive based MP3 Players As the name suggests, a hard drive MP3 player uses a hard drive to store your music on. They generally have the largest storage capacity, up to about 100 GB of music, which will hold all but the very largest of music collections. Just like flash players, most hard drive players use a USB interface to connect to your computer so you can easily load them up with music.

Visit http://www.outdoorsandin.com or http://www.outdoorsandin.com/mp3players.html for quality MP3 players.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabriel_J._Adams

Microsoft Access Certification Made Easy

If you are planning on getting your Microsoft Access Certification then it is possible you are nervous about taking the exam and even more so about your Access training. Luckily, Onsite Access training does not have to be that difficult if you just know how to get started and what to study. That is generally the most difficult part of studying anyway, figuring out what is most important and then learning it. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to make Microsoft Access certification easy.

The first option for you is to use Access training videos. The videos are excellent because they allow you to sit down and “watch” the information that you need to learn. This is an active form of learning that feels passive. In other words, you are sitting and learning the information that is placed on the screen in front of you. This is a great option for many people who simply don’t like sitting down with a book and reading. With the Access training videos you sit, watch, take notes if you want, and learn what is necessary for the exam. Even if you are a self studier you will likely benefit from the videos because they will help you affirm what you have already learned and refresh your knowledge and specific topics.

An Access training CD is also a big help. With the training CD you simply place the disc in your CD player and listen to the relevant information. This is a perfect way to study while on your way to work or doing practically anything else including working out, cleaning the house, or anything else where you can listen. Lots of people say they don’t have time to study and they may not have time to sit down with a book and read for hours a day. However, they can take advantage of the CD to listen to the important information they will need to know for the exam while they are going about their busy lives.

These are just a couple of the ways you can study for Microsoft Access certification without having to sit down with a book and read on your own the information. Sometimes people learn more when the information is presented on video and CD because they have an open mind about learning the information. Whatever your case, consider these tips when you are studying for Microsoft Access certification because they may just work for you.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. The first option for you is to use Access training videos. The videos are excellent because they allow you to sit down and “watch” the information that you need to learn. An Access training CD is also a big help. With the training CD you simply place the disc in your CD player and listen to the relevant information.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caitlina_Fuller