L'attirail

Despite what the salesman at your local A/V shop tells you, sound proofing and sound treatment are not interchangeable terms in acoustics. Sound proofing is the process of creating a space that prevents any form of sound from escaping it, while sound treatment is the manipulation of a room’s response to particular frequencies to create a balanced sound within the room. Although there are similar materials for both procedures, their expected outcomes and processes are nonetheless very different.

Sound proofing a room

If you’re creating a space that will be used to contain a huge amount of sound and noise (like a death metal band’s rehearsal space), the best way to do this would be to build a room within a room. The room itself should have a thick cement floor, walls and ceiling. This forms an outer shell which is the space’s last line of sound proofing, and must be dense enough to absorb even the loudest low frequency sounds.

Within it, another room must be made whose walls, ceiling and floor (ideally) may be made of cement as well to ensure maximum density. Drywalls filled with sheetrock or fiberglass can also be used. This inner room must be smaller than the outer room and is generally placed in the middle of it, allowing for a space between them where the resultant escaping sound is trapped even more. This ensures that only a minimum of sound meets the walls of the outer room, thus increasing the chances of a 100% sound proofed room.  Read more...

The exceptionally talented Jazz artist Marc Antoine has released him CD entitled Madrid. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Marc Antoine fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Madrid Marc Antoine’s artistic excellence is on full display as Antoine has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be him best work to date.

I wish it weren’t the case but, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Madrid. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you’ve got one of Marc Antoine’s most impressive releases ever.

Overall Madrid is a solid release. Quite possibly Marc Antoine’s best to date. Really sensational from beginning to end. If you’re even mildly into Jazz music you’ll enjoy this album.

While this entire album is really very good some of my favorites are track 3 – Dreamsicle, track 8 – Amour Hispanic, and track 10 – Rebeca’s Waltz  Read more...

Emotions is the latest release from Pop Superstar Mariah Carey, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD… AWESOME!

Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Pop music fans will recognize some of the well known contributors on the project including Michael Landau and Will Lee plus a few other notables as well.

Overall Emotions is an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up and is most definitely a worthy addition to any Pop collection. Truly an outstanding Pop CD. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is simply superb.

While this entire album is really very good some of my favorites are track 2 – And You Don’t Remember, track 9 – Till The End Of Time, and track 10 – The Wind

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Emotions. Good stuff!

Emotions Release Notes:

Mariah Carey originally released Emotions on September 17, 1991 on the Columbia label.

CD Track List Follows:

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Hip hop music was huge in the United States just a few years ago. At one point in 2000, sales even hit a record high of over 1.8 billion USD. That was when Hip Hop R&B had over taken all other genres of music in terms of record sales. To find out why Hip Hop music sales are slumping currently, one has to rewind a little and understand how Hip Hop all started out.

Before Hip Hop got accepted into the mainstream, many Hip Hop artists pretty much stayed underground to practise their art form. No one knew Hip Hop was going to become the titan that it would develop into. When Hip Hop first began, it started out in the streets. It was a movement by people who were disadvantaged, or were ostracized by the community – they were looking for a way to express themselves and their plight. And express themselves they did.

Hip Hop music is spontaneous and witty. For example, when a battle takes place between two artists, the lyrics are never pre-written. Each competitor will be given the opportunity to rap for a certain period of time. The audience is the judge. The culture of rap is that the judging audience is never biased making it a truly democratic art form. Whoever comes up with the most original and creative lyrics will win the battle. Of course, there is an element of like and dislike. So the lyrics have to connect with the audiences as well. The final results of the battle is based on the cheers of the audience. Whoever receive the loudest cheer, wins the battle.  Read more...

Do you know that 2004 is the year when the craze for Latin Music could be observed world wide for the first time? Within a short span of 4 to 5 years it has won the heart of music lovers across the world and now it is going to play a crucial role in the entertainment line up of 2009. Various musical troupes, bands and artists have come with the promise of celebrating New Year with grandeur.

The Blind River Entertainment Series

The whole of Latin America will come to life with the enchanting sound of music. Music will fill the hills surrounding the Blind River. The Blind River Entertainment Series comes with the commitment to bring different art forms to the community. The aim of BRES is to promote art in every corner of the society.

About BRES Fund

BRES is going to organize a number of shows throughout the year. The annual budget of BRES for organizing these shows is about $34,000. Most of the budget will be spent on the fees of the artists. A huge part of the fund will be raised from the grant from Ontario Arts Council.

Department of Canadian Heritage is also going to donate a big amount. BRES also has other sources. Another part of the finance will come from the fund donated by The Standard. BRES will be also supported by Cameco’s Blind River uranium refinery.

Tickets of the Shows  Read more...