Amazingly Simple Audio Editor

EXP STUDIO

I have been using this software for quite some time to construct my spoken word audio files. I've downloaded music loops and instrument solos adding vocals to create an entire music composition. It is not so intuitive but once you become familiar, its use is not much more difficult than using a full featured word processor like MS Word. Most of it's functions are simple cut, copy and paste. I've included a sample of my work for you to listen to. I created the music and all with this simple program.

Above is the dashboard of the program. Included in the program are a host of sound effects like: echo, male/female voice alterations, tempo adjustments and much much more. You can layer audio tracks/clips indefinitely. This makes a 16 or 32 track recorder somewhat obsolete. I highly recommend this for those interested in making custom mixes and recordings. It doesn't have as much flexibility and recording studio likeness as FL Studio (formally Fruity Loops), but it no where near as complicated. I became proficient in it's use within a couple of hours. If you are not computer savvy it shouldn't take too much longer. As promised here is a spoken word piece I created with the program. I used an audio loop with sound effects downloaded from freesound.org. The female voice is a friend. It is called "If I Had Your Love." One drawback, once a file is created using many different pieces it cannot be separated. The individual pieces cannot be removed. A very small drawback in my opinion.

If I Had Your Love ~~> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9399584/If%20I%20Had%20Your%20Love.wav

Travel Around The World ... Kinda Sorta

Microsoft Flight Simulator X

 

One of the greatest PC Gaming values there ever was and arguably still is ... remains to be the classic Microsoft Flight Simulator. Version X (10) in 2006 is where unfortunately it's popularity began to decline. It is now discontinued but by the grace of "The Gamer GODS" it is still widely available. You can find it almost anywhere online and even at many software stores. You can find many forums online with group discussions regarding this challenging game of skill and precision. Coming in at an average whopping $20 complete and the highest level of "Gamer's Punmanship" I can contrive: You can't beat that with a stick!

There is an accelerator expansion pack. Many other plugins can be found online. These plugins include things such as: Famous Airports, Worldwide Attractions, NASA Aircraft, War Aircraft, and a plethora of special missions. There are a host of beginner, intermediate, and expert flying lessons. The cockpit and scenery can be fine tuned to a HD format giving a very realistic appearance. Though not required it is best to use a joystick with this software. The model that I use is the Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick.

Cockpit Dash

City Of London

Visit places like Cairo Egypt, JFK Airport, or fly helicopters and passenger aircraft such as 747 and 757 jumbo jets. I could go on and on about the aircraft and designated arrival locations but let me assure you that there are plenty and they are quite varied. Additionally there are skill levels where you are required to complete increasingly more difficult flight patterns/missions. The difficulties include anything from turbulent weather to poor visibility. Unlike games that require speed and agility, this game requires patience and a steady hand. It will definitely bring out the "COOL" in you. You can adjust to several different views while flying. As you take the flying lessons to increase your skill level, awards, metals, and wings are earned. 3rd party hardware accessories such as a flight yoke, 3 lever throttle, and flight rudder pedals are available to give an even more realistic feel to the game. One of the best things about this game is, you don't need a $3500.00 computer to get the best out of it. It will run absolutely fine on a simple dual core machine with a plain vanilla graphics card right out of the box.

My final twisted thought, you should have known it was coming ... HA! A good friend of mine asked me if Flight Simulator is a "GAME"? My opinion of that straddles the fence. There has been a recent national news broadcast, and a few in the past years regarding terrorist using this "GAME" to learn how to fly aircraft and to learn specific flight patterns/maneuvers (it is quite accurate). This is indicative to me of raising the bar a little bit above "just a game".

3D Graphics On The Fly

~ Daz 3D ~

 

Some of you are aware that I love graphics. 3D graphics however, can be very time consuming and difficult to get just right. Especially from scratch. There's front, back, sides, top, and bottom views. In steps Daz 3D. Unlike Blender, Daz 3D has tons of scenes, models, clothing, and body parts, etc... in a data base available for you to use. Needless to say, rendering (drawing of the subject) is a snap. Hardly any lag or waiting time. Where as with Blender you may have to wait as long as a few hours for it to render your image depending on your processor speed and pixel density (resolution). In Daz 3D the resolution is fully adjustable. The image above is not my work. But it is featured on Deviant Art if I'm not mistaken. Her name is Nadia and she is one of the featured model modules. Daz 3D is free to start with a couple of models to work with. They charge extra fees for additional modules. Those modules consist of different, males, females, creatures, scenes, and props. The modules are very reasonably priced and there are specials and discounts being offered all the time (freebies are offered quite frequently). Everything from eye, hair and skin color to position, expression and dimension can be manipulated through its use. Though very good, unfortunately the imagery is not as lifelike as with Blender (see Blender post). The flagship features of Daz 3D is it's short learning curve and the ease of use in it's application. You can become quite proficient using Daz 3D in 2 to 3 weeks for the computer savvy, while it would take you at least 6 months to a year to become proficient using Blender ... at the very least even if you have "some" 3D modeling experience. Below is another example of the images that you can produce with Daz 3D. Notice the detail of the cargo pants. Google Images for it. Some of the work is absolutely awesome. Additionally, there is an animation engine included. The animations are simple movement like sitting, walking, running however you can link them together and manipulate them to create an entire animated scene. If you decide to give it a try and like it, give me a holler, I have tons of modules. If you ask nicely perhaps I'll share a couple with you (wink).

Blender - 3D Animation

Blender is an open source (FREE) 3D/Animation production application. I put it right up there with Hollyweird (Hollywood) post production software costing thousands of dollars. The capabilities of this software is only limited by the imagination ... For some of us, that is endless ... LOL. Wait till you see the samples below (WOW!). First of all this software is not for the meek or those looking for the "Quick & Dirty" type of applications. The proficiency curve on this is rather steep. I would say that it would take approximately a year or two before you'd become proficient in it's use. I've used it for a while and admittedly I am not very good at it at all. Needless to say the samples attached are not my work ... BUT DAMN IT'S GOOD! <~~ Shouting ... lol. The graphics produced can give a lifelike appearance when it comes to producing the human image ... Facial expressions are awesome. This is very difficult for most animation software to pull off. With experience and the proper skill set (much patience is required), you can create entire scenes with endless embellishments. There is much web content (YouTube & Similar Sites) on this programs use and tutorials are available also. On a star scale of 1 - 10, I give this one 25 stars. This wonderful software can be downloaded freely at the manufacturers website. The first image is of Jack Nicholson, notice the lifelike appearance of his skin, hair and facial expression. The second image is of a Bugatti sports car, notice the realistic shadowing and the sheen of the auto paint. The first movie sample consists of heavy usage of Blender animations with a live person accompanying the graphics. The second movie animation is made entirely with Blender ... Post production quality at it's best (Rivals Disney in my humble opinion) ENJOY!

Image Sample 1 - Jack Nicholson

Image Sample 2 - Bugatti (Italian Sports Car)

Movie Sample 1 - Jay Funk presents: Zet Project (HD)

Movie Sample 2 - Sintel, Third Open Movie by Blender Foundation (HD)

LivePix 2.0 Deluxe

Here it is folks ... My so called "Quick & Dirty". This photo processing software has been discontinued however, you can still find copies on eBay and Amazon. I have no idea why it was discontinued. It is the easiest program that I've ever used with such top notch results (see attached samples). The Whitney Houston graphic almost looks 3D. I also used this program to make the little alien "About Me" logo to this blog (Resistance Is Futile). I am so familiar and skilled at using this program that I can run circles around the Photoshop amateur like I'm  Caprese Michelangelo ... LOL. So much so ... That I refuse to give it up. The learning curve is a snap, allowing you to be proficient in less than a week. If I'm not mistaken this program actually won an award for ease of use. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that the expensive packages have but, it can hold it's own in the industry. The cutout function has the best accuracy that I've encountered. When this program was popular it cost around $20 ... I got a copy at a thrift store for around $5. To this day I swear by this program and when I have a project in mind it is the first that I use to get things started. I've created custom calendars, post cards, pillow cases and T-shirts using heat transfer paper, to name a few projects that I've done. One very useful feature is the text alignment feature which allows you to align text in several different ways. This came in very handy when creating calendars. There is one drawback to this program ... It is not compatible with Windows 7 ... sighs! Nor does Windows OS rollback function during program installation work for it ... SMDH! Remember I said that I could not give it up? Well this program is one of the main reasons that I decided to reconfigured my system into a dual booting system having both Windows XP & Windows 7 Ultimate operating systems.Windows XP is still viable and most institutions such as medical facilities still use it ... I like to call it "Trouble Free XP". Almost all graphics professionals use more than one graphics program (like myself). I prefer to use more than one graphics program because different programs do different things better than others. I produced these graphic images  exclusively with Live Pix, no multitasking or other programs were used.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

The GIMP

The GIMP is an open source (FREE) alternative to Photoshop (The graphics industry standard). You can do anything with GIMP that you can do with Photoshop. The keyboard strokes may be a little different and there may be fewer or more steps involved in getting the job done ... But it can be done. GIMP is an acronym that stands for ... GNU Image Manipulation Program (formerly General Image Manipulation Program). GNU is an operating system similar to UNIX. I've used GIMP for a few years now and I love it's capability. Photoshop users find it confusing and a pain to use. Why? Because the special feature key combinations are different. A special feature in Photoshop may require you to press Alt + F5 ... While GIMP may require you to press CTRL + F9 for the same feature. There are tons of add-ons just as with Photoshop. As you can see from the screenshot, the dashboard is very similar to Photoshop. There are literally tons of videos on YouTube and free tutorials for both programs, so have no fear if you are a beginner. Speaking of beginners, I've found something very peculiar in my experience in graphics designs. It does not matter what program you use for the most part. Of course there are some tools available in the expensive packages that cannot be found in the less costly programs that allow you to do things that you couldn't do otherwise. However, it is the skill of the designer and his/her familiarity with the program used that makes all the difference. Case in point: I've created some graphics with my (quick and dirty as I like to call it) program that rivals work done by those who used Photoshop. Not the same images or projects but, my work looks great while the Photoshop users work looks amateurish. Wouldn't you like to know what my quick and dirty (program) is? Wouldn't you like to see some of the work that I've done with it? Well ... Your wish is my command, coming soon so stay tuned.

Serif PhotoPlus X6

Here's one from my graphics arsenal. Though it says photo editing, there is a plethora of tools available. Very similar to GIMP and Photoshop in it's application, layers are used, various sized brushes are available, and many tools are present that are also in the industry standard programs. Serif has a suite of programs that allow you to get real work done. I put these programs right up there with some of Microsoft's products. A couple programs in Serif's Suite of programs are even better than Microsoft's products. I've used most of their products and am very pleased. Free versions are available for download from the manufacturers website. Some of their highlighted programs include: Word Processor, Drawing Program, Movie Editing Program, Desktop Publisher, Web Page Designer, Photo Editor, And quite a few more. Don't sleep on these ... Great programs at a great price. The full versions cost less than half the cost of similar industry standard programs. Photo editing is not all you can do. With a little imagination you can create wonderful graphic images from scratch. One of the nice features that I found particularly useful was the cutout feature. This feature automatically creates the cutout image with a transparent background (default) whereas most graphics/photo editing programs you have to manually select this function. Programs like Photoshop are so bloated with features that it takes you a few steps to pull it off. I highly recommend this program for the artistically inclined and those who like Photoshop but not the long learning curve to become proficient with it ... Not to mention the high price tag. I think the full version of Photoshop runs around $500 - $600. The full version of this program costs $89.99, and it is well worth it.

The Best Blu-Ray Burning Software

CyberLink PowerDVD 13 Ultra

Touted To Be The Best Blu-Ray Burning Software Available Today!

First and foremost, let me say this: I do not dispute the claim made by whomever made such a comment. I've been using this software for approximately 2 years. It is absolutely wonderful. Not only is it Blu-Ray burning software ... It is also a media player, a media center, and so much more. As a player I have not run across any media that it does not play or burn for that matter (including 3D). It even plays files that VLC Player would not play flawlessly. Another one of the many great features is this: It will sync an iPhone, android tablet, and a Windows based PC. As a matter of fact it will sync all of your devices regardless of platform.

If you like movies & music you will love these features. The media center function (not really a media center) delivers all the trailers for most movie releases. In addition to that bio's on all of the actors and actresses in every movie trailer ... and there are literally hundreds. There is also a music store. You can buy inexpensive royalty free music or some major label artists.

PowerDVD 13 has an enhancement known as True Theater Technology. With this feature you can actually improve the quality of movie files that you play. The aim if you will is to sharpen images, enhance color and lighting, and generally deliver what the CyberLink folks are calling “quality beyond HD”. This feature alone has made it quite enjoyable to watch movies on my computer. Of course my 32" monitor doesn't hurt either ... LOL.

As far as audio is concerned, yep you guessed it, handles that very well also. PowerDVD 13 is capable of playing the higher sound quality files like FLAC, APE, and Lossless without a hitch. Dolby sound on video is as it is suppose to sound ... AWESOME! It has a mini player for music for those times when you don't need all of the bells and whistles of the main player.

Are you a social media junkie? Do you frequent sites like Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites? PowerDVD 13 allows you to "Like" movies, tunes etc... on Facebook directly from the dashboard. You can also tweet you opinion of a song or movie. How cool is that?

The one downside that I and everyone else will encounter is cover art mismatches. That being said ... I don't know of any player that actually gets this right 100% of the time. I guess some technologies still have a ways to go yet. I could go on and on ... there are many more features. I will end with this: It is a fantastic player that provides a ton of entertainment value. A "MUST HAVE" if the primary function of your computer is for entertainment.

Who needs a burner when you have this?

Dropbox - This product may very well make ROM Drive Burners obsolete. I have been using it for a few years ... and I consider it a must have now. Dropbox is like "The Cloud" on steroids. It allows the transfer of files via email client under all platforms. Additionally it syncs with smart phones and tablets. Hyperlinks can also be used to access file content. A video can be played without actually downloading by clicking a link for example. When I'm out and about, on the road, I might want to take a few snapshots with my phone. If I do, they are ready for viewing when I get home by simply clicking the box in my system tray. With a smart phone print app, I can even have hard copy waiting for me when I return home. Files are automatically backed up online too. If you accidentally delete something, a quick visit to the Dropbox site will allow you to retrieve it. Free version has 2GB of free storage. The good people at Dropbox give you about half a dozen ways to increase the size of your box for free. Get it for free here today ==> http://db.tt/mWCExHCP