Boim's blog

A New Dream Theater Track (On The Backs of Angels - A Dramatic Turn of Events)

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:44:00 +0000

The recent announcement that Mike Mangini would be joining Dream Theater, replacing departed drummer Mike Portnoy caused such fanfare that Mangini was a trending topic on Twitter, second only to England's Royal Wedding. Now, the band is revealing more information about their upcoming album. The new album is titled A Dramatic Turn of Events. The much-anticipated platter, which marks Mangini's recorded debut, will be released via Roadrunner Records on September 13^th and will be supported by a massive world tour.

"I'm incredibly psyched with the way this album came out and can't wait to share it with everybody," guitarist John Petrucci, who also serves as the producer for A Dramatic Turn of Events, said. "We are currently in the mix stage with the great Andy Wallace and it's all sounding amazing!"

"We have poured our hearts and minds into the creation of this album," keyboardist Jordan Rudess offered. "All the life changing events that surrounded us before, as well as during the whole process, fueled our desire to dig deep within ourselves and create the best music we possibly could."

Vocalist James LaBrie said, "In the grand scheme of Dream Theater's career, the last several months have been such an incredibly positive, fulfilling and rewarding experience. The new songs and sound has never been so spirited or rejuvenating. I cannot wait for every one of our fans to sink their audio senses into this batch of tunes."

The track listing for A Dramatic Turn of Events is as follows:

1. On the Backs of Angels

2. Build Me Up, Break Me Down

3. Lost Not Forgotten

4. This is the Life

5. The Shaman’s Trance

6. Outcry

7. Far From Heaven

8. Breaking All Illusions

9. Beneath The Surface

On the Backs of Angels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oasnbzEMV08

Download (mp3)

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/Dream-Theater-Announce-New-AlbumRelease-Date-23046.aspx?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=FB+%28DT+PR%29&utm_campaign=FB+%28DT+PR%29

It's Official: MIKE MANGINI Is New DREAM THEATER Drummer

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:35:00 +0000

The Spirit Carries On Episode 1

The Spirit Carries On Episode 3

Mike Mangini, the 48-year-old session artist who has played for ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE and STEVE VAI, has officially joined DREAM THEATER as the replacement for the recently departed Mike Portnoy.

Commented Mangini: "The day that I got the phone call to be in DREAM THEATER, it took my brain a minute to assemble what was going on, and when it sank in, the feeling was just of tremendous relief.

"It means so much to me, I almost felt like crying a couple of times. [Laughs] I didn't know what to do.

"What it means to me to be part of not only such a legendary band, but this band, is a sense of fulfillment and purpose. I feel like a puzzle piece, and with Mike [Portnoy] in particular, I feel really honored to carry on the torch for him; I'm carrying on his spirit."

Regarding the decision-making process, the members of DREAM THEATER had the following to say:

Jordan Rudess (keyboards): "The thing that stands about Mike Mangini is that he [plays] with such intensity and direction and power, and that was very engaging.

"It was hard to totally decide; you can't just say, 'OK, it's him and write off some other guy, because they're both incredible."

John Petrucci (guitar): "We unknowingly used a method that we use when we write music, which is, 'Just hear out my side.'

"During that discussion, we kind of came to some conclusions, we hashed things out, and at the end of the discussion, it was clear. We made a decision."

John Myung (bass): "A lot of it was just how felt with each particular drummer. It turned out that we were kind of all on the same page as to who we needed to carry on. I think it was meant to be."

Mangini is notorious for his technical prowess and holds three out of four World's Fastest Drummer titles. These include the Fastest Matched grip at 1,247 strokes in 60 seconds; Fastest Hands, which he earned by executing 1,203 single-stroke notes in 60 seconds without drumsticks mallets etc.; Fastest Traditional Grip which he earned by executing 1,126 strokes in 60 seconds; and Fastest Single Stroke Foot record, playing 13,222 hits in 15 minutes and 5,222 hits in five minutes.

Mangini has written two books about his drumming techniques. These books, titled "Rhythm Knowledge", are a practice method for deconstructing and simplifying complex polyrhythms and time signatures.

Mangini joined ANNIHILATOR in 1991 and appeared on the band's "Set The World On Fire" album. He toured with the group in support of the CD until 1994 at which point he was asked to play with the Massachusetts band EXTREME, replacing that group's original drummer Paul Geary.

After EXTREME dissolved in 1996, Mike was informed through drummer Jonathan Mover that guitarist Steve Vai was auditioning drummers for his live band. Mike successfully auditioned for Steve Vai's band and relocated to Los Angeles.

From late 1996 to early 2000, Mangini was the highly regarded drummer of Vai's live ensemble, which also included bassist Philip Bynoe, guitar wizard Mike Keneally and (in 2000) guitarist Dave Weiner. Mike also recorded several drum tracks for Steve's "Fire Garden" and "Ultrazone" albums.

In 2005, Mike accepted a full-time teaching position at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and today he is a prominent faculty member in the school's percussion department.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band last summer while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

He played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and toured with them in late 2010 .

The third and final webisode in which the members of DREAM THEATER share with their fans some of the intense process, along with the musical joy, that went into choosing a new drummer can be viewed below.

A little more than a month after Portnoy's sudden departure from DREAM THEATER, the band held three days of auditions in New York City. Over an amazing and productive three-day period, the band played, jammed and spoke candidly with seven of the world's greatest drummers, learning about them musically, personally and professionally, and assessing the fit of each drummer's incredible chops with the band's trademark prog-rock sound.

The members of DREAM THEATER have been extremely sensitive to the fact that this is not only a monumental decision in their own lives, but also a critical moment in the lives of their fans around the world. "The departure of our lifelong bandmate and friend was an unexpected and truly heartbreaking blow," said guitarist John Petrucci. "The fact that as a result of that event we'd be introduced to seven infinitely capable and uniquely talented drummers was heartening."

The following seven drummers took part in the DREAM THEATER audition process:

* Aquiles Priester (age 39) (ANGRA, PAUL DI'ANNO)
* Peter Wildoer (age 36) (DARKANE)
* Marco Minnemann (age 40) (KREATOR, NECROPHAGIST, EPHEL DUATH, JOE SATRIANI)
* Virgil Donati (age 52) (PLANET X, SEVEN THE HARDWAY)
* Derek Roddy (age 38) (HATE ETERNAL, NILE, TODAY IS THE DAY)
* Mike Mangini (age 48) (STEVE VAI, EXTREME, ANNIHILATOR)
* Thomas Lang (age 43) (JOHN WETTON, ROBERT FRIPP, GLENN HUGHES)

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=157462

eBook : Strategi Lulus SNMPTN For Dummies

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 07:50:00 +0000

YoriGroup - Wah nggak terasa habis ini musimnya SNMPTN lagi, Gimana nih kawan kawan yang akan mengadu nasib? Sudah siapkah kawanku semua???

Bagi teman-teman yang mau berperang di medan pertempuran SNMPTN, eBook yang satu ini harus kalian baca!!!!!

Wiiiih....... Keren banget !!!!! Didalamnya banyak hal-hal yang yang belum pernah kalian bayangkan !!!!!!

Buat penulis eBook ini yang juga teman kuliah saya "Yorisan",
Salut deechhh buat kamu.....!!!!

Penasaran....!!!!
Download :
Strategi Lulus SNMPTN For Dummies ( 1,33 Mb ) Ziddu
or mau berkunjung di websitenya sang penulis :
www.yorigroup.wordpress.com

eBook Ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:25:00 +0000

Pernah dengar filosofi seperti ini :

bahwa perangkat lunak harus tersedia dengan bebas biaya
bahwa aplikasi perangkat lunak tersebut harus dapat digunakan dalam bahasa lokal masing-masing dan untuk orang-orang yang mempunyai keterbatasan fisik, dan
bahwa pengguna harus mempunyai kebebasan untuk mengubah perangkat lunak sesuai dengan apa yang mereka butuhkan.

ya benar filosofi itu adalah filosofi dari ubuntu. Ubuntu merupakan salah satu distribusi Linux yang berbasiskan Debian. Ubuntu adalah sistem operasi lengkap berbasis Linux, tersedia secara bebas dan mempunyai dukungan baik yang berasal dari komunitas maupun tenaga ahli profesional. Mau beralih ke ubuntu..?? Anda harus membaca eBook yang satu ini. eBook ini adalah karya nyata warga forum ubuntu-indonesia.com . eBook ini dibuat untuk keperluan belajar dan bebas disebarluaskan, dicopy sepanjang bermanfaat dan tidak untuk dikomersilkan.
Dalam eBook ini terdapat tips seperti :
+ installasi ubuntu 10.04 LTS
+ solusi unsuported driver
+ desktop environment
+ Optimalisasi ubuntu desktop
+ pembahasan aplikasi ubuntu
+ internet dengan ubuntu
+ tips & trick
+ dan masih banyak lagi.

Download eBook
Ebook-Ubuntu-Indonesia.Com-V01.tar (12 Kb) Ziddu

http://ubuntu-indonesia.com/

Mengembalikan partisi yang hilang dengan TestDisk

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Partisi anda hilang?? Sudah dicek di disk management tapi hanya Local disk (C:) yang ada? Pernah terpikir kalau partisinya terhidden tapi setelah setelah melihat list volume pada diskpart ternyata juga tidak ada !! Lalu bagaimana dengan data-data yang tersimpan? kalau hanya data yang bisa di download ya tidak masalah tapi kalau data tersimpan sangat penting sampai-sampai uang jutaan rupiahpun tak kan bisa menggantikan betapa berharganya data tersebut. Jangan gugup dulu mari kita coba mengembalikan partisi yang hilang dengan TestDisk.

TestDisk

TestDisk adalah software OpenSource dan berlisensi di bawah GNU General Public License (GPL).
TestDisk adalah perangkat lunak pemulihan data yang sangat bagus dan gratis!Software ini dirancang untuk membantu memulihkan partisi yang hilang atau membuat non-boot disk bootable lagi ketika gejala-gejala ini disebabkan oleh kesalahan perangkat lunak, beberapa jenis virus atau kesalahan manusia (seperti sengaja menghapus Tabel Partisi). Tabel partisi recovery menggunakan TestDisk sangat mudah digunakan.

TestDisk dapat :

    * Memperbaiki tabel partisi, memulihkan dihapus partisi
    * Recover FAT32 boot sektor dari backup nya
    * Membangun kembali sektor boot FAT12/FAT16/FAT32
    * Memperbaiki tabel FAT
    * Membangun kembali NTFS boot sector
    * Recover NTFS boot sektor dari backup nya

* Memperbaiki MFT menggunakan MFT mirror
* Memindahkan Backup Superblok ext2/ext3/ext4

* Undelete file dari FAT, NTFS dan ext2 filesystem
* Menyalin file yang dihapus dan partisi FAT, NTFS dan ext2/ext3/ext4.
TestDisk memiliki fitur yang baik untuk pemula dan ahli. Bagi yang tahu sedikit atau tidak sama sekali tentang teknik data recovery, TestDisk dapat digunakan untuk mengumpulkan informasi rinci tentang drive non-boot yang kemudian dapat dikirim untuk analisa lebih lanjut.

Sistem operasi
TestDisk dapat berjalan di bawah :
    * DOS (baik nyata atau dalam Windows 9x DOS-box),
    * Windows (NT4, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, Windows 7 (x86 & x64),
    * Linux,
    * FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD,
    * SunOS dan
    * MacOS X
Sumber file dan precompiled binary executables tersedia untuk DOS, Win32, MacOSX dan Linux dari halaman download

Screenshots

Ketika program TestDisk dijalankan maka akan muncul seperti dibawah ini :

Selanjutnya tekan enter pada opsi "Create" lalu akan muncul media atau hard disk yang ada pada computer setelah itu tekan enter pada "Proceed"

Pilih type tabel partisi anda jika anda menggunakan windows maka pilih "Intel"

Ada banyak pilihan yang dapat dipilih disini, pilih "Analyse" jika kita ingin menganalisa struktur partisi yang ada dan mencari partisi yang hilang.

Pilih "Backup" untuk melanjutkan proses selanjutnya. Setelah itu kita dapat melakukan beberapa perintah pada list partisi-partisi yang muncul. "*" menandakan primary bootable anda [biasanya local disk (C:)]. Disini kita akan sedikit merasa tenang bahwa partisi yang terbaca tidak hanya C. Tekan tombol "p" untuk melihat isi partisi yang ada. Betapa bahagianya ketika melihat file-file partisi yang hilang kita masih utuh. tekan "q" untuk kembali. Tekan tombol panah kanan kiri dan pilih "L" atau "P" untuk mengubah status partisi, primary jika memilih"P" atau logical jika "L". Opsi "D" untuk menghapus partisi. Tapi sebaiknya kita biarkan seperti defaultnya saja. Untuk melanjutkan tekan enter.

Jika kita ingin mencari partisi lebih dalam lagi maka pilih "Deeper Search" tetapi pilih "Write" untuk langsung mengembalikan (write) struktur partisi ke disk. Setelah itu ada konfirmasi untuk membuat tabel partisi tekan "Y" untuk menconfrim.

Proses pengembalian selesai dan kita disuruh untuk reboot. Setelah proses reboot selesai InsyaAllah partisi yang hilang muncul kembali.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/Main_Page

How To Read Guitar Tab

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:09:00 +0000

Reading Guitar Tab

Guitar tablature (tab for short) is a system of notation that graphically represents strings and frets of the guitar fretboard. Each note is indicated by placing a number which indicates the fret to play, on the appropriate string. With these easy instructions you will be able to understand how to read and write guitar tab in 5 minutes.

The Basics of Reading Guitar Tab

To start out, tabs are written in lines, each line representing a string on the guitar. The thickest string being the bottom most line and the thinnest string being the topmost.



e--------------------------------

B--------------------------------

G--------------------------------

D--------------------------------

A--------------------------------

E--------------------------------

Numbers are then placed on these lines to represent finger positions on the guitar fret board. If you read the diagram below you would play this on a guitar by putting your finger just behind the 2nd fret on the 5th string (or the second thickest string). As musical notes this would read as follows B B B C# B A. The ‘zero’ represents playing an open string. So in this case you would play the A open with no finger position on the fretboard.



e-------------------------------

B-------------------------------

G-------------------------------

D-------------------------------

A--2--2--2--4--2--0-------------

E-------------------------------

How to Read Guitar Tab Chords

To tab a chord the notes would be placed in a vertical line upon the horizontal ones. This diagram represents a C Chord. You would strum the bottom 5 strings of the guitar in one motion if you were to read this tab properly.



e--0----------------------------

B--1----------------------------

G--0----------------------------

D--2----------------------------

A--3----------------------------

E-------------------------------

And this one you would strum the ‘C Chord’ three times.



e--0--0--0---------------------

B--1--1--1---------------------

G--0--0--0---------------------

D--2--2--2---------------------

A--3--3--3---------------------

E------------------------------

The one shortcoming of guitar tab is it doesn’t usually represent how long to hold a note for, or rhythm very well. Although some good tab writers will represent it by how much space is between each note. Tab works best if you listen to the song for guidance on timing then read the notes and practice it. Here for example is the timing of ‘Day Tripper’ by the Beatles, note the distances between the numbers, the first ‘0′ would ring slightly longer then the next 4 notes and the distance between D2 and D0 would also indicate a break in timing:



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G-----------------------------

D-----------2---0---4---0-2---

A---------2-------2---2-------

E-0---3-4---------------------

Tablature Symbols

The numbers don’t really describe the subtle techniques that a guitarist can execute, these are the tablature symbols that represent various techniques.

h – hammer on
p – pull off
b – bend string up
r – release bend
/ – slide up
\ – slide down
v – vibrato (sometimes written as ~)
t – right hand tap
s – legato slide
S – shift slide
– natural harmonic
[n] – artificial harmonic
n(n) – tapped harmonic
tr – trill
T – tap

TP – trem. picking
PM – palm muting
\n/ – tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n – tremolo bar down
n/ – tremolo bar up
/n\ – tremolo bar inverted dip
= – hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
<> – volume swell (louder/softer)
x – on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o – on rhythm slash represents single note slash

A Hammer On

A hammer on is executed by picking a note and then hammering done with the fretting hand on the second note. The second note isn’t actually picked but kind of echos the first one. Here is an example of how hammer ons are written in tab:



e----------------------5h7----

B------------------5h7--------

G--------------5h7------------

D----------5h7----------------

A------5h7--------------------

E--5h7------------------------

A Pull Off

A pull off is the opposite of a hammer on, so the first note is played again then the fretting hand pulls the finger off and lets the one fretted behind it play.



e----------------------7p5----

B------------------7p5--------

G--------------7p5------------

D----------7p5----------------

A------7p5--------------------

E--7p5------------------------

A Bend

A bend is represented by the symbol ‘b’, this is where the fretting hand actually bends the string to give a wobbly effect.



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G--7b----7b-------------------

D--------------7b----7b-------

A-----------------------------

E-----------------------------

A Release Bend

A release bend is represented by the symbol ‘r’, this is just like a bend, but it tells you when to release the bend and go to the next note.



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G--7r5---7r5------------------

D--------------7r5---7r5------

A-----------------------------

E-----------------------------

A Slide-Up

A slide up is represented by the symbol ‘/’. You would play the first note on 7 then slide the finger that is holding that note up to 9.



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G--7/9---7/9------------------

D--------------7/9---7/9------

A-----------------------------

E-----------------------------

A Slide-Down

Opposite of a Slide Up, slide down is represented by the symbol ‘\’. You would play the first note on 7 then slide the finger that is holding that note down to 5.



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G--7/5---7/5------------------

D--------------7/5---7/5------

A-----------------------------

E-----------------------------

Vibrato

Vibrato is like a constant rhythmic bending of the string. You do a bend up and bend down quickly to create a moving sound. It is usually represented by ‘v’ or ‘~’.



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G--7v-------------------------

D--------------------7~~~-----

A-----------------------------

E-----------------------------

Tapping

Tapping is much like a hammer-on but you don’t strum any notes. Just tap the notes on the fret board with your fretting hand.



e-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G--7t---7t---7t---------------

D-----------------------------

A-----------------------------

E-----------------------------

http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/lessons/the-basics/how-to-read-guitar-tab/

Telecommunication

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 04:51:00 +0000

Definition of telecommunication :

1. Telecommunication is the transmission of messages over significant distances for the purpose of communication.(wikipedia)

2. Any transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems (Rec.G.701-ITU-T)

Basic elements

transmission is the action of conveying signals from one point to one or more other points.

A basic telecommunication system consists of three primary units that are always present in some form:

I. A transmitter that takes information and converts it to a signal.

II. A transmission medium, also called the "physical channel" that carries the signal. An example of this is the "free space channel".

III. A receiver that takes the signal from the channel and converts it back into usable information.

A transmission may be simplex, half-duplex, or full-duplex. In simplex transmission, signals are transmitted in only one direction; one station is the transmitter and the other is the receiver. In half-duplex operation, both stations may transmit, but only one at a time. In full-duplex operation, both stations may transmit simultaneously. In the latter case, the medium is carrying signals in both directions at the same time.

Signal

Definition of signal :

1. A varying quantity that can carry information. (wikipedia)

2. A physical phenomenon one or more of whose characteristics may vary to represent information. (Rec.G.701-ITU-T)

An Analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature (variable) of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are meaningful.

A continuous signal or a continuous-time signal is a varying quantity (a signal) whose domain, which is often time, is a continuum (e.g., a connected interval of the reals). That is, the function's domain is an uncountable set.

A discrete signal or discrete-time signal is a time series consisting of a sequence of quantities. In other words, it is a time series that is a function over a domain of discrete integers.

For instance, a signal(a function) having the domain [0,10] is continuous & one having the domain {1,2,3…10} is discrete.

A Continuous Signal can be converted to a Discrete Signal using an Analog-to-Digital Converter(ADC). The conversion consists of a process called sampling.The sampling process simply samples out values of the signal at certain points seperated by an equal interval called the sampling period.

A common application of the above process is a Compact Disc(CD) which is simply a signal sampled at 44.1kHz & Quantized at 16 bits/2 bytes.

A good example is an audio signal. The image below shows the analog signal for a song called Open Your Eyes by Alter Bridge.

A digital signal, unlike the analog signal, takes only two vales-HIGH or LOW, ON or OFF, 0 or 1, TRUE or FALSE, etc. All computers & other gadgets use digital signals to store information.

http://www.itu.int/net/about/basic-texts/constitution/annex.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunication

http://zarrata.com/durofy/electronics-2/signals-systems/properties-classification-of-signals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(electronics)

http://dictionary.babylon.com

Alter Bridge - AB III (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:17:00 +0000

Track list :

1. Slip to the Void
2. Isolation
3. Ghost of Days Gone By
4. All Hope Is Gone
5. Still Remains
6. Make It Right
7. Wonderful Life
8. I Know It Hurts
9. Show Me a Sign
10. Fallout
11. Breathe Again
12. Coeur d’Alene
13. Life Must Go On
14. Words Darker Than Their Wings

Audacity

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:14:00 +0000

About Audacity

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use and multilingual audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to:

* Record live audio.
* Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
* Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.
* Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
* Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
* And more! See the complete list of features.

Features

Recording

Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.

* Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
* Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
* Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
* Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.

Import and Export

Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.

* Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
* Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
* Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
* Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
* Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
* Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
* Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.

Editing

* Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
* Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
* Very fast editing of large files.
* Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
* Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
* Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.

Effects

* Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
* Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
* Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
* Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
* Other built-in effects include:
o Echo
o Phaser
o Wahwah
o Reverse

Sound Quality

* Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
* Record at up to 96 kHz.
* Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
* Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.

Plug-Ins

* Add new effects with LADSPA plug-ins.
* Audacity includes some sample plug-ins by Steve Harris.
* Load VST plug-ins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
* Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.

Analysis

* Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
* “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.

Free and Cross-Platform

* Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
* Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.

Screenshots

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

How To Compose Music

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Starting a composition is a difficult task. Getting your inspirations, thinking creatively, applying your creative thoughts to your music and supplementing your ideas with additional composition are all difficult tasks to accomplish.

For starters, your current state of mind will greatly affect the music you write – whether you feel angry, joyful or sad chances are your musical composition will in some way reflect this mood.

Different times of day and different seasons affect your composing as well as current affairs and any stress’s you might have.

The variety of factors that can influence your composition periods are immense and hopefully these few pointers will demonstrate some methods of breaking out of the psychological restraints placed on you.

• Colours – If you are looking to compose a piece of music based around a certain mood find a relevant colour that matches for instance orange gives the impression of energy and drive. Eventually you will learn to bias your mood to suit the composition you are aiming for.

• Character – it is well known for actors to really get inside the character they are portraying through their acting. Understanding key emotions and various behaviours help the actors ‘ live ‘ as their proposed character. If you are creating a theme for a character (think darth vaders theme tune) you need to be demonstrating and describing that character through sound. If you follow the same process as an actor would you will eventually unravel hidden details that will help refine your composition, make it more realist and detailed and allow for it to be much more creative and expressive.

• Nature – a lot of creativity and inspiration can be got by observing nature. From birds communicating through a song like speech to the rustle of leaves in a summer breeze. Trying to emulate nature is an excellent way to begin a sound-scope – or incorporating nature into a character theme for example to express an angelic quality, singing like the birds (fast trills on piccolo or glissandos on the violin)

• Memories – another great source to tap into is your memories. A lot of emotion will go into compositions that are personal in some way to yourself. Spend a few minutes reflecting on your past – try to imagine the memory in great detail – sounds, smells, colours the weather – anything that will give you a good image and story to compose about.

These are just a few sources for inspiration – use your imagination – it has never ending possibilities!

With so many possibilities to compose about and now that your creativity is running, the next area to discuss is music theory.

The last thing that you want to happen is to have all these wonderfully creative ideas for your composition but being held back by the lack of musical knowledge.

A rugby player could develop his passing techniques and his scrum techniques but if he doesn’t know the rules of the game he won’t be able to perform during a game.

Although music composition and as a whole is not bound by any rules you still need the knowledge of writing music – in the same way as a poet needs a knowledge of his language to write a poem.

Some of the key areas you should know about and be constantly revising are:

• The Staff, Bar Lines, Clefs, Time Signatures.
• Note Values, Rests, Phrasing, Rhythm
• Articulation, Instrument Specific Techniques (pizz, con sord)
• Key Signatures, Circle of Fifths, Accidentals, Cadences
• Major, Minor, Diminished, Pentatonic, Diatonic Scales
• Modes
• Chords, Extensions, Inversions, Sequences, Arpeggios
• Instrument Ranges, Timbres of Each Instrument, Difficult Areas of an Instrument (The break on clarinet for instance or seventh position for trombones)

Of course it is not absolutely essential you know about all of this but it will mean that your creativity is weakened due to lack of a means to fully communicate.

Use music theory books – go through them and notate comments on the pages, take notes on to blank flash cards to memorize scales and extended chords, use past music theory exam papers to test and analyze your knowledge and then act on your weak areas, purchase a aural perception CD to recognize different cadences and the general sounds achieved from different combinations of notes and chords – there are many ways to learn all of this but find the way that you are comfortable with and stick to it.

Finally the last piece of advice in this article is to keep your composing active.

Aim to compose a short piece of music each day, maybe before you go to bed you can reflect on your day through a composition. Mix it up – compose for different orchestrations and different abilities.

Composing is challenging but by keeping active like this will greatly benefit you and your compositions – and you never know – you may accidentally stumble upon your masterpiece!

http://www.emusicguides.com/info/Music-Education/How-to-compose-music---creative-ideas.html

New Alter Bridge Album’s Title and Tracklisting

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Hello Alter Bridge Nation,
We told you that we would give you information as soon as we get it and now we are making good on that pledge. We have decided to name our upcoming album AB III. It is simple yet effective, in our opinion.

We have also chosen which songs will be on the album and we think all of you fans will be very happy about what we chose. We will update this track listing throughout the day so stay tuned to this message for updates.

AB III (Album Title)
Track 1) Slip To The Void
Track 2) Isolation
Track 3) Ghost Of Days Gone By
Track 4) All Hope Is Gone
Track 5) Still Remains
Track 6) Make It Right
Track 7) Wonderful Life
Track 8 I Know It Hurts
Track 9) Show Me A Sign
Track 10) Fallout
Track 11) Breathe Again
Track 12) Coeur D’Alene
Track 13) Life Must Go On
Track 14) Words Darker Than Their Wings
Keep Rocking,
Alter Bridge

http://www.alterbridge.com/html/2010/08/09/new-alter-bridge-albums-title-and-tracklisting/

10 Ways To Get Musical Pain Relief

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:13:00 +0000

Are You happy and fulfilled with Your level of musical skills? Can You honestly say that You have reached all of Your musical goals? Has Your playing consistently gotten better during the time You have been playing?

10 Ways to Get Relief for Your Musical Frustration.

1. Give Yourself credit– Before looking to improve something, look at the progress that has already been made. Appreciate and be thankful for that. Remember when You were a beginner and You couldn’t play at all? You would have been happy to have the skills You have now. Appreciate this, and feel good about what You have achieved up to this point. Many people beat themselves up over their own playing when they are really pretty good already. This does not mean that You should become complacent or lose motivation to improve, it only means to be happy with Yourself and Your playing as You continue to improve and move forward as a guitar player and musician.

2. Become Aware of That Which Empowers and Inspires You – There may be certain things, moments, scenarios, events, places or people that make You feel good about Yourself as a musician. These things are different for each musician. Perhaps You become very inspired by going to see a concert. Or maybe You get very motivated by watching or jamming with musicians who are currently better than You. Or, maybe You become inspired by revisiting some of Your old recordings that You have made 3 6 or 12 months ago and seeing how much You have improved. Being able to realize (and have tangible proof of) how much You have grown as a musician is a powerful inspirational force for some people. Whatever these things are, anything that gets You away from concentrating on the temporary frustrations and setbacks and focuses You on Your motivation and inspiration is what You should surround Yourself with.

3. Are You a Guitar Player, a Musician, or an Artist? – The way You see Yourself and the way You see who You want to become will create fundamental shifts in Your thinking and in the ways You feel about Your progress. For example, if You see Yourself mainly as a guitar player, You may approach Your practicing with a certain mindset. Most of Your efforts would focus on improving Your guitar playing skills. On the other hand, as a musician, Your focus will span a wider range of activities in addition to Your guitar playing, such as developing Your musical skills (aural skills, understanding of how music works, songwriting etc.). Finally, as an artist, self expression becomes the most important goal and everything that You know about music and guitar become mere tools to express the art that is inside You (and self expression becomes the pinnacle of what You do). Now, I am not saying that any one of these 3 things is better than the other 2, but You need to become aware of where You fall on this continuum and whether or not You want to make a shift more toward a different direction (and if not, then in what ways can You further improve Your current position?). Making the shift from a being a guitar player to becoming a musician or an artist will definitely change ways in which You think and feel about Your progress and practicing in general.

4. Small Changes Can Make a Big Impact – Sometimes small changes in Your practicing habits can make a big difference in Your results. For example, reorganize Your practice routine so that items that require the most of Your concentration are practiced first when Your mind is fresh. If You are strapped for time (or if You are having trouble maintaining intense concentration over longer practice sessions), divide Your practice time into manageable blocks to improve Your effectiveness. These little practice sessions will add up. Also, analyze Your practice environment. If You are currently practicing with a lot of distractions (Your TV is on, or You answer the phone every time it rings or lots of people are coming and going around You etc..) then You need to eliminate them before You can start to see maximum returns on Your investment of practice time. Also, You should record Your progress in areas that can be measured (such as the speed at which You can play certain exercises and passages). There are many ways to do this, but regardless of what system You use to record Your progress, I highly encourage You to DO it! Little ideas like this, when combined together, can make a substantial difference in Your progress.

5. Big Changes Make a Bigger Impact – Although the small ideas discussed above are certainly good, if You take bigger steps and make bigger changes in Your approach to learning guitar and music, You can expect much bigger rewards. For example, if You are frustrated with Your inability to progress beyond a certain point AND if You are self taught and have never taken lessons before, then perhaps You should look into getting a teacher (or a different teacher if You are not seeing enough progress with Your current one). As we have already discussed, the first step to changing Your playing for the better is to recognize that SOMETHING must change. If what You are doing now is not bringing You the result You want, You must change Your approach until the results become favorable.

6. Let Time Be On Your Side – Many guitarists feel frustrated when big progress does not seem to come in a short period of time. As a result, time is perceived as an enemy. However, if You are making at least some progress over time and You are patient enough and let accumulated time work for You, then time in fact becomes Your biggest advantage. Learning an instrument is much like investing money with a fixed rate of compound interest. In the beginning, the investment seems to grow so slowly that it seems like You are watching grass grow, but over the years, the growth will explode because of the exponential power of compound interest… If You know that time is on Your side, You will be sure to feel much better about Your musical future.

7. Do You Want to Entertain, Impress, or Express? – We all have our own reasons about why we play and create music. No matter what Your goals may be, ultimately You will either be involved in entertaining people, impressing people, or expressing something to people (or some combination of these things). The good news is that regardless of where Your skills are now, You can probably already entertain some people. You can probably already impress some people. And, You also can probably already express some of Your thoughts and feelings. Maybe You can not yet do these things as well as You would like, but even an inexperienced guitar player can do these things on some level. Think about this the next time You feel frustrated with Yourself… You may already add more value to Yourself and others than You realize.

8. Compare and Copy the Feeling, Not the Music –Very often, guitarists strive to imitate their favorite players and become frustrated when they are unsuccessful in doing so. A very effective way to solve this problem is to focus on imitating the FEELING that You get from a certain player’s music, rather than buying the same gear as them or striving to imitate all the nuances of their playing. Instead, if You concentrate on reproducing the same feeling and evoking the same emotions that You get from the music of others in YOUR own way, You will end up much more fulfilled. Not only will You achieve the level of musical satisfaction You are after, but You will also very often develop Your own original style in the process.

9. Turn the Tables. - Frustration can help You or hurt You depending on how You deal with it. I’ve told the story in one of my previous articles about how as a teenager, my guitar playing friends and I went to see Yngwie Malmsteen perform in Chicago. After the concert, some of my friends felt depressed after hearing Yngwie. Many didn’t want to play guitar for several days and one actually quit playing completely. My reaction to the concert was quite different. Although I felt just as frustrated as my friends, I used my frustration as a massive positive inspiring force. In the weeks that followed, I practiced much more than I ever had before. The point here is not to seek to avoid frustration, but to use it to Your advantage. Always try to turn Your own musical frustrations into the biggest source of motivation You have.

10. You Are Not Alone! - Masters of all types of art have gone through what You are going through. There was a time when Beethoven, Bach, Yngwie, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Page Zack Wylde (and many others). all felt just as frustrated as You. Today You are at whatever skill level You achieved up to this point. Through Your frustration and motivation, You will drive Yourself to eventually reach Your current goals. As You reach those goals, You will probably still feel frustrated because Your desire to improve even further will make You establish new goals for Yourself. And so the cycle will go on and on. But You too are progressing and improving more and more.

http://www.emusicguides.com/info/Music-Inspiration/ARE-YOU-AN-UNHAPPY-MUSICIAN.html

History Of Rock Music

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Rock music, where did it all begin? Believe it or not a black man who played black music, originally founded rock music in the mid 50s, this man was Chuck Berry. Rock became popular almost over night, and was accepted with open arms by the younger generations. This was largely due to younger generations who were excited by the thought of having music that expressed their rebellious streak and their desires to promote anti-conformism.

This style of music is a far cry from the modern rock music of today that has evolved over the decades and branched out into a multitude of different genres and sub-genres to create music that is more a way of life than entertainment. However, the still prominent fact that rock is a form of self-expression and non-conformist desire still remains strong even after all this time.

Rock music grew stronger and stronger with idols such as Elvis Presley, around this time many of the black rock and roll artists left the rock music scene and in their place were a host of other white rockers with a style and look all of their own.

After Elvis Presley's famous entrance, other well known rock idols and bands started popping up from everywhere, but something was lost along the way, rockers started losing sight the whole reason that rock and roll had become popular in the first place, which was non conformist and rebellious attitudes.

During this time rock, took a huge nosedive with the younger generations, who were uninterested in a mixture of country music, folk songs, and rock music. This was in the late fifties and musicians such as Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers were foremost rockers in the rock music scene.

Just as things were looking bleak, Bob Dylan entered the scene during the Vietnam War and held the heart and attention of many youth of the era with his songs of the Vietnam War and civil rights. Around this time, the Beach Boys changed the rock music scene with their new style of rock.

California had its own unique spin on rock and roll, which contained very sophisticated and vocal harmonies; this style of rock music was a change from the empathetic shouting that had first been introduced by the black musicians in the mid 50s.

In the early sixties, Britain took on a whole new aspect of rock and created a rage with bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Animals. During this era, the Yard birds also debuted and although they were in the shadows of the Rolling Stones, they were in fact the beginnings of something great, the musicians from this band were later on to revolutionize rock music all over again.

Nevertheless, it was the birth of the Beatles that created a worldwide mania and the beginning of rock music as a business was really born. Following the Beatles, the second generation of rockers were the Kinks and the Who, the Who had changed rock music forever with their mechanically amplified guitars and songs dedicated to the angry frustrated youth of the 60s The seventies saw the death of Jimmy Hendrix, and the Doors Jim Morrison, and rock music cooled down. New bands, such as Nirvana and the Eagles, began a more peaceful revival of country music mixed with soft rock. The seventies were characterized by a quieter time in rock music. The nineties saw the age of electronic music, and this new rage spread all over the world, and saw an era of many different genres of rock music, blended music and dance music mixed together. The 90s were also the decade of heavy metal and bands such as Guns and Roses and Metallica. This style of music split into a myriad of other sub-genres such as the funk-metal of Red-Hot-Chilli-Peppers, Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More.

It is hard to believe that today's rock music began with a single black man, singing a hybrid type of the blues, and flourished over the last five decades to become not only a choice, but also a way of life.

Rock music has evolved to become an array of different styles and sub categories, which provide enjoyment for a multitude of different tastes in music. What the future holds for rock music may not be known, although it is safe to say the rock music will still be around for the next five decades.
http://emusicguides.com/info/Musical-Genre/History-Of-Rock-Music.html

Hentikan Upaya Pembuktian Diri, Percuma…

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:51:00 +0000

.

Anda sering terjebak dengan Upaya Pembuktian Diri bukannya Berbuat yang Terbaik ?
Bodoh sih tidak, alami iya. Meski alami tapi tetap saja tidak produktif dan membuang-buang waktu.
Perbedaaan antara keduanya? Ada, dan signifikan:

Upaya Pembuktian Diri
upaya-upaya untuk menunjukkan ’siapa gue’. Objeknya orang lain.
Sementara itu,

Berbuat Yang Terbaik
upaya-upaya untuk melakukan apapun dengan sungguh-sungguh. Objeknya adalah diri sendiri.

Perbedaan Hasil
Sangat jelas. Kamu bisa nilai sendiri mana yang produktif, mana yang tidak.
Jika kamu memperlakukan musik sebagai ajang pembuktian diri, saya berani taruhan, kamu tidak akan pernah berhasil. Kenapa? Karena masih ada saja orang di luar sana yang menganggap remeh prestasi kamu. Padahal, misalnya, kamu sudah melakukan segala upaya untuk menjadi musisi hebat. Seperti teori saya diatas, pembuktian diri itu bukan mengacu pada diri sendiri, tapi ingin menunjukkan bahwa kamu hebat di mata orang lain. Hebat di mata fans, industri, manajer, orang tua, pacar… dan lain sebagainya.

Sementara itu, ketika anda ‘hanya berusaha berbuat yang terbaik’, anda tidak perduli lagi apakah hasil upaya anda baik, atau upaya anda bisa membuat orang senang. Anda benar-benar tidak perduli. Hasilnya, orang lain yang melihat dan menghargai upaya anda akan dengan sendirinya memuji, menghargai dan menghormati (atau setidaknya memberi semangat).

Mohon dicatat, kebanyakan orang sebenarnya tidak bodoh dan mengerti mana orang yang hanya menjadikan pekerjaannya sebagai ajang pembuktian diri dan mana yang hanya ingin melakukan yang terbaik.

Bagaimana seorang Rockstar Melakukan yang Terbaik dan tidak terjebak dengan Upaya Pembuktian Diri:

Tidak mudah untuk merubahnya. Tapi ada upaya-upaya yang bisa kamu lakukan agar musik tidak menjadi sekedar ajang pembuktian diri:

Ketahui keinginan kamu. Mau main band sekedar dapet groupie atau apa?

Tentukan tujuan. Main band mau sampe mana (nafkah, sekedar ada ‘kegiatan’, atau sampai jadi musisi profesional) dan untuk siapa sebenarnya kamu main musik.

Jabarkan tujuan (lebih bagus tertulis atau terekam dan tersimpan di media yang bisa kamu baca/dengar ulang - personal blog juga bisa jadi pilihan), dan lakukan upaya-upaya untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut.

Belajar dari orang lain. Bukan, kamu bukan dan tidak akan pernah menjadi rockstar terhebat di dunia, sadari itu. Masih banyak orang lain di luar sana yang bisa melakukannya lebih baik dari kamu. Jangan jadi rockstar dungu dan sana belajar dari mereka!

Bagian tersulit: Lakukan semua kegiatan musikal kamu secara sungguh-sungguh.

http://www.musikator.com/

Sistem Pendidikan Nasional

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:10:00 +0000

Sudah tahukah Anda dengan sistem dan jalur pendidikan di negara kita ?

Pelaksanaan pendidikan nasional berlandaskan kepada Pancasila dan Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945.

Pendidikan nasional berfungsi untuk mengembangkan kemampuan dan membentuk watak serta peradaban bangsa yang bermartabat dalam rangka mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa, yang bertujuan untuk berkembangnya potensi peserta didik agar menjadi manusia yang beriman dan bertakwa kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, berakhlak mulia, sehat, berilmu, cakap, kreatif, mandiri, dan menjadi warga negara yang demokratis serta bertanggung jawab.

.: Jalur Pendidikan

Jalur pendidikan terdiri atas:

pendidikan formal,
nonformal, dan
informal.

Pendidikan Formal

Jenjang pendidikan formal terdiri atas:

pendidikan dasar,

pendidikan menengah,

dan pendidikan tinggi.

Jenis pendidikan mencakup:

pendidikan umum,

kejuruan,

akademik,

profesi,

vokasi,

keagamaan, dan

khusus.

Pendidikan Dasar

Pendidikan dasar merupakan jenjang pendidikan yang melandasi jenjang pendidikan menengah.

Setiap warga negara yang berusia tujuh sampai dengan lima belas tahun wajib mengikuti pendidikan dasar.

Pemerintah dan Pemerintah Daerah menjamin terselenggaranya wajib belajar bagi setiap warga negara yang berusia 6 (enam) tahun pada jenjang pendidikan dasar tanpa memungut biaya.

Pendidikan dasar berbentuk:

Sekolah Dasar (SD) dan Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) atau bentuk lain yang sederajat; serta

Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP) dan Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs), atau bentuk lain yang sederajat.

Pendidikan Menengah

Pendidikan menengah merupakan lanjutan pendidikan dasar.

Pendidikan menengah terdiri atas:

pendidikan menengah umum, dan

pendidikan menengah kejuruan.

Pendidikan menengah berbentuk:

Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA),

Madrasah Aliyah (MA),

Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK), dan

Madrasah Aliyah Kejuruan (MAK), atau bentuk lain yang sederajat.

Pendidikan Tinggi

Pendidikan tinggi merupakan jenjang pendidikan setelah pendidikan menengah yang mencakup program pendidikan diploma, sarjana, magister, spesialis, dan doktor yang diselenggarakan oleh perguruan tinggi.

Perguruan tinggi dapat berbentuk:

akademi,

politeknik,

sekolah tinggi,

institut, atau

universitas.

Perguruan tinggi berkewajiban menyelenggarakan pendidikan, penelitian, dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat.

Perguruan tinggi dapat menyelenggarakan program akademik, profesi, dan/atau vokasi.

Pendidikan Nonformal

Pendidikan nonformal diselenggarakan bagi warga masyarakat yang memerlukan layanan pendidikan yang berfungsi sebagai pengganti, penambah, dan/atau pelengkap pendidikan formal dalam rangka mendukung pendidikan sepanjang hayat.

Pendidikan nonformal berfungsi mengembangkan potensi peserta didik dengan penekanan pada penguasaan pengetahuan dan keterampilan fungsional serta pengembangan sikap dan kepribadian profesional.

Pendidikan nonformal meliputi:

pendidikan kecakapan hidup,

pendidikan anak usia dini,

pendidikan kepemudaan,

pendidikan pemberdayaan perempuan,

pendidikan keaksaraan,

pendidikan keterampilan dan pelatihan kerja,

pendidikan kesetaraan, serta

pendidikan lain yang ditujukan untuk mengembangkan kemampuan peserta didik.

Satuan pendidikan nonformal terdiri atas:

lembaga kursus,

lembaga pelatihan,

kelompok belajar,

pusat kegiatan belajar masyarakat, dan

majelis taklim, serta satuan pendidikan yang sejenis.

Kursus dan pelatihan diselenggarakan bagi masyarakat yang memerlukan bekal pengetahuan, keterampilan, kecakapan hidup, dan sikap untuk mengembangkan diri, mengembangkan profesi, bekerja, usaha mandiri, dan/atau melanjutkan pendidikan ke jenjang yang lebih tinggi.

Hasil pendidikan nonformal dapat dihargai setara dengan hasil program pendidikan formal setelah melalui proses penilaian penyetaraan oleh lembaga yang ditunjuk oleh Pemerintah atau Pemerintah Daerah dengan mengacu pada standar nasional pendidikan.

Pendidikan Informal

Kegiatan pendidikan informal yang dilakukan oleh keluarga dan lingkungan berbentuk kegiatan belajar secara mandiri.

Hasil pendidikan informal diakui sama dengan pendidikan formal dan nonformal setelah peserta didik lulus ujian sesuai dengan standar nasional pendidikan.

.: Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini

Pendidikan anak usia dini diselenggarakan sebelum jenjang pendidikan dasar.

Pendidikan anak usia dini dapat diselenggarakan melalui jalur pendidikan formal, nonformal, dan/atau informal.

Pendidikan anak usia dini pada jalur pendidikan formal berbentuk:

Taman Kanak-kanak (TK),

Raudatul Athfal (RA), atau bentuk lain yang sederajat.

Pendidikan anak usia dini pada jalur pendidikan nonformal berbentuk:

Kelompok Bermain (KB),

Taman Penitipan Anak (TPA), atau bentuk lain yang sederajat.

Pendidikan anak usia dini pada jalur pendidikan informal berbentuk pendidikan keluarga atau pendidikan yang diselenggarakan oleh lingkungan.

.: Pendidikan Kedinasan

Pendidikan kedinasan merupakan pendidikan profesi yang diselenggarakan oleh departemen atau lembaga pemerintah nondepartemen.

Pendidikan kedinasan berfungsi meningkatkan kemampuan dan keterampilan dalam pelaksanaan tugas kedinasan bagi pegawai dan calon pegawai negeri suatu departemen atau lembaga pemerintah nondepartemen.

Pendidikan kedinasan diselenggarakan melalui jalur pendidikan formal dan nonformal.

.: Pendidikan Keagamaan

Pendidikan keagamaan diselenggarakan oleh Pemerintah dan/atau kelompok masyarakat dari pemeluk agama, sesuai dengan peraturan perundang-undangan.

Pendidikan keagamaan dapat diselenggarakan pada jalur pendidikan formal, nonformal, dan informal.

Pendidikan keagamaan berbentuk:

pendidikan diniyah,

pesantren,

pasraman,

pabhaja samanera, dan bentuk lain yang sejenis.

.: Pendidikan Jarak Jauh

Pendidikan jarak jauh dapat diselenggarakan pada semua jalur, jenjang, dan jenis pendidikan.

Pendidikan jarak jauh berfungsi memberikan layanan pendidikan kepada kelompok masyarakat yang tidak dapat mengikuti pendidikan secara tatap muka atau reguler.

Pendidikan jarak jauh diselenggarakan dalam berbagai bentuk, modus, dan cakupan yang didukung oleh sarana dan layanan belajar serta sistem penilaian yang menjamin mutu lulusan sesuai dengan standar nasional pendidikan.

.: Pendidikan Khusus dan Pendidikan Layanan Khusus

Pendidikan khusus merupakan pendidikan bagi peserta didik yang memiliki tingkat kesulitan dalam mengikuti proses pembelajaran karena kelainan fisik, emosional, mental, intelektual, sosial, dan/atau memiliki potensi kecerdasan dan bakat istimewa.

Pendidikan layanan khusus merupakan pendidikan bagi peserta didik di daerah terpencil atau terbelakang, masyarakat adat yang terpencil, dan/atau mengalami bencana alam, bencana sosial, dan tidak mampu dari segi ekonomi.

**Warga negara asing dapat menjadi peserta didik pada satuan pendidikan yang diselenggarakan dalam wilayah Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia.

http://www.depdiknas.go.id/

Tahap-Tahap Pembuatan Robot

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:54:00 +0000

Secara garis besar, tahapan pembuatan robot dapat dilihat pada gambar berikut:
Ada tiga tahapan pembuatan robot, yaitu:
1. Perencanaan, meliputi: pemilihan hardware dan design.
2. Pembuatan, meliputi pembuatan mekanik, elektonik, dan program.
3. Uji coba.

1. Tahap perencanan
Dalam tahap ini, kita merencanakan apa yang akan kita buat, sederhananya, kita mau membuat robot yang seperti apa? berguna untuk apa? Hal yang perlu ditentukan dalam tahap ini:
1. Dimensi, yaitu panjang, lebar, tinggi, dan perkiraan berat dari robot.
2. Struktur material, apakah dari alumunium, besi, kayu, plastik, dan sebagainya.
3. Cara kerja robot, berisi bagian-bagian robot dan fungsi dari bagian-bagian itu. Misalnya lengan, konveyor, lift, power supply.
4. Sensor-sensor apa yang akan dipakai robot.
5. Mekanisme, bagaimana sistem mekanik agar robot dapat menyelesaikan tugas.
6. Metode pengontrolan, yaitu bagaimana robot dapat dikontrol dan digerakkan, mikroprosesor yang digunakan, dan blok diagram sistem.
7. Strategi untuk memenangkan pertandingan, jika memang robot itu akan diikutkan lomba/kontes robot Indonesia/Internasional.

2. Tahap pembuatan
Ada tiga perkerjaan yang harus dilakukan dalam tahap ini, yaitu pembuatan mekanik, elektronik, dan programming. Masing-masing membutuhkan orang dengan spesialisasi yang berbeda-beda, yaitu:
~Spesialis Mekanik, bidang ilmu yang cocok adalah teknik mesin dan teknik industri.
~Spesialis Elektronika, bidang ilmu yang cocok adalah teknik elektro.
~Spesialis Programming, bidang ilmu yang cocok adalah teknik informatika.
Jadi dalam sebuah tim robot, harus ada personil-personil yang memiliki kemampuan tertentu yang saling mengisi. Untuk mengikuti lomba dibutuhkan sebuah tim yang solid. Tetapi buat Anda yang tertarik membuat robot karena hobby atau ingin belajar, semua bisa dilakukan sendiri, karena Anda tidak terikat dengan waktu atau deadline. Jadi Anda bisa melakukannya dengan lebih santai.
Pembuatan mekanik
Setelah gambaran garis besar bentuk robot dirancang, maka rangka dapat mulai dibuat.
Pembuatan sistem elektronika
Bagian sistem elektronika dirancang sesuai dengan fungsi yang diinginkan. Misalnya untuk menggerakkan motor DC diperlukan h-brigde, sedangkan untuk menggerakkan relay diperlukan saklar transistor. Sensor-sensor yang akan digunakan dipelajari dan dipahami cara kerjanya, misalnya:
1. Sensor jarak, bisa menggunakan SRF04, GP2D12, atau merakit sendiri modul sensor ultrasonik atau inframerah.
2. Sensor arah, bisa menggunakan sensor kompas CMPS03 atau Dinsmore.
3. Sensor suhu, bisa menggunakan LM35 atau sensor yang lain.
4. Sensor nyala api/panas, bisa menggunakan UVTron atau Thermopile.
5. Sensor line follower / line detector, bisa menggunakan led & photo transistor.
Pembuatan sistem elektronika ini meliputi tiga tahap:
1. Design PCB, misalnya dengan program Altium DXP.
2. Pencetakan PCB, bisa dengan Proboard.
3. Perakitan dan pengujian rangkaian elektronika.

Pembuatan Software/Program
Pembuatan software dilakukan setelah alat siap untuk diuji. Software ini ditanamkan (didownload) pada mikrokontroler sehingga robot dapat berfungsi sesuai dengan yang diharapkan.
Tahap pembuatan program ini meliputi:
1. Perancangan Algoritma atau alur programUntuk fungsi yang sederhana, algoritma dapat dibuat langsung pada saat menulis program. Untuk fungsi yang kompleks, algoritma dibuat dengan menggunakan flow chart.
2. Penulisan ProgramPenulisan program dalam Bahasa C, Assembly, Basic, atau Bahasa yang paling dikuasai.
3. Compile dan download, yaitu mentransfer program yang kita tulis kepada robot.

3. Uji coba
Setelah kita mendownload program ke mikrokontroler (otak robot) berarti kita siap melakukan tahapan terakhir dalam membuat robot, yaitu uji coba.

10 Penyebab Band Gagal

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:22:00 +0000

Segala keluh kesah dari musisi yang merasa band-nya gitu-gitu aja tentu sudah sering kita dengar. Tidak usah jauh-jauh, kemungkinan malah dialami oleh band teman anda, atau justru band anda sendiri?! Curhat panjang tentang iklim daerah yang tidak kondusif, hubungan antar personil yang dis-harmonis, atau kesempatan emas yang seakan tidak pernah datang. Semua ini tentu pernah dirasakan oleh band yang sedang mencoba 'menaklukkan' industri musik yang dikenal kejam.

Ending yang biasa terjadi adalah kebanyakan band merasa menthok, lalu bubar atau menghilang. Untuk memperbesar kemungkinan 'happy-ending', saya coba membuka manuskrip lama tentang Sepuluh Alasan Kenapa Banyak Band Gagal karya Jeffrey A Macak yang saya rasa masih relevan. Ini sangat mendasar, dan mungkin bisa mencerahkan peluang karir band anda selanjutnya. Tidak percaya, silahkan cermati satu-persatu 'ayat-ayat cinta' yang ada di bawah ini...

01; Mereka Tidak Memiliki Tujuan
Jika Anda tidak memiliki tujuan dalam mengembangkan karier, bagaimana Anda bisa mendeteksi sebuah kemajuan? Bisnis musik adalah bisnis yang keras, apalagi jika Anda tidak memiliki panduan yang jelas. Kebanyakan label rekaman, penerbit musik, manajer, produser, pengacara hiburan dan bahkan agensi booking tidak akan mau bekerjasama dengan artis yang belum jelas menentukan arah dan tujuan bagi bandnya. Mereka lebih memilih untuk bekerjasama dengan musisi yang memiliki tujuan jelas dan cekatan.

02; Mereka Tidak Memiliki Perangkat Menuju Kesuksesan
Berlawanan dengan kepercayaan orang banyak, sebenarnya memang ada sebuah "proses" untuk menjadi musisi professional dan mendapatkan sebuah kontrak rekaman. Industri musik dipenuhi dengan rumor, mitos dan misinformasi yang membuatnya sulit untuk menggoreskan kesuksesan di atasnya. Dengan memahami bagaimana industri musik ini bekerja tentunya dapat menjadi aset yang sangat berharga. Bagian dari "proses" yang dimaksud ini termasuk di antaranya adalah penggunaan "perangkat" khusus yang telah menjadi standar dalam ruang lingkup industri musik!

Daftar berikut memuat beberapa perangkat wajib yang Anda butuhkan guna mengejar karier yang serius sebagai musisi professional ;

Press Kit / Promo Pack
- Sebuah demo kaset / CD yang berisikan 3-5 lagu TERBAIK band Anda. (Kualitas jelas berpengaruh!)
- Daftar lagu (song list). (Seluruh judul lagu yang dibawakan oleh sang artis, milik sendiri atau cover)
- Lirik-lirik lagu. (materi lirik-lirik lagu milik sang artis yang termuat dalam demo mereka.
- "Write-ups" (Berbagai kisah menarik atau resensi yang ditulis media cetak)

Mailing List
Salah satu faktor terpenting dari kesuksesan Anda adalah dengan membangun, memelihara serta memaksimalkan pemanfaatan mailing list. Milis ini terdiri dari nama-nama dan kontak informasi para penggemar, kontak media, pelaku industri musik dan siapa saja yang memiliki minat yang sama (bisnis dan sebaliknya) dengan Anda (sang artis). Sebuah mailing list dapat menjadi aset yang berharga bagi artis siapa saja apabila mereka memanfaatkannya secara maksimal.

Daftar Target Media
Pemanfaatan media guna mendukung kemajuan karier Anda merupakan hal yang sangat penting sifatnya. Ini mencakup di antaranya penerbitan-penerbitan industri musik, majalah-majalah, surat kabar, radio, televisi dan internet. Sebuah band atau artis yang sangat berbakat dan secara berkesinambungan melakukan promosi bagi kemajuan kariernya memiliki kesempatan yang besar untuk mendapat "perhatian" untuk dikontrak label rekaman.
Pernahkah Anda mendengar orang berkata, "saya nggak pernah lihat dan nggak pernah tahu band mereka." Nah, Anda harus berlawanan dengan komentar tadi! Berusahalah untuk selalu "tampil" sebanyak mungkin di depan banyak orang. Penuhi keingintahuan industri dan khalayak luas dengan aksi band Anda maka dijamin band Anda akan tampil di banyak tempat! Manfaatkan penggunaan media dengan memasang iklan atau beriklan secara gratis, sebarkan rilis pers, write-ups dan resensi, dan kalau bisa usahakan tampil di radio dan televisi juga.

03; Mereka Tidak Memiliki Seseorang Untuk Memandu Karier
Salah satu tanggung jawab dari manajer personal adalah untuk membantu artis mengambil keputusan yang berhubungan dengan karier musik mereka. Masalahnya, kebanyakan artis biasanya tidak memiliki banyak waktu untuk mencari manajemen yang bagus. Biasanya ini terjadi karena kebanyakan manajer yang professional dan berpengalaman, sibuk sendiri dengan klien mereka masing-masing. Karena alasan inilah, banyak musisi yang lantas meminta kawan mereka sendiri untuk menjadi manajer.
Yang sering terjadi kemudian, sang teman tadi ternyata justru cenderung menjadi seorang booking agent dibandingkan manajer personal band. (Lebih gampang mencarikan panggung tentunya dibandingkan harus memandu karier musik artis!) Karena "teman-teman" ini sangat awam dengan bisnis musik, mereka terkadang jatuhnya malah sering mempersulit dibanding mempermudah.
Jika memang manajer yang Anda cari, maka carilah manajer! Jika teman-teman Anda berniat untuk membantu, mereka bisa menjual tiket di konser atau belajar mengoperasikan lighting! Jangan pertaruhkan karier band Anda di tangan seseorang yang sama sekali tidak memahami cara bekerja bisnis musik apalagi tidak berpengalaman sama sekali di dunia bisnis yang satu ini.

04; Mereka Menunggu Untuk Ditemukan
Jika Anda "menunggu untuk ditemukan", maka saya punya satu pertanyaan sederhana...."APA YANG SEBENARNYA YANG KAMU TUNGGU?" Ini seperti berkata, "Saya sedang menunggu sukses!" Jelas tidak masuk akal! Apa yang dimaksud oleh musisi-musisi ini ketika mereka bilang tengah menunggu untuk ditemukan sebenarnya adalah: "Saya sudah mentok karena benar-benar nggak tahu harus melakukan apa lagi!" Tidak ada yang perlu ditunggu-tunggu, mulai lakukan sesuatu, SEKARANG!... Demand discovery, never wait for it!

05; Mereka Kurang Berdedikasi
Banyak band yang telah manggung bareng selama lebih dari 10 tahun sebelum akhirnya mendapatkan kontrak rekaman! Itulah dedikasi! Itulah kegigihan! Keuletan seperti itulah yang dapat membawa artis/band ke puncak kesuksesan di bisnis musik. Anda tentu tidak perlu tampil 10 tahun lamanya sebelum "keajaiban" terjadi, namun, bila Anda memiliki dedikasi untuk mengarungi suka-duka dan sukses menghalau segala rintangan yang manghalang, agaknya Anda sudah semakin dekat dengan "keajaiban" tersebut.

06; Mereka Benar-Benar Tidak Tahu Apa Yang Harus Dilakukan
Oke, berikut ini adalah; "3 Rahasia Besar untuk menjadi Seorang Musisi Profesional dan Mendapatkan Kontrak Rekaman!"
- Asah terus bakat Anda! Latihan, latihan, latihan!
- Didiklah diri Anda dengan berbagai pengetahuan tentang bisnis musik! Jangan sekali-sekali beranggapan kalau Anda mengerti semuanya, cari tahu! Jika Anda berfikir akan tahu dengan sendirinya nanti... Anda benar, memang begitu, tapi ini terjadi setelah Anda tersandung dan jatuh berkali-kali. Jauh lebih pelik dari yang Anda bayangkan! Memang asyik-asyik saja belajar sambil mempraktekannya, tapi jangan sampai belajar dari kesalahan yang terjadi berkali-kali, dong! Ini sangat memakan waktu dan sangat menyakitkan bagi diri Anda sendiri tentunya. Carilah fakta-fakta dan pelajari bisnis ini dengan cara yang benar!
- Promosi, promosi, promosi! Mungkin Anda adalah musisi terhebat atau penyanyi paling sensasional yang pernah ada di planet ini, tapi kalau tanpa didukung promosi, siapa yang tahu?

07; Lebih Banyak Punya Alasan Mengapa Mereka Tidak Bisa Dibandingkan Mereka Bisa!
Banyak musisi yang belum apa-apa sudah memasang banyak penghalang di benak mereka. Hal ini malah membuat mereka jauh dari kesuksesan. Jangan biarkan kekurangan PD merongrong bakat atau karier musik yang telah Anda impi-impikan sejak lama. Ego yang sehat malah dibutuhkan dalam bisnis musik. (seorang ego-maniak tidak mendapat tempat di sini!)

08; Mereka Tidak Memiliki Komitmen Jangka Panjang
Jika Anda tidak jujur melihat diri Anda sendiri sebagai seorang musisi lebih dari 6 bulan sampai satu atau dua tahun, maka Anda sedang melalui sebuah fase yang bagi kita musisi "beneran" selalu berharap agar Anda MENGHILANG secepatnya! Menjadi seorang musisi adalah kerja keras seumur hidup, bukannya iseng-iseng! Musisi-musisi yang sukses di industri musik tidak sekadar memasukkan jempol kaki mereka untuk memeriksa keadaan air, mereka langsung terjun dengan kepala mereka lebih dahulu dan TIDAK pernah melihat ke belakang lagi! Sekali Anda telah menjadi seorang musisi maka seumur hidup Anda akan terus menjadi musisi!

09; Mereka Tidak Serius
Jika Anda memperlakukan musik hanya sebagai hobi, maka selamanya ia akan seperti itu! Jika Anda tidak menggiring musik dan band Anda menjadi serius, maka tidak seorangpun yang akan mau serius dengan band Anda! Jika tujuan Anda adalah menjadi musisi profesional, Anda harus menampilkan diri Anda dan apa yang Anda lakukan secara profesional pula!

10; Mereka Tidak Berbakat Sama Sekali
Salah satu alasan terbesar mengapa begitu sulit untuk menembus bisnis musik adalah karena bisnis ini merupakan bisnis yang kompleks. Semua orang kebelet menjadi bintang. Apa yang membuatnya semakin sulit ditembus ternyata karena makin banyak lahir musisi jadi-jadian yang merusak kesempatan bagi musisi-musisi berbakat! Label-label rekaman dibombardir dengan demo-demo "sampah" yang sangat jauh dari standar industri musik. Tidak heran makanya demo-demo ini kemudian langsung berakhir di keranjang sampah walau belum sempat dibuka sama sekali! Ini artinya bagi musisi professional, orang tersebut harus menunggu sampai bagian A&R dari label-label rekaman tersebut selesai menyortir satu-persatu ribuan "sampah" tersebut sebelum akhirnya benar-benar dibuka dan disimak oleh mereka.
http://www.pasarmusik.com/

What is PHYSICS?

noreply@blogger.com (boim) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:17:00 +0000

Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.
This energy can take the form of motion, light, electricity, radiation, gravity . . . just about anything, honestly. Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from sub-atomic particles (i.e. the particles that make up the atom and the particles that make up those particles) to stars and even entire galaxies.

How Physics Works

As an experimental science, physics utilizes the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses that are based on observation of the natural world. The goal of physics is to use the results of these experiments to formulate scientific laws, usually expressed in the language of mathematics, which can then be used to predict other phenomena.

The Role of Physics in Science

In a broader sense, physics can be seen as the most fundamental of the natural sciences. Chemistry, for example, can be viewed as a complex application of physics, as it focuses on the interaction of energy and matter in chemical systems. We also know that biology is, at its heart, an application of chemical properties in living things, which means that it is also, ultimately, ruled by the physical laws.

Because physics covers so much area, it is divided into several specific fields of study, such as electronics, quantum physics, astronomy, and biophysics.

More Physics Q&A

Physics - major concepts:
Fields of Physics
Major Laws of Physics
Fundamental Forces of Physics

Physics - modern physics theories:
Quantum Physics Overview
Einstein's Theory of Relativity
10 Weirdest Physical Theories.

Andrew Zimmerman Jones, About.com