DJ Fiddler

DJ FIDDLER PODCAST

2010-03-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the DJ Fiddler Podcast, a show that features mixes highlighting various styles of electronica, including Deep, Tech, Electro, House, Breaks, as well as the many forms of Chill & Downtempo. You'll hear newer tracks, as well as older ones- basically tracks that have moved me and will hopefully inspire you. It's an hour-long experience of great mixing and great music.

Show #14: Submerge your senses into the infectious aggressive energy of Progressive House- packed great tracks from artists Way Out West, Paul Van Dyke, Wolfgang Gartner, Ticon, and much more- beginning the hour with a joint effort from D Ramirez, Mark Knight, and Underworld.

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iPhone Sound Meter

2009-05-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Have you been looking for a simple sound measurement tool for your iPhone? Well, I have been using this little gem for quite a while and find it to be quite effective. Faber Acoustical has released their handheld sound level meter (SLM), SoundMeter for the iPhone.

This application is not accurate enough to replace a dedicated SLM, but it can provide basic measurements effectively in a variety of environments.

It uses either the iphone's built-in mic or an attached headset mic and can measure peak sound levels up to 105 db. The application even rotates when using the built-in mic, while holding the phone upside down. It employes a number of features available on professional SLM devices such as time-weighted measurements, peak and maximum display levels, fast-slow-impulse response, and calibration. Landscape mode is activated when the phone is turned on it's side. High resolution display images can also be saved to the camera roll, including date, time, and location tagging.

Although this application does not meet ANSI or IEC standards for precision sound level meters, it does do a pretty good job in providing basic relative measurements.

Faber Acoustical - SoundMeter $19.99 @ iTunes App Store

Satellite Radio Is Sinking

2009-01-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

The inevitable is almost here. The progress of technology is leaving those behind that can not adapt to changing media delivery methods. Since the white flag was raised at XM last year, it has been up to Sirius to carry the burden of staying afloat aboard an ever shrinking ship.

Howard Stern has been master and commander of this effort at Sirius, but with his $100 million salary, the sea is getting rough and the competition is amassing for a broadside assault. Sirius has accumulated large debt before the market crash, and now weakened by the recent economic woes, they have a serious financial storm on the horizon. With over $3 billion long-term debt, reduced consumer spending, stagnant auto sales, the rise of alternate technology, and homogenized content, the future for Sirius does not look good. In fact, it looks grim.

Sirius plans on increasing their prices for multiple account subscribers and online streams in order to stay afloat. Users will be able to avoid this cost, by signing up for long-term contracts or paying $500 for a lifetime subscription. Although they assure subscribers that they have no plans to increase the standard monthly charges, it is unclear why prospective customers and month-to-month subscribers would continue to pay for a service, while mobile internet radio in on the rise.

Electronics manufacturer, Blaupunkt, released the first in-dash internet-based car stereo at the CES show this year in Las Vegas,which is sure push other manufacturers in doing the same.

This is the future. With the rise of cellular-based internet radio applications for cellular phones, including the widely popular iPhone (AOL Radio, Pandora, Wunder, Live365, iHeart Radio, and others) it is only a matter of time before consumers decide that this is the best way to get their music, news, podcasts, and other feeds. Consumers can now connect their cellular phones and other media devices directly into their vehicle's stereo by a number of methods recently adopted by most auto manufactures. Auto makers are now even providing a wireless way to stay connected to your car, though the use of Bluetooth technology.

Mobile internet media distribution is poised to be the death of Sirius, with constantly expanding cellular networks, ever improving bandwidth, competing providers, extreme portability, and unlimited use with existing data plans. Sirius is sailing into the into an ever brewing storm of competition, poised to hijack important market share crucial for satellite radio to stay afloat. If changes aren't made to keep existing subscribers and attract new customers, Sirius is sure sail off into the sunset.

The New Beatport 4.0 Launches

2009-01-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

The highly anticipated Beatport 4.0 is set to launch Wednesday, January 21st. Based out of Denver, Beatport was founded by John Acquaviva, long time Plus8 partner Richie Hawtin, CEO Jonas Tempel, along with support from Bad Boy Bill and Tom Hoch.

For 5 years strong, Beatport has been one of the leaders in online digital dance music distribution. They are taking this online experience to the next level, with the launch of their new web music interface. This long-awaited upgrade to their website is sure to make for an even better online experience.

Packed with over 50 new features, this new player/finder is set to improve the buying experience by engaging "all 5 senses." Increased ease of navigation, enhanced preview quality, improved search filtering, as well as the highly requested "Hold Bin" are just a few of the many Beatport upgrades.

You can see a sneak peek video trailer of the new features and watch the tutorial here.

BlueAnt Supertooth 3 'Text To Speech' Falls Short

2009-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

There has been much buzz about the new BlueAnt Supertooth 3 handsfree speakerphone. It features voice prompts to help you communicate with the unit and can upload your cellular phone's address book so it can turn the 'text to speech' by announcing who is calling.

Given the new laws requiring handsfree cell phone use while driving, these features are an attractive reason to choose the Supertooth. I researched many bluetooth units, comparing various features sets, designs, and reviews, and decided this is the unit for me. I like its magnetic visor clip, battery life, proximity connection, and power management. I even saw a video on YouTube documenting how easy it is to integrate my iPhone's address book in a few simple steps.

When I received the unit from Amazon, I was eager to get it set-up with my 3G iPhone and take it for a test drive. Nothing is ever this easy and proved to be the case with the Supertooth 3. After easily pairing with my phone, it was unable to upload my address book. After numerous attempts, I resorted to calling tech support to guide me through the process, hoping I had missed something. Although I was quickly connected to an eager representative, he was unable to solve the problem and suggested I take my iPhone into an AT&T store, Apple Store, or try connecting to another iPhone. He assured me that he had never been unable to get an iPhone to work.

I then tried connecting the unit to a friend's 3G iPhone and was immediately successful. This was very disappointing. I contacted tech support and once again, they were unable to get my phone to communicate properly. He then told me to keep trying, because previous customers with this problem have had success after numerous attempts. He said, if it didn't work, it was a problem with my phone and not the unit. After numerous unsuccessful attempts, I have been unable to get the address book feature to work.

Through further research, I have found that there are many iPhone users out there with this same issue. I have yet to find out whether the Supertooth 3 or the 3G iPhone is the source of the problem and neither Apple nor BlueAnt has been able resolve it. I have endlessly tried applying suggestions from numerous discussion groups and blog posts, along with various troubleshoots on my own. I have given up and am hoping that the next iPhone software update will solve the problem.

This issue aside, I do like the unit. It sounds clear, is designed well, and is easy to operate, but BUYER BEWARE. If you own an iPhone and are thinking of purchasing a BlueAnt Supertooth 3, make sure it works with your phone. If this 'text to speech' feature is the reason for choosing this unit, make sure it communicates with your phone before buying. Go to a store, pop it out of the box, and test it first. If you buy it online, be prepared to be one of the many consumers who may need to send the unit back or live with this feature disabled.