MIDI Recording With FL Studio and Windows Vista

One of the first struggles that many people run into when they start getting into music production is dealing with MIDI recording. It was very difficult for me to figure out how a lot of these issues with FL Studio 8, and I was almost ready to give up after running into the additional complications that resulted from me using a Windows Vista 32-bit operating system. The following guide should get you working with MIDI error-free and with ease.

The following advice is catered towards people running on the following:

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-any generic MIDI controller (currently using an Alesis QS8)
-any audio interface(currently using the M-Audio Uno USB/Midi Cable)
-FL Studio any version
-Windows Vista
-PC Desktop/Laptop
(currently running a Toshiba Satellite U405 w/ 1.86 gHz and 4 gig memory)

You can probably apply it to your situation if it differs; you'll most likely just have an easier time.

Part 1: Latency and ASIO4ALL

At this point I am assuming you have all the cables wired correctly and are able to operate your MIDI controller and have it play notes out. However, the problem that typically arises is that there is significant lag between when you press a key and a sound actually playing/recorded. This is called latency. Unless your computer is a beast and you have an overtly powerful audio interface, it will be too much for you to make using MIDI worthwhile.

The cure for this is called ASIO4ALL. I'm not sure about the technical aspects of this, but I do know that it allows you to drop your latency to a minuscule amount.

This program can be found easily by searching for "ASIO4ALL" in Google.

After installing it:

-Open FLStudio
-Click the "Options" tab
-Go to "Audio Settings"
-Under the "Input/Output" section, click the drop-down menu and change it to "ASIO4ALL v2"

This should do the trick. My latency dropped from like 50 ms to around 11 ms after this (it is measured by the "Buffer Length" in the "Audio Settings").

Most likely at this point you aren't done. When I first implemented ASIO4ALL, I noticed that I was getting very negligible lag time in my MIDI controller from the visual monitors in FLStudio, but there was no audio output. The following steps will get you your sound back without losing any of the benefits that came with installing ASIO4ALL.

Part 2: ASIO4ALL and Getting Your Sound Back

The first step is to make sure that there are no programs running that could be generating sounds besides FL Studio. If this is not the case, you will get no sound while ASIO4ALL is in use. Make sure your iTunes is off, and that no open browsers have any YouTube instances or embed media. When in doubt, click the Speaker icon on the very far right of your Windows Taskbar next to the clock, and click "Mixer". This will help you identify what program is still hogging the sound.

Second, go into FL Studio. Get to the ASIO4ALL Panel by doing the following:

-Click on "Options"
-Click on "Audio Settings"
-Click "Show ASIO panel"
-Click the icon of a Wrench so that there is no X showing and you can see all settings

If there are any red X's in the panel, then there is still a program hogging the sound from FL Studio musted be turned off.

If you're still not getting sound in FL Studio even with no red X's present, then click the blue power buttons so that the Digital Out and the Headphones are OFF.

If all of these steps were followed correctly, you should now be able to hear sound in FL Studio while running ASIO4ALL on Windows Vista.

Part 3: The Opposite of Latency

For most, this will solve any woes you may have with introducing MIDI recording to your FL Studio set up. However, there are a small group of people (me included) who ran into an additional problem after going through this process: "earlency", or the opposite of latency. Whenever I would record via MIDI my notes would be recorded slightly early, as if there was some kind of latency compensation that would push my notes back. Sadly, there was no documentation on the internet of any kind regarding how to deal with when it occurs in FL Studio (but i did find some instances of people with the same problem). The issue was significant enough to keep me from recording anything via MIDI for a period of time.

What fixed this for me was to uninstall and re-install the drivers for my MIDI interface (the M-Audio Uno Midi/USB). So simple.

Hopefully this series has dealt with any issues you have ran into when it comes to MIDI and FL Studio. It's a whole new world once everything is set up.

MIDI Recording With FL Studio and Windows Vista

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HDMI Cables, How Far Can You Go?

Congratulations your beautiful HDTV, all set up in the home theater room. Now comes the fun part of connecting everything up just right so you can see the crystal clear high definition programming that you saw at the store. Typically you'll have your satellite or cable connection right in the room which is a convenience that may not be available in older homes. Some people put all their appliances in a closet or a different part of the room then where the display is. Projectors also make it difficult to complete your setup with the standard 6 foot cable including in the manufacturer's package.

If you're looking to extend your HDMI cable reach past the standard 6ft or 15ft of length, there are many options out there. Generally you'll need a "booster" after about 100-125ft. Many cables that are longer then 75ft have boosters built-in to the cables. Since HDMI cables are digital, fiber optic technology can be used to extend the signal well past 100ft. Gefen is a digital video provider that makes a unit that can extend your HDMI connection up to 1640 feet!

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With all these options, it's important to plan ahead and choose the right sized cable so that you don't have too much left over, but more importantly, you don't spend too much money. After the 16-25 foot mark, pricing for HDMI cables goes dramatically up due to needed amplifiers or boosters. You can purchase cables that have lengths of 25, 30, 50, 75, 100, and 150 feet. After this point, fiber optic cabling needs to be used to extend the signal even further.

HDMI Cables, How Far Can You Go?

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USB Extenders - Devices Which Extend Placement of USB Peripherals

The USB extender is a hardware device that allows an extension of 1 to 4 USB peripheral devices and extends the distance up to 150ft using inexpensive Cat5 / Cat5e / Cat6 UTP cable. The setup of this device is very easy because of its simple plug and play functionality. The Icron USB 2.0 Fiber Ranger Multimode Fiber extender is another fiber optic extender version that permits an extension up to 10km. These devices support Windows, Mac-OS, Linux and Sun. It could also be used for applications that require remote location of USB peripherals such as interactive mouse, keyboards and other human input devices.

In the case of wireless USB extender, without the need for running the cables, the USB peripherals could be extended to distances up to 110ft. This is advantageous in situations where there is lack of space or where cables cannot be used. It basically is a hub that consists of a transmitter with 4 port receiver that permits the connection of up to 4 USB devices such as mouse, keyboard, printers, scanners, isochronous web cams, hard drives, and MP3 players. This extender comes along with simple plug and play functionality, and is compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1. It does not need any software driver for operation and supports Windows 2000, XP, MAC OSX, Solaris and Unix Linux along with USB transfer types such as Control, Bulk, Interrupt and Isochronous.

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The biggest advantage of a USB extender is that, the receiver has an active 4 port hub that would supply power to each port, thereby powering and charging the peripherals such as media players, smart phones and mass storage devices. The local transmitter and the receiver unit in the USB over Cat5 kit are connected using Cat 5 UTP cable; RJ45 and Icron Ranger USB 2.0 Extender have also been included so as to support USB 2.0 peripheral devices at speeds up to 480 Mb/s over a distance of 50 m/164 ft. These are powered by patented Extreme USB technology and are revolutionizing USB connectivity and extension.

USB Extenders - Devices Which Extend Placement of USB Peripherals

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Watches For Modern Sporty Women

Several GPS watches for women are designed to provide comfort and meet the demands of the user. Aside from giving the benefits of Global Positioning Systems, it has emerged to be particularly useful for women who are always on the go. Most of the GPS watches for women are designed for sports activities like hiking, trailing, running and fitness. However, some women want GPS watches intended for non-sporty women, while others continue to search for GPS watches perfect for non-sporty men and women alike.

Here are a few guidelines to choose the best GPS watches for women:
Generally, it has to be:
o Lightweight
o Waterproof or water-resistant up to 100m
o Highly readable via a large display
o With an altimeter or can record height elevation
o Bundled with a barometer or can provide info on the temperature and forecast weather
o With a digital compass
o Bundled with route planning thru personal computers
o Capable of measuring speed
o Capable of measuring distance
o Scratch resistant
o Comfortable or ergonomically wrist-hugging
o Integrated with easy to push buttons
o Equipped with alarms, timers, calendar, stopwatch
o Incorporated with long battery life
o Bundled with USB rechargeable features and full factory warranty
o
Specifically, if the woman is a competitive runner or one who trains to run, she would need the following features:
o Sufficient lap memory
o Virtual trainer allows user to meet training goals
o Virtual competitor/runner allows user to race
o Heart rate monitor

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Other wise if she is a casual runner, aspiring to do it for fitness purposes:
o Calorie burnt measure or consumption
Today, women are provided with technology that allows them to be busy even while on the road. As one tech tool officer quoted, women are buying all these gadgets because these devices are functional. Also quoted that, almost half of the customer's of GPS gadgets are women. Several GPS watch dealers include Casio, Garmin, Nike, Magellan, Timex, Silva and Suunto. Other features include MP3 players, compatibility with web maps, and multi window displays.

o Silva Tech4o Accelerator Women's Runner Pedometer Watch
It records speed, distance and calorie burned less the foot pod. It also includes dual time zones, daily timer and back light. It is showcased with a pink colored wristwatch, tight enough to motivate running or walking. It counts steps with a pedometer function.

o Silva Tech4o Accelerator Women's Hiker Pedometer Watch
It records speed and distance performance on trail. Similar to the abovementioned it also includes daily timer, backlight and pedometer function.

o Silva Tech4o Accelerator Women's Trail Runner Pedometer Watch
Compared to the hiker series, it has an enhanced accelerometer and can be used in and outdoors. It is also equipped with a highly accurate pedometer, personal profile, chronograph and alternating time zone functions.

o SUUNTO Women's Lumi Sportif Wristop Computer Watch
This watch is designed for versatile outdoor use. It has a memory log of all the outdoor activities. It also includes a 4 language function: Spanish, French, German and English. It is customizable to different colors and worn as purse accessory. The strap is made of elastomer perfect for women's size.

o TIMEX Women's Ironman Triathlon Sleek 50-Lap Watch, Navy Blue
This watch is slim and sleek designed for women. It has a memory of 50 laps and a 100 hour chronograph. It stores training workouts with dual time zones. It has night mode function and a night light. It weighs .9oz and strap is made of resin.

Watches For Modern Sporty Women

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Xbox 360 Kinect USB Extension

Out of the Box

Recently I was able to get my hands on one of the new Xbox Kinects. For those who don't know the Xbox Kinect is Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Move. It is essentially a camera that you mount above or below your TV and it senses your movements then translates them into movements in your video game. For instance, in a driving game you take put your arms in front of you and pretend to drive a car. It works alright for the most part but it does take a while to get use to. However one problem that I have run into with the Kinect is the way you connect the Kinect to your TV (No pun intended).

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Cable Troubles

The Xbox Kinect comes out of the box with a 9 foot cable. This is a slight problem with the way my Home Theater is set up. See my home has the TV Mounted on the Wall and I have my Xbox elsewhere in a near by closet. This is much further then 9 feet.

After looking around for a way to extend the cable, most of what I was finding was the Microsoft branded extension cable that will run you about 50 dollars and it is only 10ft extension. Still not good enough for my needs. So I started looking at USB extension cables. The Xbox Kinect, when you purchase it on its own, will come with a USB converter cable that turns the special Kinect cable into a USB connection. So I started trying out a few different extension cables that I had available to me.

Active and Passive USB Extensions

I first tried out a standard 6 foot Passive USB extension. This did not work what so ever. The Kinect would not recognize that it was even plugged into the Xbox. I then tried out an active extension cable. I used a Sewell 16ft Active Extension cable (you can get them at various places but I find this one to be the best deal)

After testing the Active extension cable it worked great. After plugging it in, the Kinect fired right up and the Xbox recognized the Kinect instantly. The guys at Sewell say they have tested it with these 16ft cables while daisy chaining them all together and have said it works. They even have a YouTube showing how it works.

Bigger Does Not Always Mean Better...

I also was able to try a 33 foot active extension cable and it did not work. For some reason you can daisy chain the 16 foot extensions together but the 33 foot extensions do not work. Most likely it needs the active repeaters to be at those 16 foot intervals or it cant keep the signal constant. So if you need to extend your Xbox Kinect grab yourself a couple USB Active Extension cables and you should be fine.

Note: Make sure that you have the USB connection on your Kinect and not the special Xbox Kinect connection, if you have one of those and not a USB, then you will have to buy the converter or just go for the expensive Microsoft cable

Also if you have a PlayStation Move, these also connect via USB so you can use the same cables for those as well. Sewell Direct has a video of testing them with the Move and it seems to have the same limitations, you have to use the 16ft extension cables and not the 33 ft extension cables

Xbox 360 Kinect USB Extension

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