Podcast Hangout

When I was a kid, I used to love to have my parents Read books by J.R.R. Tolkien to me. I loved The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, and all of the rest. My favorite one, however, was The Hobbit. I would never get tired of that story. There was something so classic about it, so fairytale like. Beyond that, it was just the right length. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was over a thousands pages, but The Hobbit was long enough to feel epic but not long enough to take a year to read at bedtime.

Ever since growing up, I have felt nostalgic for the age of bedtime stories. I have had many downloadable audio books, but none of them have quite done it for me before. Then I found a copy of The Hobbit audio book, and I loved it. The narrator had a great voice and read it at just the right speed to keep it moving along without rushing. Tolkien has been coming back into style lately, and I was afraid that they would mess it up. With all of the Peter Jackson hobbit hype, I thought that the spirit of Tolkien would be lost. That hasn’t been the case at all. The Hobbit audio book has been a truly astounding listen.

I have actually enjoyed hearing The Hobbit audio book so much that I have been thinking about buying some other recordings of books by Tolkien. I know that there are Lord of the Rings audio books out there, and I can’t wait to hear them. The problem is that so many people have recorded the Lord of the Rings that it might be kind of hard to pick out the one that I want to hear. How do you know ahead of time who does the best reading? I really wish that there was a resource for reviewing audio books online. I was fortunate enough to get a great copy of The Hobbit audio book, but I wouldn’t want to take another risk if I could avoid it. I could get a terrible reading this time.

If you have the luxury of hearing someone else read The Hobbit to you, I highly suggest doing it. If you can’t, however, buying the audio book Hobbit is a great second best. The Hobbit audio book is even better than reading it to yourself because it lets you have the childhood experience of being read to a little bit.

Many music podcasts are available online for downloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hip hop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help. The first possibility would be to go directly to a site which creates one and subscribe to it using a podcast client which automatically checks the feed for new episodes and downloads them for the user. If, however, one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, or simply wanted to find new podcast sites, the best possibility would be to check a podcast directory, a list of podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one of these podcast directories. A podcast directory stores lists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site, and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region, and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast, visiting a podcast directory and checking under music podcasts, and then under hip hop music would find many podcasts which play that type of music.

The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to by inputting the feed address listed into one of the many podcast clients. The music will come in episodes, the name for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Some of these podcasts may feature independent artists, musicians trying to break into the music industry who have chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their music and gaining a following. Others may be remixes of popular songs that have been changed in some way to give a different feel to the music. Often, the artists may already be established, though, and they still see podcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a larger audience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hip songs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as part of their mix distribution while requesting a link to a site where more information can be learned about the artists and music can be purchased. Artists that have done this include alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man, roots manuva, and outer space.

A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mix podcasts are actually radio stations, however. These broadcasters have found that podcasting their shows and selections is an easy way to reach more listeners and gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reach more people easier and cheaper than they can by playing hip hop mix music over the airwaves in their local areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet is probably the way many future artists will do their work, and there are many ways available even now that they can do so and make a profit. For instance, some podcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. A hip hop artist who wished to share his music could charge for addition to the feed list, then issue a unique feed address to the user, allowing them to hear new pieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop music file could even be designed so it could not be copied and used by another user at a different computer, to ensure that the artist could maintain control over his work.

There are many podcasts on PSP available. Some of them simply share information on the PlayStation Portable and distribute it to people interested in portable gaming. These podcasts serve as news organizations, sharing audio or visual files talking about the PlayStation Portable and speculating about updates to the PSP. The vast majority, however, take advantage of the ability of the PlayStation Portable’s ability to download and play quality videos on the gaming screen. Developers of the program PSP Video 9 first created a program that could change videos from computer types like .avi and .mpeg to the format used by the Play Station Portable.

Once that was done, it was quickly possible to create podcasts for the PSP. Podcasters began creating video files, changing them to a format readable by the PlayStation Portable, and distributing them by podast feed. These podcast feeds are subscribed to by people interested in the feed, who download the episodes as they come out. After the video files are transfered to the PlayStation Portable, they can be viewed whenever the end user wishes, just like the other movies and professionally done videos available for the PSP. The PlayStation Portable has thus been changed from simply being a portable gaming platform to a piece of full featured media hardware capable of playing games, storing information, and playing videos and movies, moving toward a more complex future.

Audio recording is a pretty tricky thing, and anyone who has shot a band with a camcorder knows this. A simple microphone roaming around a club will not pick up the sound as the ears hear it. This is why so many have to go to a recording studio in order to record an album. There are various techniques used, and some are faster than others. Most work well though, and it will depend on what a band or a singer wants for their sound and also how much money they have to spend.

Most audio recording requires some very expensive equipment. This equipment is hard to run, but that does not mean someone can not learn how to use it. Some go to school for this, and some learn by watching and assisting someone who knows what they are doing. This can be done for both live sound and for studio audio recording. However, it should be noted that though they might seem like the same thing, they are vastly different. A good sound engineer will learn to do both rather well.

Someone looking to get into audio recording on a small scale can find some type of equipment to get started on their own. The four track recorder isn’t the best choice, but it is rather inexpensive and is a great tool for learning. Most audio recording studios use 32 track machines, though some smaller ones only have 16. Some have even more. It all depends on what type of audio recording a studio wants to specialize in. Some set up something that works just fine in a basement or a garage, but when living in a residential area, these areas have to be superbly sound proofed or there will be problems. Those with a professional studio for audio recording need to find commercial space that will fit their needs.

Most musicians know enough about music and sound to learn audio recording on their own. They just have to read up on what the machines do, and they can then play with them until they get it right. It takes people years to get truly good at recording, so someone new to the trade should allow themselves plenty of time to learn the tricks needed to get a quality sound when they record. The best way to learn is through practice, and there are always local bands and singers that might enjoy some free recording time in exchange for allowing someone new to practice on them.

Encouraging children to read is very important for their development. Some children take to it naturally whilst others have to be cajoled. One way to arouse interest in both fiction and non-fiction books is to present them in the form of audio books for children. These come in CDs and cassettes and are sometimes accompanied by CD-ROM. The sets also have informative and entertaining booklets.

There is a vast market for children’s literature and education. Famous actors and writers often present audio books for children. They cover age ranges from infants to teenagers and can make many long, boring car journeys a lot more pleasant. Bedtime stories can still involve child and parent as they each snuggle up to listen. Schools can also make use of this audio medium. Poorly children may not have the energy to read but can listen. They can even listen in hospital on personal headphones.

One of the most anticipated books ever to be published is the final installment in the Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling. The publication date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been announced as July 21st 2007 and the audio version comes out on the same date. There will be a children’s and an adult edition. Previous books in the series have been read by actor and comic writer, Stephen Fry.

Classic children’s stories from the past make up a lot of the audios available. A 3 CD pack contains the Just So allegorical stories by Rudyard Kipling with original illustrations by the author. Actress Jenny Agutter reads The Secret Garden, a perennial favorite amongst audio books for children since it was adapted from the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Other classics include Robin Hood, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson.

Children love to hear about legends, especially if they involve adventure and heroic deeds. Tales from the Greek Legends includes the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. Medieval England is represented in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

For younger listeners, there are Anderson’s Fairy Tales, which include The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling. Beatrix Potter stories are still immensely popular and the recent release of a movie about the author’s life has sparked even more interest. The film features Renee Zellwegger in the title role and co-stars Ewan McGregor. They both read stories on Favorite Beatrix Potter Tales: Read by Stars of the Movie, Miss Potter. Other audio books for children, particularly suitable for younger children include the Winnie the Pooh series. This is part of the BBC Radio Collection and the reader is writer, Alan Bennett.