One of the new Android 5.1 tablet PCs is a RoverPad Air Q10 3G – device with 10.1″ multitouch screen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, 4500 mAh battery, GPS satellite navigation, 4-cores processor Spreadtrum SC7731G, working on 1.5 GHz frequency and 80 USD price. Manufacturer does not tell what kind of matrix is used, but judging by angles of view, it is an IPS or simillar high-quality one; in tablet PC following are built-in : graphical chip Mali-400 MP2, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in memory with extendability via Micro SD flash cards with 32 GB max size ( larger ones are, probably, also supported ) and slot for SIM cards. It can be used as phone with 3G networks support and without 2G and 4G LTE; it has only acceleration sensor.
Tablet PC RoverPad Air Q10 3G ( side view )
In RoverPad Air Q10 3G two minimal for tablet PCs cameras are placed : 2 MP main one and 0.3 MP frontal one. On its external panels following modules are placed : Micro USB 2.0 port for external devices connection via OTG cable, battery charging and connection to computer; microphone and speaker; 1/8″ mini jack headsets and headphones connector; and power and volume control buttons. It supports wireless Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g/n ) and Bluetooth 2.1 ( +EDR ) connections for remote communications with other devices and data transfers, without NFC support. Device’s body is made from plastic, its sizes are 240 ( width ) x 166 ( height ) x 10.5 ( depth ) mm and mass is 550 g; battery charge is 4500 mAh – this a very good value for tablet PCs.
Package with RoverPad Air Q10 3G contains : USB cable, recharger, warranty card and user’s guide. Main pluses of this device are : large screen, capacitive battery, GPS satellite navigation, powerful system and optimal for its functions price. If there is no need in large screen, then there is ability to buy for smaller price Windows or Android tablet PC with smaller screen.
Another one novelty of Audio-Technica company is a professional monitor headphones ATH-PRO5MK3 with microphone, 10 Hz – 25 kHz reproducible sounds frequencies range, 1300 mW input power and closed architecture. Their impedance is 38 Ohms, Sensitivity is 101 dB and mass is 250 g ( without cord ); headphones can reproduce sound from both or only one cup for selective channels monitoring; powerful magnets and high input power provide uniform sounds frequencies reproduction. Detachable cables are connected to only one cup ( there are 2 of them in the package : coiled one and straight one with microphone and smartphones control button, their both length is 1.2 m ); they are attached to sound source via 1/8″ mini jack connector with gold-plated contacts. Microphone sensitivity is -41 dB ( this is a good value ) and perceivable frequencies are in 100 Hz – 10 kHz frequencies range.
Package contains : Audio-Technica ATH-PRO5MK3 headphones themselves, 2 cables, screw-on adapter to 1/4″ jack plug, warranty card and user’s guide. Headphones are great : they have wide reproducible frequencies range, high input power, large membranes, two detachable cables and microphone; they are oriented on professional studio use and have according price : around 100 USD – for professional monitor headphones this is an adequate sum. There is need to note, that for high-quality sounds and music listening by usual users consumer-level monitor headphones cab be used with much smaller price.
Smartphones manufacturer ZTE presented new Android 5.1 device Blade A465, containing 5″ multitouch IPS screen with 480 x 854 pixels resolution, 4G LTE, 5 MP main camera, GLONASS and GPS satellite navigation systems and 4-cores processor MediaTek MT6735, working on 1 GHz frequency. It has : 1 GB of RAM, graphical chip Mali-T720, 8 GB of built-in memory with ability to extend via Micro SD flash cards with 32 GB max capacity ( probably, larger cards are also supported ) and 2 slots for Micro SIM cards. It can work in 2G ( GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 ), 3G ( UMTS 900 and 2100 ) and 4G LTE ( LTE 800 and 2600 ) networks; and has acceleration, proximity and lighting sensors.
Smartphone ZTE Blade A465 ( side view )
In ZTE Blade A465 two middle level for smartphones cameras are placed : 5 MP main one ( photos resolution up to 3328 x 1872 pixels, VGA 640 x 480 pixels video, autofocusing, LED flash and 5-x digital zoom ) and 2 MP frontal one ( with photos resolution up to 1792 x 1008 pixels and VGA 640 x 480 pixels video ). On its external panels following can be found : Micro USB 2.0 port for connection to computer and battery charging, power and volume control buttons, 1/8″ mini jack headsets and headphones connector and microphone and speaker. It supports wireless Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g/n, +Direct ) and Bluetooth ( +Stereo ) for remote data transfers and communications with other devices without NFC support. Device’s body is made from plastics, its sizes are 143 ( height ) x 70 ( width ) x 7 ( depth ) mm and its mass is 170 g; Li-ion battery charge is 2200 mAh – this is an average value for smartphones.
Package with ZTE Blade A465 smartphone contains : USB cable, recharger, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. All in all smartphone is good, having powerful system, GLONASS and GPS navigation, 4G LTE and large IPS screen; its price is around 115 USD – it is acceptable sum for its functions. However, there is need to note, that for approximately the same money close Windows or Android smartphone without 4G LTE and entry-level tablet PC with larger screen can be bought.
USB 3.0 audio interface PreSonus Studio 192 Mobile
Company PreSonus released new USB 3.0audio interfacesStudio 192 Mobile with support of 192 kHz and 24 bits work mode, 110 dB dynamic range and large amount of connectors. On its frontal panel there are : 2 combined XLR/TRS 1/4″ jack microphone/instrumental Hi-Z/linear outputs; small screen with controls, including phantom power +48 V switch button; phantom power of inputs and levels with clipping of inputs and outputs indicators; main outputs volume control knob; TRS 1/4″ jack output for monitor headphones with volume control knob and power button. On back panel there are : power adapter input; USB 3.0 input, compatible with USB 2.0, for connection to computer and powering; optical digital ADAT inputs and outputs; Kensington Lock slot; coaxial digital S/PDIFRCA inputs and outputs; time synchronization input and output; left and right TRS 1/4″ jack main analogue outputs; 4 more of the same type analogue outputs; and 2 TRS 1/4″ jack linear inputs. All analogue inputs and outputs, except headphones connector, are balanced; it can be controlled remotely from smartphones and tablet PCs.
USB 3.0 audio interface PreSonus Studio 192 Mobile ( back panel )
Dynamic range of microphone inputs of PreSonus Studio 192 Mobile is 110 dB, THD+N 0.005 %, impedance is 1600 Ohms and noise level is -128 dB; instrumental Hi-Z inputs have the same THD+N and dynamic range, 1 MOhm impedance and 80 dB channels separation. Linear inputs : dynamic range up to 114 dB, the same THD+N, 10 kOhms impedance and 80 dB channels separation; main linear outputs of device : dynamic range is 112 dB, the same THD+N and channels isolation and 51 Ohms impedance. Monitor headphones output have : 150 mW maximal power, the same THD+N and channels isolation and 103 dB dynamic range. Digital to analogue and analogue to digital conversions are performed with 118 dB dynamic range inside device. It can work in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X with support of ASIO 2.0 and CoreAudio interfaces, accordingly, via which it interacts with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. With device DAWStudio One Artist and program UC Surface for audio interface control are supplied.
Package contains : PreSonus Studio 192 Mobile USB 3.0 audio interface itself, USB cable, power adapter, disks with drivers and programs, warranty card and user’s guide. Interface is good, with large amount of connectors, high characteristics and support of USB 3.0; there is ability to anticipate, that PreSonus will set high price on this device, due to its novelty and support of this interface, so there is ability to look on audio interfaces of Steinberg, Behringer, Focusrite, Roland, ESI, M-Audio and other manufacturers production, among which there are devices with similar or even better characteristics and larger connectors amount for smaller price.
In Triassic period of Mesozoic era lakes, seas and oceans were already inhabited by large reptiles, for example, ceresiosaurus were among them – ancestors of plesiosaurus, which appeared in a later Jurassic period. They reached in length 3 m and already had much of the features of a plesiosaurus : long neck, small head and limbs, almost transformed into the fins. They were fast swimmers and propelled in the water like modern penguins do, chasing small and fast prey. Species name means “Lizard from Ceresio” – this is a name of lake on the south of Switzerland, near which fossils of these reptiles were found for the first time.
Ceresiosaurus lived on Earth in the middle Triassic period 230 – 220 millions of years ago and inhabited small coastal lagoons, living alongside with other marine and landreptiles. Form of their limbs tells, that they were able to move on the ground, but not as effective, as other nothosaurus ( animals species, to which ceresiosaurus belong ) did, and already moved to completely marine lifestyle. For the first time fossils of this animals species were found and described in 1931 year by Bernhard Peyer, later people found other fossils of ceresiosaurus in this area.
Company Audio-Technica released new 53 mm professional monitor headphonesATH-PRO700MK2 with 5 Hz – 35 kHz reproducible sounds frequencies range and closed architecture. Their sensitivity is 106 dB, impedance is 38 Ohms, maximal input power is 3500 mW and mass is 305 g. Removable cable is connected to one of the cups ( there are 2 of them in the package : coiled one and straight one, both have 1.2 m length ), to sound source they are connected via 1/8″ mini jack connector with gold-plated contacts; device can be folded for compactness. Package with Audio-Technica ATH-PRO700MK2 headphones contains : adapter to 1/4″ jack connector, 2 cables, carrying and storage pouch, warranty card and user’s guide. Headphones are great : with very wide reproducible sounds frequencies range, large diaphragms for high-quality basses reproduction and high sensitivity; they are designed for professional studio use and have according price 100 – 130 USD, this acceptable price for professional headphones; but for simply high-quality music listening, consumer level monitor headphones can be used, for example, 50 or 40 mm ones for much smaller price.
Far Away from Misty Mountains Cold … ( Hobbit ) in DAW REAPER
Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away ere break of day To seek the pale enchanted gold. … The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread; The trees like torches blazed with light. …
Lets create today variation of composition “Far Away from Misty Mountains Cold …” from film Hobbit in DAWREAPER. MIDI notes I took from Internet, thank you goes to their original author; there was almost no need to change anything in them, I only made pauses in the beginning and at the end of composition. There were only 2 instruments : playing main melody and basses, I added 1 track with additional basses to enhance composition. Melody is played by instrument DSK Overture with french horm ( to this instrument I added band compressor ) and ESI Piano, their united sound is processed by reverberation. First basses party is played by instrument DSK Strings with violas section and cello and effects phaser and small reverberation; second basses part is played by DSK Brass with french horn and tuba instrument, the same way processed by phaser and small reverberation. Via this link completed composition in FLAC format and archive with project file and sounds can be downloaded : Far Away from Misty Mountains Cold … ( Hobbit ) in DAW REAPER.
MIDI keyboard emulator FreePiano 2
To mixed sound I applied compressor, which does not give to spikes to overflow dynamic range, and at the same time did not overcompressed it too much to leave a freedom for the movement; this way compressor touches only singular spikes areas and lets other parts to play freely. Also I increased its Release parameter, so that on the spikes following each other closely volume movement is not noticeable. Main melody instrument has one area, on which sounds with 1 – 1.5 kHz frequency are very loud; I applied band compressor to it, to reduce its volume, so that it does not cut the hearing. And made smooth automation of its Threshold parameter, so that it will not touch other areas of composition and descended to needed volume only on this part. Then, to make compositions parts more highlighted and differentiating from each other, without loose of interest and intensity, I smoothly switched off second basses track in the beginning of composition and enabled it only on the first and second strong parts, disabling it at the conclusion as well. Second part is stronger, than the first one, due to high intensity of composition, and is a culmination of the whole soundtrack, so I did not changed anything in them to increase their differentiation.
VST processor ReaXcomp and instrument DSK Brass in DAW REAPER
Also in the Internet I found MIDI keyboards emulator FreePiano 2, which allows to play music on usual computer keyboard and record MIDI notes; there is also ability to plug in to it different VST instruments, to hear sound close to the result, and there is ability to set layout in a convenient way. It allows to control different MIDI parameters of the track, such as sustain pedal signal, notes velocity, octaves shifting and others; after notes recording, there is ability to import them into DAW and perform more fragile notes tweaking in editor, for example, correct their timings or presses velocities. With it I made small addition in the composition conclusion, repeating basses notes, for more melodic epilogue.
VST instrument DSK Overture and effects ESI Phaser, Reverberation and Chorus and ReaCompressor in DAW REAPER
Before compressors application I also balanced volumes of instruments, so that they play in accordance with each other and do not silence each other; with compressors I only withheld volume’s peaks, leading to overflows, when all other parts play in composition. I also have MIDI notes of Song of the Lonely Mountain, it is very much like this one, but longer and more complex and melodic, I’ll make its variation next time, shaping it to my taste. This is all for today, look in the REAPER project for details and write your questions in the comments, see you next time.
One of the USBMIDI keyboards of Alesis company is a device VI25 with 25 velocity-sensitive keys and 16 velocity-sensitive drumpads with back light. It has : 24 assignable buttons and 8 assignable knobs, small screen, transport control buttons and pitch bend and modulation control wheels. As well as : 1/4″ jack input for sustain pedal, MIDI output, USB port for connection to computer and powering, switch on button and power adapter input ( keyboard can be powered from it or from USB port ). Device works in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and Mac OS X 10.7 and newer without additional drivers via Plug and Play technology, in which it interacts with modern DAWs : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others, as well as their VST/AU instruments and effects.
USB MIDI keyboard Alesis VI25 ( back panel )
After purchase of Alesis VI25 there is ability to download from manufacturer’s site program AIR Music Tech Xpand!2 and DAWAbleton Live Lite. Package with MIDI keyboard Alesis VI25 includes : USB cable, warranty card and user’s guide. Keyboard is interesting with its functionality and compact sizes, also it has power adapter input, which allows to use it with tablet PCs without load on their batteries. Wherein price of Alesis VI25 is on one of the lowest levels among compact functional MIDI keyboards.
One of the devices of Superlux company is a 40 mm closed dynamic monitor headphonesHD-440 with 20 Hz – 20 kHz reproducible sounds frequencies range and 150 Ohms impedance. Their sensitivity is 96 dB, mass is 300 g ( with wire accounting, without accounting of it – 251 g ), to one of the cups not detachable cable with 2.5 m length is mounted with 1/8″ mini jack gold-plated plug for connection to sound source. Device’s headband adjusts automatically to head size, it has interesting design, enhanced basses reproduction characteristics and good outer sounds silencing. Package contains : Superlux HD-440 headphones themselves, adapter to 1/4″ jack plug, warranty card and user’s guide.
Superlux HD-440 are not foldable, each their cup has only 1 sound emitter; in place of connection to speaker cable is additionally reinforced with resin tube for increased durability and wear resistance during bending and tear-off forces application. Headphones has no active noise-cancellation function, as some other monitor headphones have, but they have good isolation from surrounding sounds; they are supplied only in black color variant. Their cable has no slider and clip for tangling and clinging to clothes and surrounding objects prevention; also it has no built in microphone and smartphones and volume control buttons. Cushions and headband of Superlux HD-440 are covered with soft material for comfortable wearing during long time listening of audio.
All in all headphones are good, with wide frequencies range and large membranes, their price is around 30 USD, it is not too high for them, but there is need to note, that for such money 50 mm monitor headphones or for smaller money 40 mm ones can be bought. Also, these headphones have high impedance and to power them there is need in good sound source : players, smartphones and tablet PCs are not enough for this, there is need in receiver or good audio interface. If from device compactness and small mass are needed, then there is ability to look on in-ears headphones, which are oriented on use during sportive exercises and trainings, as well as everyday compact use. Besides this their cable often has slider and clip.
Superlux – is a company, which main office is located in Taiwan development and testing laboratories and facilities in Hong Kong and other China cities. This name is a brand of company Goang-Fann Co. Ltd., which in 1997 year acquired Tenlux – company-producer of microphones and started to release headphones, microphones and other audio equipment under this name. Company is known for production of very functional devices with very attractive prices; so, when according sound devices are being choosen, it is useful to look on products of Superlux.
Chinese electronics manufacturer comany Xiaomi presented new Android 6.0 smartphoneMi5 with 5.15″ multitouch IPS screen with Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, 4G, 4-cores processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, working on 2.15 GHz frequency, 3 GB of RAM and GLONASS, GPS+A-GPS and BeiDou satellite navigation systems. It also has : graphical chip Adreno 530, 32 – 64 GB of on-board memory ( depending on modification ) and 2 slots for Nano SIM cards. It supports 2G ( GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 ), 3G and 4G LTE networks; and has lighting, proximity, acceleration, Hall and infrared sensors, as well as gyroscope, barometer, electronic compass and fingerprints scanner.
Smartphone Xiaomi Mi5
Xiaomi Mi5 has 2 very good for smartphones cameras : 16 MP main one with LED flash and 4 MP frontal one. On its external panels following modules are placed : Micro USB port for connection to computer and battery charging, microphone and speaker, 1/8″ mini jack headsets and headphones connector. It supports wireless Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi ( IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, +Direct, +Display ) and NFC connections for remote communications with other devices and data transfers. Device’s sizes are 69.2 ( width ) x 144.6 ( height ) x 7.3 ( depth ) mm and mass is 129 g. Battery charge is 3000 mAh – this is a good value for smartphones.
Package with Xiaomi Mi5 contains : USB cable, recharger, headset, warranty card and user’s guide. Smartphone has very high characteristics : powerful system, IPS screen, good cameras, 4G, wide wireless networks range and satellite navigation. Its price is 500 USD, for its functions it is not too high, but if there is no need in them, then there is ability to buy much cheaper optimal Windows or Android smartphones + good tablet PC + good photo camera with interchangeable lenses.
