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20 Feb

Can Music Really Mess with Our Brain?

A happy song lifts your spirits up while a sad composition can drag them down. These only show that music has the seemingly “magical” ability to influence our minds in the most subtle ways. As science probes deeper into music’s effects on the brain, researchers discover peculiar things.

  1. Music can help you become a better communicator because it gives you an idea on the emotions of other people. According to several studies, individuals who can play musical instruments at near-professional levels can track subtle changes in emotions and intonations in the vocal tones.
  2. It can alter your time perception that is why various agencies employ music to keep you calm while waiting on the other line of the phone. The brain is distracted by music, hence, you are less likely to notice your surroundings in detail including the time.
  3. There are certain sounds that human beings associate with different emotions such as fear, joy, sadness and many more.
  4. Music surprisingly makes you stronger by making your physical performance better. This is because of distraction that you get from listening to a song, taking your attention away from your aching arms or legs. When your body is synchronized with steady musical tempo, you also spend less effort and time on the task you are doing.
  5. It can change drinking habits. Studies show that different types of music caused drinkers to alter the description of the drinks they consumed.

If you have an audio direct system or any kinds of audio device at home, try to listen to something and see how it affects you. For sure, you will be surprised by what you’ll discover.

Categories: Entertainment Tags:
13 Jan

Commonly Used Audio Formats

Audio files are some of the most important and commonly used type of media in this Digital Age. In fact, many audio file formats are available for podcast distribution. The most commonly used format is the MP3 because this is supported by almost every portable media player, software-based media players and Internet connected TVs.

 

Here is a list of the most common audio formats that offer high-quality sound in a compressed format.

  • MP3 – Allows special information to be stored in an audio file known as id3 Tags.
  • M4A/AAC (Advanced Audio Cording) – Designed to become the successor of the MP3 format. This format boasts of its smaller file size and better audio quality.
  • Ogg (Vorbis) – Different from the Ogg Theora video format. This is open-source maintained by Xiph.Org Foundation.
  • WMA (Windows Audio Media) – A propriety audio format from Microsoft. This can support Digital Rights Management (DRM).
  • WAV - A format used to store sound files from IBM and Microsoft.
  • Real Audio - Another proprietary format which is used for streaming audio, enabling you to play digital sound files in real-time.
  • MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) – A standard format adopted by the electronic music industry for operating devices like sound cards, synthesizers and many more.

Just like there are plenty of options for phlebotomy training classes, there are also a variety of audio formats created to provide listeners with better audio quality and to satisfy different types of audio compressions.

 

Categories: Music Format Tags:
05 Oct

MIDI Versus Digital Audio Format: Comparing the Pros and Cons

MIDI has several advantages over digital audio format. To help you better understand this two popular audio files and know which one is much better, read on.

Let’s begin with the MIDI file. Also known as the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a MIDI file is more compact and its size largely depends on the quality of its playback. Since MIDI files are usually small in size, about 200 to 1000 times smaller than CD audio formats, playing MIDI files won’t take up RAM and disk space as well as CPU resources.

There are also some instances that MIDI files can sound much better compared to digital audio files. That is, if the MIDI source that you use is originally of high quality. It is also possible to change the length of a MIDI file by altering or making variations on its tempo. This can be done without needing to change the music’s pitch or downgrading its audio quality.

For the downsides, MIDI is a format specifically designed for computers. This means that you will not be able to play the MIDI files when you burned them on a CD and then play it on a regular CD player. Also, it is imperative that your computer have the appropriate codec to play MIDI files, otherwise you won’t be able to play them. MIDI does not contain sounds but rather a sequence of commands which allow MIDI devices (i.e. piano, drum, music synthesizers) to communicate with each other.

Digital audio files or formats, meanwhile, are more of like computerized tape recorders. A digital audio comprises of actual sounds, unlike the MIDI file. Digital audio stores the sounds and then play them back.

Many prefer using digital audio files because they are compatible to a wider selection of software and system applications. They can also be played in both MAC and Windows platform. Additionally, creating digital audio will not require one to have extensive music theory knowledge. All that is required is a familiarity in audio production as well as the use of digital audio converters. Aside from that, digital audio can now be transmitted via high-definition cables, called as HDMI cable. Whether you use a 4m or 5m hdmi cable, you can transmit high-quality audio signals by just using one single cable connection.