Music, Sound Effects, Tech News, and More — The AudioMicro Blog

According to a recent press release, CSS Music, a Los Angeles-based royalty free music library, has upgraded its entire collection of music tracks for the film, video, television and digital media industry to a superior quality .mp3 320 kbs file format. The 12,000 tracks are now available for digital download in the new upgraded format.

Michael M. Fuller, president and owner, had this to say about the upgrade, “When you’re talking about compressed files in an .mp3 format, the gold standard without a doubt is 320 kbs. While our 160 kbs files were excellent, taking our royalty free music downloads up to .mp3 320 kbs was a necessary move. Today’s clients are looking for ways to stretch their dollars and at the same time they’re looking for quality. They demand quality. Now because of this upgrade, our mp3 files will sound smoother with a more transparent high frequency response.”

Sounds like a pretty good upgrade, doesn’t it? It’s top-quality royalty free music without higher fees. You can download the new tracks either on a single-track basis or through a bulk download package. When you purchase a download bulk package, you can expect to save anywhere from 30 to 90 percent off. That’s more than an upgrade — that’s a bargain. CSS Music offers three independent search systems. Each track in a search result can be reviewed in its entirety in full 44.1khz sound quality. Site users can also use a “Playlist Tool” to create an unlimited number of playlists for different projects, scenes, etc. Playlists can be e-mailed to clients or associates.

CSS Music was founded in 1982 in Los Angeles, CA and is the oldest US based royalty free music library under original management. CSS has more than 300 CD volumes and 12,000 downloadable music tracks in its 17-library package. CSS Music is intended for use in AV/Video, Film, Television, Multimedia and Internet applications. Delivery formats include CD, Custom CD-R, Single Track Download, Downloadable CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and Hard Drive. Popular CSS libraries include Super Themes, Target Trax and Repro-file. For more information, visit www.CSSmusic.com.

Posted in: mp3, music, royalty free music

If you’re someone who enjoys getting up on your soapbox now and again, then this tidbit of news is just what you’ve been waiting for. Is there a better platform for you to voice your opinions, talk about music and play DJ other than to have your own radio show? Really, who wouldn’t want to have their own radio show? You get to control the music, talk about whatever and whoever you want, and reach millions of listeners.

Music News Industry Network, otherwise known as MI2N.com, is having a promo. The deal is a 30-minute radio show, to be aired twice a day over a period of 30 days for a one-time fee. That’s 30 minutes of uninterrupted, royalty free music featuring none other than: you. Royalty Free Music Radio is played throughout businesses and retail outlets throughout the United Kingdom. Basically, you’ll be getting wide coverage while listeners get to hear some great, royalty free music. The best part, aside from the fact that you’ll be an international sensation, is that you can use that 30 minutes however you like. This is your opportunity to abuse the airwaves for your own pleasure. You can promote your music, your band and your CD, your next show or tour, your website — anything! It’s entirely up to you. That’s 30 minutes, twice a day for 30 days. Talk about free promotion. The possibilities are endless. Did we mention that it’s all about royalty free music?

All you have to do is send in your royalty free music or sound effects, and a script of everything you’ve ever wanted to say on the radio. Then, the radio station will have professional DJs repeat (word for word) everything written on the script. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. Just visit Royalty Free Music Radio for more details.

Here’s a quick rundown of everything that is included in the promo:

• 30 minutes of a professionally, DJ-produced radio show

• No third party advertisers

• You get to provide the music AND the script

• Promote anything you want — CD, shows, website, etc.

• You get to choose your DJ

• You get a featured spot on Royalty Free Music Radio’s website

• Your show will run for 30 minutes, twice a day, for 30 days

Posted in: music

Monday nights have never before been so funky.  If you’re a resident of Los Angeles, then you need to come down and check out Funkmosphere at Carbon in Culver City. Synth-Funk guru Dam Funk takes you back to the 80s, playing retro classics and rarities that are guaranteed to keep you dancing.  Some artists featured in the playlist last night were Morris Day and the Time, Mazarati, Prince, The Gap Band, and tons more. There are usually around 3 guest DJs that come to spin and they have plenty of funky sound effects to keep you moving. French hip-hop artist Onra graced us with his presence last night.

Funkmosphere is every Monday night from 10PM-2AM. 21+ No cover!

Here are what some other blogs have to say about Funkmosphere…

The urge hits like a gnawing pain deep in the gut…

Early ’80s funk and boogie bangers…

Warm spacey vibes harping back to the 80’s but steppin’ into tomorrow…

Posted in: bar, carbon, dam funk, funk, funkmosphere, LA, los angeles, monday, music, night, night club

Add this to one of those gadgets that only the geekiest of audiophiles would add to their gadget repetoire. The UBDJ Fi-Hi Urban DJ Cassette Tape Cross-Fader seems to be just one of those tchotchkes that you passively pick up, but then it turns out to be way more entertaining than you originally thought. The UBDJ connects to any device with a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack, so those carrying around an iPhone, an mp3 player and any other music toys  can essentially crossfade content from both outputs.

The Fi-Hi also includes a headset jack so that all the DJ’s on the go will be able to cross fade their music without missing a beat. That essentially means that if you’re dropping tracks you’ll still be able to avoid the feared “trainwreck” (read: completely mismatching rhythms and beats leaving your audience distraught, peering back at your with a disturbing deer-in-headlights facial expression) While the Urban DJ isn’t exactly a Tonium Pacemaker, but at least it doesn’t claim to be. At around $30, the Fi-Hi is easily just another fun toy to add to gadget collection

Posted in: Fi Hi, Gadgets, music, Urban DJ

At today’s iPhone 3.0 software media event, several announcements were made regarding the latest software upgrade for Apple’s mobile phone. Among copy and paste features, MMS, and other application-based announcements, Electronic Arts was able to show off the latest installment of their highly successful franchise The Sims. Like many other applications soon to be developed for the iPhone 3.0 software, The Sims 3 will be among the most immersive games to allow users to access their music while the game is being played, reports Kotaku.

This announcement comes in tangent with a broader feature that EA announced. Sims 3 will include an in-app store where players can purchase things for their Sim-environment, namely an avenue to play music already available on the users’ iPhone. This will most likely include something like a stereo or jukebox; in any case, instead of playing pre-recorded music provided by the developer, users will be able to customize playlists from their iPhone’s music library, leaving characters in the game dancing to familiar music. Even if players aren’t necessarily in a room with a jukebox, music may be played simply for ambiance. For more news on the iPhone 3.0 media day including new features and applications, click here.

Thanks Gizmodo/Kotaku for the image

Posted in: electronic arts, iPhone, music, Sims, software

As closing arguments concluded this week in the widely publicized Pirate Bay trial, defendant Fredrik Neij made it clear that he and his team is innocent, claiming that the problem lies not in their technology but on the Internet supervision in general. If convicted, the four-member team of Pirate Bay operations could face up to two years in prison and a damage claim of up to $12.7 million.

vnunet.com is reporting that the defendants noted that “a survey he had undertaken of more than 1,000 torrents showed that 80 per cent were for legitimate downloads,” and that  “the prosecution did not carry out such a survey.” While the prosecution also claimed that the site makes over $1 million in advertising revenue, defendant representative Jonas Nilsson completely rejected the notion, pointing out that the site actually runs at a loss and that all revenue goes towards maintenance.

The crux of the Pirate Bay trial is largely correlated with the user aspect of the website. Fundamentally speaking, users upload their own content to the Pirate Bay servers, basically providing a portal for other users to download. This is basic sharing. So the defense is in fact correct by claiming that this entire trial is indicative of a much bigger problem, namely with the principles of net neutrality and how the web is surveilled. Whatever verdict the jury chooses to deliver in April will be a monumental precedence in the world of digital distribution and the protection of rights and IP.

Posted in: Copyright Infringement, music, pirate bay, The Pirate Bay, Trial

Big news out of Sweden today. Popular torrent tracker website PirateBay.org and counsel entered day three of litigation,  where an unprecedented 50% of the charges filed against them were dropped. As Channel Web reports, “The Pirate Bay’s counsel successfully argued that bit torrent files aren’t compelling as evidence to prosecute The Pirate Bay”, noting that the digital files exchanged between users “don’t demonstrate clear illegal activity on Pirate Bay’s part.” An interesting argument to say the least, considering some of the biggest names in the entertainment world are involved in the case, including the big five studios (Fox, Warner Bros., etc.), several music labels, and various other media-related companies.

The decision to drop half the charges allows those involved to focus on what they see as the primary issue, which is the act of making copywritten material available for download. While this argument is largely pursued on the prosecuting end, the line of defense used by most file sharing outlets is the hosting of links to said material versus the actual files themselves. The hosting of files is what ultimately led to Napster’s demise, whereas legal loopholes have allowed torrent channels to operate with only minimal recourse. This trial will undoubtedly set precedence for the future of torrent sites as media companies hurry to pursue those that they feel encroach on the legal boundaries of their content.

Posted in: copyright, infringement, music, pirate bay, torrent, trials