Remote diagnostics

While the hip-hop industry tends to balk at Gospel emcees, DJs remain unsure about what to do with hip-hops inspirational subgenre, Gospel rap. Earlier this month, the Recording Academy provided a solution--adding a new music category titled, Best Rock Gospel or Best Rap Gospel. Nominees and an award that will represent what is more commonly known as holy hip-hop (HHH), will make its debut during the 49th annual Grammy Awards on February 11, 2007. The category will include Christian emcees that specialize in hip-hop music. The addition is a viable move given HHHs growing appeal.

One of the most influential advocates of holy hip-hop is rap pioneer, Christopher Play Martin. Martin is best known for his role in the Kidn Play rap duo and as an actor in the House Party trilogy. From executive producing video projects to gaining exposure for the genre, Martin lends his full support to the holy hip-hop movement. In addition to working with a myriad of premier holy hip-hop artists, Martins HP4 Digital Works & Solutions (www.hp4digitalworks.com) production company released a movie titled, Holy Hip-Hop, which made its DVD debut in March.

I am excited for the artists and feel that [they] can finally be recognized for their efforts, Martin commented.

Although a little known fact, holy hip-hop has a 20 plus-year history that has seen exponential growth in recent years. The Gospel Music Association (GMA) estimates that Christian rock and hip-hop music accounts for 25% of all Gospel music sales. According to the GMA, double-digit sales growth is largely due to churches embracing diversity in music to appeal to youth and adults.

Holy Hip-Hops A-List

Two Atlanta based churches: World Changers Church International and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church help fuel the holy hip-hop community. With close to 55,000 members between them, the churches play host to many holy hip-hop supporters and industry A-listers. Dr. Creflo A. and Taffi Dollar are pastors of World Changers Church in College Park, GA and New York, NY. Mrs. Dollar is also the CEO of Arrow Records the recording label for Canton Jones. A Grammy Award nominee, Jones has amassed appeal in churches across the U.S. Africa, and Europe. The most musically diverse of his holy hip-hop peers, Jones is also the president and CEO of his own company, CAJO International. Jones versatility and crossover appeal grants him access to such events as the Vibe Music Fest, the Miami Spring Fest, the Bobby Jones Gospel Industry Retreat, and Bishop T.D. Jakes MegaFest. Notably, Jones was the only holy hip-hop artist represented at David Banners Heal the Hood concert in Atlanta last fall.

A HHH industry first, Jones kicked-off his 2006 concert tour and live DVD recording with a pre-concert Purple Carpet (versus red) event. The sold-out concert featured a slew of HHH artists based primarily in the South. The concert was a landmark production hosted by comedian, John Gray (http://mannagod.com) and chocked full of dancers, actors, and guest artists. Jones has three albums to his credit to include his latest release: The Password: Access Granted. Like his counterparts, Jones has an entourage of HHH affiliates who include independent recording artists Big Ran, Da Fam, Mouthpiece, and Kay Bizzy, all of whom are members of World Changers.

New Birth is the home church for four key supporters of the holy hip-hop movement: Minister eDDie Velez, Fatima Hall, Edward Young Dirty Long, and Lil iROCC Williams.

In addition to being a rapper, TV and radio personality, eDDie Velez is also the senior director of Youth Development at New Birth. Velez started on the HHH circuit in 1998 when he debuted on Hot 97.5s holy hip-hop radio pilot. He lends 25 years of experience to the HHH movement. Currently, Da Preachin Puerto Rican, is the host of the syndicated Holy Hip-Hop radio and TV program. He is also the host for the annual Holy Hip Hop Artist Showcase & Music Awards held in Atlanta.

Fatima Hall is the founder and publisher for IMAGE Magazine, a nationally distributed print medium geared towards youth and young adults. Although faith-based, the magazine has grown to appeal to a broad and international audience by focusing on universal interests like music, fashion, and social trends. Hall frequently highlights the accomplishments and influence of HHH artists such as Canton Jones and Lil iROCC both of who have graced the magazines cover. In addition to having magazines that advance the genre, HHH also boasts popular audio outlets.

Edward "Young Dirty" Long is the son of New Births senior pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long. To his credit, Young Dirty is the CEO and host of The Good Life Radio as well as the vice-president of Represent Entertainment, LLC. Like his father, Young Dirty has a groundbreaking ministry that reaches the masses. The Good Life Radio is a nationally syndicated radio show that airs in over 17 markets and via the Internet. The broadcast provides a diverse listening experience to include rap, R&B, contemporary Gospel, pop, urban hip-hop, and holy hip-hop. In addition to being a radio host, Young Dirty is also an inspirational speaker and an emcee that collaborates often on recording projects with mainstream and holy hip-hop artists.

Though little in stature, Lil iROCC has a big impact on the holy hip-hop community. At 16, he is both the youngest HHH artist and the youngest music executive. In 2004, iROCC, along with his dad and mentor, Big ROCC, established their own label, Authority Music. Since his debut album, iROCC has received numerous accolades and awards that reflect his skills and accomplishment. Like Jones, iROCC has crossover appeal and has garnered national and international acclaim with his peers and adult audiences. Although his approach is diverse (he collaborates with a variety of music artists), he remains predominately rap in terms of content. Duly mature for his age, iROCC sets a standard for HHH emcees.

Among other characteristics, holy hip-hops A-listers have the uncanny ability to reflect the lifestyle they lead without loosing the art, form, flavor or feel of hip-hop--a telltale sign that holy hip-hops present affect is sure to impact the music industry for years to come.

http://www.hhnlive.com/features/more/94.html

Many people are familiar with the best known tech gadgets such as the iPod and iPhone, but here are several technology inventions that you may not have heard about yet.

Projector Phone

The Tri Brand Phone made by Chinavision is a Touchscreen cellular phone with a built in projector. It allows you to project videos, pictures, address and phone data and many other things onto a wall. The Tri Brand Phone is already selling like mad. One reason for the interest is the affordable pricing of only $365. The Tri Brand Phone also includes multimedia functions like a digital camera for picture taking and video recording, mp3 and mp4 player functions, an ebook reader, and a special battery for long usage.

The Autoxray EZ-Scan 6000

This automotive scanner can diagnose problems with your vehicle. The Autoxray comes in a small briefcase-like, portable kit. It collects values from your vehicle's on-board computer telling you exactly the condition of your automobile at any given time. Even if you have no mechanical expertise, you will be able to use this device. You can print reports and learn more about your car than you ever thought possible. At $699, it's not cheap, but it is quite amazing.

Bracelet Video Player

The bracelet media player made with e-paper is a concept produced by the Chocolate Agency Company. It has a very thin and flexible display that can be bent on both sides. The bracelet can be unrolled to work as a video player and can play movies as well as video clips. Amazingly, this incredible gadget requires no batteries. It charges itself using the kinetic energy produced by the person wearing it.

Cellboost

Cellboost is a battery with a special plug that fits into your cell phone for immediate power when your battery is low. It is a very small, portable device that can be a lifesaver. You can buy a Cellboost for $5.99 at Amazon.com and at local convenience stores, and then you'll never be without power for your cell phone again.

These are four good examples of the many tech gadgets that are available now. They all can be very useful depending on a person's needs. There is no doubt that there will be many new and improved technology gadgets to come. As long as there is a demand for new technology, there will always be a supply.

To learn more about amazing new technology, including these gadgets, go to Tech Amazing. This website has articles and videos of many amazing technology gadgets.

To get an idea of where online music is headed it is important to understand the history. Let's think back to the time when music downloads first became popular. For me it was spurred in the early Napster days. Everyone was out there going crazy grabbing any and all music they could find without consequence. Then the RIAA came along and said "wait guys that's our copyrighted content you're downloading." Since that time the RIAA has been fighting an uphill battle to end copyright infringement.

After the early days of Napster and peer to peer file sharing a new crop of sites popped up offering legal music downloads. Even Napster went legit signing deals with major labels to offer unlimited access to their offerings. In order to make this a reality the record industry had to come up with a way to protect their investment.

Along came digital rights management (DRM). New DRM technologies have been used to limit access to media. In essence as long as you are subscribed to Rhapsody for example you can download and listen to as many songs as you like. You can even play them on your mp3 player (excluding iPod and Zune). The DRM kicks in by restricting the number of devices you have access from and cutting access completely when you end the subscription.

In addition, companies chose to run their own brand of DRM. This means that if you own an iPod or Zune player your options are very restricted. Apple and Microsoft do their best to force you into using iTunes and Zune Marketplace.

Over the last couple years things have changed quite a bit. Online retailers including Amazon and Wal-Mart signed deals with the major labels to sell DRM free song downloads. They key here is that you are paying a fee for each MP3 song you download but get the music without DRM restrictions. Even iTunes has started offering DRM free downloads.

Another challenge that faces online media companies is the ISP's battle to reduce network traffic and thus reduce congestion during peak times. The lack of network infrastructure, particularly in the US, is a big concern. Throttling traffic or charging customers for metered access as Comcast and Time Warner are currently testing could drive away customers. We no longer live in a world of text email and static web pages. Sites now offer rich content including streaming audio and video, social integration and an interactive setting for people to gather just as you would at your local watering hole. Hopefully customers will voice their concerns and ISP's will in turn expand their network infrastructures to allow for our ever growing bandwidth needs.

So where does this leave us? I recall mentioning excitement about the future of online downloads prior to my rants. Online music sites are looking ahead to the future. With the ability to download songs to PC, mobile phone or other web-enabled devices you will have access to the latest songs from anywhere at anytime. Sites like eMusic, Amazon MP3 and Wal-Mart Music have shown that the DRM free music is the way of the future. The next step will be to figure a way for sites like Rhapsody and Napster to offer unlimited access to DRM free music for a monthly subscription fee. I'll be the first to admit that this is no easy task but one that could prove very profitable to the music industry in this ever growing digital age.

The excitement extends beyond music as companies like Netflix offer a large selection of movie downloads free to subscribers. We're not talking about just watching on your PC either. With a set top box you can download films to watch directly on your TV. Industry experts predict that within a few years you won't run to your local video store to rent the latest DVD movies. Instead you'll simply watch them anytime on demand via download. Alright so I can hear some of you saying yeah but how long do the movies take to download? I can tell you that with Netflix I can start watching about 30 seconds after the download begins. The rest of the movie downloads while I'm enjoying the film.

In conclusion the future of online media is shining bright. Customer's spending habits can help record labels and ISP's accept that the future of music and movies is online rather than in record and video stores. The instant gratification of having access to millions of songs or thinking of a movie and watching it a minute later is enough to make me want to quit typing. So sit back, relax and enjoy what the future has in store.

Music Download Sites - Reviews, Specials, Free Trials

Netflix Movie Downloads - Review and Free Trial

Denon DN-D4500 dual rack mount CD-deck

Several years ago Denon released the DN-4000, the predecessor to the new DN-D4500. The 4000s 2 rack units + 2 rack units fit anywhere design, together with its reputation of a simple to use, easy to rely on, audio workhorse meant that it got, and gets used and abused in thousands of venues worldwide.

The new DN-D4500 has built upon the popularity of its predecessor and added extra features to it, for little or no difference to the retail price. MP3 users especially will enjoy being able to do almost anything with an MP3 disc that they can do with shop bought audio CDs and more besides.

DJs everywhere will be pleased to find out that user choice and preference plays a trump card in this and other Denon CD-decks.

Drawer closer...and closer.

Its a bit of a tease, but lets start with the DN-D4500 drawer unit. A standard 19inch rack mount unit, measuring only 2 rack units high, with two proper opening/closing drawers. The power button is recessed into the front panel of the unit, and is protected by an effective hood, which prevents you offing the power accidently while leaning forward over your gear to talk to that Tracy who keeps asking for RnB all night, but cant name any RnB artist or track.

Whilst talking of drawers however, isnt it fun when you accidentally eject a disc whilst its playing. No, it isnt really, is it. The DN-D4500 not only has the semi-common safety feature to ignore the drawers open/close buttons whilst the CD in that drawer is currently playing, but can also be set to ignore the Track Select control during disc play too, saving you from the embarrassment of silence followed by the even more embarrassing sound of jeering, which will be engraved into your brain if youve ever accidentally changed tracks mid-play.

Another, albeit less embarrassing event is getting a CD, your fingers, your headphone cable, roadie etc trapped in a closing CD drawer, or worse still walking into a CD drawer thats been left open. To counter these potential nasties, the DN-D4500 drawers close automatically after so many seconds; how many seconds...aha...you choose! How? Well, remember above that I mentioned choice? You can choose an Auto-close time on the CD-drawers, so if youve been rammed into a tiny corner between the 12 piece band and the fruit machine, and space is tight, you can set the auto-close time to 10 seconds, so its open for less time. Elsewhere, where space isnt so tight but, quick disc changes are required at short notice like when the Bride insists on Girls just wanna have fun...NEXT !!!, you might prefer the drawers stay open for 30, 60 seconds or just never close on their own - eagerly waiting to gobble your disc. Like all Denon Presets your settings are remembered from gig to gig even after the units unplugged from the power more on Presets later.

The drawers have a slightly recessed dish in the middle of the drawer, probably your CD-rom drive drawer has one too go on, have a look.... did it? Oh ok, good. This allows the unit to play the promotional/cutesy 8cm discs without some risky flimsy plastic adaptor, as well as the industry standard 12cm discs.

Waiter?! The menus please.

Just like on the drawer Auto-closing times mentioned previously Overall there are over a dozen features in the DN-D4500s Presets, which with other CD-decks, youre just stuck with the factory-fitted settings each and every time you switch on. Would you rather your DN-D4500 show you the Remaining time left on a playing track, rather than Elapsed time (I know I would...I know whether Ive got enough time to dash to the loo and back before the track ends)?, and youd rather the CD paused automatically when it reaches the end of each track, rather than playing the beginning of the next track through the fader that you accidently havent faded out yet? Youd like your Denon display to flash a warning when theres only XX seconds of track left to play, and youd like your DN-D4500 to remember all these settings gig after gig, without you re-adjusting them every time...you can!... Thats the beauty of Denons Preset Menus.

Cmon, C.mon...oh yeah, quicker, quicker, cmon...LOAD!

Also good for quick changes, is the ability which the DN-D4500 shares with most of the current Denon CD-decks, of allowing you to select the track number AS youre putting the disc in the player, not just after the disc has entered the CD-deck, loaded the CDs track info and spun-up etc. True, whilst leaving your hands freed up instantly to move over to your mic and/or mixer, this feature may only save you 5~10 seconds during a last minute change of mind (or change of disc), but then what does 5 seconds of silence sound like as far as your audience is concerned?

Each of the two drawers has an open/close button and a super bright LED mounted above each drawer to illuminate the loading area. However...Not even these hyper bright blue LEDs are going to help when youre trying to read your self-adhesive CD-label with 250 MP3 track listings printed on it in font size 2.5 ... Lets talk MP3s

MPfree and easy

Whilst some other manufacturers have turned their backs on the format for as long as they could, theres no doubt that Denon have embraced MP3 as a valid and workable DJ medium. The DN-D4500 incorporates the same MP3 library feature that Denons other, top-end CD-decks boast giving you the ability to search all the MP3 tracks on a CD in Alphabetical order, by either Artist Name, or Song Title. Simply press the (now standard) Parameters Knob on the Denon for two seconds to enter the Search mode, and choose whether youd like to search the CD by Artist Name or Song Title.

With an MP3 disc loaded, featuring a load of disco favourites, Lets say we choose Artist name. On screen is Abba Dancing Queen. Turning the parameters knob gives me Abba Fernando, Abba Waterloo, Amy Grant-Baby Baby, Anastasia Left Outside Alone, and back round to Dancing Queen. Now, If I turn the parameter knob whilst pushing it in, I get the Bs, the Cs, the Ds etc... If I take it up to T for example, let go the display shows Tiffany I think were alone now, Tight Fit-The lion sleeps tonight, Tight Fit-Back to the sixties, T Rex I love to boogie etc... Easy. When the track that I want to play, is on the display, I simply press the large illuminated CUE button, the display says Searching for a few seconds then the Cue button lights up steady, and the track is cued at the beginning, or can be cued manually to any point.

How do they do that? (Im sorry, I hyphen a clue!)

Does this stunning MP3 search feature require any pre-planning, or some clever Database to be stored on the disc well, nope not really. All you need to do is make sure that the filenames of the tracks which youre burning to CDR are in the format of artist name then song title, separated by a hyphen thats a minus sign to you roadies out there! Eg: James Blunt-Youre beautiful.mp3. Thats nice and easy and the only problem that Ive found with this is if you have artist names with hyphens in them. So, if you had Murder on the dancefloor stored in the format of Artist name-song title, youd end up with an artist called Sophie Ellis, and a track called Bexter-Murder on the dance floor, not too much of a problem as youd be able to find it under the S artist names, and Im sure that Sophie wouldnt mind you missing the minus out of her name.

Obviously, tracks can also be selected on ordinary audio CDs by number eg: Track 12 or Track 16 etc... but, the Denon makes accessing these tracks easier too. Turning the Track select knob (with a soft click every few degrees) steps you forward, or backward through the track numbers 1 track per click at a time, however, pushing the Track select knob down while turning it, steps you through 10 tracks per click. Audio CDs with CD-text on them, will have their Album and Track text scrolled across the main display.

Constantly Variable, or variably constant?

If I were to ask you how many building blocks would be need to be placed end-to-end to reach from one end of a room to the other, youd ask what size the blocks are. If I said variable youd only be able to make a rough, approximate guess as to the answer the same goes for Variable Bit Rate Recording a problematic format, with only an 11% to 25% average space saving on a CDR costing 4 pence a piece.

So, when copying your entire vinyl, cassette tape, and CD singles collection onto recordable CDRs or CDRWs (The DN-D4500 is equally happy with Recordable and Re-writables disc), do yourself plenty of favours for now and the future, by only choosing Constant Bit Rate encoding (CBR), rather than Variable Bit Rate (VBR) Recording, on your CD-recording software. Features relating to precision timing such as Manual (frame by frame) searching within a track, accurately editable Seamless Loops, accurate remaining track/disc time etc all need Constant Bit Rate formats. So, stay constant on your encoding now, and you wont regret it later, with either this, or other models. Using VBR can save you between 11~25% capacity (depending on the tracks musical content), but CDRs are so cost effective now, that burning 100 discs instead of 75 will cost you only a 2.50 more in blank CDR costs.

Delivery Bay yep, round the back.

On the rear of the 2 rack unit high (88mm without its rubber feet) drawer unit, are a captive (cant fall out) power lead, a multi-pin socket for the connection to the Main control unit, a red and a white phono/RCA socket for the left deck, a red and a white phono/RCA socket for the right deck. Each deck also has an orange digital out socket running at -6db of normal output, for distortion-free connection to the ever increasing number of mixers with digital inputs.

Dont get me started!...oh go on then

The DN-D4500 is also blessed with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack fader start socket for each deck, meaning that you can have your chosen track start up instantly, the moment that you move the crossfader or channel fader on mixers equipped with the fader start function a handy feature for when youre already juggling a microphone, a request slip, and a mixer fader.

Back to the Front:

Ok, enough teasing. Were onto the main front panel. At only 62mm deep (+ 18mm if you keep the rubber feet on), and only 2 rack units (88 mm) high the control panel should fit effortlessly into the top slanted section of any DJ console or flight case or of course above or below a 19inch wide DJ mixer.

As with all current Denon dual CD Players, the controls for the left deck are identically laid out when compared to the controls for the right hand deck not mirror imaged as Ive seen on some units that was a little too confusing, even for me. (Ooohh? Who said Especially for you? cheeky!).

Dots and Dashes.

To enable a minimum number of buttons to operate and adjust the plethora of features offered by the unit, four of the buttons have two functions on them. A brief press of the button gets you the feature labelled with a dot in front, a 2 second press gets you the feature labelled with a dash. Thankfully, Denon have thought carefully about which functions need a full 2 seconds to access them, and which actions you need to be able to perform instantly. For example, a low priority function, like seeing how many Hours, Minutes, and Seconds youve got left to play on the CD, or adjusting your favourite presets, is a 2 second press. Important buttons, which need rapid/instant control, such as ermmm PLAY!!! Is instant (and internally illuminated, handy as we work in the near-dark). The Cue button is also illuminated. Both buttons are large, rubbery, have a good tactile feel and a reassuringly deep travel rather than the flush metal Lift call type buttons found on some other units.

The largest control on the panel is the Search wheel, which allows you to move back and forth through the frames of a track to accurately find your perfect cue point, just like a mini vinyl record. This same control also acts as a pitch bend when the track is playing, enabling you to nudge the track a little faster, or dab down the track a little slower to match beats with another track when beat mixing. For those DJs who prefer to do their Pitch bending with buttons, two tactile Pitch Bend buttons (+ and -) are featured on the panel also.

Around the outside of the Search Wheel is the Scan Collar. Which, when youre cueing up a track, allows you to jump quickly forwards or backwards by a so many seconds. How many seconds? What works best for you? 1 minute jumps, 10 seconds jumps...sorry, Im teasing again... the DN-D4500 Preset menu, mentioned earlier, allows you to preset how big you want the jumps to be, 10seconds? 20? 30? 1minute? You choose and it remembers your choice, gig after gig after gig until you want to change that setting, which takes seconds.

Operating the scan collar is a little like holding the lid of a jam jar, a nudge a few degrees clockwise jumps you forward, a nudge a few degree anti-clockwise jumps you backwards. Get roughly where you want to get to using the scan collar with your own personal preset jump times, then home in to the exact frame that you need, using the inner search wheel. Thanks to the user-adjustable jump steps, fast accurate cueing doesnt get much quicker than this.

Sales Pitch

The DN-D4500 two pitch sliders (one for each deck) are pretty much the full height of the 2U high control panel, and confirm to the usual layout of Zero in the middle, slide down for faster, slide up for slower. How fast and how slow? Again this is adjustable to the DJs preference and musical needs, using a 2 second press of the button marked Key Adjust/Pitch Range. The pitch range is selectable between +/-4% for easy precision where the tracks youre mixing are close in BPM terms, 10% (a happy medium), 16% (for those tracks where their BPMs differ a lot, also 24%, and even 50% and 100% (The only way to play the Birdie Song, or Opps upside your head).

For the beatmixers among you, who like to keep long running mixes held in sync for ages, youll be interested in knowing that the pitch increments are 0.1% at pitch ranges up to +/-16%, and 1% increments at the higher pitch ranges.

Chipmunking vocals at high pitches and Darth Vader vocals at slow speeds is avoided by a very smooth Key Adjust system (which some my know as Master Tempo. This feature is simply switched on, or off from a brief press of the Pitch Range button and can even be set in the units Presets, to come on as default everytime you power up, which saves any nasty surprises on your first mix of the night.

For momentary increases/decreases in the speed of the track thats playing, eg: when getting two beatmatched songs into sync with each other, there are Pitch + and buttons provided, which are progressive, eg: The longer you keep your finger on them, the more effect they have on the playing speed. When youre using a pitch range between 4% and 24%, the pitch bend buttons offer +/- 32% bend, at higher pitch ranges you get +/-99% which can lead to some very interesting effects.

Here we go loopy-loop...

The DN-D4500 boasts two seamless loops thats more than most CD-decks, not quite as many as its bigger brothers, and definitely the right amount for convenience and remix-ability for most mobile situations. Unlike a mere sampler, the seamless loops can be of any length not just so many seconds.

For the uninitiated a seamless loop is simply a feature where you can set a beginning point and an end point in a track, which will then play over and over again, without a gap, or break in the music. This practice has got a number of big benefits to mobile DJs and Remix DJs alike. With Seamless loops you could loop the short instrumental intro of a song, giving yourself as much talk-time as you need to announce the guest of honour, the current bar promotion that the landlord wants you to plug, the reminder to the guests about signing the bride and grooms guestbook, make fun of that blokes day-glo tie etc,etc.

You could also use the 2nd seamless loop to make the middle couple of minutes of a popular audience favourite last even longer just think, 6 minutes of Amarillo?, 8 minutes of Dancing Queen?...Its like being able to change any of your radio edits into 12inch extended mixes without all that wishy washy instrumental breakdown three-quarters of the way through. Just be sure to call an ambulance first if youre going to try 12 minutes of Lets Twist Again at the local Old Peoples Home Xmas Dinner Dance...

When you (or your audience) are ready to exit the loop, press Loop Exit (at any time, it doenst have to be on-the-beat) and the remainder of the track will carry on, seamlessly (of course), as if youd never looped any of the track at all.

Off to a Hot Start.

The A1 and A2 buttons which you use to set the beginning of each loop, can also be used without looping simply to let you set a point where you want to be able to jump forward (or back) to, instantly and seamlessly. For example, you might want to play a very recognisable beginning of a popular track and then when the first chorus comes up, instantly jump to the last chorus thereby allowing you to effectively shorten a song, enabling you to finish bang on-time, much to the delight of that creepy hall caretaker who hovering by the main hall light switches waiting for 11:59:59...

Miss Jones? Take A memo.

Now, once youve got your cue point (avoiding that boring bit at the beginning of the song), your one or two seamless loops, or maybe a couple of Hot Starts, wouldnt it be a shame for all your meticulous settings for that track to be lost...well? yes it would really. So...Thankfully the DN-D4500 has 1000 memo points which will store all this information for you. The next time you insert a CD (in either drive) which you saved memo points for, the DN-D4500 will ask you Memo Call?. If you press yes then the unit will set up the cue points, seamless loops, and hot starts for you, just the way you left them.

Memo points can also be deleted manually if required for example, if a client lends you their shop bought original CD of their favourite artist and youve wanted to set specific cue points up for some of the tracks, you can delete the memo points for those tracks once youve finished playing those tracks. You can also delete blocks of 200 memos at a go too if required.

Conclusions:

Overall, the Denon DN-D4500 promises to be every bit the rugged workhorse that its much respected predecessor, the DN-D4000 has proven to be. Taking up a space of just 4 rack units, and weighing in at 13lbs 7oz (6.2kg) for the drawer unit, and 4lbs 2oz (1.9kg) for the control unit, any club or mobile disco should be able to fit this easy-to-use machine in almost anywhere.

This is very much the type of machine that anyone could walk up to and start playing music from. The 4500s adoption of Denons user-definable presets, give you a great sense of this being your cd-player, and make using the unit both convenient and more natural avoiding that feeling you get when you just know that someone else has adjusted your car seat and mirrors, and you then have to spend vital time re-adjusting things from the factory norm.

For DJ's looking at saving transportation and venue space, (and their spines), this really is the entry level for superb MP3 track handling, especially the MP3 Artist/title search system - a feature previously unheard of on any dual deck.

The 1000 memo points too mean that whilst youve still got full artistic control over cue points, hot starts and seamless loops, you can save your efforts and save yourself time setting up tracks that your audiences enjoy, without risking the sporadic results of BPM driven auto/emergency loops" chanced by some players

For more equipment reviews, along with hints and tips on running a mobile disco, then check out our International DJ Community Forums at http://www.dj-forum.co.uk

You may freely use this article on your blog, website or newsletter provided the above credit and active link are retained.

It is true that many people are unsure of their credit score. They can't say if it is good or bad. Having a good knowledge of your current credit score is very important. It will enable you to know how to target your auto loan application appropriately.

One thing that many people don't know when getting a bad credit auto loan is that they are considered to be "last choice" loans for people putting in mind their bad credit rating.

The truth about bad credit auto loan applications is that they are turned down by most banks and lenders because of the high level risks associated with it. Some dedicated lenders however are specially equipped to handle issues with bad credit. These lenders offer services that are available online making its reach just a click of the mouse away.

The interest you pay depends on how bad your credit score is and also on your history with paying bills. Once certain that you need to get the loan, read through the paperwork that you have to fill out. Study it thoroughly. Understand their meanings even in the tiniest prints. Most times these reveal a lot of useful information about the loans' true terms.

You can also use the services of a representative from the bank or lending company. Having to meet with this representative on an appointment and asking targeted questions will further enable you to understand the responsibilities you are going to fulfill when the loan is finally granted to you.

Author: Ndimele Ikechukwu Phelim "Iyke Phelim"

Quality Service Provider. Loans And Loan Quotes Available Online. Visit:

http://auto.best-loans-info.com and http://best-loans-info.com

One of the questions that you may ask yourself when you are actively seeking a new or used auto may include, how do you comparatively shop auto loans, particularly if you have a bad credit score? What are the variables you need to consider when you compare automobile loans? Each banker will most likely offer a different interest rate, length of contract, and a range of terms and conditions. The average consumer may find it difficult to decide which loan may be the correct one for them. Here are some pointers on how to compare auto loans.

The best place to start your research and compare auto loans is on the Internet. Car dealers, banks, credit unions, and other lending institutions offer comprehensive services online to assist you in comparing quotes. Many have online loan calculators, links to loan resources and methods of comparing loans. Starting your research online can make the process efficient and easy (not to mention all the time and gas you'll save because you're not running all over town).

Obviously the cost of the loan is one of the most important factors when deciding on which vendor you'll choose. The cost of the loan is determined by several factors. First is the amount of the loan itself. The more expensive the car you select, the higher the loan amount will be (assuming your down payment is negligible or non-existent). The higher the loan amount, the more you will make in monthly payments.

Decide carefully which vehicle you want to buy and whether you would like a new car or a used one, as this determines the loan amount. And if you are burdened by bad credit, you probably should choose basic, reliable transportation and put off the BMW until your credit is back up to snuff.

The second factor to consider would be the interest rate you are quoted. The higher the interest rate, the higher will be the total cost over the life of the loan. This rate will depend on various items including, but not limited to, your credit score, your past payment history, your employment record, whether any collateral is being provided and sometimes, by your appearance (another good reason to apply over the internet).

Another point to think about when you compare car loans are the types of loans that are available. A secured loan means you must pledge some type of collateral, but you will usually get a better interest rate. An unsecured loan with no collateral requirement will have a higher rate of interest. If you are suffering from a bad credit rating, which many people are in this economy, then you will most likely be offered a secured loan and/or you will have to provide a significant down payment. Make sure you also compare any fees a lender may add-on for taking out the loan, and if they charge late payment fees and/or early loan payoff fees.

All of these items can add significantly to your overall cost for the purchase of a car. Thus, to compare car loans, you have to compare the cost of each loan option offered by each banker. You cannot compare car loans considering each factor singularly, you have to consider them all together and find out the total cost over the life of the loan.

If you're in the market for a auto loan for bad credit, please visit this blog where you can obtain information on every type of auto loan, including car loan with bad credit. Pat Morgan is a retired automobile dealer finance manager from Austin, Texas, who has started a site to help consumers with bad credit obtain car loans.

If you have monthly mortgage repayments to make and worry how you would keep them up if you were to find yourself unable to work then consider mortgage payment protection. A policy could give you a tax free income after being unable to work for a period of time which would allow you peace of mind and enables you to continue financing your mortgage.

The majority of policies would being to provide you with the much needed sum of money between 30 and 90 days of being out of work. Once a policy has begun to pay the benefit then it could continue to do so for between 12 and 24 months. This would enable the policy holder to rest and recover without worry, which can greatly speed up the recovery process. In the case of involuntary redundancy, it allows the individual to search for work.

While mortgage payment protection can be a safety net it is not a suitable product for all circumstances. This is because there are exclusions with some being frequent to all policies and others put in by the particular provider. Being retired, suffering an ongoing illness, if you are in self-employment or working on a part time basis means that cover might not be suitable. That is why it is imperative that you check the individual policy terms and conditions, because they can vary considerably.

Mis-selling of protection insurance has occurred in the past half of the 20 million UK policies that have been bought could have been mis-sold. However, this invaluable cover can work the way it is designed to do providing you have got the information needed. It is not the product which is at fault; it is the sloppy sales practices used by some of the companies that sell the insurance.

The terms and conditions will also tell you when cover starts and would end and if you go with an independent specialist provider you can be sure of getting this information. Mortgage payment protection is usually offered when you take out borrowing. However the high street lender can charge extortionate premiums for a policy in comparison to specialist providers. It is thought that around 4 billion is brought in each year by the high street lenders in profits alone. The independent body the Competition Commission - who are currently reviewing the sector - have announced that they will use their powers to make the high street lender open their books and show the actual profits made.

If you want mortgage payment protection and the security it can give, then learning all you can about a policy before taking it on is essential. Of course while you can benefit from the tax free income it gives you do have to consider that the majority of mortgages are taken out for around 15 to 20 years and of course cover would only last for at the most 24 months. If in doubt about the protection then you can benefit from the free advice that a specialist provides. There are other types of insurance you can take out and you might be able to benefit from these too.

Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of mortgage payment protection, loan protection insurance and income protection insurance.

Insurance is a form of risk management, which is primarily used to protect the person against the risk of contingent losses. To cure the financial loss, one can purchase various cheap insurance policies. Insurance is a legal contract between the individuals and a insurance company to provide financial help to the subscribers at the time of crises. As a matter of fact, individuals and business users can receive compensation for financial losses on various issues related with life, health, disability, accidents, theft, property, fire or storm damage and many more. Or, it can be said that it is a transfer of a loss from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium.

In the market, there are many insurance companies that provide coverage from the financial crises. It is important for an individual to check the benefits and insurance quotes, before availing the policy for himself or herself. While comparing insurance policies, it can be noticed that the risk which can be quantified can potentially be insured. Business insurance for instance, helps the businessmen to protect his business against the market risks. Health policies will provide the benefits of insurance to cover the cost of private medical treatments. Therefore, it will result in quicker health care from any authorized center. For securing the life against any sort of accident, one can get causality insurance and much more. Therefore, it can be said that there are many benefits of insurance, some most common of them include the following:

1. It relieves the individuals from worries and anxieties. For instance, business is a positive stimulus to one's activities, as it allows businessmen to get on with their business. It protects them against many forms of financial risks.

2. Insurance helps in reducing losses. Nowadays, the insurance companies have a great deal of experience in risk management of all kinds. As a matter of fact, with the experience of several years, the companies have found ways to minimize certain types of risks.

3. The way transaction of insurance is used, it provides the insurance company to put the money that it holds in the common pool. As a matter of fact, it does not immediately use all the money which it collects as a premium. It holds the money until the policy holder suffers a loss.

Therefore, it can be said that insurance can save the individual from various unexpected losses.

Andrena Markley is the webmaster of rupizcompare.co.uk/insurance Get latest information on life insurance and home insurance. Apply for free insurance quotes

What happens when you are injured in the course of doing your work? For example, Marcel works for a small home construction company. He is working on a roofing project one day when he slips on some loose shingles and shoots himself in the foot with a nail gun.

This small company is not able to offer health insurance, and so Marcel is lucky that he has decided to purchase occupational accident insurance to cover himself in case of just such an injury.

Occupational accident insurance is very similar to workman's compensation insurance. In fact, in some states companies are allowed to offer their employees occupational accident insurance in lieu of workman's compensation insurance. Sometimes the coverage offered even exceeds that provided by many other plans.

As with any insurance policy, the more generous the coverage, the higher the premium costs for the individual. Occupational accident insurance policies usually have a variety of elimination periods to choose from, from zero days to one year. Obviously premiums get higher the smaller the elimination time period is. A person is much more likely to use occupational accident insurance if their elimination period is only a week or two versus months or a year.

Another factor that will determine the cost of your occupational accident insurance is the duration of the coverage. Do you want to purchase a policy that will cover you for a year? How about for several years, or until you are 65 or older? As people age they are unfortunately more likely to be seriously injured in the course of their work. Reflexes are slower, joints are stiffer, and people tend to become less agile. Because they carry a higher risk, their premiums are likely to be higher as well.

People in occupations which are typically considered more dangerous, such as construction, factory work, or other "blue collar" occupations are going to have more expensive premiums than those with occupations such as banking or clerical work, because the risk of injury is so much higher. If you remember Marcel from earlier, he is much more likely to be injured than someone who answers phones in an office for a living. He is much more likely to find occupational accident insurance to be something that will fit his needs.

As with any insurance policy, each individual considering whether the cost is worth the possibility of needing occupational accident insurance needs to think about all these factors and make an informed decision.

Jason R Davidson owns and operates http://www.accidentinsurancezone.com For more information on what companies offer the best Accident Insurance take a look at our main site.

Many people are looking for ways to save money today. However, sometimes people do not seem to think about how to save money when they buy a car. They place themselves at the mercy of the car salesman and hope to get a good deal. That, of course, is not the best way. Here are a few tips to help you get a good deal on a car and save some money, too.

1. Look Over Your Credit Report

Your credit report says a lot about you - probably even more than you might want. It informs the lender about the timing of your payments, your total indebtedness, how many times you applied for credit, and of course, your credit score. The lender will look at these numbers and assign you an interest rate and the amount you can borrow based on these numbers and other information.

Because it figures so highly into the calculation, you need to make sure that it is accurate. Mistakes readily occur on credit reports. By getting a copy of your report, you can look it over to determine if it is accurate - and up to date. If you must make corrections, wait at least six weeks before you apply for any loan to make sure the information has been changed.

2. Prepare For A Good Financial Situation

Your current level of indebtedness could also be a problem if there is either too much debt or too much credit. Too much debt means that you probably are not able to handle much more financially. This means you are a greater risk to the lender. It will raise your interest rates and lower the amount of cash you can get. Too much credit, on the other hand, which could refer to a number of credit cards with little or no credit on them, means that you still could max them out. This is also a problem, because if you should max them out, then you may not be able to pay back your loan. By reducing both, it could raise your credit score and put you into an ideal situation for a better car loan.

3. Get Several Quotes And Compare

Get several quotes online from different lenders for your car loan. This will enable you to find the best deal in terms of being more suited to your needs. You can get the loan with lower payments, lower interest rates, the time you want and more. You can choose. If you don't see exactly the terms you want, you can either apply to more lenders or try to negotiate with them.

4. Get A Preapproved Car Loan

Preapproved car loans will give you a better price and let you know exactly how much you can get. When a lender issues you a loan, they will send you a blank check and give you a credit limit. All you need to do is to find the car you want within that price range, and write the check out for that amount.

5. Buy A Used Car

You can save a lot of money by buying a used car. In fact, when you drive off the car lot with a new one, you just lost about $1,500 or more in depreciation. Let someone else bear it. You will get more car and less depreciation if you buy a used one with low mileage. You may also be able to get last years model straight off the dealer's car lot - but never sold.

6. Investigate Car Prices

Unless you look into the prices for a car you want, you have no idea what the car is worth. This means you could pay thousands more for it - and never know the difference. By knowing a car's value, however, you can negotiate for a better deal.

Joe Kenny writes for the Loans Store, for cars they are offering great cheap car loans, or Rebuild.org for cheap auto loans
Visit today: Car Loans from UK Loan Store

Sometimes accident sickness unemployment insurance is termed ASU insurance. As the name would suggest it would protect against becoming unable to work after suffering an illness or accident and protect against unemployment by such as being made redundant.

There are different policies for different types of situations. Mortgage protection would cover the repayments of the mortgage. Loan protection would be able to protect any loan and credit card repayments you had to make. Income payment protection would allow you to continue paying your essential outgoings each month.

All policies would have the same basic rules. You pay a premium each month decided by your age and the amount you wish to protect each month. In the case of mortgage payment protection you can also choose whether just to cover against unemployment only or incapacity only to keep down the cost. Age based policies means that the younger generation can take now afford to protect their borrowings each month.

There are certain exclusions to be found in the small print of all payment protection cover. These have to be checked if you are to be certain that you would be able to claim on the cover. Once you have then you can check to see when the cover would begin and end. Payment protection usually starts to provide an income between the 30th and 90th day and would continue between 12 and 24 months. Some providers will also backdate to the first day of you being unable to work or of being unemployed.

Accident sickness unemployment insurance is essential if you have a mortgage to keep up with. By failing to maintain the repayments of the mortgage you are breaking the contract you signed and as such the lender can choose to repossess your home. While they do not do this if at all possible, not being able to agree with the lender on how you would catch up on what you owe, while at the same time missing more of your mortgage repayments means the lender will repossess. If you were to get behind on loan repayments and into debt then you could get a County Court Judgement against you and at the very least your credit rating would be affected and you would still have to make an agreement to repay the loan.

When you take out the loan or mortgage with the lender they will try to get you to take out accident sickness unemployment insurance. They charge way over the odds for the protection and bring in around 4 billion each year solely in profits from tagging on the insurance. Along with this often very little information is given regarding the policy you are taking on and in some cases in the past this has led to consumers taking out cover that they could not hope to claim against. There have been many problems with payment protection in the past but it can be a very worthwhile policy to have. It is also important to remember that the product does work providing you check to make sure it is right for your needs.

Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of accident sickness unemployment insurance.

Once you find your dream car, you will have to figure out how you can afford it. There are many financing options available, of which the new car loan is the most feasible.

When applying for a new car loan, the first thing to consider is your financial situation. Determine how much you can afford to pay each month, as car financing is a long-term proposition. Most of the new car loans run for five years, so you should be able to meet this financial obligation for five years.

Before actually settling on a new car loan, it is advisable to shop around and compare prices of the various loan companies. The dealers rate is not always the best rate. Get quotes from finance companies and banks, and then choose the company offering the best rate and terms for your new car loan. The dealer may add unnecessary things to your loan amount, like tow packages and undercoating. You should decline all this, as it just adds to the price of the car, and serves no other significant purpose. When getting a new car loan, it is better to pay as much of a down payment as possible, as this lowers the amount to be financed. This in turn lowers your monthly payments.

There are some advantages to new car loans, like lemon law coverage, factory support, and full warranties. There is also a possibility of receiving lower financing rates with new car loans. However, as new cars cost more, there is limited room for price negotiation, which leads to a larger loan amount. Taking out new car loans also makes you take the hit for depreciation.

Car Loans provides detailed information on Car Loans, Car Loan Calculators, Bad Credit Car Loans, Used Car Loans and more. Car Loans is affiliated with New Auto Loans.