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kaoarika · 4 years ago

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A few weeks ago I was looking at the newspaper’s website to give me an idea at most about what is happening around (because it is the dilemma of “I don’t want to know more about the hellish landscape we are living through right now” and “but I don’t want to be misinformed, either :(” ) and I found something that called my attention.

Basically, it was recently announced that a company was going to do their own kind of anime streaming platform a la CR, HI-DIVE, Funi, etc. but for the latinamerican audience.

On paper this isn’t a bad idea, per se. Back in the 90s and earlier-mid 2000s we got plenty of things (in local TV, cable, a 24 hour anime TV channel) compared to how things were played in the US (and admittingly, Europe won all overall, lol), so... I see where they are coming from, especially since we have much more limited options on platforms (even some that NO ONE EVER USE) plus licenses are... freaking weird in getting blocked (Funi recently announced they would FINALLY enter the latinamerican market... despite blocking anime licenses for the LatAm region for years... as they were explicitly region locked to the US and Canada *shrugs*). so basically they want to get rid off a more US centric “middleman” and get licenses “for the taste of the latam audience”.

I say “on paper”, because the interview I saw gave me a bit of a mixed idea, that current stuff that is on Ne*tflix or CR or Amzn Prime is more “curated” to the US centric audience’ tastes and I’m like ”but even so, what’s left that is currently on air that we don’t have?” unless you count stuff like more children-oriented anime that the U.S. licensors are not going to touch with a ten feet pole (look how poorly was Dor*aemon treated in the US :/) unless they are merch-driven. And with Funi entering the LatAm market (and Sony by default doing smth like they did with Animax back in the day, let’s be real), I am here like “Hmmm...”

Unless. Unless they are referring to rescue old series-licenses that were aired in the region, as well. That. for some forsaken reason (i.e. not exactly mainstream successes like Sai*lor Moon or Drag*on Ball), they are HARD to get around. Especially with the Latam Spanish dubs (to make the story short: either the dub masters were kept by a channel, or they were returned to their licensors or right owners... and let’s said that it would be a task could I don’t think old licensors exist nowadays).

To put a weird example, Amzn Prime in Mexico. The last month or so they have been uploading old TMS-owned series that were once aired somewhere in the LatAm region... but they are just uploading old dubbed series (w/no JPN audio whatsoever... except for Lupin III Part 5, because). And chances are that 99% of those were those...strange Los Angeles’ Spanish dub that were made in the 90s.

On one side, good because some of these series were aired ONCE and who knows if the channel treted them right (i.e. Kaitou Saint Tail), and two, I’m always up to rescue or archive old Spanish dubs that aren’t available ANYWHERE unless you are a very dedicated fan that uploaded those to YT (with varying degrees in audio quality) and managed to save the audio and pasted it on more quality footage. Because, here, compared to the US or Spain or France, or wherever - these anime have never been released on home media (again, unless you were PRETTY mainstream or your fanbase is EXTREMELY nostalgic about your series), and you are mostly depending on whatever may have been uploaded in CR or YT from all places (and yeah, look for videos that are still cut in 3 parts to see how OLD some of these series may have been there.

Other reason I say about “this is a good idea, on paper” is that they are extremely optimistic that when the platform opens (in 2021), by the end of the year they would have 800 titles. And I’m like “Okay, wow. That’s SERIOUSLY extremely optimistic.” I don’t doubt that much about the LatAm market, really... but, look, when Panini MX started to publish manga (2013/14), they... didn’t publish as much as they are doing nowadays (I think they originally did between 5-10 titles... I think they are doing 20+? now). You have to decrease your expectations, all things considered. Especially because, *cough* pandemic outside? We don’t know how good we are going to be, economic speaking, at the end of it? Like, studies are saying it will take a bit longer than a year to recover (and the latinamerican region is getting the worst expectatives about it, from what I have seen)... and heck, we don’t even know if the pandemic will be over in a year, even. But, oh, well, capitalism, I guess.

Also, something something about eventually financing sequels of series according to the LatAm audience’s tastes? And something something make them “exclusive” for the LatAm audience. Wait, what. I... that’s a lot to chew in such a short term? :’).

I’m not saying this is a bad idea, overall... and, yeah, this might be good to look for in the future. But I wouldn’t have started on the right foot saying “we are expecting by the end of our first year with 800 titles available”, orz.

...What I am also asking is for possibilites of home media releases :/ (yeah, yeah, streaming is good, and whatever, but licenses are not “forever” and they do not stay on those sweet platforms catalogues “forever” as well :/), SAVE THOSE DUBS. FOR BETTER OR WORSE. The thing with Amzn AT LEAST proves that those dubs are SOMEWHERE, with a better audio/visual quality than whatever you found recorded on TV,.

One thing I do negatively complain is the name of the platform.

“A/ni/me O/ne/gai”

*groan* I don’t judge but it sounds a) pretty weebish generic and 2) “this obviously may sound like a piracy/aggregator site that you will have to pay for it”. (AND I AM not saying that other streaming platforms names are WAY BETTER, and YET “Daisuki” WAS A THING), I just... *internally screaming*

#kao's nonsenses

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kurtchristenson · 8 years ago

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TWENTYSIX: The Kinetic Kid Blues A THRUSTisHere Short Story

"He's robbing the world of its magic!", the protester cried out one sunny morning outside the McAllister building. "Don't believe his lies!" I took a few seconds to gawk before unfolding my trusty spiral notebook from my back pocket. I jotted down, 'There's never a dull moment in this city of improbable possibilities', before zipping on down Forty-Second Street in a blur. I hit my last few deliveries and blew by the main office. I needed some cash and the bossman owed me big time. I looked over the cover story on the Post as I sat patiently for my pay to be scrounged together. The headline read: 'MILLIONAIRE MASTER OF MACHINES' and showed the slick image of Jordan McAllister unveiling his newest gizmo. Some useless wad of tech that could do everything from capturing audio and video to doing your taxes. Sure, it'd be nice to store every song I've ever heard into the same device that I make my monthly phone call to my mom with, but there should be some limit to these things. I was interrupted mid-ponder by the slapping of bills into my palm. "This should make us square kid. By the way, nice rush job on that McAllister drop off this afternoon. Not sure how you did forty blocks in fifteen minutes, but I admire that hustle Chuck." Joe Medley was the kind of boss people would follow into battle. A square jawed hombre hardened by a lifetime in the delivery business. If he would just shave that ridiculous moustache. I step outside and the thunder begins to pound on the grey skies above. An ominous smearing of the day's blue enormity. I slid on my glasses, retied my bandana and adjusted my cap before leaping off into the swirlling cityscape. A gentle flip off of a ledge and a swift pounce from a nearby flagpole and I was sent gliding along the metro-magnetic pulse. My mind caught hold as I soared through the streets, surfing the city's invisible veins faster than any pedestrian's eyes could follow. But not faster than hers. Helena, or Ms. Mercury as she refers to herself these days, came floating by as if I were swimming in slo-motion. Her faux innocence seeped from her sly stare. "Hey Charles." That damn slight curling up at the corner of her mouth. "Hey Helena." "Did you forget about tonight?" "Not yet. I'd remember open bar." "We have to see the exhibit this time. And try not to throw up on the V train again." "I'm not making any promises...are they going to have the little sandwiches this time?" "I'm not sure sweetie. Gotta run. See you at 7!" and with that, in a blink of an eye, she kisses my cheek and dissappears down 23rd St. I'm not sure if it's jealousy but I liked it better when she didn't have superpowers. We met outside the museum that night at 7:10. It's hard to believe any respectable superhero can make it on time to date, let alone two of them. We walked the exhibit arm in arm, and headed out for a drink. "It's great the things you can get free.", I shouted over the music at the lush Midtown bar. Some company or another had sent her a card for two complimentary drinks. Her sliver sandals shone brilliantly in the blurred cityscape light as it danced among the flapping of her black skirt. Her earrings sparkled as we blazed across town. Afterwards we zipped over to Jersey City where my friend's band were playing at a local bar. The sound rocked our internal organs and the cheap booze made us stumbly, so we decided to hoof it home like regular folk and leave the superpowers out of it for a night. The wait for the train is usually a panic inducing, claustrophobic, nightmare of a wait for one with speedy powers such as mine. But tonight I hardly noticed the thirty-nine minutes it took to finally come. We were finally Manhattan bound, when, after a few sloppy kisses and through slurred speech, she presented me with a gift. "It's an iWorld." She smiled up at me expectantly. My confused look elicited a further explanation. "It's the cell phone, instant messenger, mp3 player with GPS and a digital camera that also records video and audio." That druken haze in her eyes didn't match the tone of her voice. Suddenly, when discussing this gadget, a company salesman had taken control of my girlfriend. "Thanks baby." Something felt off, but I accepted the gift. I hugged my appreciation as we fumbled to the side nearly falling from our seats as the train screeched to a halt. As I activated the camera function on my new toy, I turned and snapped a picture of her as we ascended the subway stairs. The LCD screen caught the dramatic lighting of the moon as we stepped outside, illuminating her hair, draped alongside an inebriated smirk. As the days passed I tinkered with my new gizmo. Seems it truly does it all, which kicked in my suspicious nature. If this thing catches on like McAllister's numerous other expensive junk, available worldwide, then everyone will be capturing everything everywhere. Recording life around them and going back to it later to confirm it. Rather than just live our lives, we'd all just be directing a slideshow of images complete with soundtrack and then emailed off to family and friends. Isolated in our heads, viewing the world instead of interacting with it. Television is only the beginning. My head started to pound and my nose began to bleed. "Whoa, I gotta remember to watch the crazy talk.", I said to myself. The following Saturday Helena and I danced through the ballroom they call New York, spinning and leaping as we soared along with the city night frozen in an instant below us. I spun her out, but as she pounced from a traffic light, I saw a misstep. She began to arc too far as she twirled about like a whirling dervish, spinning wildly towards a display window. Instincts drove my body forward, letting my mind figure out the plan for itself. Two kicks had launched me towards the light post, and pausing horizontally for just a millisecond, I supercharged my next leap. I rocketed across the street, rotated as I skimmed across the hood of a taxi, and ricocheted off a mailbox, just catching her in my arms as she swooned and fainted. My feet grinded to a halt on the pavement, and instantly time popped all around me as my sneakers exploded into shrapnel. "What's happened to you Helena?" I cradled her in my arms as we glided home across the Williamsburg Bridge. She didn't wake until she was tucked in her bed. I applied the cold compress to her forehead and smiled down at her. She smiled back but it felt sad somehow. "How you doing kiddo?" I held her hand. "I'm fine. I just need some waffles..." she hoarsely whispered. "And OJ, and toast..." I kissed her hand as she drifted to sleep. I went to look for my iWorld to see what I could do. Once I found it, I couldn't imagine who to call, who would know how to help a sick superhero. She tossed and turned the whole night and despite her wishes, I decided to bring her to the emergency room. On the run there, she looked up at me with hopeless eyes. I never felt so useless. The doctors took her from me and told me not to worry and to get some rest. I couldn't sleep so I paced around the neighborhood, then jogged around the city and eventually ran the entire state. This wasn't something I could outrun. I grabbed a coffee at a rest stop somewhere in Pennsylvania. The caffeine wore off somewhere in Ohio and I slept on a bench in the lounge for an hour or two. I popped a caffeine pill and made it to Lake Michigan as the sun rose up behind me. My mind began to decompress as the tension drained from my body. Why was I running? What had happened to Helena? Why did I feel such overwhelming guilt? I took out my iWorld and began recording. I went over the details I could remember. Seemed as if I was stuck in a high gear for the past week. Oddly enough I wasn't able to produce many memories since that delivery to the McAllister building. I began to think of Helena and scrolled through the pictures I had taken of her. Over four hundred digital images were stored on the small piece of plastic in my hands. And as I flipped through I began to notice something. She was fading away. That very first picture showed Helena for the true beauty I knew her as. In each consecutive picture she looked weaker, her skin growing more pale, and that lovely smile never extending quite as far as it did that night. Was it this device? Was it me? I sprinted back to New York City, hit the library and began searching for anything related to the iWorld or Jordan McAllister. As the newsites popped up, everything seemed straightforward. Budding inventor brings together a team of other brilliant minds to make a great leap using the technology of the times. Each year their device had evolved, from the iHear mp3 device, to the iDrive multimedia player, to the iDream cell phone/PDA. The iWorld was the most highly advertised and therefore, desired, electronic device in the history of modern society. From billboards to rap videos to coffee chain tie-ins, the presence of this gadget had surrounded us before we even had it resting in our hungry palms. I guess I just wasn't paying attention as I blew through the city each day. Probably missed the TV commercials due to having only an old 13" b&w set at home with barely functioning rabbit ears. I was just having too much fun and, well, I suppose I was a bit out of touch with reality these days. I left the library more than a little distraught. Where could I turn now? I couldn't head home. I'd just wind up feeling sorry for myself. I couldn't just burst into McAllister's office and demand that he tell me the connection between Helena's collapse and his damned toy. "Why not?" The voice came over my headphones and I spun around. I checked out the iWorld expecting to have accidentally called someone from my address book once again. But it was off. "Drop on by the office. I've been expecting you." I remembered moments like this when, as a kid I'd ride my bike around the neighborhood listening to cassette tapes. The ambient background noise would make me suspiciously glance over my shoulders every few seconds, really implanting that paranoia. Tucked into the shadows of the East Village, I questioned my sanity as the voice kept creeping out of the headphones. I ripped them out and began to hyperventilate. The random soundtrack of the city funneled into my ears and grounded my brain for the moment. But I could still hear the tinny tone of the voice as it crept from out of the tiny pieces of plastic and wires in my hands. I tossed the device into my ski cap and stuffed the whole thing deep into the pocket of my army jacket. I closed my eyes and imagined myself outside McAllister's office, smashing through the front doors, leaping through the lobby, and slamming floor by floor up to his lush penthouse suite. I imagined myself destroying his happy and rich life, starting with his art deco decor and ending with his throat in my grip, suspending him outside the center floor-to-ceiling window of his decimated office. "Do it. Kill me son." I hesitated and came to my senses. I dropped to my knees. With several long, deep, drawn breaths in I could see that my momentary wish had become a reality. The entire span of McAllister's multi-million dollar chunk of real estate, with that spectacular view, was now leveled completely. The windows were all blown out, and the remaining shards of his luxurious lifestyle spread around me in a ring as if a bomb had been detonated in the center of the room. "It's so disappointing that you're such a failure." McAllister, mere inches from a two hundred story drop, looked severely sad. He took off his blazer and tossed it out the window. Unbuttoning his cuffs, he rolls up his sleeves, before kicking me clear across the room with an Italian loafer to the chest. "I only ask that you end my life and you can't even imagine that." McAllister began to pace around the room, the splinters and shards crackling under his steps. He brushes his hand through his hair and walks towards the last of the standing walls. With his other hand, he gently waves as the wall begins to disappear, replaced with a large metal womb. "Okay Chuck, here's how it goes. I'm the villain of this piece. I know, how post modern of me to mention it straight up like this. So clever, right?" McAllister grabs the womb and drags it closer. "Fuck clever. I'm your goddamn devil, child." I had finally caught my breath and my threw myself across the room into a defensive position. My arms crossed before me in an 'X', my front foot thrust forward, and my back foot at a 90 degree angle, bracing for impact or prepared to launch. My Quasar vision dazzled around the scene absorbing all the light in the room in nothing more than an instant. "Let's finish this." I couldn't believe the cliched battlecries I heard coming from my mouth. McAllister's hand is on the womb, gently raising it's liquid metal covering. His eyes are locked onto mine, and he holds me there with his magnetic-repulsion-rays. A smile is lifting the corners of his mouth as I shake my sight free. A small mob of young men, trapped beneath the next generation iWorld, the iSoul, roar into the room. Their eyes are blank, their ears full, and their minds empty. In their hands runs the current of power emanating from the womb. The surging fractal lightning pulsed around their fists as the iZombies stomped forward, bloody screams of battle on their breaths. I strained my crossed arms against the paralyzing effect McAllister was emanating upon me, and at the very last second, mere millimeters from the wildly swung punch of an iZombie, just then did I snap out and into action. I was like a breeze between the pack, darting low beneath their grasp. The burning edges of searing raw cosmos nipped at my hair as I slid behind them. My fist rockets right and throws half the bunch down and out. I whip my right around again and fire it like a piston into the back of another, before unleashing a southpaw shot to two more. My fists pumped forward, the muscles acting almost on their own behalf, and by the time I slowed them down the room was a bloody cocoon. "Perfect. And now the for the kicker." I swung around mad-eyed and frayed, tachyon fire streaming from my mind. McAllister had raised the womb's cover and inside I saw that it was her. The quicksilver shine blinded me and forced out tears. Before my eyesight returned though I knew who it was that lie there naked and fetal. And I knew it was my fault. It was the silvery scorched body of Velocity Girl. I had stripped her of her form somehow, weakened her. I was the one that charged after her, trapped her, gave Helena her powers. Helena?! My god. Where was Helena? "You hit every cue my boy. Brilliant!" Ms. Mercury smashed into the office with the force of a thousand furies. The glass and twisted metal danced and glittered all around her as she just absolutely dazzled with that golden glow. Her furrowed brow was so cute, and she was making that angry face. My god. This is why he had loved her. The way she looks right now is everything I saw in her and everything I had ever loved about any woman ever. I'm not sure if her fist hit me or if it was the shockwave of compressed air that hairline fractured my cheekbone. I was sent sailing to the floor in a one knock out punch. I don't even know if her skin touched me. And I don't even have time to hit the ground, cause as I drift down her foot comes up under my rib cage and fires me straight through the roof of the building and high into the night sky. It's beautiful out. The air is warm and mild. Just enough wind to carry you about. And the city is out and lit up and alive. It's a stage with lights, camera, and action abound. But it's all getting further away. Ms. Mercury glides upwards past me and I gaze at her amazing figure as it caresses the edges of a moonlit Central Park. Her leg stretches straight up to her chin and down across mine. Plummeting so fast, thinking isn't possible. Until I slam into time and space expands into my mind like blood into cracks of concrete. It's beautiful inside this silence. Crackling into my psychic ear, snow like fuzz of memories brushed aside to make room for McAllister's thoughts. I try to squeeze him out of my mind. But it's no use. He has a hold and he places in his reality. "I want you to realize that you must defeat her and stop me. I'm not sure if that's clear by now. Everything I do, I do for you." I felt him crying. Then I felt like a sack of mail snatched by a speeding train. A sack of potatoes dragged from a cropduster. The parachute behind a dragracer. Then spinning in a circular spin somehow elliptically spun until I was mentally undone and then I vomited as I was pitched full speed into and through the offices of fine and hard working individuals, that actually enjoy their jobs. She caught me on the other side and my vision had now returned. Sight smacked back into me, I now saw blood streaming behind us as the city blurred away. My face felt wet and sticky and syrupy. I was groggy and attempted to turn around. My stomach lurched and I dry heaved myself into a coughing fit, nearly letting my lungs collapse. I drew into myself and coiled up in my body. Tightly wound stone charging of my internal thrust. Fired aloud, I popped free from Ms. Mercury's grip and carved myself through the undercurrents towards Wall Street. I grasped my forehead, hoping to close the gash across my third eye. I was karma blinded and without a guidance system now. And the bleeding's stopped. Bouncing across the ledges and pouncing from the empty office views of Downtown Manhattan, I was ricocheting to a safe haven, where ever that was. It was then that my senses were finally coming back to me and I saw how aura destroyed I really was. I couldn't outrun her. I couldn't outpower her. I couldn't out fight her. I was screwed. So I tried to run anyways, skipping along the tops of the West side. But she was always more familiar with this side of town. Damn! She taps me with an uppercut I don't see coming. I try to brace for impact and curl into a fetal position. A million swats dribble me down to Canal St. before she kicks me into the Holland Tunnel at a hundred miles an hour. My body is broken as it rattles against the tiled walls of the tunnel. Ms. Mercury cascades up next to me as she prepares to bounce me off the walls. I have only one thought as she unleashes her venomous Valkyrie vengeance, only one solitary things crosses my mind at that exact moment. She looks so happy. I catch glimpses of dirt, and water and metal, and garbage and smoke before finally hitting something that catches me in it's warm embrace. I can't feel anything beyond my mind. My body must be shattered, along with my spirit, but my brain hasn't died yet. But consciousness fades and before it does I see a single sentence that seems so odd, yet so familiar set before the apocalyptic background around him. 'Welcome to New Jersey.'

#short story #Kinetic Kid #THRUSTisHere #THRUST!!#superhero #NYC #villain #VELOCITYGIRL #Ms.MERCURY #fiction

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robotloading574 · 4 years ago

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Macbook Pro 16 Ableton

For this review, I tested Ableton Live Suite 10.1 on a MacBook Pro 15-inch with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD running macOS 10.14.5 Mojave, along with a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 (Second Gen) audio. February 24, 2021 4:50 am. Hey guys, a EASY WAY to bypass the permissions of the app, that doesnt let you to open is just DOWNLOAD TORRENT TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE, then extract the zip file on the Hard drive, open DMG and put ableton on applications, then be sure to follow every step on the instructions text file.

It used to be that only musicians who spent a decade traveling the world in a van and playing to anyone who would listen would have a chance of making an album. For almost half a century, the entire music business was dominated by major labels who dictated what was and wasn't popular.

All of that changed with the rise of the internet - music distribution became as easy as sending a message. With the evolution of technology, home recording exploded into a market that now rivals major record labels with the ease of access to anyone who can string a few chords together. But here in which lies a new problem.

With so many musicians and composers able to flood the likes of Soundcloud and Spotify with music, it's still difficult to stand out from the rest. Part of that will be your musical writing and playing talent, but another major factor is ensuring that you get a clear, professional sound in your finished tracks.

The battle between Mac and PC is still raging on, but many professional sound technicians have thrown their votes in for Apple as the best laptops to produce music on. Apple's interfaces and software programs, such as Logic Pro X and Garageband, offer a wide range of options to create your unique sound.

Table of Contents

View The Best MacBook for Music Production Below

MacBook for Music Production Buyers Guide

As for what hardware to use, leave that to us. We'll look at some of the best Macbooks for music production. Whether you're looking for a Macbook Pro, an Air, or something else, we've got you covered.

Your shortcut to our team's top 3 recommendations

Apple Macbook Air Retina

Amazing HD visuals.

Fingerprint touch bar ID to keep your contents safe.

Made from recycled aluminum, be eco-friendly!

View The Best MacBook for Music Production Below

This Macbook runs on a 1.6GHz dual Intel Core i5 processor, which is on the low end of the performance when compared to the i7 processors, but won't cost you nearly as much. Even with the i5, you will be able to run most software and DAW packages. It comes with 8GB of Ram and the option of a 128GB or 256GB SSD hard drive.

The stereo speakers are excellent quality, although, for any recording technician and their laptop, we recommend investing in some good quality over-ear headphones to get the most accuracy out of your mixes. Where the Air Retina scores points, is in the 13.5-inch full HD screen. As a sound technician, you will be staring at your DAW for hours on end as you work to get your tracks sounding as good as possible.

The HD Retina Display has razor-sharp resolution so you can see every detail of your work without making your eyes bleed. The Air Retina also comes with two Thunderbolt 3 USB ports for fast connectivity to your audio input devices, so your music production never has to wait. This makes it an efficient and the best Mac for music, whether you're a pro or just starting.

Pros: + Amazing HD visuals. + Fingerprint touch bar ID to keep your contents safe. + Made from recycled aluminum, be eco-friendly!

Why We Liked It -With a razor-sharp resolution, and a great stereo quality, this computer is more than adequate for music production.

The Apple Pro Retina differs from the Air Retina through the sheer bolstering of power. Its Intel Core i5 processor runs at an increased 2.3GHz, making it just that little bit faster, and ensuring your software packages are running a little smoother.

The RAM on the Pro Retina comes in a range of speeds, topping out at a whopping 32GB, four times the amount of the Air Retina. This is great if you're planning to use multiple VST instruments, plugins, or other multi-program setups in your DAW and will ensure you have no issues with latency or stalling.

This is the best Mac Pro for live music for this reason as well. The Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics are so clear and crisp, you know you'll have no problem working and cueing from this laptop in a busy club or venue environment. The Macbook Pro Retina even can be upgraded to a quad-core processor for even more punch. It packs a 128GB or 256GB SSD hard drive and two Thunderbolt 3 USB ports.

Pros: + Fully upgradable + Potential for immense processing power + Superior RAM for multiple VSTs and plugins.

Why We Liked It - This Macbook Pro is an excellent choice of Mac for music production. Aspiring music producers will love the clear and crisp graphics. We love this is the best Mac for music, especially if it's live. Why not invest in a Macbook Pro?

The Macbook Air uses a 2.2GHz dual-core Intel i7 processor, making the most powerful Mac for music production on our list in terms of speed. The i7 can even be turbo boosted to an incredible 3.2GHz for even better performance. Where the Macbook Pro Retina stands as a competent live performance laptop, the Macbook Air gives you almost guaranteed performance reliability, and it's lightweight for easy traversal between venues and home studios.

This Mac for music comes with 8GB of RAM, which isn't quite as much as other models, but the superior processing power it makes up for it. The SSD hard drive comes in either the standard 128GB or the massive 512GB. That's over half a terabyte to store your music on! The Macbook Air uses a 4K screen and Intel HD 6000 graphics to give what might be the best resolution out of all the laptops on our list.

Macbook Pro 16 Ableton Pro

It comes with two USB 3 ports, one Thunderbolt 2 port, and an SDXC card slot. While these are not quite as fast as the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the other models, the Macbook Air makes up for it in its impressive range of other specs. This is still one of the best laptops for live music.

Pros: + Unrivaled i7 processor power. + 4K Screen display. + Largest SSD hard drive.

Why We Liked It - There's a reason this has made our list of the best Mac for music production. It's reliable, lightweight for easy travel, and the power behind this Mac is equal to none.

MacBook for Music Production Buyers Guide

RAM and Processor

Why is RAM and processing power so prominent in the specs of music production? The best analogy is to think of it like books and a table. Imagine that your RAM is a table, and your computer programs are books.

The larger your table or RAM is, the more books (programs) you can have open at one time. Your processing power is how fast and how many of those books (programs) you can read at once. Most Mac recording software operates as a cluster of smaller programs, normally consisting of a sequencer, VST or instrument library, inputs, and a few other functions, depending on which software package you use.

It's always important to look at the minimum spec requirements of whatever music production software you plan to use to ensure your Macbook can handle it. All the laptops we've looked at are capable of running most of the popular program packages (see our programs section), but some fine tweaking or optimization is often a good idea.

Hardware inputs

If you want to use microphones or a DI, you will need to invest in an input device for your Macbook. There are many available in a wide range of brands, prices, and qualities, so it's worth doing some research to find which is best for your style of music. Some DIs come as just an input box that allows you to run an XLR cable or jack-lead into your laptop so you can use your DAW's internal sound effects and alterations.

Other DIs, such as Line 6's guitar POD range, also come with additional software, such as digital amplifiers and plugins, that you can record in real-time into your sequencer. If you are a writer of dubstep or EDM, a guitar package is likely to be of no use, so have a look and see what's required for your genre and recording style.

Programs

Finding a music production program or DAW that works for you can sometimes take a while. It comes down to personal preference and the setup for how you write and record music. For example, Steinberg's Cubase range allows for huge amounts of customization of MIDI, VST, and audio inputs, which makes it great for EDM or electronic genres.

It does not lend itself live performance as much, though. Pro Tools, while widely revered as one of the most professional audio interfaces, offers very little in the way of VST or digital instrument support and programming. This makes it best suited for audio input based genres like rock, metal, or indie.

The best thing to do is research your music production software, try it out, and if it doesn't work for you, move onto another music production program until you find one that does. While some packages can be expensive, you can find plenty of free alternatives online to play around with.

Here's a list of some of the best paid and free music production software for Mac available right now.

Ableton Live (Paid)

Logic Pro X (Paid)

Avid Pro Tools (Paid)

Garageband (Paid)

Steinberg Cubase (Paid)

Tracktion T7 (Free)

Amplitube Custom Shop (Free)

Questions

Which is better for music production? Mac or PC?

There is no definitive answer as to which are the best laptops for music production. It comes down to personal preference. Most professional music producers tend to lean towards Mac based on reliability. However, there are plenty of music producers who prefer the most customizable options you get with a PC.

How good your end product is, depends on your competence as a musician, audio technician, and sound mixer. Choosing between a Mac, PC, and your recording software will not suddenly turn you into a pro-level music producer - that only comes with time and experience.

Which Macbook is the best laptop for music production?

From our list, our favorite is the Apple Macbook Pro Retina. The options to upgrade the laptop to 32GB Ram and a quad-processor gives it the edge to make it an exceptionally powerful machine. The only reason it beats out the Macbook Air is because of the higher quality Thunderbolt 3 ports, which provide a faster connection to DIs.

While the two other models still have respectable specs and features, the Macbook Pro Retina is a nice all-rounder of all of them, making it a versatile, and not to mention, beautiful looking laptop.

Macbook Pro 16 Ableton

What does DAW mean?

DAW stands for Digital Audio Workspace. It refers to your sequencer or display that shows all of your audio files during recording so you can tweak, cut, copy, mix, and enhance your samples.

What does DI mean?

DI stands for Direct Input. It refers to when you plug an audio instrument such as a guitar or microphone directly into your computer.

Expert tip

Macbook Pro 16 Ableton Plugin

Whether you're aiming for a PC, a Macbook Pro, or an Air, It's always a good idea to get a laptop that can run above your music software minimum requirements. While your software will run, you may experience long loading times, latency, or syncing issues. When you're in your creative mode, the last thing you want is to be troubleshooting technical issues, so in the long run, it's worth the investment for the extra processing power and RAM.

If you've enjoyed this review by Music Critic, please leave a positive rating:

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andrewysanders · 6 years ago

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019: Architectural Fees

Architectural Fees are a mystery to most people and there is no shortage of methods that architects charge for their services. How do you make sense of the options, which method works best for you, and how do you provide a method that suits the needs of both the architect and their clients.

[Note: If you are reading this via email, you will have to click here to access the on-site audio player]

Before we get into today’s topic, I should let everyone know that Andrew and I attended the International Builder’s Show and the Kitchen and Bath Industry show in Las Vegas from March 19 through March 22nd. I had some advisory board meetings to attend and Andrew came along because this is singularly the most amazing design and construction show in the country. We decided to take advantage of being in the same place at the same time and we recorded today’s podcast from inside one of the show homes that was built in the Professional Builder Show Village.

While recording was a bit more challenging than the relative peace and ease of recording in the front room of my house, it was definitely more exciting with considerably more energy and spectators. Maybe you didn’t know this but the ‘Life of an Architect‘ podcast is the official media partner with Building Design + Construction magazine and they wanted to take advantage of Andrew and I being on site and not only have us record this week’s podcast on site, they wanted to film it for other media blasts. I suppose this was technically our first live studio audience.

Part of what made this fun is that we were basically in a fishbowl with thousands of people walking around us, peering in through the windows to see what was going on. Since this house we were in was a materials demonstration house, the entire objective is to expose people to new building materials and construction techniques. As a result, people were walking around why we were recording and pounding on the walls and stomping on the floors – which is apparently the only way to determine if they are solidly built. You might hear us react to these “engagements” a few times in today’s episode.

Once we settled in, we had an excellent discussion on the many different ways architects charge for their professional services; hourly, percentage of construction, some combination of the two, a la carte based on specific phase of service (i.e. schematic design, design development, construction documentation, bidding and negotiation, and construction administration), or a cost per square foot of construction. To make things really interesting, a mixture of several of these fee structures could feasibly be combined. Is everything clear so far? No? That’s not surprising.

Hourly Fees [3:07 mark] Just like it sounds – there will be an hourly chart for different level positions such as administration, drafting, project architect, partner, etc.) and you are charged that rate for the time spent. The main reason this format is used is when the scope of the work is not very comprehensive, unknown, or we have an existing client who prefers this method of billing. Generally speaking, most people don’t like being charged an hourly fee for fear of getting a surprise when the bill comes. As a result, when the work is charged hourly, we try and reduce concerns for the client by capping the amount or identifying financial milestones that indicate progress along the way.

Per-Square Foot Fees [7:54 mark] I find this method unreliable and unreasonable. There are too many moving parts to assign a per-square-foot fee value to design and producing documents that could be used for bidding, permitting and construction. Since I mainly work on modern style projects, the amount of coordination I go through to detail a masonry building, things like sizing openings to align with the module of the selected masonry unit, water weeps, expansion joints, brick molds on windows, etc. versus the effort to work with a monolithic material like wood siding, or better yet, stucco, is disproportionate yet there is no doubt that this time spent saves money for the client – everything is cheaper to solve on paper than it is when you have a dozen people standing around the job site waiting for someone to figure this stuff out. The number of drawings required to properly coordinate one versus the other would not justify a single value cost. As a result, one of two things would most likely happen; since the fee would not be enough to compensate me for my time and overhead, either the quality of the drawings would diminish to reflect the fee, or I would be forced to work at a loss (which hopefully I would figure this out and either change my fees, cut corners, or go out of business). Everybody losses with this fee structure.

Combination Fees [10:35 mark] I have an old boss of mine that loves this particular structure. Basically, it’s a combination of the hourly and the fixed fee. The schematic and design development portions of the project are hourly. This gives an incentive to the client to be available, make efficient, timely, and decisive decisions. It also protects the architect because regardless of the client, you know that you’re going to be compensated appropriately for your time. Some clients need to see iteration after iteration of possibilities, need a lot of counseling and reassurances, endless meeting, etc. and there’s no way to know beforehand.

When you move into construction documents, after having secured sign-offs on the designs along the way, the project has a more definable scope and a fixed fee can be used. Any changes to the design that are made during the construction drawings phase will need to be identified as an additional service and the fee reverts to the hourly rate schedule.

Once you are out of construction documents, the fee goes back to an hourly rate during the construction administration portion of the project. This way, the architect can be as available as the client wishes during this time period for project meetings, site visits, installation coordination’s, etc.

For me personally, I have a problem with the combination fee structure method because it rewards the incompetent architect for doing a bad job because there is a lack of accountability. Let’s say the client gives good instructions, a clear program, and an appropriate budget. If the architect doesn’t listen and has to produce multiple designs to get what the clients have requested, they still get paid their hourly rate. Continuing along, what happens if the architect prepares a poor set of construction drawings? They will be rewarded, again at their hourly rate, for the extra on-site coordination, preparing additional construction documents “requested” by the contractor, and for checking shop drawings for design work they didn’t resolve during the initial construction document phase. This is one of those instances where the system works with a competent, ethical architect; but fails miserably when you get something or someone else. If you were the client, how would you know ahead of time which one you were working with?

Percentage of Construction Fees [15:29 mark] These percentages vary by firm but generally fall in the 8% to 15% range. This is our preferred method of determining our fee but one of the things that can always cause confusion is what exactly counts as part of the cost of construction. A good rule of thumb is to consider any scope where architectural coordination is required as part of the cost of construction. Seems pretty clear right? Well, we are just getting started; give me a chance to muddy the waters. We do not charge for coordinating other consultants scope of work, i.e. interior designers, landscape architects, pool design, exterior hardscape, etc. even though we spend a considerable amount of time and energy pulling their information into our documents and coordinating the design intent and construction requirements. We also do not charge for high-cost specialty items (like chandeliers) because the cost of the fixture is irrelevant to the amount of effort we spent to make sure that a junction box is provided for it in a specific location. It might as well be a surface mounted fixture from Home Depot. However, this is not true when it comes to kitchen appliances even though on the surface, they may seem no different to you than my chandelier analogy. A considerable amount of time is spent detailing and reviewing the cabinetry that surrounds the appliances and the specific trim out options and conditions they present. We also spend time selecting and presenting or evaluating the appliance packages with clients so there is coordination energy spent. Just read my post on the amount of time I have spent talking about the shape of ice cubes (here) and maybe you will get a better feel for it.

The Myth of Price Gouging [26:47 mark] This is an understandable area of confusion and new clients routinely ask about the potential for us to increase our fees because we can specify expensive materials and drive the cost of construction up. There is an easy way for clients to quell these concerns; have a budget and tell your architect what it is up front. If we ever blow a stated budget when the construction bids come in, we will not charge the clients to redesign and redraw the project to get it back within the parameters established at the beginning. Where this area can get messy is when clients blow their own budgets, disregard our advice and continue moving forward with the documentation. I am constantly amazed at the successful and seemingly intelligent people who are surprised that the bid numbers are higher than the original budget when the house is 1,000 square feet larger than the original program. Did they think that there was a sale on square feet once you got over the 4,000? We might tell someone that the style and finish out of the house they want is tracking at $225 a square foot; therefore, if their budget is $1,000,000, that means approximately 4,450 square feet of a house. When the program they present is 5,000 square feet (I bet you know what’s coming next don’t you?), they will be over budget. Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Apparently, it is not obvious to everyone.

How Much Does the Internet Think an Architect Should Cost [36:23 mark] All I can say about the above graphic is that it is one of the more amazingly stupid things I have ever seen in my life. Believe it or not, but, I actually spend time researching and preparing for the topics that I discuss on this site and one of the “research” methods I use is “what would someone who isn’t an architect look for” when it comes to finding information. In this case, I simply Googled “How much does it cost to hire an Architect” and this first return was the site where I collected the above graphic.

There is no data on this site to qualify what these fees represent so at best, this lack of information presents itself without any sort of qualifiers. Basically, if you want to hire an architect – for whatever reason – the price range is $70 to a maximum of $15,000 with an average of $4,666. This is categorically false information. Is it possible that someone could have this experience? I suppose it is possible but 25 years of work experience at almost ten different offices would lead me to believe otherwise.

This is yet another reason I hate the internet. If I took someone who has a yearly salary of $50,000, once I put an office overhead and operating multiplier of 2.8 ($50k x 2.8 = $140,000) divided by the number of billable hours in a year ($140,000 / 2,080) and I come up with $67.30 per hour … which is just under the $70 minimum cost or it translates in 69.3 hours worth of work … which is the AVERAGE.

For those of you who aren’t architects, do you think that someone can meet with you, identify all the moving parts and complexities to your project, design it, present and receive approval, move on to construction documentation where city minimum standards have been met for municipal approval, bidding and negotiation with potential contractors, and then perform construction observation of “x” number of months … all in 69.3 hours, a period of time just under 2 weeks of work?

I bet not.

[48:07 mark] For this episode, we have a new hypothetical to consider. Here is the scenario:

Would you rather have to say everything that comes to mind, or never be say anything again?

Andrew thinks that I would die if I could never talk again – which is not true, pretty sure I wouldn’t die but I will admit that not speaking ever again would be an unpleasant proposition.

This post – and the podcast that goes along with it could easily have gone on for another hour so it seems likely that there will be a ‘Demystifying Architectural Fees – Part 2‘ at some point in the future – which is probably not a bad thing.

Cheers,

Outro [53:18 mark] … Banging on the walls Make me taller and more muscular You shot my wheels off Welcome Andrew to the show

Thanks again to Pella Windows for sponsoring today’s episode – to learn more about Pella and the services and products they offer, please visit Pella.com

from Home https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/019-architectural-fees/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#home

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jaigeddes · 6 years ago

Text

019: Architectural Fees

[Note: If you are reading this via email, you will have to click here to access the on-site audio player]

I bet not.

[48:07 mark] For this episode, we have a new hypothetical to consider. Here is the scenario:

Would you rather have to say everything that comes to mind, or never be say anything again?

Andrew thinks that I would die if I could never talk again – which is not true, pretty sure I wouldn’t die but I will admit that not speaking ever again would be an unpleasant proposition.

Cheers,

Outro [53:18 mark] … Banging on the walls Make me taller and more muscular You shot my wheels off Welcome Andrew to the show

Thanks again to Pella Windows for sponsoring today’s episode – to learn more about Pella and the services and products they offer, please visit Pella.com

0 notes

goarticletec-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Best turntables 2018: the best record players for any budget

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/best-turntables-2018-the-best-record-players-for-any-budget/

Best turntables 2018: the best record players for any budget

Best Turntables Buying Guide: Welcome to TechRadar’s round-up of the best turntables (also known as record players) you can buy in 2018.

Turntables can be a fantastic investment. Not only is the vinyl revival movement here to stay, but the players themselves last for ages.

While the idea of a turntable might call images of the ’60s and ’70s to mind, you’ll find that most modern turntables are pretty well-equipped with the latest tech – i.e. Bluetooth built-in or USB output that allows output records straight to your PC, meaning you can listen to your vinyls anywhere.

One downside it that, as a result of all of these new products and tricky naming conventions, the market for the best turntables can be more confusing than a college cover band (we’re looking in your direction AB/CD), but stick with us and we’ll find the best turntable for you.

To start, we’ll walk you through all the little details that go into choosing the best turntable for your listening needs and budget. Do you want to go on the high end with a belt drive? Or how about a more user-friendly direct drive turntable? What about phono preamps? Do you need one?

All of these questions will be answered right here, so don’t worry, you’ll be absorbed in all of your favorite albums before you know it.

[Update: Black Friday 2018 is fast approaching, so if you’re thinking of buying a new turntable, it’s definitely worth waiting until November 23 incase you can get yourself a better deal. Make sure you bookmark our Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals pages for real-time deals news and you might just save yourself a lot of money.]

What is a good turntable to buy?

On of the most vital components to look for when you’re shopping for the best turntable is how well damped it is.

Damping is essentially the method by which manufacturers combat vibrations – whether internal or external. They do this through the use of different motor configurations, and through the use of various components.

Most of the time, belt-driven turntables are going to be a lot quieter and offer higher fidelity than their direct drive brethren – as direct drive turntables have a motor that is directly connected to the platter. However, there are some great direct drive turntables out there, so don’t write them off quite yet.

Your own personal needs are important too, though, so don’t forget about them. If you’re just starting out, you probably don’t need to be fooling around with a complex turntable with an adjustable vertical tracking angle, anti-skate and azimuth. Do you want to rip your vinyl to your digital library? If so, look for a turntable with a USB output and reliable software to get the job done.

What’s the best turntable?

1. Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB

The best starter turntable with all the features you’ll ever need

Great sound quality for the price

Great for newbies and pros alike

Plastic build

Mediocre USB output

The Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB is the best introductory turntable for aspiring vinyl enthusiasts. Out of the box, it features the ability to play 33 ⅓, 45 and 78 RPM, this means there will never be an album you can’t play. There’s also a built-in phono preamp so you never have to worry about finding one on your own.

New record collectors will love the easy setup and features while more vetted users will love the option to dial in the vertical tracking angle, tracking force and easily replaceable headshell. Sure, it looks like a Technics SL-1200 ripoff but at a fraction of the price, it’s entirely worth it.

The AT-LP120-USB also comes with a USB output that allows you to record your record collection if you want. To put it simply, this deck strikes the perfect balance of ease of use for beginners while still including some more advanced features for you to grow into.

2. Audio-Technica AT-LP60

Dummy-proof automatic turntable for beginners on a budget

Fully automatic

Excellent value

Can’t replace cartridge

Passable sound

If you’re not looking to drop a fortune on the best turntable in the world and don’t necessarily care about squeezing every last drop of fidelity from your LPs, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 is a perfect starting point. It’s portable, can play most vinyl and is by far the most inexpensive turntable we have on this list. It’s also totally automatic, meaning it’ll queue a record and return the arm to resting position without requiring a manual lever.

The only caveat with a turntable this cheap is that it won’t grow with you as your vinyl collection expands. The built-in phono preamp means you’re stuck with it, however you can replace the needle once it wears out.

While there are cheaper, poorly engineered turntables on the market, it’s not worth it, as you risk damaging your precious records with poorly aligned and improperly weighted tonearms. Vinyl is expensive so we recommend the AT-LP60 for beginners just looking to get started.

3. Denon DP-300F

A gorgeous, full automatic turntable that doesn’t break the bank

Fully automatic

Great sound for the price

Plastic build

Buttons feel cheap

The Denon DP-300F is a gorgeous turntable that sounds just as good as it looks. The included DSN-85 cartridge isn’t the most accurate but it nevertheless manages to make your music sound airy and reasonably detailed, especially for it’s price.You’ll need to spend a lot more cash to hear more detail.

While the DP-300F lacks the USB outputs of some of the turntables listed here, it’s still a great starting turntable for anyone who doesn’t want to manually queue their albums or have a habit of falling asleep while listening to music. The Denon’s automatic start/stop feature means your needle won’t be worn down at the end of the record as the arm immediately returns when an album is done.

Build quality is decent for an all-plastic turntable, but its buttons feel cheap – a minor problem but shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for you. If the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB doesn’t fit your aesthetic, consider the Denon DP-300F instead.

Read the full review: Denon DP-300F

4. Fluance RT81

An alternative to the AT-LP120-USB for those who don’t need USB

Great sound for the price

Decent sounding phono preamp

Poor vibration damping

No auto returning tonearm

The Fluance RT81 is an excellent starter turntable for the enthusiast. It’s simple to set up and use for newbies but you can switch out the cartridge to squeeze out more performance later on. Newbies also won’t have to worry about getting a separate phono preamp, as one is built in. However, you can turn it off if you want to use a better external preamp.

The only downside is that Fluance’s advertised “auto-off” feature simply turns off the platter, preventing excessive needle wear but you’ll still have to return the arm to its resting place yourself. You’ll also have to manually queue records, which isn’t a deal breaker by any means but is something to consider for those looking for a fully automatic turntable. The Denon DP-300F is a great choice for those looking for a fully automated record listening experience.

Read the full review: Fluance RT81

5. Pro-Ject Debut Carbon

An excellent entry-level turntable for vinyl enthusiasts

Excellent value for a hi-fi turntable

Easy to setup

Manual speed change

Requires a phono preamp

From here on out things start to get a little bit more ‘real’: The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is in the runnings to be the best entry-level hi-fi turntables you can buy.

While vinyl newcomers may cringe at the price, the Debut Carbon is really an incredible bargain. For the money, you get an very well made deck that’s damped properly for fantastic sound quality. The carbon fiber tonearm is lightweight and stiff, and is usually reserved for turntables costing much more.

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is for the budding enthusiast that’s committed to the record collecting hobby and because of that commitment, it doesn’t feature niceties like an auto-returning tonearm, buttons for changing speed or an included phono preamp. Newbies may be turned off by the manual changing of the belt position to change speeds and the lack of an included preamp. However, if you want to extract more detail and resolution from your records than the cheaper options on this list, or if you want to get started on the path of being a true vinyl collector, the Debut Carbon is probably your best bet.

Read the full review: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon

6. Rega Planar 1

One of the best entry-level hi-fi turntables for tinkerers

Excellent sound quality

Easy to setup, even for newbies

Manual speed change

No phono preamp included

There’s a lot of debate whether the Rega Planar 1 or the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is the best entry-level hi-fi turntable. It’s a close match and there are no clear winners, each providing an excellent starting place for audiophiles on a budget.

While the Rega may lack the fancy carbon tone arm of the Pro-Ject, the Planar 1 still sounds excellent and is well damped with its phenolic resin platter. And for newbies, the Rega Planar 1 is still easy to setup, though you’ll have to provide your own phono preamp.

Ultimately, the Rega Planar 1 just sounds so good that it’s hard to fault it too much. Vocals are revealing and you can hear the texture from instruments like the violin. The included Rega Carbon cartridge isn’t anything special but manages to be a great match for the turntable. It’s a tough choice between the Planar 1 and the Debut Carbon but you can’t go wrong with either.

7. Marantz TT-15S1

Go pro with this high-end turntable

Gorgeous design

Excellent attention to detail

Price is an investment

The Marantz TT-15S1 costs a serious bit of change, but you’re actually getting a killer bargain. The Clearaudio Virtuoso included with the turntable is $1000 when purchased separately. Additionally, you get a killer tonearm and gorgeous turntable at a price that’s definitely an investment, but not unreasonable.

So what does the Marantz TT-15S1 get you over the competition? Attention to detail. Just about every part of the turntable has been poured over to be the best it can be for the price. The fit and finish are excellent and it’s a pleasure to handle the high-quality components. This is a turntable you’ll find yourself admiring its visual and audible qualities.

Newbies should not get this turntable as it requires more knowledge to set up properly than the entry-level turntables on this list. But if you’re ready to take your record collecting and listening to the next level, the Marantz TT-15S1 is the perfect place to start.

Read the full review: Marantz TT-15S1

8. Clearaudio Concept

A stunningly beautiful mid-range hi-fi turntable

Excellent build quality

Detailed, rich sound

Expensive (but still a bargain)

If the Clearaudio Concept and Marantz TT-15S1 seem familiar, that’s because the Marantz was built by Clearaudio to Marantz’s specifications. This means everything about the excellent build quality of the Marantz carries over to the Clearaudio Concept (i.e. this is a turntable that is as gorgeous as it sounds).

One small but notable difference between the Marantz and the Clearaudio is the ability to play 78 rpm records. While most people will never come across 78s, it’s nice to know that the Clearaudio Concept is capable of playing them. The Concept also has a handy speed dial on the plinth, meaning you don’t have to swap the belt position manually.

As for negatives, the Clearaudio Concept has no notable flaws. Yes, it’s expensive but you’re still getting a bargain in this price range. The included Clearaudio Concept moving-coil cartridge costs $1,000 by itself. Yep!

Read the review: Clearaudio Concept

9. Sony PS-HX500

A well-rounded beginner turntable with some nagging flaws

Hi-Res audio USB recording

Good sound quality for the price

Plastic build feels cheap

Forgettable design

The Sony PS-HX500 is a great entry-level turntable for those just getting started with record collecting. Its standout feature is its ability to record Hi-Res audio from its USB output in 96kHz/24bit resolution. This is an excellent feature for those looking to digitize their records.

In terms of sound quality, the Sony PS-HX500 sound spacious and provides good detail. However, the included needle sounds a bit harsh and sibilant at times and lacks the resolution of more expensive cartridges.

While some may like the minimalist design of the Sony, it’s utterly forgettable and its plastic build leaves a lot to be desired. Handling the turntable on a daily basis leaves us wanting more premium materials that don’t rattle.

Want to listen to digital music instead? Check out our list of the best MP3 players.

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