Building engaging Facebook Pages-Tyler Willis

Social Media Bootcamp on building engaging pages...

http://www.slideshare.net/tylerwillis/building-engaging-pages?src=embed

http://tylerwillis.net/

Building Engaging Pages

View more presentations from Tyler Willis.

Startup-Canaan Partners Excellent Pitch Guide

An Excellent presentation guide for entrepreneurs on making a tight pitch...

Canaan Entrepreneur Pitchbook

View more documents from Canaan Partners.

Recording Skype A/V Calls in OS X with Ecamm's Call Recorder

There are several ways to record Skype calls in OS X. These options are covered in the VOIP-SOL blog post link below.

http://www.voip-sol.com/15-apps-for-recording-skype-conversations/

The post here focuses specifically on the most integrated OS X solution which is "Call Recorder" from Ecamm Networks which installs beautifully into the Skype Preferences and uses Quicktime to present many useful recording options.

ECAMM Networks - Call Recorder ($14.95)

Call Recorder lets you simply record/encode Skype audio and video calls, add and name Markers on the fly for locating and convert files into multiple audio and video formats using the Quicktime engine. You can use and demo before deciding to buy for the very reasonable price of $14.95!

Unlike other methods, Call Recorder is directly integrated into Skype via the preferences tab so there's no patching, kludging or multiple application linking or virtual mixing required.

If Skype is already open when you install Call Recorder, the installer will ask you to quit and then re-open Skype. You can be up-and-running in seconds.

I decided to try this out moments before starting a long distance call to France using the FreeTalk headset and it installed and worked flawlessly first time without requiring any manual reading or complex settings. It also automatically person/time/date-stamped the file to boot and dropped it in my Movies folder.

I added and named multiple location markers during recording, and these were all faithfully available on playback from the pull-down menu next to the time-line in the Quicktime Player.

Record quality was good and ovbiously this partly depends on the network conditions and therefore the codec being used by Skype. Theoretically the new Skype SILK codec should give the very best audio quality results.

Features:

Manually start/stop/pause, or automatically record all calls.
Now records Skype Video!
Record and save your voicemail messages.
Control file size and quality.
State-of-the-art H.264 and AAC file formats saves space.
Convert your calls to MP3 format.
Add time indexed notes to recordings.
Uncompressed audio option for highest quality.
Try before you buy.

http://www.ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/

Here's a demo of Call Recorder from the T4 Show...

Stereo Bluetooth Headsets for Music(A2DP)/iPhone & Skype

The Buzz

With the imminent arrival of iPhone OS 3.0 & A2DP support, you will finally be able to use a stereo Bluetooth headset with mic to listen to music, make cellular calls or make Skype calls. You should also be able to control all the music and phone functions from the wireless headset.

http://www.a2dp.info/Front-Page/iPhone-OS-3.0-You-Get-A2DP.html

http://www.9to5mac.com/iPhone-3.0-features

With all this in mind, it's time to get ready for OS3.0 and look at some suitable iPhone headsets that can be used for iPhone calls when mobile or paired with your Bluetooth-equipped laptop for iTunes monitoring and Skype calls.

NOTE: On the Mac, A2DP was only introduced in OS X Leopard (v10.5.x) but Softick provides advanced scriptable support via their Audio Gateway Software.

http://www.softick.com/bluetooth-audio/

The Technology

Bluetooth bandwidth is split between a voice layer and a data layer. A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) uses the data layer of the Bluetooth spec to transmit high quality stereo digital audio. 721Kbps is available in Bluetooth 1.2, though Bluetooth 2.x provides 3MB/s potentially allowing for much better audio quality.

Bluetooth Explained

A2DP Advanced Audio Distribution Profile

A2DP Explained...

AVRCP Audio.Video Remote Control Profile

Stereo Bluetooth Headsets:

There are now a great many stereo bluetooth headsets out there in a variety of form factors. All the following are the "behind-the-head", compact type rather than in-ear buds or full head-band type and feature a microphone for phone use with the exception of the Jabra which is an unusual hybrid and the Jaybird which is included for its "wow-factor"!

So here's a brief roundup of some of the most feature-packed and aesthetically-pleasing headset designs I have come across. There are of course others from large, mainstream manufacturers such as LG, Samsung & Sony, but this post specifically focuses on some of the lesser-known innovative brands.

1) BlueAnt x5i ($49.99 @ Buy.com)

Manufacturer

Manual

Review

� • CD Quality Sound And High Quality Voice

� • Supports A2DP SBC, MP3 For Stereo Audio Streaming

� • Supports Headset / Handsfree Profiles For Handsfree Operation With

Bluetooth Phones

� • Supports AVRCP For Remote Controlling Of PDA From Headset

� • Detachable Microphone

� • Collapsible And Fashionable Neckband

� • Ergonomic And Dynamic Design

� • Compact, Rechargeable, High Density Li-Polymer Battery For Long

Lasting Play

� • Charging Via USB Or Power Supply

2) Cardo S-2 ($41.99 @ Amazon)

Cardo Systems was formed in 2003 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and is a leader in bluetooth innovation, known for their SCALA RIDER Motorcycle systems.

Manufacturers Info

Datasheet

Review

3) Helium Digital HDBT-700 ($59 Direct)

Manufacturers Info

Manual

Video

4) iLuv i-222 ($80 @ Amazon)

Manufacturers Info

Review

• Bluetooth wireless headphones with a range of up to 33 feet

• Lightweight and comfortable design uses a behind-the-neck instead of a traditional headband

• Built-in digital signal processor for noise and echo cancellation

• Works with most Bluetooth audio devices, including cell phones

• Bluetooth dongle included for adding wireless capability to any audio device with a standard 1/8" (3.5mm) mini jack

• Integrated remote functions include play, pause, track skip, and volume

• Rechargeable battery offers 300 hours of standby time, eight hours of continuous listening, or 10 hours of continuous talking

• Battery can be recharged with the included USB power adapter

5) Jabra BT8010 (Mono/Stereo) ( $59? Cellhut )

Manufacturers Info

Datasheet

6) Jaybird JB-200i ( $159 Direct)

Manufacturers Info

Review

Video

Type: In-Ear Style
Noise-isolation: Yes
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Output 15mW RMS (with level limit)
Audio S/N Ratio: TBD
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) <5% class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> Protocol: Bluetooth 2.0, A2DP, Handsfree, Headset
Speaker sensitivity: 114+-3dB At 1KHz
Audio Format: 16-bit Stereo

7) Wi-Gear iMuffs MB220 ($149 @ Amazon)

Manufacturers Info

Review

• Protocol - Bluetooth 2.0 with Stereo (A2DP), AVRCP, Handsfree (HFP), Headset (HSP)

• Frequency Band - 2.4 GHz

• Tx Power -Bluetooth Class 2

• Range - 9-40 feet (3-12 meters) Actual range depends on environmental factors

• Audio Format - Sub-Band Codec (SBC) with bit rate of 328 kb/s (High Quality)

• Audio Input - Apple iPod dock connector line out / Built-in unidirectional microphone

• Battery Life - Up to 20 hours of continuous music depending on usage pattern, distance from transmitter and battery age. iMuffs adapter for iPod requires no battery but is dependant on iPod's battery capacity.

• Battery Type - Rechargeable lithium polymer 550mAh (built-in, not user-serviceable)

• Power input - Standard USB voltage input (mini-USB, 5-pin) or provided USB power adapter (110-240V AC)

• Weight - 2.2 oz (headphones) 0.4 oz (adapter)

SHOPPING ( www.headsetking.com)

Finally, where can you go to see the largest selection of headsets and easily compare? How about Headsetking...where you can compare most of those above plus many others from LG, Motorola, Samsung etc!

Using Skype/SILK & WireTap Anywhere on Mac OS X for Remote Recording Sessions

Following the recording tools theme of the last post (Esession Virtual Glass AU plug-in test), this post looks at another alternative approach to mixing multiple audio sources on the Mac and doing a remote, collaborative, 2-way recording/production session. Rather than the integrated approach of Virtual Glass and other DAW collaborative plug-ins, this time I am looking at how to "roll your own" DIY audio monitoring solution using Skype and Ambrosia's WireTap Anywhere combo. The beauty of this approach is that in addition to your DAW, you can also add any number of other audio application sources/inputs you may want to use such as BIAS Peak or iTunes or even in-browser streaming audio or headset(s). With WireTap Anywhere, since it is implemented at the system level as a kind of easy, on-the-fly audio aggregate device editor, you can also add or remove audio sources in realtime without disconnecting the Skype call.

THE CHALLENGE

Essentially the challenge looking for a solution was simply this: How do you mix multiple audio input sources from mic & Mac OS X applications to Skype's single input source menu? Skype presents it's own single input source from within the application, so how can we enable a producer/engineer/musician to both talk and easily playback multiple audio sources/mixes/tracks at the same time so that a remote listener/collaborator can instantly monitor/discuss the work in progress.

It turns out that there are actually a couple of different viable solutions of varying complexity and both involve creating a virtual input mixer and therefore a "custom" audio source for Skype. There could in fact be more alternatives, but after some thought and searching, these were the two I personally pursued and successfully got to work (thanks to Nate Tschetter for perseverance and joint brainstorming)!

SOLUTION 1: Audio Hijack Pro ($32) & Soundflower ($FREE) & Skype (FREE)

This particular solution is the lowest cost but requires 2 applications from Rogue Amoeba and Cycling 74. The detailed setup and approach is very well documented on the following Technosailor blog post so I will not repeat it here. The only screenshot/info missing is the need to enable Hijack and Monitoring from within the Application Mixer when you open it, so that you can hear what you are mixing. With this approach, you can independently mix multiple sources and use soundflower as the internal digital mixer to sum them. (You then select the Soundflower 2CH input to Skype under Preferences, Audio Tab.)

http://technosailor.com/tag/talkshoe/

SOLUTION 2: WireTap Anywhere ($129) & Skype (FREE)

This second method is far simpler, more elegant, and much easier to setup though it is an admittedly more expensive solution. This hinges on Ambrosia Software's WireTap Anywhere - a visual audio input aggregator. However, this does have a FREE 30-day demo to try it out.

Once the software is installed, you will find it not in the Applications folder but under the Apple menu, System Preferences in the "Other" pane at the bottom of the System Preferences window. Click on the icon and the WireTap single-screen setup interface will open.

Click the "+" button to add an audio source, name it and then add as many SW applications or HW devices as you like and these will all "aggregate".

Finally, go to Skype, Preferences, Audio Tab and select the new composite Audio Source you have created and named from the Audio Input menu list. Easy huh?!

OS X & AGGREGATE AUDIO DEVICES

One of the big bonuses of this alternative approach is that it turns out that you can apparently add new input devices (such as a bluetooth or USB headset) on-the-fly while already on a call without disconnecting Skype. For example, this would allow you to add sources or more people. This therefore allows 2 or more applications or users to communicate over a single connection using mutiple headsets (eg. Producer & Artist or members of a band giving everyone basic talkback and monitoring!).

Potentially, I guess a whole band or multiple collaborators at either end of the Skype call could be outfitted with wireless headsets like the FreeTalk - I may have to try this in future and report back on what the practical technical challenges/implications are!

AUDIO COMPRESSION/CODECS & FREQUENCY RANGE/BANDWIDTH

NOTE: ** These initial tests were performed using Mac OS X BETA 2.8.0.324 which uses a variety of legacy audio codecs including G.729 & SVOPC. However, Skype v4.0 on PC and the latest Mac OS X BETA BUILD 2.8.0.438 includes the new "super-wide bandwidth" SILK codec.

Before you get too excited, while SILK is definitely able to handle music sources with audible additional clarity and bandwidth, it is a 24kHz Sample Rate giving 12kHz audio bandwidth. However, in practice this is fine for listening to a radio-friendly mix test (FM Radio is only 15kHz bandwidth).

Skype can also occasionally speed-up/slow-down momentarily while rebuffering (would be great to turn this off for music applications) and the encode/decode sample rate's are variable based on network conditions (again would be great to lock this), however these are the pitfalls of using consumer VOIP for audio mix/recording applications. I was going to coin the term MOIP for Music over Internet Protocol, but lets just say a certain urban lexicon steered me rapidly away from that particular acronym. ROIP has already been deemed for radio so perhaps for now we will leave this recording solution nameless!

https://developer.skype.com/silk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.729

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/03/skype-to-give-away-new-silk-audio-codec/

http://www.skype.com/download/skype/macosx/

DAW Plug-Ins for Collaboration

M

Esession/Virtual Glass Plug-In- Remote Recording

After a few false starts due to the quirks of Logic 8 Pro & the Esession Virtual Glass AU Plug-In (developed by Wayoutware) , I finally got the essentials of Virtual Glass running with master/slave and remote session/transport control between my friend Nate Tschetter in Nashville & me here in Bay Area, California.

H/W & APPLICATION SETUP:

Two remote MacBook Pro's running Logic 8 Pro & both using wireless Airport Extreme's. Because of suspend/resume quirks in Logics audio engine, you have to continually re-awaken the audio processing to ensure you hear the talkback and mix. This was eventually done by permanently inserting the default Logic metronome on playback with the volume near zero so its actually inaudible, but is effectively "triggering" Logics audio-engine. Inconvenient, but a manageable workaround once you understand what is actually going on! This ensures that the A/V bi-directional transmission stays "on"!

PLUG-IN & SYSTEM SETUP:

The Virtual Glass plug-in needs to be inserted on the Master Bus in Logic Pro 8 but don't try and tweak I/O buffers after insantiating the plug and starting the session. This causes a fatal Logic crash! You need to setup up your Sound Control Panel System Prefs and Logic I/O prefs, before instantiating the plug-in and starting the session else you are asking for certain disaster!

REWIRE & TRANSPORT CONTROL:

Enabling a Send/Receive scenario using Rewire in the audio settings of the host plug allows one remote user to control the transport of both DAW's so they stay in SYNC. This seems to work perfectly though only on absolute bar/SMPTE transport locations. The cycle loop info is not sent or updated.

I/O

What's awesome is that I could use my FreeTalk wireless headset as a monitoring interface for I/O within Logic. No other audio I/O required! This requires setting both the system Sound preferences and the Logic Audio I/O preferences to Freetalk USB. Then, you just tweak the input volume in the Sound Control Panel and it works like a dream - without any other audio interface! You can walk around wirelessly, monitor, drop into record and sing in scratch vocal ideas or lyrics without being tied to a studio mircophone. You heard it here first - this is a great way of working and a sub $60 USB2 stereo audio interface! Great for sketching out song ideas where absolute quality does not matter!

Latency Comp

Now this is still the thorn in the producers side...the ideal setup between Logic I/O latency buffer, Virtual Glass latency buffer and the idiosyncacies of Rewire Master/Slave (Send/Receive Sync) are definitely not crystal clear at the outset. After toying with this for hours, there appears to be little help on the esession website. In tests, we could get 2 remote tracks "in sync" on either the source system or the destination system, but never both systems. This may require a very specific workflow approach so that settings are made in the MASTER plug, and tracks are laid at that end. Then new settings are made at the SLAVE end and tracks are laid.

Tracking

We successfully tracked both audio and virtual instruments remotely but the SYNC was not clear and the monitoring experience differed at both ends. We are sending a bunch of questions to esessions and will report back on these fundamental usability issues.

Freetalk Wireless Skype Headset for PC/Mac OS X

This product rocks...plug straight into your MacBook/Pro - no drivers, just plug-and-play! Comfortable, great sound quality - walk around the house/office/studio while taking/making Skype calls or listening to music/audiobooks/podcasts/gaming/video. And...comes with some bonus Skype credits so you can call those on regular phones/mobiles who are not yet Skyped!

And best of all...under $60 from Amazon or from the Skype store.

http://freetalk.me/

English Manual Freetalk-5191

http://share.skype.com/sites/skypegear/2008/01/skypegear_roadtest_freetalk_st.html

http://www.amazon.com/ISS-MANUFACTURING-LIMITED-TALK-5191-FREETALK/dp/B0015RTB7A

Seal & Fox Theater 05/05/09

Thanks to Steve Sidelnyk for the awesome tickets & VIP aftershow! Great show...Seal still delivers all the classics...see teh video for Crazy!

Bat For Lashes- Natasha Khan

My new favorite band...Bat For Lashes..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_for_Lashes

Groundswell-Charlene Li, SVAMA 5/14/09

Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell is coming to SVAMA on May 14th for a Palo Alto presentation.

Social Technographics Explained

View more presentations from jbernoff.

Chet Baker-Let's Get Lost

Tonight @ Kuumbwa

http://www.kuumbwajazz.org/#kuumwbwa_popup

http://www.thenick.com/nowPlaying.html#del5

http://www.letsgetlostmovie.com/

LETS GET LOST Official UK Trailer

Twitter-Biz Stone Tour

Twitter HQ Tour - Kara Swisher, All Things Digital

http://kara.allthingsd.com/20090414/kara-visits-twitters-san-frantwittco-hq/?mod=ATD_rss

Melody Gardot-Baby I'm A Fool!

Well ...for those of us that are jazz romantics amongst other things, Melody Gardot's release is simply sublime! A rare new talent in the jazz world...conjuring up for me images of French 60's classic movies and the passion/romance of beauties such as Bardot, Catherine Deneuve & Audrey Hepburn!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_Gardot

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87997628

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89qB0VO-3K4

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=207226479

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2KQ6MJLDI6RRN

Vuze.com & Divx7 - Malin Ackerman

Well this is really an excuse to preview the Divx7.Vuze.com technology/application for HD video, but I thought why not do it with the help of Watchmen star and all round hottie Malin Akerman?

Vuze.com are based in Redwood City, CA and DivX are out of San Diego, CA.

Divx.com

Vuze.com


To download the full version visit vuze.com

Stereogum(Decomposed)-School Of The Seven Bells

http://stereogum.com/decomposed/performance/school_of_seven_bells_caldo.php

Avner Ronen-Boxee San Francisco Meetup

SF boxee meetup (Feb 3rd, 2009) from boxee on Vimeo.

http://blog.boxee.tv/

YouTube A/V Mashups (Vashups!) By Kultiman

http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090307/who-needs-big-music-on-youtube-the-best-video-of-2009-is-homegrown/?mod=ATD_rss

Web 3.0 - The Next Step in User Generation

http://sfbatechentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Web3.0

View more presentations from Johannes Bhakdi. (tags: publishing blogging)

Pandora Video Series - The Plant, Sausalito, CA

http://blog.pandora.com/archives/show/2008/01/studio_stories_1.html

Pandora Video Series

The Anatomy Of Buzz

Buzz Awards Seminar 2009 Emanuel Rosen

View more presentations from Willem Sodderland. (tags: rosen emanuel)

iPhone AppStore Secrets - Pinch Media

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

iPhone AppStore Secrets - Pinch Media

View more presentations from pinchmedia. (tags: pinch media)

Trends In Mobility 09 -Gerd Leonhard

| Get your Presentation Pack

http://www.mediafuturist.com/2009/02/all-my-presentations-on-the-future-of-media-for-quick-embedding.html

Gustavo Dudamel/Teresa Carreño Orchestra @ TED 2009

Gustavo Dudamel/Teresa Carreño-Caracas Youth Orchestra, Venezuela

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/astonishing_performance_by_a_venezuelan_youth_orchestra_1.html

Barry Schwartz-Wisdom @TED 09

Mike Maples Jr & Ron Conway-Angel Investing

I've long been a fan of the Stanford Entrepreneurship Corner - Video/Podcasts. A great way to spend drives into the Valley listening to your iPod and absorbing the insights of some of the Valleys permier thought leaders.

Ron Conway & Mike Maples Jr.

http://edcorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1902

http://www.maplesinvestments.com/

iTunes Podcasts

Nicholas Negroponte's XO-1 $100 Laptop

One Laptop Per Child

OLPC

Walt Mossberg- The Internet & The Cellphone

The Aspen Institute

Tan Le - Mind Control For Gaming

http://www.the-eg.com/

http://www.emotiv.com/

Roisin Murphy (ex.Moloko) - Overpowered

Maybe this is a sign of the times, but am looking backwards musically for a context in todays uncertain times and rediscovered in my collection, the UK electronica band Moloko, and the wonderful voice of Roisin Murphy. Moloko were contemporaries of Lamb, Portishead, Alpha, Massive Attack back in the mid-90's Trip-Hop scene in the UK.

Since those progressive times, Roisin Murphy has launched a solo career and here's an excerpt from her fantastic 2007 album. If you're into Alison Goldfrapp, Bitter:Sweet, Supreme Beings Of Leisure etc, you will likely love Roisin's voice!

Ustream Video Capture & Viewer for iPhone - John Ham

http://www.appletell.com/apple/comment/ustream-to-beat-qik-in-the-live-streaming-to-iphone-race/

Ustream.tv previews video streaming for iPhone and beats Qik to the platform. See TechCrunch video featuring co-founder John Ham

The New Palm Phone & OS & Open Source...

Palm stock surges after CES announcement...and I had an inside scoop on this!

http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090109/pre-historic/

Macworld 09-iTunes DRM Free, Garageband 9 adds Music Instruction

Lots new in Garageband/iLife 09 including educational, guitar and jamming features in addition to easy creation templates. Full scoop here:

http://www.macworld.com/article/138081/2009/01/garageband09_preview.html

Phil Schiller: DRM Free iTunes and 3G Downloads

Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean & The Nashville 2008 Xmas Trip!

Well, I just got back from a fantaaaaastic Christmas trip to Nashville staying with great friends Mica Fisher & Nate Tschetter, where we wrote and recorded two brand new tunes " 10 Below Zero" ( A Christmas ballad) and "Simply Fabulous" a retro soul/disco anthem a la Brand New Heavies/Robin Thicke!

I have to say the trip did not exactly all go precisely as planned and there were definitely some big disappointments from absent friends, but this is not the place to delve into that. The positive side, was that amongst old friends we drank the best of Tennessee wines & whiskey ( Arrington Winery & Fireball Cinammon Whiskey)

Dave Hughes, bass player extraordinaire from the David Benoit band took a break to drop in mid tour for Nate's 40th birthday party!

After many excellent Brentwood neighborhood parties and meeting some fantastic friendly people including Jason Aldean, and Kevin his talent live tour manager, I am finally back in the warmth of California. The buzz in Nashville this year was all about the wonderful male/female vocal led Lady Antebellum...so here's a little sampling of what they are all about. Great vocals, songwriting and musicianship.

Mike
xoxo

http://ladyantebellum.musiccitynetworks.com/

Justice & Vitalic - The French Rocktronika invasion

There's a new harder and edgier "rock n roll" electronica moving into the mainstream and making the trip across the Atlantic from Europe to the US. Justice & Vitalic, both hailing from France, represent a potent synergy of mashed-up beats/nasty synths and razored guitars. It's club music but is more infused with the spirit of rock n roll than even the most progressive forms of house or trance.

Justice



http://www.myspace.com/etjusticepourtous

Vitalic



http://www.myspace.com/vitalicofficial