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Ducky Shine II Review

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:57:00 +0000

Hello everyone! Once again, I bring you another mechanical keyboard review. I'm happy to announce I've convinced my Dad to get his first mechanical keyboard, and might I say, he picked one of the best! The switches on this particular model are the Cherry MX Browns. Cherry MX Browns are a very versatile switch in that they are good for both typing and gaming. They have a light tactile bump at 45g. The bump helps with typing, but the lightness and snappiness of the switch allows for fast response during gaming. Still, if you're an avid gamer, a linear switch such as Cherry MX Reds are the better option. Ducky uses Cherry stabilizers for the larger keys. Some would say it feels mushier than Costar stabilizers, as you cannot easily bottom out. I like the experience though, and I certainly wouldn't take a point off. As far as build quality goes, this keyboard feels extremely solid with its' can't-go-wrong-with black, blocky, matte, plastic design. Also, the dual layer PCB really makes a difference. There are four grippy pads on the bottom to prevent slippage — larger than most. I'm still waiting for a keyboard manufacturer to put the rubber pads on the flip-out feet. The cable is removable, and underneath the keyboard there are three reroutable tracks for the cable to follow. The backlighting has 6 levels of brightness, and several modes that allow for really neat effects. 60%, which only shows the main typing area. Full backlighting. Fading, which ranges from fullest brightness to lowest brightness. Reactive mode, which lights up each key as you type. Scrolling marquee, which scrolls across the top row. But wait, there's more! Ducky gives you the ability to have two custom profiles! Just press FN + REC1 or FN + REC2 (underneath the Print Screen and Pause keys) to start recording. The keyboard has 64kb of onboard memory, so you can plug it into any computer, and it will remember your custom lighting without having to install software. Super cool. Other than your brightness controls, custom profiles, and backlighting modes, there are many other shortcut keys on the top row. You'll find all of your volume adjustment and media keys from F1-F7, and on the right side you'll find a dedicated calculator key, a Windows Explorer key, a Default Email App key, and a Default Web Browser key. There are also four dip switches on the underside of the keyboard which change key layouts and functions. DIP 1 swaps left Ctrl and Caps Lock. DIP 2 swaps left Alt and left Windows key for Mac users. DIP 3 disables Windows key. DIP 4 enables N-key Rollover over USB (otherwise it's 6-key rollover). Now let's talk about the cons — which were clearly fabricated from my innate attention to detail. Seriously, these don't matter; just buy this keyboard. The Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock keys stay at the highest brightness level at all times. It would be nice if they were just one brightness level higher than your chosen setting, so it doesn't overpower the rest of the backlighting. The backlighting can be very bright if you want it to be. I suppose they were starting to run out of keys to add more shortcuts and functions, but personally, I like the layout of the shortcut keys much better on the Ducky Zero DK2108, which has only the volume and calculator shortcut keys above the keypad. You would miss out on Windows Explorer, Email, and Web Browser; but I don't use those keys as often as I use the volume adjustment. I'm used to pressing Win + E for Explorer already, and I rarely close my web browser to have to open it again. The Windows key lock is a tiny dip switch on the underside of the keyboard instead of a shortcut key, which makes it very inconvenient to reach if you use that feature often. Fingerprints gather on the space bar and other larger keys because the texture of the keycaps (ABS) is surprisingly smooth. It feels great, but the fingerprints are a little disconcerting. So there you have it, my review is complete. Thanks for reading; I hope you've enjoyed it enough to share it with your friends. Try to get them to switch to a mechanical keyboard! Note: I have done custom white balancing on my camera to try to achieve the most accurate color. Still, my camera cannot seem to pick up the bright green LEDs accurately. Be assured, it looks much cooler in person. Video Review

Why I Still Haven't Bought a Smartphone

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:04:00 +0000

In Capitalist America, you vote with your money. When you purchase a smartphone, when you accept that 2-year contract, and when you pay those phone bills without a blink of an eye… You're directly saying to the company: this is A-OK; keep doing what you're doing. I, on the other hand, am not A-OK with what they're charging. How can a phone cost the same as a mid-range gaming laptop? Numerous websites have done studies on the bill of materials of an iPhone, for example. I understand Apple tends to charge a premium for their devices, but the contract price is no different than the next high-end smartphone on the market. The 32GB iPhone 5 costs $217 after materials and manufacturing. Even if you add a another $50 per device for R&D (which is most likely generous), it still doesn't add up; it retails for $749. That gives them a gross profit margin of 64.35%. Non-phone manufactures like ASUS have a gross profit margin of around 25%-35% — much more reasonable! Now, all that being said, here's the thing: The high upfront cost is only the beginning. There is no competition between carriers. Have you ever tried to price match to try to save a little bit of money? Turns out, you can't. Every plan is different in some minute, yet important, detail so that you can't compare any of them equally. Even if you try, you'll never find the right plan for you. There's always going to be too many minutes, too many texts, and never enough data. If you're lucky to find a smaller company that's monthly prices aren't atrocious, you'll be stuck with older phones that can be had for $80 on eBay, yet they charge full retail for them. You can't even bring your own phone. I like what T-Mobile is doing, but it's not enough. They've gotten rid of contracts, now they still need to get rid of paying for what you don't use. This will indeed destroy your unlimited data plan, but it's only fair. If I use 1GB, and you use 10GB — yet we both get charged the same amount… what does that remind you of? Socialism! There are no loopholes. There are no sales. If you think it's a good deal it's not. Pull out a spreadsheet, see for yourself! I have. Note: In my particular spreadsheet I'm latching onto a family plan, so I only have to purchase the extra data plan. Even then, that's 4.1% of my yearly income. Don't forget state sales taxes on phone plans are high - IL being one of the worst.

Keycool 22-key Numeric Keypad Review

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:24:00 +0000

Today we'll be taking a first look at the Keycool 22-key numeric keypad! One of the reasons I purchased this was because my Leopold is a tenkeyless model. This allows me to have the best of both worlds: a keypad plus mousing space without the slight twist in my wrist. This one's got sweet white LED backlighting. There's another limited edition version with fancy colors, and of course one without LEDs altogether. The switches are Cherry MX Clears. These switches are very similar to Cherry MX Browns, but just a bit more weighty. I feel the tactile bump sooner than I feel the bump on Browns. Think of MX Browns (light bump) and MX Blacks (linear heavy) blended together; it's very pleasing. Build quality is good. You can't go wrong with a simple plastic black frame (unless it's glossy plastic, which it isn't). It's not particularly weighty, but not light as a feather either. It has two USB ports, one on either side. I'm not sure if they're powered. I use them to plug in my Leopold and my Corsair M60. I wish both were on the same side or on the back; it looks dorky. There's a very useful FN layer underneath most of the keys. On the top row, you'll find a dedicated Windows Explorer key, a calculator key, and a web browser key. The second and third rows are all about music playback and control. The first key on the left opens up your default music player, while the other shortcuts are pretty self-explanatory. The fourth row has two keys which allow you to control four different levels of brightness: off, low, medium, and high. I did find a couple of minor things to be picky about. Let's go over those. The cable is non-removable. Unfortunately, you can't use a custom cable with this one. The green num lock LED is not my favorite; it doesn't match with the white backlighting. The backlighting doesn't show evenly on the enter key; every other key looks good. One unique problem I found while using this setup is the fact that, when entering characters via their alt codes, I cannot press "Alt" on my Leopold plus the code on the keypad. I'll have to do some searching around to find a fix for this. Overall this is a very good buy if you are in need of a separate mechanical keypad. There aren't many choices out there, and I think this is the only one that offers backlighting and Cherry MX Clears. This thing is pretty hard to acquire in the U.S. You have to spend a bit on the shipping charge to have it sent across the globe. The only place I've found to purchase the Keycool is at Taobao.com. Taobao is a Chinese marketplace, like Amazon, but it does not ship internationally by default. To get around this, you must use a middleman who will charge a minimum of 10% of the item price. I had a good experience using Taobaofocus.com to make my purchase, but there are many other middlemen to choose from. Here is the original Taobao item listing. Well, that's it for this review. Thank you very much for reading. Make sure to leave a comment below if you have any thoughts or questions! edit: The video review is now live! Video Review

Chrome Extension: Chime

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:09:00 +0000

Cycling through your favorite websites on a day-to-day basis may be fun, but sometimes you just want any new interactions to come directly to you all in one place. Chime does that. You can see your past notifications by hitting Chime's button at the top, and the clicking All Notifications. This page also allows you to set up each website for the first time and sort through each website's happenings by clicking through the square icons. If the icon is brightly colored, it's enabled in the main list. If it's dull, it's not going to show you that website's notifications. Simple and effective. It also has unobtrusive desktop notifications which show up even while you're not in Chrome (unless you disable that feature by unchecking a box). If you don't want to see any notifications pop up (and the Chrome icon greyed), simply press Do Not Disturb. Chime has support for the top 3 social networks including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus; but it has support for a few others too: Gmail, Reddit, LinkedIn, Flickr, Quora, Foursquare, Github, and Stackoverflow. You can find it in the Chrome Web Store.

Build Rationale

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:06:00 +0000

In September, I recently picked up all of the components for my new PC. This would be my main video editing and gaming machine. I'm going to go through all the parts I used, and why I picked them. You can see the full list with the most up-to-date prices for each component by going to PC Part Picker. I'm not suggesting you build the same exact system as me, as things always change in the world of computers. When selecting the parts for any system, you have to start with a budget. Just joking, I didn't do that. Instead I did much fierce research on each individual component, possibly spending up to 8 hours per piece. I did this to find the absolute best value for each component. Turns out, in my opinion, the $1,500 - $1,600 price range is where the best PC values are found these days. My power supply and my cooler were the two components I spent the most time on, as I wanted this system to be near silent. I also spent a little bit more money on the graphics card by picking one with a custom cooler that was reviewed to be very quiet. In my experience, these are often the 3 loudest components in any computer: the CPU cooler, the power supply, and the graphics card. Case fans can also add noise, but if controlled, they don't present as much of an issue. Still, I went with highly regarded Noctua fans. Each model has its own properties. The Noctua NF-S12B offers very good airflow, but not much pressure (quietest). The NF-P12 offers good airflow and good pressure (mid-quiet). Those are the two I went with. Noctua also has the NF-F12 which offers fantastic static pressure, but not as much airflow and is a bit louder. This fan is suitable for radiator or heatsink use. With any of these fans you can run them at very low RPMs if your motherboard supports it, which makes the difference in noise between them all nearly inaudible. CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor $278.19 CompUSA / TigerDirect For this price, there's no way I could pass up the opportunity to have a 3770K — especially since I'm doing video editing. If you're building a machine strictly for gaming, this is not necessary. Go with a 3570K or lower depending on how much you can spend. CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler $69.99 NCIX The Noctua NH-D14 is the best air cooler you can buy. It even competes well with water cooling systems like the Corsair H100 and Corsair H100i at lower decibel levels. The included Noctua fans are much quieter as well. Also, a dual 120mm water cooling system like the Corsair will force you to keep the top of your case open — allowing noise to pass through the top of your case directly into your ear canals. Not good, unless you just don't care. Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $189.98 NCIX The pro version of this motherboard offers more 4-pin controllable fan headers than the non-pro versions. Can't go wrong with Asus. Memory: Corsair XMS3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $78.99 Newegg I might buy more ram in the future, but 16GB has been enough for now. I decided to save some money here, and not go with higher clocked ram. I don't find there to be enough reason to spend more money on higher clock speeds and lower CAS latencies — yet. Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $94.99 NCIX Western Digital is still raking people over the coals with the whole flood situation, charging around 72% higher prices than Seagate's comparable products! Only buy a Western Digital if you absolutely need that 5-year warranty vs. the paltry 2-year warranty Seagate offers. From what I've heard, a hard drive will most likely die within the first few months of owning it. If it doesn't die then, it will probably last forever, forever being exactly 2 weeks past the 5-year warranty. Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $198.99 Newegg Get an SSD for your boot drive no matter what your budget is. If you have to wait 2 months longer to save up and buy an SSD, do so. Samsung creates their own flash and controllers, while many other companies don't. This gives them the upper hand, although any SSD is better than no SSD. Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card $317.55 Newegg For video editing, get an NVidia card. Otherwise, just look at benchmarks for the games you play. Adobe products can utilize CUDA cores. This graphics card has 1344 CUDA Cores with a 192-bit memory interface. Keep in mind the higher the CUDA cores is not necessarily the best, as the memory interface also matters quite a bit. Older cards with lower CUDA cores but a higher memory interface sometimes perform better than newer cards due to the increased bandwidth. There's an entire website talking about how to unlock your card for Adobe products. Case: Corsair 550D ATX Mid Tower Case $125.99 Amazon This case has sound dampening foam, fan filters, and a minimalistic style. Another great option for a silent build is the Fractal Design R4. Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified $164.99 NCIX Fully modular, 80 Plus Gold, nicely sleeved cables, made by Seasonic, silent / very quiet operation. Read Jonny Guru's review if you want all of the technical details. Some may think 850 watts is overkill for my system, and I won't deny that it is, but think about it: If the power supply isn't working too hard, it's also not generating much heat. If it's not generating much heat, the fans don't run as much or as loudly, and therefore it's not generating much noise. Noise = Evil Extras and Other Expenses Exhaust Fan: Noctua NF-S12B FLX $16.24 Amazon This fan has a very good airflow / noise ratio. Since nothing is restricting an exhaust fan, it's a perfect choice for this application. Intake Fans: 2 x Noctua NF-P12 PWM $42.50 Amazon I'm using these fans as my two intakes in the front of the case. With the slightly higher static pressure offered, they can push through the hard drive cages. I might choose Noctua NF-F12s instead — it was a tough decision. Shipping Insurance: $4.27 NCIX You usually want to insure your orders, especially when coming from another country. If you're using UPS, they already insure anything valued $100 or less. If you order from a lot of different places to get the best price, you may not have to spend any extra on this. Thermal Compound: Innovation Cooling Diamond "7 Carat" Thermal Compound - 1.5 Grams $8.29 Amazon There were many excellent reviews and ratings on this particular compound. It was an impulse buy. The Noctua NH-D14 already comes with excellent thermal compound. Operating System: Windows 8 Pro $14.99 Microsoft at http://windowsupgradeoffer.com Since it's going up in price after January, get the deal while you can — it's legit. Tips and Notes You can find my original part list at PCPartPicker: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hFFa Never include Mail-in-Rebates when you're searching for the best deal. Many of them fall through, and if you do get them, it often takes 3 months or longer. Don't go with a cheap power supply. Check with Jonny Guru first. http://www.jonnyguru.com/ Look for good deals on your components by using Reddit. I saved $30 on my CPU by doing this. http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales Also, if you're new to PC building, there's the very helpful BuildaPc Reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc There is no such thing as future-proofing a computer. Don't believe the lies. Search for the best value, not the best specs. Total The total cost for my system (after extras and other expenses), after looking for deals and searching for the best prices. Quoted by PCPartPicker.com at the time: $1581.64 Parts alone actual paid: $1519.66 After extras and other expenses: $1605.95

The Video Games That Made 2012

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:41:00 +0000

2012 has ended, and with that another year of gaming is put behind us. In the next month the internet will be abuzz with lists and opinions of all sorts, so I thought I might put my few cents in here at Rhinofeed. I find traditional video game lists, of any sort, tend to come in a few standard flavors. Be it the cliche "top 10" or the "best in genre," they all seem to fall in line with each other. For this list, however, I would like to highlight some games of 2012 that really stood out as a testament to the current state of the video game industry. Once again I stress that this is a matter of opinion, however critical and seasoned it may be. Biggest Changes Halo 4 is the first game of a trilogy to be developed by newcomer 343 Industries, with Bungie moving on to a new IP in the next few years. I was thrilled to know that Master Chief would return for the first time in five years yet was shocked when I actually played this long awaited sequel. The campaign of the new Halo seems to have no greater purpose than moving the heavy story along, sacrificing a bit of fun along the way. Master Chief was always a man of few words, and that was a major play into is character, however in Halo 4 it would seem that he finally opens up to a little conversation. The witty quips of supporting characters and especially the grunts have been replaced in favor of a more serious tone, in an obvious attempt to be more cinematic. All this considered, Halo 4′s campaign comes through as a excellent story of companionship and sacrifice, bringing a good sense of humanity to its characters. The trademarks that made Halo’s multiplayer the fast, fun, and fair competitive online frag fest that it was have been completely altered in favor of a new “Call of Duty” format. Class based systems and killstreak rewards become the name of the game, though some areas are still noticeably unbalanced. A lot has changed this time around, for Halo’s story direction and multiplayer. I can say with some certainty that this is due to the dominance of Call of Duty in the gaming industry. Games like Halo, Gears of War, and Battlefield will likely feel the need to catch up, pushing them to radically change their game, for better or worse. Biggest Surprise My biggest surprise of the year would definitely have to be Black Ops 2. Not to say that it is the best game of the year, or the best game in the franchise, but the changes made to this title have refreshed the series and made Black Ops 2 distinctly Treyarch’s creation. It has been a pattern for the Modern Warfare series to lead the way in Call of Duty’s innovation. However, the newest title breaks free from that pattern giving players the newest experience since Call of Duty 4. The campaign has received some much needed love—introducing custom loadouts, side missions, prerendered cinematics, and multiple endings. The player is treated to a unique experience on par with other good military shooter campaigns. Zombies just keeps getting bigger and bigger, boasting the biggest map yet, new abilities, Easter eggs, and 8 player online. Treyarch’s love and support for their stellar co-op mode continues to shine. Multiplayer has been redefined with a new “pick 10″ class design, better gun balance, and a wealth of new features and design choices that make for the best Call of Duty multiplayer yet. I really thought that this would be the title to ‘kill’ the COD franchise, but has instead reignited my love for the juggernaut first person shooter. Best Ending Mass Effect is one of my most beloved franchises and it was heart-wrenching to see such a great story come to a close. Some of my favorite moments in gaming come from Bioware’s flagship series and Mass Effect 3 is no exception. To see my choices carry over the course of three massive titles and culminate in the closing events of the third game was a really unique experience. Despite all the internet hate that went around following its early 2012 release I found the game’s ending satisfying, even if it wasn’t what I necessarily wanted. Bioware showed dedication to its fans releasing changes to the ending, per requests, and a few batches of good DLC to keep people playing. Mass Effect 3 has even inspired me to play through the second game again and change some of the choices I made to see how they evolve the story in the final title. I’d like to take the time to thank Bioware for giving me the chance to explore their universe, experience their characters, and enjoy my time spent with Commander Shepherd. If Rhinofeed did give out a “game of the year” award, Mass Effect 3 would be worthy of such a title. Best New IP Bethesda shocked and amazed when it announced Dishonored a couple years back. Compared to Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, this game would be smaller, more linear, and a completely different direction than previous titles. Dishonored puts you in the first person perspective of Corvo, a master assassin framed for a murder he did not commit, and follows his quest for revenge, answers, and justice. The game gives players access to wide variety of weapons to kill enemies, lethal and passive, coupled with unique and powerful abilities to really give the player a sense of strength and purpose. The art and design of Dishonored is refreshing and special, given the realism that most assassin games lean towards. This title is also the first successful solely FPS stealth game which is a feat in and of itself. Dishonored was very successful upon launch and even surpassed the expectations of Arkane and Bethesda, earning its right as a supported franchise. I’m excited to see what Dishonored’s sequel brings us in the coming years. Honorable Mentions Best New Environment: Guild Wars 2 is a stunning MMO set in the beautiful and expansive world of Tyria. Complete with cities large enough to get lost in, fields stretching far as the eye can see and graphical fidelity to back it up. Best Expansions: Battlefield 3, however you feel about it, is largely played for its massive, complex, and strategic multiplayer, and DICE has shown its players love with an absolutely stellar set of DLC throughout the 2012 year. Best Choice-based Title: The Walking Dead was a delight to play featuring some very beloved characters, excellent storytelling, and a fresh look at the point-and-click genre. The game deals with some heavy themes, and tugs at the heart strings at all the right moments, making it a real treat to fans of the show and gamers alike. Best System Redesign: The Nintendo 3DS received a fresh face this year with the arrival of the XL edition. Fixing many of the qualms I had with the first version and giving players a better experience with a larger and more immersive 3D screen. Most Anticipated Game: It has been five years since Ken Levine’s stunning trip to the bottom of the Atlantic left me speechless. In 2013 he takes us to the floating city of Columbia for what I imagine will be another fantastic experience.

Beyerdynamic DT 770-PRO Headphones Review (250 ohms)

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Hello world! Welcome to my first headphone review. Keep in mind I’m a bit of a newbie when it comes to audio; however, family and friends have mentioned I have good ears. I will be taking a close look at more than just the audio quality though, so if you question my opinion in that regard you can read just the first 3 sections. Build Quality Rating: 4.8/5 Some may not like the design, but I appreciate it. Maybe it’s because I’m German, like the manufacturer. I tend to like German industrial design. The chassis is built out of metal to provide structural integrity, with a textured plastic for the cans to keep them light. There’s a single-sided coiled cable on your left side, although unfortunately they don’t allow the cable to be removed. I am generally not a fan of coiled cables, but this time I found myself enjoying it as the cable didn’t tug on my head nearly as much as I thought it would. All parts are replaceable, and the ear pads and headband are easily user replaceable. The only concern you may have is the external cable going from the left ear, up through the headband, to the right ear. It seems as though Beyerdynamic positioned it as to not get twisted during use, however. Built by Germans. Move along now. Comfort: 4.3/5 When first wearing these headphones they were stiff, but after wearing them for a while they seem to settle onto your head. Still, I find the headband uncomfortable. It bothers me after leaving it in the same place on my head for an hour or more. If I move it a slight bit, it’s comfortable again. Perhaps it’s something I’d get used to over time. The cans articulate just a little bit to compensate for oddly shaped heads, but not a full 180 degrees to hear through only one ear if you want to. To do that, you’ll have to flex the headband a little bit by tucking one ear cup behind your ear. Lastly, I would like to try the replaceable leather ear pads ($30). The velour can get hot if you’re wearing the headphones for a long time. Also, since the velour material is not as easily cleaned as leather, these headphones are not suited for an environment where you need to share. Isolation: 4.0/5 They have a closed-back design, which allows for you to listen to your music and podcasts even in relatively noisy environments. I wouldn’t say they provide perfect isolation, as if you turn your music off you can still hear someone speaking nearby. Yet, I’ve used these while recording drums without a problem, and I have pretty sensitive ears when it comes to loudness. Beyerdynamic does have a version specifically for sound isolation (the DT 770 M), but they won’t be as versatile as these, and the sound quality won’t be quite as good. Sound: 4.5/5 The only time you’ll find yourself wondering why something through these headphones sounds so terrible is when you’re listening to low quality sources. These are true to the track. A lot of music produced is mastered to be as loud as possible, often at the expense of dynamic range and musicality. You have to be careful about what you provide these headphones to work with! If I was mixing or mastering with these headphones, I would trust them. Highs, Mids, Lows, they all sound fantastic to me. Nothing seems overpowering or hyped, and because of the flat eq, you can adjust them to how you enjoy listening. That’s the beauty of these headphones. You can tune them to exactly how you like them. If you don’t feel like messing with the eq, you’ll be hearing what the music producer intended you to hear (which is often perfectly fine). To top it off, they sound very open despite the closed-back design, especially after the initial burn in. These are the best headphones I’ve heard, but I can’t give a perfect rating because I just haven’t heard enough headphones to compare them to. Ideal use: This is a good, well rounded set of phones. You can definitely use them for gaming, mixing, mastering, or just plain enjoying music. While these are not meant to be portable headphones, they don’t bleed like an open-back design, so other people around you won’t be bothered (or even hear) what you’re listening to. Because of their size, they may not be practical to listen at the library or on your commute to work. It’s your call. Yays: Balanced sound with thumpin’ bass Good build quality Great value Nays: Non-removable cable Velour ear pads can sometimes be hot, and definitely not share-able DT 880 Pros come with a neat case, these don’t

Callouts by Ripple Training Review

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:59:00 +0000

If there is any outstanding benefit of using Final Cut Pro over other post suites, it would be it’s keen ability to use fast and professional editing plugins. One such plugin I’ve recently had the pleasure of using is Ripple Training’s Callouts for FCP X. Callouts accomplishes what it’s name suggests by drawing attention to any detail of your footage using a suite of ten effects under the Titles Plugin category. These effects include; Animated Text, Arrows, Bubbles, Callout-Arrows, Callout-Circles, Connect The Dots, Encircle, Magnify, Pointer, and Shapes. Hiding behind these simple titles are a wealth of advanced yet easy-to-use parameters to use in a wide variety of applications. Lines, text, colors, and animation are all highly alterable and give the user plenty of creative muscle. One nifty ability is the option to use a 3D Axis to seamlessly apply arrows to pictures or video with depth. Callouts wealth of features and effects makes it a well rounded addition to your plugin collection. Of course, talking about Callouts isn’t nearly as important as seeing it in action. With that being said, I spent a couple of hours and made the video below using some footage from our MSI GT60 Review we recently did on our YouTube channel. Ripple Training’s Callouts is a fantastic little plugin that can add professional flair to everything from product demos to instructional video. It definitely earns a thumbs up from the team at Rhinofeed. Callouts is available through FXFactory for $49.00 USD. Be sure to check out Ripple Training at www.rippletraining.com!

ToneGrade by CrumplePop Review

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:44:00 +0000

With the popularity of HDR photography rapidly increasing, why not add a little of the same flair to your video as well? How is this possible? With a little plug-in from CrumplePop for FCP X called ToneGrade! HDR in the photography realm refers to High Dynamic Range imaging. This rather simple process involves combining three or more pictures of different exposure and contrast levels into one brilliantly detailed photo. Naturally, the only way this can be achieved in video is if you were to have two or more cameras shooting simultaneously at different levels of exposure. Most of us don’t have the time or money to run this sort of setup, so the good people at CrumplePop have created a great little tool for producing real HDR from one video recording. ToneGrade employs 9 effect sliders that can create a vast amount of changes to raw footage. While most of these changes can be added to make subtle effects, they can also be combined to make fully-realized HDR video. Two of the tools I find myself using often are the Color Cool/Warm slider and Cool/Warm Intensity slider as shown above. A stronger warm tone can enhance outdoor footage, and a cooler grade can be used to give that “steel blue” filter effect to an urban environment. The Saturation tool is great for giving footage a vivid color palette or almost no color at all. Another tool I found particularly useful in repairing footage was the Exposure slider, which I used to compensate for video that was overexposed. While the subtle changes are nice, it’s the HDR features that make this plug-in worthwhile. The first slider named Depth better separates objects in your video. However, this tool should be used sparingly because it has a tendency to destroy shadows. The next two tools, by far my favorites, are the Fine and Course Detail parameters. The Fine Detail slider will really enhance small objects like hair and creases in clothing while the Course Detail slider will mainly affect large object outlines and the like. Using one or the other can create off-balance detail in your shots, so I would suggest using them together. Skin Smoothing will do just what it says, but overuse will blend facial tone together and create an unwanted cartoony look. Last but not least, the Shadow Depth tool will make your shadows even darker and remove noise often created in low-light areas. In the month or so I’ve used ToneGrade, I dare say I couldn’t edit without it. It has useful everyday features that I easily find a place for in my workflow. Moreover I look forward to future projects completely centered around a unique HDR look. CrumplePop has done a fantastic job with ToneGrade and is making quite a big impact in the world of post, at least, for those of us fortunate to be using FCP X. ToneGrade can be found at CrumplePop.com for $75 USD, so go out and nab yourself a copy!

IBM Model M Buckling Spring Keyboard Sound Test

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:29:00 +0000

I present to you the IBM Model M, a classic buckling spring keyboard. Here is my recorded audio sample of a typing speed test done on 10-fast-fingers.com. I clocked in at 115 WPM for a 60 second race.