Stryker Tech

Music Production on a Netbook

2011-08-03T13:32:00.001+01:00

It wasn’t that long ago that producing music (in a Windows environment) in your bedroom required a powerful desktop PC, or if you wanted to make music on the go, you would need to carry around a large, heavy laptop (that would usually run like a furnace).

However, after receiving my Acer Ferrari One netbook last week, I decided to see how it performs when running Propellerhead’s latest software: Reason 5 (although Reason 6 will be released at the end of September).

To install it, I had to use an external USB DVD drive (as the netbook doesn’t have an optical drive) and the whole program installed in under 10 minutes.

Once complete, Reason took about 20 seconds to load up, and I was presented with the demo song.

Reason 5 Splash Screen

I spent a couple of hours playing around with Reason 5, and it is excellent.

The Rack

It runs incredibly smoothly, with virtually no loading times, no slowdowns, and even runs well using only the built-in soundcard in the netbook (I also tried it using my M-Audio Fastrack USB soundcard).

The Sequencer

This truly shows how far netbooks and music production programs alike have come in terms of performance and optimization.

CoreTemp and Task Manager running alongside Reason

Reason 5 uses between 30 to 50 percent of the CPU (although it can go up to 100% when using a lot of virtual instruments, and about 500 to 750mb of RAM (again, this will go up when using more instruments).

My Acer Ferrari One was running at around 42 to 45 degrees Celsius after about 3 hours of using Reason, which is pretty good considering the CPU was under load for most of that time.

The Acer Ferrari One running Reason 5

Overall, I am very impressed with the potential of the Acer Ferrari One and how well Reason 5 runs on it. Propellerhead have done an excellent job in making Reason so resource-light, and it is a great tool for the mobile-music producer.

Replacing a laptop optical drive with an SSD

2011-08-02T13:53:00.001+01:00

Today I will be showing you how to install a solid state drive in your laptop, alongside the existing hard drive.

The primary reason for doing this is so you can run Windows from a small (and relatively cheap) solid state drive (mine is 60GB) while still storing all you music/games etc on a bigger hard drive (I have a 500GB Hitachi).

First of all, I purchased a solid state drive. I bought this one as it has relatively good read/write speeds and has TRIM support.

Secondly, I went here and bought an optical bay hard drive caddy. This will replace your existing CD/DVD or Blu-Ray drive.

While waiting to receive my SSD and optical drive caddy, I made a disk image backup of my existing 500GB hard drive (I’d recommend you do this in case you need to revert back to the existing hard drive in the future).

The SSD, drive caddy and the laptop

Once I had received the SSD and drive caddy, I took out the existing 500GB hard drive and replaced it with the SSD. I’d recommend leaving your disk drive in for now, as you will most likely want to install Windows from a DVD (although you can do it from a bootable USB stick, see here)

SSD in place of the existing 500GB HDD

I then inserted my Windows 7 DVD into the disc drive and installed Windows 7 on the SSD.

Once it had installed, I shut down the laptop, removed the battery and held down the power button for 30 seconds (to discharge any remaining power).

I unscrewed and removed the panel that houses the Blu-Ray drive and removed the screw that holds the drive in (see below).

Blu-Ray drive screw hole (marked with red circle)

I then inserted the 500GB hard drive into the caddy and screwed the cover and bracket onto it (see below).

Optical bay drive caddy containing 500GB HDD, with cover reattached

All I had to do then was slide the caddy back into the slot where the Blu-Ray drive had been, insert the screw to hold it into place and then put the case covers back on the laptop.

Optical bay drive caddy with 500GB HDD inserted into the laptop

Note: at the time of taking photos, I hadn't added the Blu-Ray drive cover onto the caddy, hence why there is a gap where the caddy is visible (the silver bit).

After getting everything back together, I started up the laptop, went to Disk Management (and reformatted my 500GB HDD (as the D: drive), and then moved My Documents/Music etc to the D: drive, so as to save space on the SSD.

To move your documents/music etc to another drive, using the following instructions:

Browse to C:\Users\<your user name> .
Right click My Documents .
Click Properties .
Click Location .
Type the path to the new folder.
Click Move .

Most applications let you specify the installation folder at the start of the installation procedure, so ensure you take the time to make sure you install programs to the desired drive (I created a Program Files folder on my D: drive and then installed programs in there).

Finally, if you need a CD/DVD drive, you can purchase a USB drive like this one, or if you want to keep your existing drive, you could purchase this.

If you need any more information or help, please feel free to leave a comment.

Acer Ferrari One QuickReview

2011-08-01T12:14:00.001+01:00

The key points you need to know.

Firstly, this is more than just a netbook. The dual core processor and 3GB of RAM make it very speedy.

Secondly, it looks awesome.

Many reviews have said the glossy red lid is garish, but if you're like me, then you like technology that stands out, that turns heads. The Ferrari One does just that.

The red glossy lid sporting a Ferrari badge gives this netbook an almost premium feel

The palm rests feature a carbon-fibre style finish (and another Ferrari badge found in the bottom right hand corner is another reminder that this isn’t your average netbook)

The keyboard is larger than those found on most netbooks, and while it may take a day or two to get used to, it is a pleasure to use

The feet on this netbook have a tyre pattern, which is very cool

Pros:

· Looks and feels very high quality

· The backlit LED screen with a resolution of 1366x768 is impressive for a netbook

· The AMD dual core processor handles multitasking in Windows 7 very well and can boot up in just under a minute

· 3GB of RAM is useful when multitasking

· The keyboard is larger than most other netbooks

· Has 3 USB ports

Cons:

· No HDMI Port

· Glossy lid is prone to finger prints

· Battery can take a while a charge

Conclusion

The Acer Ferrari One is a great netbook and performs on par with most lower-end notebooks. It runs Windows 7 very well and handles multitasking without a hitch.

Apart from the lack of HDMI port, this netbook covers all my needs, and can even run music production software like Reason 5 (keep a look out for a future article regarding music production on this netbook).

Copyright Cops: Stop! Police!.. I mean ISP!

2011-07-29T15:57:00.000+01:00

The time is upon us. The time that everyone has been dreading..

The time when Internet Service Providers (ISPs) attempt censor the internet.

After a recent court ruling, BT has been ordered to block access to Newzbin2 (described as the 'Google of Usenet', it makes it easier to find files on Usenet) after The Motion Picture Association won a court injunction.

Arnold J. of the High Court of Justice decided that the fact that BT knows that the copyright infringement is happening is reason enough to enforce the court order.

How far will they go?

For now, the main concern with blocking sites is to save corporations money that they would otherwise lose if their media was illegally downloaded as opposed to bought (although that claim in itself is circumstantial, See here).

What if they start banning minority political parties, or religious sites, or sites that promote news stories that have a negative impact on major corporations or the government?

The internet is built around the idea of the freedom of speech. Take that away and you're left with only the material deemed appropriate by the controlling authority.

Who would decide upon which websites are suitable, and which sites to ban?

There are already rumours that Newzbin2 have found a way around the site block. If other ISPs follow BT down the same route, then it would appear the people who are paying for the service, the end users, will be the people worst affected.

Customize Android without rooting

2011-07-29T11:59:00.000+01:00

Want to 'mod' the look and feel of your Android device without having to root your phone (either to improve the usability or just to show off)?

Many people now root their android devices so they can flash custom ROMs with added functionality, however, if I were to root my phone, it would void my insurance. Therefore, I've put together a few apps that I’ve tried out that can improve your experience and generally spruce up your phone, without the need to root.

Go Launcher EX

Go Launcher EX on the Android Market

Go Launcher Ex is a great replacement launcher. Mainly because there is no paid-for version, so you get full functionality, for free.

It features:

- Hundreds of themes

- Fancy home screen transition

- Smooth scrolling experience

- Icon popup menu

- Folder and task manager in app drawer

- Gesture supported

- Scrollable & resizable widgets supported

Go Launcher Ex runs very well on my Samsung Galaxy S, with all of the transitions working perfectly (the cube-style transition being my favourite!). There are a number of themes that come as standard, and plenty more to download from the market (I recommend the Blux theme , as seen below).

Go SMS Pro

Go SMS Pro on the Android Market

Go SMS Pro is another great app from the Go team. It is designed to replace the standard messaging app (that is pretty slow on my Galaxy S) and add more functionality.

It features:

- Many cool themes; also support DIY theme, and Wallpaper Maker plug-in; Fully customizable look; Supports chat style and list style; Font changeable

- Security lock, support lock by thread; Blacklist

- Send messages at scheduled times

- Individual contact customization for notifications, ringtones, signatures and conversations

- Batch modes (add contacts, delete conversations/messages and backups)

- Supports gestures, you may switch between "Messages" and "Folders" view by swiping left or right

- Many 2D & 3D transition effects

Like Go Launcher EX, Go SMS Pro has no paid-for version, so you get complete functionality with no ads (woohoo!).

It runs much faster on my Galaxy S than the stock messaging app, and is very nice to use. There are so many customizable features (such as setting vibration length) and the transition effects look very impressive.

Launcher 7

Launcher 7 on the Android Market

Launcher 7 is a Windows 7 style replacement launcher app. There is a free version that contains an advertisement in the application menu or there is a paid-for version for £0.87 (I’d recommend paying the £0.87 as this is a great app!).

Launcher 7 makes a nice change to the standard multiple home screen style of every other Android launcher and I find it much faster to use. It is still in development so you can expect many new features to come in the future, however this is what is currently available:

- Layout animations (the tiles rotate based on the orientation of the phone, very good to show off to your friends!)

- Animated contacts tile! (Still work in progress)

- 2 x 1 tiles

- Original Windows Phone 7 backgrounds

- Display number of unread SMS and Gmail on tiles

- Use Windows 7 style status bar

I use Launcher 7 as my primary launcher app now as I find it runs much faster than the other launchers I’ve tried and the animations are very nice.

Regina 3D Launcher

Regina 3D Launcher on the Android Market

Regina 3D launcher is a very flash launcher replacement app. It has a very impressive 3D transition effect between home screens and features:

- Separate wallpaper for each workspace

- Secret workspaces where you can hide some of your app shortcuts and widgets for your privacy

- Regina widgets (full 3D widgets)

- All widgets and shortcuts can be positioned freely without much restriction in workspaces

- Uninstall apps from workspace directly

- Various visual effects

I find Regina 3D runs quite well on my Galaxy S, although it does slowdown at times, so I’d recommend turning off some of the graphical effects to speed it up a bit if you have a less powerful Android device. Apart from that, it is a very impressive launcher and very handy for showing off your phone.

Great Split-Screen Games on PS3

2011-07-28T14:53:00.000+01:00

Over the past few years the split-screen offering has become rather sparse, with developers
focusing on the single player experience (La Noire) or making money from online multiplayer (Black Ops anyone?).

It makes me start to wonder if I am the only person who still enjoys playing having mates round to game on one big screen, on a single console.

Therefore, I thought I’d put together a list of new and old(ish) PS3 games that offer an
enjoyable split-screen experience and whether you should buy them or rent them.

Newer Games

F.E.A.R. 3

Buy or Rent? Rent It.

Fear 3 has a co-op campaign where you play as the two brothers. One of you will play Point Man, who has the ability to slow down time (for both players) and shoot (no way!) enemies with a reasonable amount of weapons available (pistols, shotguns, MGs, sniper rifles etc). The other player will play as Fettel, who cannot use conventional weapons, unless you possess an enemy (yes that's right, you can mindjack an enemy for a short period of time, which can be extended by collecting orbs dropped by enemies you kill). Fettel can also pick up grenades with the psychic ability and throw them at enemies.

Fear 3 has quite an atmospheric feel to it, and there are a number of moments which will give you a good scare (assuming you are scared of small girls with long black hair.. covered in blood.. I mean who isn't, right?)

The campaign should take no more than 8 hours to complete, so that is why I would recommend you rent it and complete it in one sitting (unless you want to re-play the singleplayer campaign or play online)

Killzone 3

Buy or Rent? Rent It.
Killzone 3 is renowned for its amazing graphics, and even in split-screen, the graphics are quite impressive, with no noticeable slow downs (even in the larger battles).

The co-op campaign is identical to the single player version, so there is no co-op specific content. The story is easily forgettable (and almost predictable at times), however the gameplay is very enjoyable. The shooting mechanic is very killzone-esque, the player feels heavy and slower, which makes it feel more realistic and is a nice change to the typical twitch-shooters like Modern Warfare.

The campaign should take about 6 to 8 hours to complete and is relatively enjoyable. The change of scenery and vehicular combat in the different levels helps to keep you interested, however I would definitely recommend you rent this, unless you plan on re-playing the campaign on the harder difficulties (to get all of the achievements) or playing the online multiplayer.

Portal 2

Buy Or Rent? Rent It.

Portal 2 is a First Person Puzzle-Platform game featuring a separate single player and split-screen co-op campaign. In co-op, each player takes control of a robot, with their own portal gun. There are numerous puzzles that require you work together with your partner and use all 4 portals. You'll probably find yourself scratching your head over some of the puzzles, only to realise 10 minutes later how simple the solution was!

The co-op campaign should take no more than 5 hours to complete, so unless you plan on completing the single player campaign and replaying the game, it's probably not worth the £30+ price tag.

Older Games

These games have been out for a while now, so you should be able to pick them up pretty cheap if you plan on buying them.

Call Of Duty: World At War

Buy or Rent? Buy It.
World At War is the most recent World War 2 based shooter in the Call Of Duty series. It offers a split-screen co-op campaign and, arguably one of the most fun co-op game types of all time; Nazi Zombies. Nazi Zombies pits up to 4 players against numerous waves of undead fascists, each wave getting tougher and tougher. You get rewarded for killing zombies and repairing defences with points, that you can then spend on opening up different parts of the map, as well as buying new weapons.

I'd recommend you buy World At War, as once you have completed the campaign, the Nazi Zombies game mode can consume hours of your time. There is also a split-screen death match style game mode for up to 4 players to try and destroy each other in all manor of ways.The co-op campaign should take about 7 to 8 hours to complete on normal difficulty. It is a thoroughly enjoyable campaign, with a competitive aspect as each player has a multiplier, that increases with the amount of enemies killed. I often find myself hanging around on one level, killing endlessly spawning enemies, just to get a higher score than my buddy.

Borderlands

Buy or Rent? Buy It.
Borderlands is an FPS/RPG set in a post apocalyptic wasteland. The split-screen campaign is identical to the single player version, and offers a great mix of shooting, driving and scavenging. Each player can choose from a number of character types that each have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can then level up by completing missions and achievements.

One of the key features of Borderlands is that there is an almost infinite amount of weapons, each with individual perks (such as +100% damage etc). I'd strongly recommend you buy this game as opposed to renting it as there are at least 30+ hours worth of gameplay, even more if you complete all the side missions and get the downloadable content. This isn't something you could easily complete in one sitting.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Buy or Rent? Rent It.
Modern warfare 2 doesn't actually have a co-op campaign, however it does have Spec Ops, which is a split-screen game mode with 23 missions. There are 5 mission categories (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo) with each one getting progressively harder. There are a good selection of mission types from round-based survival, to snowmobile racing. Some missions have one player manning the cannons on an AC130, providing cover for the other player who has to get to an objective in a certain time. Whereas other missions require you to blow up all of the vehicles on a bridge using RPGs, grenade launchers and a selection of explosives.

Spec Ops should take anywhere between 3-5 hours to complete. However, it is fun to re-play the missions on Veteran difficulty which can add a couple more hours onto the game time. I'd recommend you rent this game if you are planning on solely playing split-screen. However, if you plan on playing the single and multiplayer, I’d recommend you buy it, as the online experience is fantastic.

Cloud Computing: With cloud comes rain...

2011-07-27T17:10:00.000+01:00

In the past few months it has become apparent that the next leap forward in the standard computing experience is Cloud Computing.

Now for those of you who are sitting there with images of floating around on your laptop, cloud computing is defined as: "The practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or personal computer."

Basically, all of your documents (and more recently, your programs/applications) are stored on the internet (well, a company's server), instead of on your actual computer.

As with any new computing concepts (although it is not strictly a new concept), there are a number of pros and cons.

I'll start with the pros:

You don't need a high-powered computer as the cloud does all of the processing for you.
Because of this, you can save money when buying a computer as you need minimal disk space and processing power as all of the applications and documents are stored on the cloud.
There is no need to spend hours downloading the latest updates. All of the applications are stored on the cloud, and will consequently be updated directly on the cloud, so you will be getting the latest version of the software.
You can access your files anywhere. Whether it is at home, at work, or out and about on your phone. You no longer need to keep copying your files to a memory stick and carrying it about with you.
Improved reliability. If your computer crashes or there is a power cut, you will not lose any data as none of it is stored locally. You can just boot back up and carry on where you were.

The cons:

If you don't have internet access, you can't access your files. Simple. What happens if you are on the train with no WI-FI, or your home internet access is down (quite a common occurrence). Storing files locally may cost more, or take longer, but at the end of the day, your files are always within reach.
Suitable bandwidth. When I say you need internet access, I don't just mean a dial up connection. You need a considerable amount of bandwidth to load the applications and transfer large files. Without broadband, it's not worth it.
Security. Would you want all of your documents and information stored behind a single username and password? Companies already store (and lose!) enough of our information, do you really want to hand over all of your private documents to be potentially read by someone else?
Reliance on company servers. Even if you have constant internet access, there is still the chance that the company servers could go down and even lose all of your data.
Limited applications. Currently, the available web-based applications just can't compare to their non-web based counterparts. This could seriously reduce productivity.

Conclusion
Cloud computing a good concept, but is currently best suited for (large) business environments where the client-server model makes sense.
As a standard computer user, I don't want to rely on the internet for when I just want to type up a quick word document, or have to stream the music that I own from another company's server back to my computer (I already have Spotify for that).

At Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, Steve Jobs claimed that we are moving into a 'post-PC world', with the introduction of Apple's take on cloud computing; aptly named 'iCloud'. While the die-hard Apple fans with lap this up without question, any tech-intelligent users will realise that this is not the death of the PC (as BBC news crudely put it http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13679926), primarily because a phone, tablet, or cloud based system is, in itself a PC (personal computer).

The prospect of putting all my eggs in one company's basket seems a somewhat daunting idea, and for now, the closest I am going to get to cloud computing is using Dropbox.