If you are like most people in the world, you have some type of MP3 player. Whether it is an Apple product, Microsoft product, or another named brand device, one thing remains the same, downloading music costs money. If you search the internet, you will find thousands of entries for free music downloads, but how safe or how “free” are they? More importantly, is it legal to download from these sites? Being and Apple customer, it got very expensive to keep buying music at .99 and now 1.29 but recently I was introduced to a site on YouTube called Jarvmp3 and you can get to it from here.

Jarvmp3

Jarvmp3 is free, completely legal and virus free. The interface is simple to use yet very powerful. You can register for the site, but it is not necessary for use of the site.

With Jarvmp3, you can:

• Search music or lyrics.
• Listen to a sample to make sure it is the correct song you are looking for.
• Once you find what you are looking for, you can download or play it.
• Copy and paste the embedding code for your website.
• You also have an option for to make a ringtone but that carries a monthly charge.

I use Jarvmp3.com for my own personal collection, once downloaded, I load it into iTunes and sync up my iPod. As I said earlier, I learned about this site on YouTube and the channel I found it on can be found here. I also did a video about it myself and you can see that here.

Please make sure to read the Terms of Service on Jarvmp3, it can be found at the bottom of the page.

Problem:

One of the biggest problems I run into is editing music and sounds for my videos and/or websites. Like anything else, there are plenty of software packages you can buy to edit music. Depending on your needs, sometimes freeware is the way to go and I feel Audacity is one of those exceptions.

Resolution:

Audacity is an audio editor that can be used for all types of things. I use Audacity all the time to make ringtones for my iphone, music drops for my videos and to edit sounds for my websites.

Here is the list of features Audacity offers: (From the website)

Recording

Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.

• Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
• Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
• Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
• Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.

Import and Export

Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.

• Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
• Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
• Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
• Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
• Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
• Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
• Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.

Editing

• Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
• Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
• Very fast editing of large files.
• Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
• Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
• Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.

Effects

• Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
• Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
• Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
• Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
• Other built-in effects include:
  • Echo
  • Phaser
  • Wahwah
  • Reverse

Sound Quality

• Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
• Record at up to 96 kHz.
• Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
• Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.

Plug-Ins

• Add new effects with LADSPA plug-ins.
• Audacity includes some sample plug-ins by Steve Harris.
• Load VST plug-ins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
• Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.

Analysis

• Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
• “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.

Free and Cross-Platform

• Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
• Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.

Check out Audacity…What do you have to lose?

Over the last year I have been actively researching ways to create my own website. Not really understanding HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) I started reading books and scouring the internet for tutorials. I found quite a bit on YouTube and learned how to read the language but not being the most creative, I was coming to the reality; you need expensive software or buy into a site that offers all the tools needed to complete your website. I didn’t want to jump in to the pool with both feet until I learned how to swim and rather than put out a big expense, I started looking for alternatives.

PageBreeze

Getting free web hosting is quite easy and most of them have website builders but you are limited without some type of HTML editor. I was determined to find something and recently I came across PageBreeze. PageBreeze is free but it does offer a paid version…I currently use the free version and am quite happy with the results.

Ease of use

With PageBreeze you pick from one of their default templates, use one of your own templates or create one from scratch. Once you have decided on a template you have all the tools you will need to create the perfect website to suit your needs.

With PageBreeze you can:

• View the page normally. (Makes editing a snap)
• Adjust the properties of the page. (Style sheets, Description, Meta Tags, and adjust the overall coloring)
• Look at the HTML code. (With a little experience you can tweak the code to your liking)
• Preview the page in Explorer. (Shows you the exact look in the browser as well check to make sure everything is working.)
• Publish to an FTP site. (With all the correct credentials, this makes uploading you site a breeze)
• Create forms. (From drop down menus to validation codes)

The interface reminds me of Microsoft Word which makes the text editing very easy to use. Check out PageBreeze, it is worth the price.

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There is an old adage out there that says, “You get what you pay for…” until now.

Have you ever downloaded free software that didn’t work that well, was a stripped down version that was limited or one that was on a time trial and before you knew it you were shelling out the necessary $$$ to keep that software package? This was the scenario for me most of the time but I have been introduced to a website that will allow you to search for an alternative to the more expensive software(s) and in most cases, the functionality to make it worth while. (more…)