Investing In The Physical Or Virtual Real Estate World with Bryan Ellis
December 31st, 2008
“Virtual Real Estate Investing” is a relatively new concept. There are many variations on what this term means, encompassing everything from using the internet to aid in real estate investing efforts to participating in online games such as SecondLife.
In order to figure out the truth of the matter, I sought out Bryan Ellis of BryanEllis.com, whose experience in the fledgling industry is truly impressive.
When I began using the term virtual real estate investing in the late 1990s, I did so because I saw clear parallels between the strategies used for profiting from physical real estate and those that would create income in the online world, said Ellis.
One example of the parallels between virtual and physical real estate Bryan Ellis cites is the similarity between the monetization of domain names versus physical property. He points out that control of a domain name or even a specific web page is much like controlling a real estate property ” those assets can be monetized in similar ways: By selling them for a profit, by leasing them, by offering advertising, etc.
I must admit: Its easy to see the parallels. Consider: A valuable piece of real estate is valuable largely due to the interest that other people have in that specific location. Similarly, ownership of a desirable domain name is valuable for the same reasons. In either case, you could sell or lease the asset and turn it into cash.
In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.
Why Learning How to Improvise is So Important
December 31st, 2008
Imagine asking a beginning writer to write a short story from scratch. Our writer does not yet have much experience in writing but accepts the challenge and begins to plunge ahead.
He has to start somewhere so he begins to examine how to construct a short story. He learns all about plot, character, and structure and now believes he is ready to begin writing.
As soon as he begins to write, he discovers something. He can’t move forward. He is blocked. What’s the problem? He knows how to construct a short story and should be able to forge ahead right? The problem is he has not allowed his “voice” to unfold naturally. His internal critic is blocking the natural voice inside his head and the pen stops cold. What to do?
Our writer must learn to freewrite so words can flow freely and not be stopped by the editor voice. The same principles can be applied to us as musicians!
We may want to compose our own music and we may also know all about how to do it, but unless we are able to improvise freely and allow our own natural “voice” free reign, the music stops and we lose the ability to move forward.
This is why learning how to improvise is so important. It allows us to move forward! This benefits us in two ways. One, we begin to understand that the joy of music making itself is its own reward. Second, we begin to trust our voice and feel confident in our ability to move forward without judging the “quality” of the music.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!
Piano Lesson Technique - Rotate Wrists to Add Power & Control to Playing, Even for Beginners
December 31st, 2008
The principles of piano technique are not difficult or mysterious. In fact they make perfect sense, but not in an intuitive way that would make students think of trying them first. Instead students do what feels “natural” to them not realizing that good technique has to be developed and that it isn’t supposed to “feel natural” until they have practiced them enough for them to become natural. Piano is like any other art that involves the body. When a ballerina leaps across the stage it looks effortless because of his or her training. Unfortunately the basic principles of piano technique are often misunderstood and poorly taught. When they are and students practice them their playing begins to take on this effortless-like quality. Here is an important way for students to improve their playing technique right away that makes sense and give students more power and control.
Use the Arm and the Wrist to Help the Fingers.
Generally new students don’t know how to use their arms and wrists to play. They pull the fingers down into the keys with the wrists below the keyboard. But effortless playing involves leveraging the arms and the wrists to aid the fingers. The large muscles of the arm and the flexibility of the wrist give added power and control to the small muscles of the fingers. Focus on the following two technique principles to dramatically improve students’ playing ability and comfort. Remember that these two elements of technique must to work together and not against each other for either to be effective.
1. Finger Flexion -
Gently stretching the fingertips down to the keys from a rounded hand position above the keyboard (finger flexion) allows students to use their arms and wrists to give the fingers more power and playing. In conjunction with finger flexion, moving the wrist up and down to bend the arm forward and back uses the movement of the arm to let the key go down with less effort. This arm motion adds leverage that is necessary to help the smaller muscles in the fingers. Since the arms are much stronger, this yields much more playing power and control.
2. Wrist Rotation -
In addition rotating the wrists, as when turning a key, creates power and spring that transfers energy from one finger to the next. This flexibility in the wrist applies the winding strength in the arm muscles to help the fingers play difficult passages of music with ease.
Any piano student can do this. It is not difficult. Even very young students can learn to play with ease. When the natural levers of the fingers, hand, and arms work together to create effective leverage, playing is much easier and more beautiful.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.
These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com
FTC Botches Fight on SPAM, Microsoft Takes Over the Battle
December 30th, 2008
While the Federal Trade Commission is busy fighting over definitions of “What is SPAM;” Microsoft and Bill Gates are taking it to the enemy. Today Microsoft announced another case and legal action, which is being taken against a spammer who is in Germany. Microsoft did not announce the name of the company it has filed suit against but it is based in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The company is alledged to have sent millions of SPAM emails advertising various things including web design companies, porn and online casinos. You probably have even had to delete a few of them yourself recently. Many Hotmail email addresses received these SPAMs and the company was able to fool the SPAM blockers set up by Microsoft. The Westphalia firm denied charges and said it was one of his partners, not him? The company ran a network out of the Ukraine said Microsoft on the Belyfish and stated: “In the context of these offers the deplored one offers at present US dollar also 750 to million E-Mail addresses for $499.00″
Not only did it send these SPAM emails it was actively recruiting more customers and clients to do the same for them. Thank you Microsoft; what is up with the FTC these days? Definitions? Think about it?
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Should I Buy A Powerful Recording Computer?
December 29th, 2008
Back when I started recording at home in 2001, I had a Pentium 3 550 Mhz computer with 384 MB of Ram. I recorded a number of projects on the 9GB hard drive until I eventually added a 40GB hard drive to the equation. I was quite limited in what I could do on that computer, but I was limited by a number of factors. The biggest limiting factor at that time was not the power of my PC, but my recording engineering skills.
A few years later, I was able to build myself a AMD based pc with a XP 2000 processor. This computer had 512 MB of DDR Ram. When I finally got this computer setup properly, I was amazed at what I could do. I was able to record over 50 tracks at once. The computer would get a little bogged down if I was really pushing it, but that seldom happened.
I guess before I get too deep into this article, I should discuss what I’m doing with my recording computer. While I have went through various phases throughout the years, these days I’m not using any midi or virtual instruments. Everything I do involves recording a track that started out as some sort of analog signal (either from a mic or a line in) and goes to my computer. I’m mixing in the box. I use my fair share of plugins from time to time and I’ve done some extremely complicated mixes. Guys using a sampler or a VSTi or any other virtual instruments may want to ignore this article. Anyone doing this sort of production will want the most powerful computer they can afford.
Just recently, I went ahead and upgraded my recording computer to an AMD Athlon 64 2800 with 1 GB of RAM. This computer is quite a bit faster than my previous computer. It certainly renders down mixes much quicker than my previous audio recording computer did. Unfortunately, my mixes do not sound any better. Upgrading to this computer was kind of like upgrading my recording chair. It’s more comfortable and does allow me to get more work done, but in the end, it doesn’t really improve the final product directly.
If you are looking for your first recording computer, you should put some thought into what you are going to be doing with it. If you think there is a possibility of using virtual instruments, I’d highly recommend that you go for a beast. If you don’t expect to be using a sequencer, then you can save some cash by using an older machine. Any XP 2000 era computer dedicated to audio recording should do just fine while you learn how to engineer. Trust me, you have a lot to learn, and it will be a long time before you max out the audio capabilities of a computer even 3 years old.
It’s extremely important that you setup a recording computer properly. One of the main reason that I have no problem using a 3 year old computer is because I keep it clean. I’m not talking about dust, dirt or grime. I’m talking about keeping Windows clean. If a computer starts to get a little sluggish, this tells me that it’s time to back everything up and format the computer. I have no problem with reinstalling windows every few months on my home computer and if my audio recording computer needs it, I’ll do the same. I do not install any piece of software that is not required.
In conclusion, if you are just learning audio and don’t plan on using a ton of hardcore virtual instruments, save your cash and put your time into learning recording on an older computer. You’ll be glad that you did.
Brandon Drury has written numerous articles for his recording
studio website.
Saving an Oil Giant
December 29th, 2008
In recent times the most visible public role for Peter Sutherland as chairman of BP PLC was hosting the company’s annual meeting. But after a string of oil spills, deadly accidents and an energy-trading scandal at BP, the 60-year-old one-time rugby player has rushed into the scrum.
Last year, the Irish politician and prominent banker forced Chief Executive John Browne to publicly identify his retirement date. After Lord Browne’s unanticipated decision last month to leave a year and a half earlier than previously planned, Mr. Sutherland must now bolster BP’s image and manage the company’s first executive-suite transition in more than ten years.
Despite oil prices dramatically increasing its shares rose only 4.5 per cent in 2006, in comparison with a 36 per cent increase by Exxon Mobil Corp. and 15 per cent at Royal Dutch Shell PLC. Yesterday, the company reported 4th quarter net income fell 22 per cent, in part this can be seen as indicative of lower natural-gas prices and lower production.
BP, in the mean time, faces U.S. criminal probes on multiple fronts — corrosion and oil spills in Alaska; a March 2005 refinery blast that killed 15 in Texas; as well as its energy-trading practices, with federal officials alleging BP traders manipulated propane markets in 2004. BP refutes this claim and says it is cooperating with investigators on all three inquiries.
Mr. Sutherland’s higher profile also underscores a trend that goes further than BP: a shift in the boardroom dynamics at many of Europe’s biggest publicly traded companies. The criticism is often leveled that nonexecutive directors leave too much of the decision making to the executives. Now, many firms are moving to shore up their boards with independent and strong directors.
Until an accounting scandal rocked Shell in 2004, Shell’s British holding company had as its chairman a professor of geology. After the scandal, it employed Jorma Ollila, former chief executive officer of Nokia Corp as chairman. Unilever appointed an outside chairman last month to cap a restructuring at the Anglo-Dutch consumer-goods giant.
The goal of Mr. Sutherland at BP has always been to establish a “robust” and independent board of directors he said in an interview recently. After stints as Ireland’s attorney general and Europe’s competition czar, Peter Sutherland took over negotiations known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in Geneva in 1993. There, he clinched the Uruguay Round, an important trade agreement that set the basis for today’s World Trade Organization. For a man who has achieved so much it is difficult to forsee where he will find his next challenge.
Musicians Injuries: OUCH, It Hurts When I Play (But Please Don’t Tell Me To Stop!)
December 28th, 2008
This article takes a look at musicians’ injuries. For an expert perspective, I interviewed Dr. Sarah Mickeler, B.Mus., D.C. Dr. Mickeler is a former professional musician and a chiropractor who concentrates on musicians’ injuries in her practice.
1) What led you to specialize in musicians’ injuries?
I have a very personal connection to musician’s injuries. I had trained as a classical clarinet player and it was during my undergrad that I started to have all sorts of problems from playing too much and with poor posture. Unfortunately, I was told, as many others are, that I should just play through the pain and that maybe it would get better! Of course, it didn’t, and it eventually led to the demise of my career as a clarinetist, because I was totally unable to hold up my instrument. So, I decided to pick a new career that would help others musicians - and hopefully before they got to the point that I was at! Chiropractic appealed to me because of the whole health care paradigm that it embodies - as chiropractors, we diagnose and fix the cause, rather than masking the symptoms.
2) What is different about treating musicians than treating the general population?
Often, what I tell people who don’t understand the specifics of musicians’ injuries, is that “it takes one to know one”. As a musician, it can be very difficult to explain to a physician or physiotherapist or even another chiropractor what the mechanics look like when you are playing your instrument. But when someone comes into my office and says that they play flute, or guitar, or tuba, or whatever, I know exactly what the physical component of playing their instrument involves. That is a very important first step.
Secondly, not only do you have to be able to have a good understanding of what playing that instrument involves, but you have to be able to see that person play. Even if someone tells me they play violin (I automatically think: “ok, so they will be leaning their head to the left and have right shoulder problems, etc…”), I am often shocked to see how over the years of playing they have contorted themselves into a little pretzel while they play!
So, on the first or second visit, all of my musicians bring in their instruments and I do a thorough playing analysis to see what it is that they’re doing right and wrong. It could be that their posture is contributing to their injury. Or maybe there’s something about the instrument that we could change; it might just need a minor adjustment in the thumb rest or a key positioning.
For instance, I have very small hands and found it difficult to reach some of the alternate fingering keys on my clarinet - so I had them sawed off and re-soldered on in a different direction so I could reach them.
Thirdly, it is important to recognize that there are some really common reasons for performance injuries. The most common ones are a change in repertoire, a change in the instrument (such as a new mouthpiece or something similar), a change in practice time or an upcoming recital. If we can pinpoint what it is that the performer has been doing differently lately to contribute to their injury, that helps immensely.
And lastly, it is so important to realize, especially for freelance artists, that you can’t just tell them to take a muscle relaxant, and take a few weeks off. If these people took a few weeks off, they wouldn’t have a roof over their head or food on the table. While it’s occasionally absolutely imperative that a break be taken, most of the time I take a holistic approach to treating performers and change and fix what we can, within the obvious limitations of current gigs and upcoming events.
3) What’s the most common injury that you see in your office?
In my office, there is a tie for the most common injury. The first is upper back/shoulder/neck pain - I lump these together because those terms can mean the same thing to a lot of people - often someone will come in and say that their shoulder hurts and point to the pain, but to me what they’re pointing to is actually their upper back or lower neck. This one is often a function of poor posture or poor practice ergonomics. If we can figure out how to improve the overall posture and ergonomic situation then this tends to resolve quickly.
And the second most common injury is hand and arm pain. You would not believe how many people walk into my office with numb and tingly hands and fingers - which can be very scary if you’re the one to experience it - to find out that the problem isn’t actually their hands and fingers at all, but it’s a little further up the arm and can be quite easily treated once properly diagnosed. Or they come in with tennis elbow - but they have never held a tennis racket in their life! In my office, I call tennis and golfer’s elbow “musician’s elbow” because it is a repetitive strain injury. It is really, really common and surprisingly easy to treat.
4) What can musicians do to prevent injury?
First of all, don’t be a hero! There is just no reason to practice for hours on end without a break. Always remember to take a little break for every 30 minutes that you are playing. Secondly, don’t play through pain. The pain signal is there to tell you that you are doing something wrong. Playing through it is not going to get you anywhere - other than in more pain and in worse shape down the road. Thirdly, be aware of your ergonomics. If you sit to play, does your chair fit you properly? In rehearsal, do you have to strain at all to see both the stand and the conductor? Are your arms contorted oddly in order to be able to play properly? This is not good. And lastly, seek the help of a professional who can not only help you with the injuries that you are currently dealing with, but can help you avoid future injury and optimize your overall performance.
You can find out more about Dr. Sarah Mickeler and her Toronto-based chiropractic practice concentrating on musicians’ injuries at http://www.drsarah.ca.
To echo Sarah’s advice, please pay attention to any pain signals your body is sending you! Admitting you’re having a physical problem doesn’t make you any less of a musician - it means you’re a very smart musician with years of playing ahead of you!!
This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (February 2005) http://www.musesmuse.com.
(c) Copyright Linda Dessau, 2005.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, “Everyday Artist”, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html
Piano Lessons For Adults: More Fun, Easier, & Faster Than Piano Lessons For Kids
December 27th, 2008
Piano lessons for adults is generally LOTS more fun than it is for kids, primarily because the only adults that play piano are people who really want to, which is certainly not true of most kids that take piano lessons because their parents want them to.
But that’s not the only reason by a long shot.
Adults in record numbers are signing up for piano lessons all around the world, for a variety of reasons, including:
* Because of the internet, adults have become aware that piano lessons don’t have to happen in a music studio or store, so they are not locked into a schedule of showing up for a lesson every Tuesday at 4. Now they can choose their own time and schedule and learn at their own pace via lessons available on the internet.
*Adults have become aware that traditional methods of learning by reading music and practicing scales is not the only way to learn to play the piano. They have become aware that learning chords and chording techniques is a viable option.
*Chord-based piano learning methods are excellent for beginning adults, since they can quickly learn enough to make their songs sound good in a reasonably short time. It doesn’t take years of intense practice to be able to play a familiar tune in the right hand while chording in the left hand.
*Many adults have found that by learning chords, they can come through the “backdoor” of piano playing. They learn to play chord-style quickly, and enjoy it so much that they are then motivated to learn to read music and go on to master traditional sight-reading.
*In addition to the musical benefits, professional people have discovered that piano playing is one of the most relaxing things they can do after work. It allows them to get their minds off the activities of the day and just focus on the pleasure of making their own music.
*Some have even taken it a step further and become proficient enough to play at social events and parties. Just being able to play “Happy Birthday” while everyone sings along is a real social advantage, and satisfying emotionally as well.
*Other adults use their new-found piano playing skills to play in their churches or on worship teams, or just to accompany themselves as they sing.
*Piano playing adults can create their own music in their own way - they can “do their own thing” in music. They can create moods ranging from joy to silliness to sadness to patriotism to whatever matches the need of the hour.
*And last but certainly not least, chord piano lessons taken over the internet or in home by way of DVD’s and CD’s are much less expensive than traditional lessons, and can be replayed over and over as necessary.
Whatever the reason, adults in increasing numbers are doing what they thought they would never do - they are willingly taking piano lessons, knowing the benefits are many and wonderful.
Desiree Bruyere is a free-lance writer and amateur piano player who plays jazz & pop piano strictly for the love of it. She takes piano lessons online and on DVD from her native France, and got started by taking the free 2-year online course in Secrets of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions offered worldwide, then later took the Crash Course In Exciting Piano Playing For Adults.
Multimedia Presentations Are Making Business Easier
December 27th, 2008
Multimedia means using more than one media content that is used to get something promoted, distributed, or just to get a message in front of someone. This can be anything from a product, a service, or any type of information. We all learn differently and it seems like our attention spans are decreasing each and every day, so having different media outlets gives us all an opportunity to learn much faster. In the business world we can use multimedia to get a presentation taken care of. Before multimedia presentations would be done just by standing in front of people and talking, or the use of drawings to display what was being presented. Now with multimedia a presentation is very easy and effortless. Before the presentation one can get together a multimedia presentation, which can include audio, graphics, and other entertaining things that make the presentation fun and can keep the audience engaged. If you were putting together a presentation about weight loss and Acceletrim, you could include music, pictures, and written text, this would include visual and auditory senses to keep your audience entertained. When a presentation is boring you can lose a lot of credibility and not be able to get the full point across that you are aiming for. In this day and age you should always go a little bit overboard and create something that will generate a wow experience for others. With the help of multimedia, you can do just that.
Review of the BOSE PAS - Professional Music System
December 25th, 2008
The BOSE PAS was 1st brought to my attention on http://www.dj-forum.co.uk by Richard Mills. Since then I know that several members here have purchased one (or more) and my various excursions on the net to research this system got me thinking that it was worth looking (listening) into further.
On Friday I travelled to the only BOSE shop we have here in Ireland and asked the smiling shop assistant if I could have a demo of the Bose PAS. ‘What’s that?” he asked. ‘It stands for Personalised Amplification System” I said returning his smile
‘Don’t know it’ he said ‘Is it from the Pro Range?’ - ‘Yes’ I replied, already realising that my journey was in vain. He spoke to his colleague who had heard of it but told me that they only do home entertainment at that shop. He also said that he knew of one customer that had travelled to the USA about 18 months ago to preview it and subsequently brought one back with him.
Anyway to cut a long story short they gave me the number of BOSE Ireland and when I returned home even though it was 5.30pm on a Friday Bank Holiday weekend I called the number. The person who answered told me that someone would call me back shortly. Ten minutes later I had the contact details of the nearest PAS stockist - some 75 miles away.
Saturday PM I saddled up the car and rode out of town . 2 hours later, after battling with the Bank Holiday traffic I walked into this music store and my first impression was ‘That sounds sweet’. At that stage I didn’t know what was playing from what (it was a guy singing to a backing track) but as I walked down the shop I recognised the ‘Radiator’ of the PAS and it was obvious that this was where the sound was coming from. I then walked to each area of the shop, which was about the size of a venue that would seat 100, and, sure enough, the sound was as loud in the corners as it was standing right in front of the system.
I’ve heard 100’s of PAs during my career and this is not like any one of them. I tracked down a member of staff and asked them to play a CD & turn it up. They played a Bob Marley song and this is only way I can describe it:
‘In the late 1980s I heard my very 1st CD, played on a Sony Walkman with Sony headphones and, even though I didn’t know the song, it was like I was there as it was being recorded’. This is the second time when I have been taken aback with sound quality in that way because I did feel that Bob Marley was in that shop . Anyway I spent the next 2 hours in the shop, not trying to find Bob Marley, but to get to the nitty gritty.
So onto the system. The guts are in a base unit (PS1) which was larger than it looks on all the pictures I had seen. In fact when I saw this I thought ‘Why so big?’ but can’t think of any reason other than it houses 750 watts RMS in 3 amps and is designed for band use rather than disco (it goes behind the band). I suppose it could go behind the DJ too, The unit is robust plastic and can be stood on (this is recommended by BOSE when inserting and removing the speakers) but it does have a large ‘footprint’. The controls for the amplifiers are at the rear of the PS1 and covered by a rather flimsy flap that opens backwards (I would have preferred the flap to open the other way & protect the inputs/controls etc) from the front.
There are 4 inputs - 2 either balanced/unbalanced (jack or XLR) and 2 more unbalanced (jack) The 1st 2 also have the option of assigning them preset values so for instance pre-recorded music would have a value of ‘00′ (or ‘57′ for low volume) and a SM58 mic would use ‘14′ however these are only for direct input of the device and do not really apply when using a mixer. Most of the other presets are for various brands of guitar, double bass, microphones, keyboards etc. Inputs 3 & 4 are 0db lines and are designed for CD players etc.
The radiator (L1) contains all the mid/high range speakers (24 in total). It splits in 2 which is just as well as it stands over 7 feet tall. The connections are made automatically whenever the unit plugs in to the PS1 and there is a footswitch to release the locking mechanism at the end of the function. There is some movement when the L1 is connected into PS1 - it can sway a couple of inches from left to right and an inch front to back
The bass bins (B1) connect to PS1 using 4 way speakon connectors (the extra 2 wires are used by PS1 to determine if 1 or 2 B1s are being used). A lead is supplied with each B1.
The system also comes with a wired remote control (complete with Velcro) so that the volume, bass treble and middle can be controlled + the input from the 2 channels can also be balanced. There are 2 LEDs on the remote control unit which change from green to red if the system is overloaded. If a mixer is being used then the remote doesn’t have as much importance however if it is not connected the system uses a default ‘12 0′clock’ position for these controls when the input is on channels 1 & 2.
Whilst I was at the shop I helped the salesman unpack and prepare two complete systems. The padded bags for the PS1 were really tight and I managed to break the zip on one whilst trying to close it . The padded bags for the B1s simply slide on and there is a flap to access the handle on the speaker. The radiator splits in 2 and there is a bag for each - be aware that one bag is very slightly larger than the other and the only way to find this out is to lay them together (worth marking I think).
Weight wise, because the system breaks down into so many parts, even stairs wouldn’t be a problem. I carried 2 PS1s (16Kg each) for a short distance and it was similar to going on holiday with suitcases. The rest of the system is lighter and I found no problem with 2 x L1s (4 bags - 2 in each hand) for a walk of 20 meters. The B1s are even lighter still.
Pros.
Sound Quality
Sturdy overall construction
Ease of transportation/connection/storage
Cons:
PS1 bag too small
PS1 itself has a large footprint
Flap on PS1 for controls not protective enough
The bags for the B1s could do with a pocket for the speakon lead
An expensive system
My personal opinion is that BOSE have come up with something here that is different & special. It is expensive, however from my enquires it is unlikely to come down in price for some time yet - in fact at the moment demand is exceeding supply (the shop I was in now has a waiting list and during my 2 hours there was a constant stream of people who had heard that this system was on demo and had travelled, like I had, for some distance to hear it in operation). The salesman I was with, who had worked there for some 20 years, had never experienced an interest on this scale in any other product from musicians. (They received their first 12 systems last week and the two I helped to unpack were the last ones reserved and, as I said, they now have a waiting list.).
The appliances are made in China (what isn’t these days) and I suppose that eventually another manufacturer will come in with a comparative system at a lower price. How long until that happens though is anyones guess.
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For more information and reviews of professional Audio Systems by Bose, JBL, Mackie, Turbosound, Peavey and many more, please visit http://www.dj-forum.co.uk.