Volumes & issues:
Volume 6, Issue 11
December 2011
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- Author(s): D. Ross
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 4 –4
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1102
- Type: Article
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This month we delve into the music of electronics - as well as electronic music. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 6 –7
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1103
- Type: Article
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Engineering headlines from around the globe. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 8 –8
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1104
- Type: Article
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(3 pages) - Author(s): S. Davies
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 14 –14
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1100
- Type: Article
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Six global brands strengthen UTC's resilience in uncertain markets. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 16 –16
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1101
- Type: Article
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(3 pages) - Author(s): M. Williamson
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 20 –21
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1106
- Type: Article
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Mark Williamson examines the US space agency's options over future manned missions. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 24 –25
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1105
- Type: Article
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Pick of the E&T inbox. - Author(s): M. Brook
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 26 –26
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1107
- Type: Article
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Everyone has a part to play in exposing misinformation about science, says Mark Brook. - Author(s): J. Hayes and C. Young
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 28 –29
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1108
- Type: Article
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Is the government's approach to nurturing skills the correct one? Or does it have its core model wrong? - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 30 –31
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1109
- Type: Article
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A one-of-a-kind guitar. - Author(s): A. Grogan
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 32 –35
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1110
- Type: Article
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This article talks about music production and audio technology. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 36 –37
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1111
- Type: Article
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Matthew Herbert has worked with some of the biggest innovators in music - and a pig. He talks to Louis Pattison about what he can and can't do with electronics old and new. - Author(s): C. Edwards
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 38 –39
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1112
- Type: Article
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Audio file formats flow effortlessly around the Internet - that's their charm and their challenge. But which is best? The file-naming limitations of the Microsoft DOS operating system helped name the prevalent digital music format of our time. Karlheinz Brandenburg and colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany were putting the finishing touches on their psychoacoustic compression scheme and needed a name for it. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 40 –41
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1113
- Type: Article
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A longstanding complaint of the music industry is that MP3 has devalued the product: it's too easy to download for free and a generation of listeners has become accustomed to not paying for recorded music. If people won't pay for the music, the question is: will they pay for something else? And if so, what is that thing? During the annual general meeting of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the summer, chairman Tony Wadsworth said: "We don't talk about this enough [but] we need to optimise sales from the declining physical formats. We can do this through innovative approaches with packaging, pricing, retail support and direct-to consumer initiatives". - Author(s): E. Burrows
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 42 –43
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1114
- Type: Article
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Electronic instruments can often sound even more unusual than they look. Here ten of the most peculiar are discovered.The LightHarpis, the world's first Indian electronic musical instrument, AudioCubes, Bikelophone, Samchillian Tip Tip Tip Cheeepeeeee, Serpentine Bassoon, Reactable, Incantor, Moodswinger, Harmonic Generator and Theremin. - Author(s): J. Leckie
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 44 –47
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1115
- Type: Article
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John Leckie is one of the UK's most successful record producers. His CV reads like a who's who of rock'n'roll. Here, he reflects on the technological changes he's seen in the recording studio over the years. Interview and portrait by Nick Smith. - Author(s): T. James
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 48 –49
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1116
- Type: Article
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With most things in life, you get what you pay for and the same is true for musical instruments. Take the staple of most orchestras - the violin. Modern day craftsman still follow a tried and tested methodology to handcraft, custom-made violins. A handmade instrument will take much longer to make. The wood will be carefully selected from better-seasoned stock and the carving will be done by hand. As it is being carved, the top and bottom plates will be adjusted and tuned by the craftsman. Violin-making is very much an art and so much of the final sound is dependent on the skill of the luthier and his choice of wood. - Author(s): T. James and A. Grogan
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 50 –53
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1117
- Type: Article
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This article talks about vinyl manufacturing. - Author(s): C. Edwards
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 54 –57
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1118
- Type: Article
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Thirty years ago. audio engineer David Clark stood up in front of his peers and described a method he thought would finally put paid to the mythology that permeated their industry. Today, although his method is still the one most specialists trust, audio mythology remains as strong as it ever was. Thanks to the Internet, some of the myths seem to have gained new believers, not least a vocal group who reckon Clark's methodology can't apply to something as subjective as audio appreciation. Confirmation bias plagues the audio business. The brain is only too ready to accept that making a small change to an audio system such as plugging in a new cable results in a perceptible difference in performance. - Author(s): J. Hayes
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 58 –59
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1119
- Type: Article
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Laser turntables make light work of playing gramophone records without the need for scratchy styli, and claim to beam into hidden areas of sonic data, reports James Hayes. Audio digital recovery and restoration technologies have, in recent years, attracted interest from music labels keen to tap into the commercial opportunities of releasing archive recordings for a new generation of consumers. At the same time sound preservationists and recording engineers are intrigued by new ways to 'release' sounds locked into old-fashioned recording media. In recent decades the necessity to preserve historic archive recordings for national cultural history has become a matter of great importance whether they be records of statesmen making historically-important broadcasts or legendary poets reading their own work, shellac, like silver nitrate film stock, is a fragile base medium. Moreover, aged recordings have been damaged by mishandling and over-play down the years. - Author(s): A. Bodhani
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 60 –63
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1120
- Type: Article
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This article talks about the developments in headphone technology. - Author(s): C. Edwards
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 64 –67
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1121
- Type: Article
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The consumer market is beginning to exert its influence on the pro-audio business, and it's not all good news, reports Chris Edwards. Mixing studios are becoming a strange technological admixture of the old and the new. Alongside computer-controlled mixing desks and virtual faders sliding up and down on screen by themselves, replacing the engineers that would once have slid around on chairs to make a fade at the right time, are pieces of vintage hardware. Studios will often have one or more Pultec equalisation (EQ) units to fine-tune the balance of mixes or an Urei 1176 compressor to massage a guitar solo or vocal into shape. - Author(s): R. Mileham
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 68 –70
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1122
- Type: Article
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The Oramics machine, an electronic music machine, is discussed in this article. - Author(s): K. Sangani
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 71 –73
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1123
- Type: Article
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Being first is generally seen as a good thing. The UK was the first country to industrialise and to complete a national rail network. British Marconi was the first company to develop commercial radio. But simply getting to the goal ahead of everyone else isn't enough; you have to identify new goals and achieve them too you have to innovate. Digital audio broadcasting (DAB) is a prime example of this. The UK was the first to develop a digital alternative to the analogue FM and AM signals in the late 1980s, when many music fans were compelled to re-buy albums and junk their vinyl counterparts. Could there be an alternative to crackly radio signals, just as ethereal optical storage had usurped scratchy 33s and 45s? Most likely as the development of digital radio was tied up to the same technology that had made CDs and laser discs possible. DAB radio technology had been under development since 1981, but in 1993 the UK was the first to step up to the plate with public demonstrations. Commercial DAB receivers were on sale by 1999. By 2001, over 50 radio stations were available in London alone. - Author(s): J. Wilson
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 74 –75
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1124
- Type: Article
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We follow the manufacturing process at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, by which solid blocks of wood are transformed in to shapely electric guitars. - Author(s): T. James
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 76 –79
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1125
- Type: Article
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When people think of making reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, it is customary to look at power generation, heavy industry and transport especially planes and cars. However, buildings contribute half the carbon dioxide emissions from the UK, and homes make up a significant part of that. It's been a real drive of people to get engaged with thinking about how buildings can contribute towards the UK's carbon targets. One of the most contentious issues has been to agree on the definition of a zero-carbon home. The quest to build zero-carbon homes is plagued by controversy but it is vital to a low-carbon future. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 80 –83
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1126
- Type: Article
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Managing a multi-million pound defence project with its intricate financial and technological complexities requires a stable project management structure, says Peter Fielder, managing director of performance excellence at BAE systems. - Author(s): M. Courtney
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 84 –87
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1127
- Type: Article
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This article discusses nanotechnology and its potential to revolutionise IT and communications technology. - Author(s): S. Munk
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 88 –89
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1130
- Type: Article
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The latest tech for taller bike riders, faster runners and obsessively clean toilet-washers. And not forgetting Apple's most expensive iPhone and Amazon's cheapest e-reader yet. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 90 –91
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1128
- Type: Article
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We smash up Apple's latest iPhone to see what changes the company has made. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 92 –93
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1129
- Type: Article
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The new generation of tablet device heralded by Apple's iPad has major implications for creating music on the move. Here is Ben Rogerson's pick of the apps. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 94 –95
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1131
- Type: Article
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Julian Assange and Steve Jobs biographied, a beguiling Michael Faraday lecture, and accessible anecdotes from the world of technology. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 96 –97
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1132
- Type: Article
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A high-rolling professional CEO for blue-chip investment companies, Herta von Stiegel has led two expeditions to Mount Kilimanjaro, where she really learned her lessons in leadership. She tells Nick Smith about her new book. - Author(s): J. Pollard
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 98 –98
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1133
- Type: Article
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The Mayan metropolis of Palenque has been a magnet for adventurers. - Author(s): M. Barfield
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 108 –108
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1134
- Type: Article
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Our traditional page of non-traditional engineering snippets. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 109 –109
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1135
- Type: Article
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An unexpected visit from Dad gets Jack wondering if something is wrong at home. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 110 –110
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1136
- Type: Article
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Dates for your diary. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, p. 112 –113
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1137
- Type: Article
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The story behind the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car. - Author(s): V. Vladimirsen
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 6, Issue 11, page: 114 –114
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2011.1138
- Type: Article
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Creating new technological terms is similar to writing poetry or to breeding salmon at a fish farm.
Editor's letter
World news
News
Taking stock
News
News analysis: NASA faces dilemma over manned missions in post-Shuttle era
Letters to the Editor
Comment: If you ask me
For and against
The bigger picture: Guitar artwork
Today's producers
Producer profile: The sample wizard
Format wars [audio file format]
Physical fitness [music industry]
one2ten [electronic instruments]
Interview with John Leckie
In the footsteps of a master [violin craftsmanship]
Back in the groove
Believe in better [audio technology myths]
Lasers get groovy
Listen up
Soundings from the studio
Oramics to Electronica
Analogue switch-off? 'It ain't gonna happen'
Photo essay
Green building blocks
Interview with Peter Fielder
Nanotech goes infotech
Gadgets
The teardown: iPhone 4S
Software reviews: Music-making apps
Book reviews
Book interview: Herta von Stiegel
The eccentric engineer
E&Tcetera
Jack's blog
Events
Classic projects: DeLorean DMC-12 sports car
After all: Breeding words for technology in the Faroe Islands
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