Advice needed for music converting software

I would like to find software that can convert WMA files to MP3 so I can transfer it to my Itunes library

Assuming they are unprotected WMA files, iTunes for Windows can do the conversion, provided the computer also has a working copy of Windows Media Player, which iTunes uses as it converts. (This does not work on iTunes for the Mac.)
There are also several 3rd party programs that can do the WMA to MP3 conversion, such as Switch.
Be aware that the conversion from WMA often gumbles up the tags, so you may have to do some fix-up afterwards.
If on the other hand they are protected WMAs, they cannot be converted. You can use Windows Media Player to burn them to audio CD.

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Advice needed for update to x-fi with m5

hey chaps! i just got inspire m5300 & using it on my Soundmax (onboard) provided on intel 865gbf, i expected it vl sound good but i vl rate it on avg., no doubt qulaity is awesum but not geting a feel of using creative at my desk. so need an advice, is dis my sound card not up to d mark.. it supports 5. nd running my box well,
if suggest for an upgrade kindly let me knw which one will give that clarity. i heard nd saw x-fi alot, is it worth.. or over creti've web portal i saw a simple 5. surround card will that work for gud quality too..
how costly gona update gona be, pls give a rough idea.
waiting yaa..

Hi Exorcist-devel,
Are you a gamer or more of a music lover?
Some sound cards are geared towards gaming while others are more for music playback, music creation, etc...
I would also recommend contacting support as they are in a better position to advise you.

Advice Needed for Audio and MIDI Controller Software

I am hoping someone may be able to give me advice on how I should approach my problem.
I am currently running a live show with audio backing tracks and a small 12 par lighting system. The light system can be controlled via standard MIDI. I am using iTunes to play back sets of backing tracks, and manually controlling the lighting system using a dedicated foot controller.
What I would like to do, is be able to use software to simultaneously play audio files and perfectly sync the lighting (fades, shots, etc. via midi) with the audio track. Ideally, I would be able to have the audio/lighting paired as discreet entities that could be grouped into sets.
i.e.
Audio-MIDI_1 = Audiotrack1 would always be paired with Lightcontroller_MIDI_events1
Audio-MIDI_2 = Audiotrack2 would always be paired with Lightcontroller_MIDI_events2
Audio-MIDI_3 = Audiotrack3 would always be paired with Lightcontroller_MIDI_events3
I could the create a set of Audio-MIDI_x tracks which could be triggered in any order.
I would like to have to option to be able to activate a single track, or have a complete group of tracks activated sequentially (but be able to stop the and start the group as needed - you never know what will happen in a live situation). It would be nice to have a time-line UI as well.
Now the final requirement: it should be able to run on a PISMO PowerBook. <cringe>
I hope I am not too confusing.
I am thinking MainStage would not be the software for this task as Leo is not an option for the Powerbook.
I have looked at QLab and showcontrolpro, but I don't think theses are right for me either.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
TIA

Gary,
With a Pismo you really are confined. I've been using some software from Alien Apparatus called Solo Performer Show Controller (www.alienapparatus.com) and it has a timeline to sequence lights where you can run 32 channels of midi or dmx lighting. The only setback is it needs at least a 1 GHZ processor. There may be a company like Sonnet that has an upgrade for your processor.
The software is able to run backing tracks, send midi controls to effects units or other software, send hotkeys for apps, synchronize lyrics in a window or on an external monitor, controls a dmx fog machine, and also has a six button usb foot controller which can be configured for many things such as scrolling your songlist to select the next song, change volume of tracks, change a light scene, send a hotkey, trigger samples, etc. It is a bit pricey at just under 600 dollars but the foot control is durable, the company has excellent support and they listen to users to add features to the software.
Hope this helps
Thor

Advice needed for converting AI file to PDF

I'm working on some 11x17 page size illustrator files that are of aerial photo maps (with a legend).
Can someone offer me some advice on how to best convert these files to pdfs and keep the photo quality high and keep the file size as low as I can get it??? I basically can convert it to a pdf but I don’t understand the compression settings section (assuming that’s what needs to be changed in order to accomplish this?).
Thanks

This is a trick I find works well.
Just save it as a pdf and open in Acrobat, then (Acrobat X) go to tools and then Prepare for Web Publishing, use all the default settings.
This should reduce the file as much as 1/3 the size sometimes even more.
It has no effect on the qquality.

Advice needed - multiple monitors, what software is right for this?

I have an Intel Mac Pro (10.6) at work with 4 monitors, with screen sharing activated. I have an Intel mac Pro (10.6) at home with 2 monitors. I'd like to be able to do screen sharing, and the clients I've tested so far are driving me nuts - I can't figure out how to see all the monitors (one at a time if need be). What's the right solution - will ARD allow me to see the other monitors conveniently, or do I need Mobile Me, or ?? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Mike

Hi Mike
If the remote computer has multiple screens attached, ARD gives you the option to show all as one large screen or individual 'sessions' for each screen.
ARD 3 features here-
http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/upgrade.html

Software advice needed for "Video Blaster" Webcam "Go"

Hello All,
I recently purchased a "Webcam Go" and the software I received with it is only supported by Windows 98. I run a Windows XP platform. There is no Creative Labs software to support teh Webcam Go in teh archives.
Could someone give me advice on what to use, even if it's proprietary shareware? Any help will be greatfully appreciated!
Very Best Regards,
Joe Cro
Message Edited by n3ibx on 09-25-2006 07:55 PM

No still its not working my system reboots and a blue screen appears plz help

Advice needed for a mess of ipods

the goal: get all music stored in one place, preferably my new ipod.
1) i have a third generation ipod which has the bulk of the music i have listened to for the last five years.
that music is in iTunes on a pc laptop that has died. (there's a chance that i can get those files off the dead computer and onto an external drive; still waiting to find out. but all those files are on the ipod anyway.)
2) I have a new laptop that has new music in iTunes. (Those files are also on an ipod nano.) the new iTunes files on this laptop do not overlap with the first set of files.
3) i have a new ipod that i want to get everything onto: the old (1st set) files on the old ipod, the new files on my new laptop (& nano), and ... i'd like to convert all of my old cds and get them on the new ipod as well.
Problems:
* how do i join the two sets of files (without losing any) if the old ipod won't work with my new laptop b/c the computer doesn't recognize it.
--What's the actual process for getting the files off the old ipod?
--would it be best to store everything on an external drive (point iTunes to it while it's attached to the laptop?)*
-store everything on the new ipod only?*
** what's the best way to get cds (their data) onto a laptop that doesn't have a cd drive?
The first issue about combining the sets of music onto a new ipod i really have no idea how to do. so any step by step kind of advice would be appreciated. especially because of the old ipod/new laptop incompatibility.
the second issue about the cds: i have a feeling i just have to pay some service to convert them for me. any cheaper ideas?
Thank you!

Right there are many ways to get your Music off your ipod and on to a computer the best thing to do is to take the files off your ipod and put them on a external disk (like you said) but you need to take it to a computer that recognizes your ipod and then once you have coppied the music across, add it to an external disk.
The best ways to do this is...
1.(the cost option)
download this program at http://www.findleydesigns.com/ (ipod Access for Windows), the free version copy's five songs at a time to your computer. But the registered version (£14 (not sure in $)) copys all of your music, playlists, videos etc across directly to itunes.
2. (The Free way) (this is for XP, but i should be the same with vista) (im not really familiar with Vista) but the principles are the same.
You need to be able to view hidden files on your computer , you need to go to the control panel and find folder options. (i believe that you could change the settings on in the windows explorer by clicking view at the top menu bar. you need to click it so that you can see the hidden files. (i think this explains simply what i said Tools -> Folder Options -> View, and then check (enable) the option “Show hidden files and folders.”)
Next find your ipod now if you have enabled hidden files you need to click on your ipod and find a folder called ipod control. the folder itself will look different maybe a bit transparent because it is hidden. Next you will go in and if you explore further you will see loads of files (transparent like ipod control) with things like F34 F01 (or F1) etc.
They are the files with your music on it and if you click on them, they will show music files but they wont have names. they are encrypted with file names like AKLY (basically four letters or 3 letters put together in capitals) so to get the names and other suff back simply drag the music files into itunes or import them individually (the folders) into itunes by clicking file, import into itunes and by folder.
Then once you have done this the names should be correct in Itunes.
*Alternitavely you can drag all the files in 'ipod control' into an external Hard Drive* if you go into itunes prefrences you can let itunes put all your music on your computer into organized files of album names.
Hope that Helped
Alex
And sorry the easiest ways to convert the CD's is to import them yourself into itunes Although it may take some time.
If you dont have an external hard drive then burning all your music onto CDs always helps although with a few Gigabytes of music it could take quite a lot of CDs. You might need some blank DVDs to burn on to
Message was edited by: Alexander Richardson

Advice needed regarding iPad 2 software upgrade

Hi,
I have a 64GB WiFi iPad 2 that is still running the original iOS 4.3.3 with which it came out of the factory as well as a 16GB iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3.5. My question is: Should I upgrade to iOS5? Or rather, is it safe to upgrade to iOS5?
My only iOS upgrade experience is with a 64GB 3rd generation iPod Touch which was ruined by iOS4 and made worse by iOS5. After the upgrade my video app no longer worked and the Touch was very laggy and glitchy. It would seem as if the the 64GB models react differently to iOS upgrades than the smaller capacity models. In the case of the Touch, the processor simply could not handle 59GB of content and a new version of iOS. The upgrade to iOS5 fixed the video app but then corrupted 2GB of the flash memory resulting in only 57GB now being available in stead of the usual 59GB. It is still just as laggy and glitchy as it was with iOS4.
My question is: Does anybody have a 64GB iPad 2 (that originally came out with iOS4) that was upgraded to iOS5, that is filled to capacity with apps, music & video's (music video's & TV shows)? If so, how is iOS 5.1.1 running on it? Is your iPad still as responsive and smooth running as it was with iOS4? I use my iPad extensively for video, and if the video app no longer works the iPad will be useless for me. What did iOS5 do to your battery life? Do you still get the same great battery life as with iOS4?
I would also like to hear from iPhone 4 owners now running iOS5.1.1. Is your iPhone still as smooth and responsive as with iOS4? What did iOS5 do to your battery life?
Any help, advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Daniel

I have the same pad as you, and I have kept up with the upgrades, and I have had no problems. Zippo.
I have a friend who stayed where you are, and he is fine, but does not have the new stuff that is included in the upgrades, also, he cannot update any apps that need the new system, such as pages, keynote, numbers, I photo garage band etc.
If you take your time, the upgrade is relatively painless. I lost no apps, nor data. I needed to re enter my mail info one one account, and had to redo the wifi stuff for my home network.
With 5.0, other than the above capabilities, I did not notice any speed improvement nor worsening. With 5.1. I did notice that the machine is a little quicker. May be my imagination.
I did have a little battery issue initially, and found a couple of apps that we're trying to connect home and do something, and once I dumped them, the battery life is the same as it was.
So no issues here at all. I also have a phone 4, and can report the same thing, no issues, and a little snappier under 5.1.
If you are still at 4.xx you are a couple of generations behind. I don't know what you may have loaded, but it is possible that you have an that does not play well, and you may have issues, but I did not.
Before you update, back everything up. Photos, music and apps, and send a copy of any important days and spreadsheets to Dropbox or some where. Then , if it gets messed up, simply set it up as brand new, then restore from that backup. And if that fails, simply redownload the music, books, and apps from the store for free if you are using the same apple Id.

Advice needed for beginner to Flash website building

Help!
I have zero knowledge about using Flash. I am being asked by my boss to build a flash web site for our music and video game stores. I built our old site in Dreamweaver.
Does anyone have advice on where i should start? A suggested book that will walk me through beginning to end. I've worked through a few tutiorials but I feel lost as far at the time line and actions.
Any expert advice is appreciated. I need to get started in the next month. I'd like to build it myself instead of outsourcing to someone else.
Know where I should start?

Lindsay,
Last month I built my first Flash website after following this tutorial on Lynda.com:
http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourseN.aspx?lpk2=735
Needless to say the concept behind the tutorial was mind-opening, at least for me: I have a HTML/CSS background and I always used Flash almost only for banners, headers and simple animations.
Hope this helps...
JC

Urgent: Advice needed for buying my first RAID

Hi,
I am looking to place an order today as I have a pile of editing to get through - so I would love to hear your recommendations!
First of all I am a networking and RAID newbie so don't go all acronym and geek-speek-tastic on me or I won't have a clue what you are talking about. Seriously I don't know my NAS from my elbow!
My requirements are:
1. Suitable for working with HDV
2. 2TB of storage
3. Must work with PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual (later model)
4. Must support RAID 5
5. RAID must be controlled by hardware (on RAID box or via PCIe card)
The following have been suggested - has anyone used them?:
Opt1: http://www.enhance-tech.com/products/desktop/t4_cr.html
(Would probably need to put an eSATA card in my Mac but RAID control is on the box.
Only goes to 80MB/sec - is this good enough for working with ProRes 422? I am looking to convert my HDV to ProRes 422 before output to mpeg2 as I believe this can give better results.)
Opt2: http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-SPEED-eS.cfm
(Would need to put a RAID controller in my Mac so not so good for connecting to other Macs.)
But I found this and was wondering if it was also suitable (as its cheaper!):
Opt3: http://www.thecus.com/products_over.php?cid=11&pid=28&PHPSESSID=091b7808cfa54754 383932fc512ea056
(Would connect by 1Gb/sec ethernet to my Mac. RAID controller on the box. Someone said stay away from ethernet but I don't understand why?).
Any advice gratefully received. I need to make a decision real quick!
Keep it mellow, B.

It appears that you need to step back and rethink your business. Heck, we don’t even know that you have a business. What you’re up to might just be personal editing. So I apologize if what I’m about to say overestimates you or underestimates you.
FORMAT
You say, “suitable for working with HDV”, but you don’t say whether you MUST work with HDV. As others in this thread have pointed out, HDV is a “poor man’s Hi-Def”. It compresses images so diabolically in Long GOP that image quality suffers, and, as Shane points out, “the long GOP format is very complex and takes a LOT of time to do things.”
The other extreme is recording and editing in 1080i/p at 4K. Very few people in this world demand extreme quality. So, the best format overall is DVCPro HD. Today, DVCPro HD cameras cost only about a third more than the next nearest HDV. What’s more important, to me, is that DVCPro allows you to move away from having to use tape at all. It’s the year 2008 (almost). Tape is over. If it’s too late to sell your camera and switch, then so be it.
STORAGE
You say, “2TB of storage”. For HD work, that’s a bare minimum. My recommendation is to get a 4-tray or 5-tray box with room to grow, even though the extra trays will remain empty your first 6-12 months.
Buy an empty enclosure that you can populate with your own drives. That way, you can use 1TB bare drives. (Don’t buy anything smaller.) You can put together a stack of 5 1TB drives in an eSATA RAID box for less than $2,000.
RAID
You say, “PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual...via PCIe card”. You mean PCIx card. PCIe is for Intel Macs.
You write, “I want RAID (esp. RAID 5... If a drive fails I want to simply be able to swap a new drive in, restore, and be under way again.” But several of your comments indicate that you really don’t need in-line failsafe. For that reason, let me recommend mirroring or something even simpler: a backup drive.
JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) treats each drive in your stack as a separate volume. So, what you see on your desktop is Drive_01, Drive_02. If you subtract the cost for the RAID controller (in the box or in your PCI slot), you can afford to buy TWO plain JBOD boxes, and maintain one as redundant. That satisfies your, “If a drive fails I want to simply be able to swap a new drive in, restore, and be under way again.” In fact, you can skip the “restore” part.
Ken Summerall wrote: “If you are shooting HDV then you have the tapes, those are your backups. If a drive goes down you recapture.”
You responded, “that is not the same as having redundancy of data - and simply being able to swap in a new drive and do a restore.”
You make it sound as though you expect this to happen once a week. It won’t. Backup is good enough. That kind of “time saved” once every year or two isn’t worth it.
SATA vs. FIREWIRE
Again, it’s the year 2008 (almost). Why would you want FireWire? Apple is being so stubborn, pretending that eSATA does not exist, because it has so much invested in its FW technology. But even Apple will be forced to come around in its next models.
While we’re talking about it, the claimed 80MB/sec for the Enhance T4 CR probably refers to the FireWire and USB interfaces, not to the SATA.
ENCLOSURE SHARING
You write, “I also wanted to use the same RAID box with a Macbook Pro. So how would two Macs share the same RAID box?
What kind of sharing do you mean? If you mean that you and your partner can access the same video simultaneously in adjoining rooms, then you need FibreChannel. But, as Shane points out, “...a Fibrechannel setup, then an XServe Server...is NOT cheap.”
As Ken writes, “You can get a eSata card for your G5 and an ExpressCard for your MBP and share the box. With this you could get a Kona or Blackmagic card and capture your footage as DVCProHD and also have a way to monitor your HDV footage.”
Amen.
VENDORS
G-SPEED is reliable, with good support. Caldigit has a platinum reputation. Of course, there are MaxxDigital, Sonnet and Dulce Systems.
Enhance is the new kid on the block, and they are significantly less expensive with, in my experience so far, excellent build quality and quick (human) response. They manufacture in Taiwan, but they’re headquartered in -- and ship out of -- Lower California. So they don’t talk to you in Taiwanese as the cheap enclosure sites do.
So there.
Message was edited by: Al Hatch

Advice Needed for Coding FCP Plugin's

This will be my first attempt at coding anything for FCP and I am hoping to get some advice on how to proceed and where I can get technical information.
Project 1: Create a plugin to add a selection to the Canvas/Viewer Overlay windows - just under "Show TimeCode Overlays", or there abouts. The option will allow the visual display of the embedded DV Date/Time stamp on the tape, in the same fashion as Time-code is overlaid. As far as I have been able to find, this plugin does not exist yet, so I thought I would give it a shot.
Project 2: Create a plugin to enhance "DV Start/Stop Detect" to label markers with the embedded DV Date/Time code. i.e. Instead of "Segment 1" the marker would be labeled "20070131 19:15:45", assuming of course, a valid date/time existed, otherwise default back to "Segment xx".
But, I guess my first question would be, would these be "legal" projects to pursue. i.e. Is there an API to modify the functionality of FCP in this manner?
I know the DT is available as CatDV has no problem reading it, so I figure FCP should be able to as well.
I figure I will need:
1. Info on how the DT is encoded (hex) in the stream
2. FCP API info
3. Editing app to put the code together.
4. Forums that deal with Mac and FCP coding discussions.
5. Any other advice ANY ONE would like to give.
I have a BSc in Comp Sci and coded on the Main Frame for 15 years, so I have "basic" coding skills, but I have not coded on the Mac yet. I have registered for the FREE Developer Account, but haven't had a chance to explored the service yet.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
ASIDE: I have been editing in FCP since v1 and I shoot events with multiple cameras, sometimes hiring additional cameramen (with their own gear). Because, the events I shoot are usually live "one-of" events like weddings, sports... etc, there is a lot of ON/OFF recording. As such, I find the best way to sync up tapes is to match up Date/Time codes. I accomplish this by playing back the captured video through Firewire back to a Panasonic PV-GS400 which displays the DT on the pop-out display. I then MANUALLY update the previously created "DV Start/Stop Detect" segments with the appropriate DT.
This is a very time consuming process, and if I can get FCP to display the DT directly, it would knock hours off my work flow.
I hope this all makes sense.
FYI I will also be posting this in the 2-pop forums, so if I get any advice there, I will update my post here.
TIA
Gary

Hi Gary
Regarding both your proposed projects afaik there is no API to directly allow you to do this.
However a few options spring to mind: analyzing midi control /mackie control data as provided to a control surface (check out Digital Heaven's BigTime for an idea of how this could work); similarly you could create a virtual DV output device that would appear in the external video outputs list whereby the output video stream would be passed through your code to extract and display the info; perhaps simplest although the least dynamic would be simply to write an FxPlug filter that could be dropped on the clip ... the user could then populate the filter with static display data by manually scavenging the clip for the info with a "button" in your filter (see the options dialog example in the FxPlug SDK)
Good luck
Andy

Advice needed for backup strategy for office

My office is switching from PC to Mac (yay!) and I'm in charge of setting up the system. We'll be using 4 iMacs and a Mac Mini Server with ethernet connections. I'd like to ask what is recommended for backing up these computers.
My thought would be to back up the iMacs separately from the server - is this definitely the way to go?
I'm thinking to get a 3TB Time Capsule for the 4 iMacs so that Time Capsule will do automatic backups.
- Is it OK to have 4 iMacs backup to one Time Capsule like this?
As for the Mac Mini server, I'm not sure how to best back it up.
Since it has two 1TB drives, I'm thinking of using one drive for data and having it automatically backup to the other internal drive. Any thoughts on this idea?
Or, it is possible to connect an external USB drive to the Time Capsule's USB port, and have Time Machine backup the server to the external drive?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

The TC is really a home solution.
For business I think you should consider something extra.
Although 4 computers and a server is not a big setup, it is worthwhile doing a more professional backup and use something more professional than Time Machine.
For instance..
http://www.retrospect.com/au/products/mac
I have not used it.. but I see it recommended in business / larger installs. It is not cheap but well worth considering.
I would not use the internal disk of the server for backup.
As for the Mac Mini server, I'm not sure how to best back it up.
Since it has two 1TB drives, I'm thinking of using one drive for data and having it automatically backup to the other internal drive. Any thoughts on this idea?
You can raid the two disks if you don't need the capacity.
But backup to a USB drive plugged in.. USB3 drives are cheap and speedy. Much more reliable than using network drives.
Raid for integrity of working data.. backup to separate change over disks.
So weekly you change over the USB drive for backup and store the other one at home.
I'm thinking to get a 3TB Time Capsule for the 4 iMacs so that Time Capsule will do automatic backups.
- Is it OK to have 4 iMacs backup to one Time Capsule like this?
You can do this.. It is fine to have 4 Macs backup to it. But if you are not using the wireless router it is a waste.. you can just backup over network to the server.. TM works fine on network.
You can buy another 3TB USB drive for backup of the clients.. normally though you want all the working data on the server and back that up. You are thinking a more peer to peer model.. once you introduce the server you can work on a more server client model where the current files are held on the server.

Advice needed for changing code within the Web IC...

Hi,
I need to change some code within the GET_QUERY_RESULT Method, which is found:
BSP->Z_CRM_IC
View->AuiSearch
Controller class ZL_CRM_IC_AuiSearch_impl
Method do_handle_event
Method eh_onsearch
Method get_query_result
At present the method get_query_result belongs to class CL_CRM_AUI_QUERY_SERVICE.
I can create a subclass from this and call it ZL_CRM_AUI_QUERY_SERVIC, then redefine the method get_query_class, and then make the appropriate changes. But that may be all uneccessary. What I don't know is how to ensure this modified code can be called.
I have already made changes for method DO_INIT_CONTEXT, hence the reason the controller class ZL_CRM_IC_AUISEARCH_IMPL is identified. But this was simple because the view linked directly to this whereas you can see the code I need to change is further down in process chain.
I know that method get_query_result calls a number of BADI's, but these BADI's are too low for the information that I need and therfore really need to make my code changes in the get_query_result method.
I have been reading as much as I can on this subject, but without much success and therefore really count on experienced developers like yourselves to steer me in the right direction, or give advice.
Jas

I will not suggest to put your Enhancements into CL_CRM_AUI_QUERY_SERVICE.
Rather in Component BT -> Class CL_CRM_BTIL . AUi Query Service will Internally call the BOL Component ( get query result )
In your Framework Profile Config , you specify the Component Set . Ex: ALL
Component set have a List of Component Ex BP , BT .
SPRO-> CRM -> CRM Cross Application Components -> Generic Interaction layer -> Basic Settings
Now you can have your Custom , Component Set ( Ex : ZALL ) and Component ( ( Ex ; ZBT , Totally advisable for CIC Development Framework )
Have BT Copied into ZBT and Specify ZL_CRM_BTIL ( Inherited from CL_CRM_BTIL )
And in your Custom Component Set , Specify ZBT instead of BT .
Now Specify your Custom Component Set in your Framework Profile .
Now you got the Enhancement Spot in ZL_CRM_BTIL->GET_QUERY_RESULT
Let me know if it make sense

Advice needed for a school presentation method.

Reload the netbooks with a lite version of a Linux distribution. You will get better performance out if them and end up with a considerably safer units for students to use with little to no investment, other than a little time.
I had all student machines in my district running Linux for almost 4 years and I got great performance from the oldest units I had to use. I just loaded a Dell Latitude 510, 1gig RAM, with Zorin 9 and it working pretty well, better than Windows ever could or did on this machine.

Hi everyone,I just need some advice on improving the presentation method used in our classrooms.We have 4 locations with 10+ classrooms, each classroom have got a netbook for presenting the Powerpoint slides.The challenge is the powerpoints update frequently, so that we have to running around to update the powerpoints in each computer with a USB drive or get the slides from our storage server.All of the netbooks are not in our domain so it's hard to map the drive from our storage server. Tried to make a script running at the PC start-up but it's not working very well.I'm thinking of getting a central server which will store all the Powerpoints and offers the virtualization services, by doing this, teaches can just click a application and everything will be there. Also I can just simply update the Powerpoints in the central server.Any...
This topic first appeared in the Spiceworks Community

Advice needed for 4TB Time Machine Backups

I run a recording studio based around Logic Pro.
I typically have about 7-8 drives online at any given time with around 5TB, but would like to be able to keep more of it active longer. Most of these drives are backed up by Time Machine. But even with 4TB drives I find I quickly run out of space, and have to either delete old TM backups or buy new drives to keep a running TM archive.
While I periodically archive my stuff to optical, and have Backblaze and Dropbox for server space and insurance purposes, neither of those really address the immediacy and convenience of Time Machine for archival retrieval over the course of months or years. And it doesn't help really with boot drive history that doesn't make it to optical archives and isn't kept on backblaze anyway.
So, I have been considering some kind of Raid device, not necessarily for speed or NAS capability (although those might be nice), but mainly to break the 4TB limit and be able to keep my Time Machine growing as a resource for recalling older projects, etc.
It is likely that this will only be used for TM, although I could see potentially partitioning a bit for something else, depending on how big it is. Not sure.
Things which are important:
•Ease of use. Hook up a FW, USB, ethernet, etc. cable, format some drives, and go. I'm not an IT tech.
•$500 or less is preferred
•4 bays would give me room to expand to greater storage, which I think is the only thing that makes sense. might not be enough additional space to justify bothering with a 2-bay, since reliability is at a premium, I'll probably use the most data redundant RAID settings.
•Reliable -- goes without saying
•Hot Swap and Ability to use mixed types of drives - It's not a big deal to keep a spare 3-4TB WD Red on hand, but it would be nice to be able to use whatever I might have handy lying around in case of a failure.
I have heard mixed reviews of Drobo, and better reviews of Synology products, but again, I'm not sure that I really need a NAS--just something simple and reliable--or as simple as something like this can be.
I welcome any advice on what products and brands people prefer for an application like this. Thank you.

Thanks everyone.
These are some good directions to follow.
The issue I think is defining where in the spectum of backup to archival my needs fit.
The thing is, as soon as you go to an array of drives, both the risk and the cost goes up. To my mind, Time Machine is kind of a middle ground between archival and backup. I can make a manual backup quite easily, but TM automates this process elegantly, and gives you date-specific archival up to the point where storage has to recycle. I can also create fixed archives like optical backups of projects and boot clones, which I do every few months. I see those as true archives. But as a result I've accumulated some 3 dozen cheap green HDDs. Many of them archived TM drives. This is a nice safety feature, but it also gets expensive. Being able to go out to double-digit TB in theory with data redundant raids out to 10TB or more by my estimate would give me 2-3 years of instantaneous TM backup. And I've never been able to get more than about 3-4 months of erffective TM for a while now. Meaning I'm buying a new 4TB drive every few weeks to keep up with this.
Maybe I'm just lazy, but having all of my main drives fed into one TM backup is awfully convenient. I don't have to think too much about backups in the heat of my crazy deadlines, libraries and project data constantly changing and being updated, etc.
A Jbod device and a virtual raid as Grant suggested would fill the bill to solve the problem but it makes me nervous, because the possibility of drive failure will be multiplied by the number of drives in use.
What doesn't appeal to me about any multi-drive scenario is that it's putting all the eggs in one basket and making the TM vulnuerable to corruption or being fried because if it gets hosed, I won't have any archived versions other than the array and my sporadic manual archives. I won't be able to go find the single TM archive on the shelf and pop it in anymore to go backwards. Once I become dependent on multiple drive arrays, there is no easy way to rotate backups, and I will have to do other forms of archival more frequently. It's all a risk-benefit equation and there is no such thing as a free lunch, as we know.
The Drobo 5D is beginning to appeal to me because it at least has dual drive failure redundancy and can rebuild even with the loss of 2 drives. I just wish it had more universal approval in the reviews department. Some people love is, some hate it. I would have to really commit to this thing, and fill it to capacity to amortize its cost over a long period of time.
Thanks again for the responses.

Advice needed for music converting software

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