A Free and Easy Method of Enhancing Audio Output from iTunes

by Krishna on April 5, 2013 at 8:54 pm
Posted In: Mac, News

iTunes’ default equalizer settings leave a lot to be desired. If you’re looking to improve the audio output from iTunes, you’ll have to make your own equalizer settings.

To do that, first launch iTunes and choose Window > Equalizer from the menu bar.

Next, from the pulldown menu in the Equalizer window, choose Manual.

Finally, adjust your settings as shown below.

Equalizer

Of course, your mileage may vary (depending upon your speakers, amplifier system, etc.) – but these settings do a pretty good job whether you’re listening to audio through your Mac’s internal speakers or if you have a small external speaker system attached. It even sounds great through my beaten-up pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones.

Happy listening!

-Krishna

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Other World #71

by Krishna on March 28, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Posted In: News, Other World

Ow 71

My latest comic for site sponsor Other World Computing is now up! Hopefully this will stave off the comic blues on non-update days.

Enjoy!

-Krishna

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The New Draw Me a Robot!

by Krishna on March 25, 2013 at 5:42 am
Posted In: News, Plugs

Kms about

A few years ago (centuries in Internet time), I had a website called drawmearobot.com which I used to showcase my own robotic creations. Eventually, due to an increased workload and dwindling interest, I scrapped the whole site.

And there it sat, laying dormant for years on end.

Until now.

The new drawmearobot.com has a unique purpose – to show off what cartoonists use to get their work done. Cartoonists of all walks always like to know what their fellow peers are using – and up until now, there’s never really been a consistent place to share our setups to a large audience.

This is a curated website, so I’ve been approaching each artist individually to invite them to contribute.

There are four questions I ask all cartoonists:

  1. Who are you and what do you do?
  2. What’s your hardware setup?
  3. What’s your workspace look like?
  4. What tools do you use to make your cartoons?

To keep things fun, artists who contribute will be asked to draw me a robot, in their own style, to accompany their entry. I’ve posted the first two up today – keep checking back on the site to read more interviews!

Thanks!!

-Krishna

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Three Months with my Yiynova MSP19u

by Krishna on March 24, 2013 at 9:09 am
Posted In: First Impressions, News

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8556403216_3cbd564b1a.jpg

Now that I’ve had a few months to work with my Yiynova MSP19u tablet monitor, I want to share some of my impressions. I re-read my review, and it still correlates with my experience so far.

One of my concerns was the potential short battery life of the Yiynova stylus. Three months in, I’m still using the same battery. My tablet monitor is still responsive as ever.

Drawing directly on the surface has made a HUGE impact on my work. I’m working much more accurately now – and much, much faster. Drawing this way feels far more natural to me, and I’m hitting Command-Z far less, due to the improved accuracy of my drawing strokes.

Because of the Yiynova’s limited display angle, I have to check my colors against my HP ZR24W 24″ IPS display to make sure they’re on point. Again, it’s not really a big issue for me.

Behind the scenes, I’ve been fielding several emails from readers and folks who have stumbled across the site by way of my review. Some folks were having issues with calibrating their stylus to the display. Others have reported a jittering effect when moving the stylus really slow across the surface of the Yiynova. I have been unable to replicate these effects on my setup.

To summarize, three months in – I’m still pleased as punch with my Yiynova MSP19u tablet monitor. Remember: There are two models – the MSP19 and the MSP19u. If you’re ordering, make sure you are ordering the MSP19u – it’s the better model.

-Krishna

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First Impressions: ColorMunki Display1

by Krishna on March 13, 2013 at 10:43 pm
Posted In: First Impressions, News

Standard disclaimer: I am not a photographer and I am not a color expert.

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that my battle station (work area) has 4 displays that I use on a regular basis. In case you’ve forgotten my setup, here are two photos to remind you.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8089/8556403624_f4328be878.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8380/8556403054_ba5be00fb1.jpg

The HPZR24W 24″ display and Yiynova MSP19u (below it) are connected to my early 2008 Mac Pro. The Dell U2412m display is connected to my early 2008 Macbook Pro laptop. I use Teleport to move between my Mac Pro and Macbook Pro screens.

Trading design files between both machines made it noticeable that my colors were off between all 4 displays. At first, I used Apple’s own color calibration utility. The results were mixed, at best, but I learned to live with it. And then, after a point, it began to really bug me…

(Continued after the break.)

↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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