mix

Mix it up with Virtual DJ

Digital disc spinning has skyrocketed in popularity over the past five years and it's no wonder why. Compared with a full vinyl setup with all the hardware and physical media that requires, an MP3-based mixing station is extremely simple and cheap. There's even free software to get you started, and one of the most popular programs available is Virtual DJ.

Read the full Virtual DJ review.

Mix up digital tunes

Digital deejaying has skyrocketed in popularity over the past five years and it's no wonder why. Compared to a full vinyl setup with all the hardware and physical media it requires, an MP3-based mixing station is extremely simple and cheap. There's even free software to get you started, and one of the most popular programs available is Virtual DJ.

Virtual DJ is often packaged with USB-based hardware mixing consoles from the likes of Hercules and Numark, and, in fact, if you really want to delve into the full array of features, such devices are going to be a … Read more

Were cassette tapes the MP3s of their time?

I was never a fan of cassettes; they were the MP3s of their time. Neither format ever sounded good to me.

Prerecorded tapes from the record companies were the lowest of the low. True, they were less expensive than LPs in the '70s and '80s, but you could make much better-sounding cassettes yourself by dubbing LPs to cassette.

Cassettes were only slightly more durable than LPs and were definitely subject to wear. Also, while the cassette you made might sound decent enough on YOUR cassette deck, there was no guarantee it would sound OK on anybody else's machine (tape … Read more

iPhone, Android battle for top spot on ad network

Apple and Android continue to duke it out for the top spot on Millennial Media's ad network.

Each of the two competing platforms captured 38 percent of all smartphone ad impressions (how often an ad appears) in the U.S. for November, according to Millennial Media's "November Mobile Mix Report." That number reflects a 1 percentage point gain in ad impressions for both Apple and Android from October's results following Android's 6 percentage point gain and Apple's 9 percentage point drop from September.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion took third place on Millennial … Read more

Here it is: The official BOL baby-making mix tape

OK, everyone. We heard your suggestions for the best mix-tape songs, we pored over your mix-tape tales--the hilarious and the heart-breaking--and we chose one lucky winner to receive the very special iPod Shuffle, featuring our hand-picked selections. There are mix-tape classics, outrageously cheesy ballads, hopefully a few surprises, and some truly great songs. Oh, and baby-making jams. Brian Tong made sure of that.

Now, to the winning entry. Tim from New York sent in this mix-tape tale of woe (which I edited for spelling because, you know, that's just how I am):

Just thought I'd let you guys … Read more

Nintendo's E3 games: No Wii Fit in sight

What would you have said if someone told you pre-E3 that Microsoft would do its best to mimic Nintendo, whereas Nintendo would act like Microsoft? It certainly seemed like the companies flip-flopped at their respective E3 press conferences. Though the 360 spent a great deal of focus on motion control and the Kinect, Nintendo didn't breathe a word about health, motion, or the Wii Fit at its E3 briefing on Tuesday.

Instead, the company's games were the real focus, especially retro franchises: those folks hoping for years for a taste of old Nintendo games certainly had a field day. StarFox, F-Zero, and Pikmin remain undisclosed (Update: Though not discussed at the press briefing, StarFox 64 3D was announced for the 3DS), but Nintendo did unveil new Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Kid Icarus titles, along with detailed gameplay from the next Wii Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Demonstrated for nearly half an hour, the Nintendo flagship sequel will feature Wii MotionPlus support for more-accurate weapon and item actions. The rest of the story remains a mystery, but the game has a more cel-shaded look than Twilight Princess. It arrives in 2011.

Wii Sports Mix: In a very smart move, Nintendo is creating a Mario compilation sports game with what appear to be soccer, hockey, dodgeball, basketball, and volleyball. This could be a real surprise hit, and it's a nicer idea than infinite "Mario X" sports games.

Wii Party: Nintendo's "bridge" game, the next in the "Wii" series, features Miis in a game that looks a lot like an updated Mario Party. Board games, minigames, and group casual play seem like the focus. … Read more

The urge to merge

Ever wonder what your hypothetical children would look like with your significant other or your favorite celebrity? Or what the product of a union between your dog and cat would produce? Morpheus Photo Mixer is a simple program that allows users to merge two separate images into one, with interesting and sometimes hilarious results.

The program's interface is plain and intuitive. Users simply load the two images they want to work with and then start aligning the desired features, using the real-time preview as a guide. The alignment process is a matter of surrounding the desired characteristics with dots … Read more

How will Apple spin iTunes on iPad?

Apple posted some short Guided Tour videos about the iPad on Monday, confirming my first impression that the iPad isn't a great leap forward for music. That's understandable, since there are other gaps that the iPad is trying to fill first--I think the big draw will be iBooks and Web surfing from the couch over a Wi-Fi connection, which can be done with an iPhone today with much eyestrain.

But the video about music playback (labeled "iPod") did give a couple of hints on how the iPad might evolve to take advantage of all that extra … Read more

Windows Phone emulator unlocked

At its Mix10 event this week, Microsoft released a software emulator for the Windows Phone 7 platform, but kept a lot of its own programs and features hidden.

However, with a bit of work, one developer says he has unlocked those features making them available for the world to see and play with.

"I still cannot believe it but I did it," Don Ardelean said in a blog post early Friday. "After a good idea, 6 hours of work and a lot a lot of digging I've unlocked the ROM image in the emulator CTP. I … Read more