They found songs that are close to 120 Beats per minute seems to be the magic BPM  for the last 50 years! Plus major keys dominate the charts, make the song danceable, are about 4.5 minutes in length, and turn it up to 11.   Some things to think of when you are choosing songs and want to keep the energy going..

Here are some screen shots from a few of the things looked at: https://sites.google.com/site/visualizingahit/results

The main page that explains what was done is here: https://sites.google.com/site/visualizingahit/home

I would add a personal observation;  most of the top songs that I have listened to require careful listening..  Pick most top pop song playing, and listen carefully… not to what is obvious in the mix (vocals, instruments etc.) but there is almost always some sort of sound that is either ½ (or less) of the volume of the rest of the instruments or is louder than everything.  It is usually short in duration – or a *very* simple accent note,  happens once per music phrase or measure.  You won’t notice it unless you are actively listening (concentrating..)    My theory is that it is music for the ‘subconscious” part of our brain.. for some it can be sound effects as long as they are introduced and removed selectively..  which is what I do when I run sounds for bands I do this to provide additional interest (sprinkling of delay, mic volume accents.)   It is also why having a good speaker to reproduce the high frequencies is key to interest (as well as preventing ear fatigue)  the ride cymbal accents, snare accents, high-hat accents on certain songs for example are extremely important.  It’s the extra muted “chuck” on a guitar that gets inserted in certain phrases etc.   So on the surface a song is simple, but decomposed it has nuisances that break up the symmetry.  It gives our musical brains something to chew on..   Know knows, this could be completely bogus. 

What do you think?

An example that I wasn’t totally happy with, but..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDpt4jEEsUY

#25 –  congos

#24 – on the right channel there are two things: guitar two notes – but more importantly on upbeat of the 4^th beat of the song there is a slight “scratch ”or a sweep of frequencies sound. Its is hard to hear, but it’s right before the 1^st beat begins.

high-hat open

#23 – i hear a guitar harmonic hit once in a while, almost banjo like

#22 – not hearing anything in the section they chose to play

#21 – guitar arpeggio ?

#20 – right channel high-hat

#19 – ?

#18 – FX (delays)

#17 – backup vox

#16- backup vox

#15 – triangle

#14 – FX (delay)

#13 – bass guitar fretless sound

#12 – this one is hard to hear:  I think it is a backup vox that hits twice on a high pitched “hohw” “Hohw”

#11 –congos

#10 – jazz organ

#9 – flange

#8 – strings

#7 – there is a keyboard echoing the phrase in a high octave

#6 – swish sound  and a block hit

#5 – high-hat  open.. delay

#4 – guitar that comes in right before it ends

#3 – banjo

#2 – ?

#1 – high-hat work (alternating open/closed)

Ok, so here I digress, but I LOVE music, sound etc.. so just some additional geek thoughts for you. Maybe reading about this might make you a better musician, better listener, or maybe you might understand a little better of the approach I take when I am running sound for band. I am not the technical guy who lines up the meters at 0 for all mics, and freaks out when the band’s dynamics change from song to song. That is a technical sound engineer. There is gear to help minimize the various if the gain structure is set right. Running sound is also a bit of an art. I bring up certain mics (besides the obvious solos) on certain songs.. cymbals, high-hat etc. I try to recreate what I hear in my mind for that song. Each band has a different blend, and I try to incorporate that some in each song a cover band plays. Not all songs because sometimes it just doesn’t matter, but other times it does! It is not just making sure everything is heard by the audience and musicians, it is something more.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-green-super-rice.html

El Monstero

I took a few photos, two of them are here.  I have them on my Pro site here: http://www.performphotography.com/Music/2010-12-22-El-Monstero-Pageant/15293533_ankkT

A quote from their Facebook page:

For those first timers, here’s the skinny….El Monstero is a St. Louis based Pink Floyd tribute band. The brainchild of Stir bassist Kevin Gagnepain, El Monstero’s first appearance was a single night, sold out show @Mississippi Nights in 1999. By 2008 the show spanned 6 nights @The Pageant….who knows what 09 has in store.
The current line up includes Mark Thomas Quinn (lead vox, guitar, lap steel), Jimmy Griffin (lead vox, guitar), Kevin Gagnepain (bass, vox), Bryan Greene (elec, steel, and nylon guitar) John Pessoni (drums, vox) Bill Reiter (keys, vox) Jake Elking (keys), Dave Farver (sax) and of course the ladies….Erminie Cannon, Tandra Williams, and Kelly Wild….they steal the show; Most members of El Monstero have been in bands that were signed to major labels, and they are all top notch players. The band spares no expense on production, hiring the best sound, lighting, visual, pyro, wardrobe, set design, and stage management personnel that St. Louis has to offer, as well as the best sound and lighting equipment in town. The show is truly a St. Louis holiday tradition.
The music mainly focuses on Gilmore/Waters era Floyd and runs about 2 1/2hrs….it is a must see for any Stl area Floyd fans and is an edgier, more theatrical alternative to other tribute shows that roll through town. The show is sponsored by K-SHE95, and K-SHE DJ FAVAZZ has been a true friend since day one.

a video from the show:

was a great show!

And from Wikipedia is additional information about the members:

Current Lineup

• Mark Quinn (Joe Dirt and the Dirty Boys, Celebration Day), vocals, guitar
• Jimmy Griffin (Kingofthehill, Celebration Day, The Incurables, Tiny Cows), vocals, guitar
• John Pessoni (The Urge, Joe Dirt and the Dirty Boys, Stir, Celebration Day), drums, background vocals
• Kevin Gagnepain (Stir, Tobi Kai and the Strays, Joe Dirt and the Dirty Boys), bass, background vocals
• Bill Reiter (The Urge), keyboards, background vocals
• Bryan Greene (The Wyld Stallyns, The Rough Riders) guitar
• Jake Elking (Buz, Dual Boot, Asbury Park), keyboards
• Dave Farver (The Deep Six), saxophone
• Ermine Cannon (Dr. Zhivegas), background vocals
• Tandra Williams, background vocals
• Mindy Mierek, background vocals

Previous Members

• Andy Schmidt (Stir), vocals, guitar
• Brad Booker (Stir, Gravity Kills, The Wyld Stallyns), drums, background vocals
• Harmony Fernandez (Groove Thang), , background vocals
• Denise Addy, background vocals
• Darren Pierce, keyboards

Hair, makeup, and clothing

• Carol Ivcich and Stephanie Asbed of iVCiCH clothing design have been responsible for Hair, makeup, and clothing since 2002

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19776-microsoft-develops-shapeshifting-touchscreen.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19541-audio-zoom-picks-out-lone-voice-in-the-crowd.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100909004112.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/download

I have also played on stage in various venues in St.Louis and Columbia as a keyboard, guitar and bass player.  It’s been a fun ride to say the least.

Loud music ruins ears right?    Yes, definitely.  I try to wear hearing protection, but sometimes it isn’t possible.  I had my hearing tested 20 years ago before I started (as part of an interview for a recording studio which I worked for about 6 months; it wasn’t as fun as live sound where you either get it right or…)  and for the most part, it hasn’t changed much.

Here are the results.  I have some damage in my right ear above 11.2K, and a dip in my left ear at 2k.  But, even after all these years I am still above average hearing for the majority of frequencies (15dB is normal.)   In higher frequencies, my left year is significantly better than average.  I thought it was interesting and thought I would share.

The y-axis represents dB, and the x-axis is frequency.  0dB is defined as the quietest audible sound for persons with excellent hearing under laboratory conditions. 20 db is the level of sound by rustling leaves.  Note: there are few published guidelines for ‘normal’ hearing above 8kHz.  I found a link to a study done that plotted the normal hearing loss above 8k.  As you can see, most people can’t hear above 12.5K  where my hearing reaches well into 20k. 

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Lens-with-Camera/Lens-rankings

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/05/20/4315660-a-step-to-artificial-life-manmade-dna-powers-cell

The turbine, known as “Deep Green” was developed by a privately-owned Swedish/UK company, Minesto, and is intended to be tethered 100 meters above the sea bottom. It has a wingspan of 12 meters and a turbine one meter in diameter. The “kite” comprises a wing with a rudder to steer the turbine to face in the direction that will allow it to capture the maximum amount of tidal energy, and generate up to 500 kW of electricity. The kite flies in a figure eight and travels 10 times faster than the water it is tethered in.

http://www.physorg.com/news192784124.html

“http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/gulf-oil-spill-supertankers-051310

Take a 3k camera and attach it to a remote controlled helicopter and here is what you get.  Only serious pilots need apply..

http://www.playedonline.com/game/598161/super-mario-crossover.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18805-rings-of-fire-erupt-from-sun-in-nasa-probes-first-videos.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

And now to his first post:

All our planes, commercial and military, undergo both static (stationary) and fatigue (lifetime) testing before the design is considered satisfactory. The static test gradually increases loading on surfaces, and testing to 1.5 times the "design maximum" is standard, to provide a safety margin. Here in St Louis, we usually refer to that as the design limit loads test. We reserve the term "ultimate load" test for the next level, which is to continue adding loads until the item fails (breaks) – hence, the term "ultimate". It is amazing to see how much the wings bend as it gets to that ends of the testing – without breaking.

The video illustrates how the loading is applied, with hydraulic forces being spread out across the wing length to smoothly load the whole wing, not just the tip or some specific point. <The voiceover gets a bit too rah-rah for the team, but it’s still interesting to watch.>

http://787flighttest.com/boeing-confirms-success-on-ultimate-load-test/

The other major kind of test, fatigue, generates alternating up and down loads (and other kinds* of loading) similar to what the plane will experience in service, and continues the test for days, weeks, and longer, so that the structure gets – literally – a ‘lifetime’ of wear and tear. A month of testing may represent a year of actual service, depending on how many hours per day it is expected to fly. And it’s more complex, since the spectrum of loads used in the test varies to represent takeoffs and landings, climb and descent, cruise, maneuvering, dogfights, and whatever – the so-called "operational mission environment."

Metals do wear out from repeated bending – microscopic discontinuities in material become small cracks after continued service, and small cracks continue grow to become bigger ones. It always surprised me that a crack inspection (no giggles, now) of an airplane in service (done periodically) might result in a note to take another look at some area in between normal inspections. <In other words, small cracks can be ok – don’t think about it when you’re on an airplane.> Crack propagation (how they grow) is a whole field of interest. During the fatigue testing, inspections are done, and this testing also goes "beyond nominal" – I think they do at least 2 lifetimes to be sure. And maybe more.

It can be a great selling point that a plane lasts and lasts (kind of like the bunny). However, we also have to watch out for overdesign. If it lasts too long, we obviously made it too strong, which means too heavy (nasty, nasty), and too expensive (also nasty). The key is continual feedback so we know that we can trust our estimates and our tools – so that when we design for XX performance, the item performs at XX.

* Some are "symmetric", as when both wings bend up, others are not, as during a roll, when one wing bends up and the other down. Obviously, military aircraft tests are a lot wilder. There’s also a drop test, to simulate the vertical impact of an extreme landing (as on a carrier) – which is referred to as a "controlled crash".”

   http://news.discovery.com/space/hubble-3d-map-universe-dark-matter.html

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=dysphemisms&submit=Submit

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=performphotography

By the way, you can find my photo site here: http://performphotography.com\

cheers!

“Physicists working in the STAR collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the Brookhaven Laboratory in the US have detected antimatter nuclei containing strange quarks for the first time. The antihypertriton – consisting of an antiproton, an antineutron and an antilambda particle – is the heaviest antinucleus yet produced and opens up a new realm of strange antinucluei. It could also shed light on a number of problems in astrophysics and cosmology, including the dominance of matter over antimatter in the universe.” http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/41917

I recall being 7 when the movie TRON came out.  Dare I say the movie changed my life forever towards IT.  

http://www.program-glitch-esc.net/