>>> External Audio Interface help <<<?

Joe

hi, i'm looking to buy an external audio interface. which one should i get?
the main reason is to get the best sound quality i can out of my monitors (KRK Rokit 6s)
however it'd be good to be able to plug an instrument or mic or two in as well.
my budget is about £150 roughly (or around $230 for you Americans)
i also need help with the cabling. i think XLR is what i want, but the KRKs also have TRS (and unbalanced RCA). any advice about the different cabling would be much appreciated too.

interfaces i've been looking at already are the M-Audio Fast Track Pro or variations of and the Presonus Audiobox... any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!
also, it needs to be able to work with my Windows 7 (64 bit) PC and a MAC laptop i'm getting shortly

Answer
One of the things that you need to be cautious about is the stability of drivers. There are a lot of audio interfaces out there that do the job in terms of hardware and features. But their compatibility with software is horrible due to faulty drivers. Especially since you plan to use that on a 64-bit Windows 7 for a while, driver stability is all the more important.

I would advise you to buy the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. It is available on Amazon UK for exactly £150. It has 2 microphone/instrument inputs with phantom power. And apart from RCA outputs, it has 1/4'' Phono outputs too(which is exactly the same thing as TRS. This baby's drivers are SO solid that it responds well to anything I throw at it. For my last song, it ran 24 tracks of audio with three plugins on each track! It is built like a tank, so it'll last a while too.

Now in comparison to the M-Audio Fast Track, this is far far better. My friend has the M-Audio, so I have hands on experience with both these interfaces. The pre-amps in the M-Audio are just not as good and the output is a bit muddier. The build quality is not as good, and there are a few latency issues. And more importantly, the drivers are a hit and a miss. So I would advise you to stay away from M-Audio Interfaces. Their keyboards and monitors are great. Interfaces, not so much.

I am not sure about the Presonus as I haven't used it. But this is what I found from a review. And if you are a guitar player this might effect you:

"I tried the PreSonus AudioBox recently and was extremely disappointed with it. I didn't try it with a microphone since I'm usually recording guitars direct, but the preamps are designed to ALWAYS have 20 db of gain being applied even with the input turned all the way down. I looked this up on their official forums, and it is intentional. Because of this, I was never able to get a signal that wouldn't clip when palm muting (even with passive pickups). They don't have any kind of software mixer either, so you have to buy an attenuator pad or find some other workaround.

There's also a knob that you use to blend the mix between the hardware direct monitoring signal and the regular output. Even with the knob turned all the way to the regular output side, you still get some "leak" from the direct signal coming through the monitors. This can cause feedback problems, give you inaccurate monitoring (in my situation, because I'm hearing dry/clean guitar signal at the same time as amp sim VSTs), and is just a general pain in the ass.

And just to add icing on the cake...I also discovered that the output starts digitally clipping with the output knob at only 9 O'CLOCK! Ridiculous."

So in conclusion. I will hands down recommend the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. And if it is of any good, it is an English company based in High Wycombe (looked up wikipedia). So it is always good to work with a local company as support is far more available. M-Audio support is terrible. Enjoy!

What does an obstetrics appointment involve?

calisia_c

I will be having my first obstetrics appointment when i am 12 weeks pregnant. I remember when i was pregnant 1st time round, i never saw an obstetrician, and saw a midwife instead. So i am wondering what this involves? And also if i am referred to see the obstetrician, does that mean they consider me as high risk?

This will be my first appointment, so im not sure if this will involve the booking appointment, I will also be having my first scan at the same day.

All advice appreciated.

From UK.
Thanks for your reply. Im just abit confused why i am refered to obs, as i had a normal pregnancy. The only thing i think of is i am 1 point over obese. Hope its nothing to worry about though. :S

Answer
Obstetrician appointment - will discuss your medical history, previous pregnancy and birth, information on father to be, your current pregnancy, your due date, will take bp, maybe ultrasound (if obs has machine in office). It is a get to know you and your history and where you currently are at.

My first pregnancy i saw a midwife, 2nd pregnancy i requested an obstetrician, my 3rd (current) pregnancy, i automatically went back to my obs.

Being referred to an obs can mean your pregnancy is higher risk or it needs more monitoring, but this is not always he case.

My first pregnancy ended at 24 weeks when her heart stopped beating. My 2nd pregnancy was not considered high risk and i had the option of midwife or obs. I personally chose an obs, i wanted the special treatment, the regular reviews, a doctor. She was lovely, she also was/is into fetal medicine/research and reviewed my lost daughters autopsy/results and researched this further for me, but still no answers. She was caring, thorough, professional, observant and very reassuring.
Even though neither were high risk, previous pregnancy and current, i don't regret obs over a midwife. No offense to midwives, they are trained and do a great job, but for me, a specialist was reassuring even though not needed.

Good luck and congratulations

Add:
Surely that wouldn't be the case, if it is that's weird :)
An obs is no bother, just more qualified than a midwife. If you had no problems with your first then your situation is unusual or the midwife/place is unusual. You can always ask the obs why you were referred, the are pretty honest most of the time.
Try not to worry, midwife or obs, your baby and you are being looked after :)
In Australia, those with private health insurance automatically go to obs for private hospitals for normal healthy pregnancies, where as midwifes treat/monitor public patients.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

First time mom here, just registered for my shower yesterday & wondering what products are the best?

Q. Im almost 19 weeks pregnant & had a gender ultrasound yesterday & found out that Im expecting a GIRL! So, we registered right after my appointment at Target & since Im a first time mom we werent sure on a few things to put on the registry. Im wondering if any moms can give me advice & recommendations on the following items that worked best for you & are useful.

The following are things we didnt add to the registry, but are planning to today after getting some reviews on the best ones at Target.

1) Bottles, I have no clue what types are good for newborns. Im not going to breastfeed because Im taking blood pressure meds & dont want to pass to baby, so just bottle feeding

2) Bottle sterilization - which is better, steam or microwave? And which brands?

3) Monitors - This is a very hard one for me. Is video really better? Digital? Analog? Im so clueless on this one

4) Bassinette - We plan on having baby in one in our room the first couple of months. Should I go with something neutral as we are planning to have another child in the future & dont want to have to get another if we get a girly one now & then end up having a boy later. Any certain types better than others?

5) Humidifier - There are cute animals ones at Target (I like the frog) is that a good one, or a Vicks?

6) Sling - Do babies really like these? They look uncomfortable the ones that curve across the body, like babys neck is being strained. And which brand, kind?


**** Thanks ladies, Im a first time mom & just want to get the right stuff not to waste other peoples money & have things that are useful. Baby stuff is so expensive!! Any other tips, advice on anything I forgot is helpful! ****

Answer
1) VERY Hard to choose before the baby is born. Skip adding this and just purchase 2-4 bottles yourself of your choosing, Dr Browns is a good choice but expensive or Avent or similar or also good. Once you know she will definately drink out of them then go out and buy more. If she doesn't like them you'll have wasted a lot of money having to replace them for other ones. Just keep some money aside under your mattress for when the time comes!

2)Microwave!!!! Soooo much quicker and easier. Takes like 4 mins for 4 bottles! Steam is overrated and waaay to expensive compared to the microwave one.
If you own a dishwasher, wash the bottles in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water (what you have to do before using any steriliser anyway), and throw them in the washer instead.

3) I chose just a regular one without all the bells and whistles. I only need to hear my baby and that is it. All those extra bits and pieces is just a marketing ploy. Just use a regular one with good sound clarity. Mine is a basic fisher price sound and lights monitor and it works just perfectly. Its not like I can see my baby when I'm sleeping anyway and thats really when you need it. It does have a little night light on it which I do recommend though. This is it and is great.
http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2009/126/4/1241601168-90347_full.jpg

4) Def get a neutral one. Dont get a pink or blue. I do like the idea of the arms reach co sleeper that the other person said but only if its on wheels and the side that juts up to the parents bed can actually be closed off so you can utilise it in other areas of the house. if you don't know what they are heres a link
http://www.totscorner.co.uk/images/Universal_CoSleeper.jpg
otherwise a normal, neutral coloured one is great. Nothing too fancy with music, vibrating, rocking or anything like that. Its a complete waste of the extra money and those functions will not get used especially as its only for the first couple of months when a newborn could care less about it lol

5) Def get the vicks one. It will last, the novelty ones will not

6) I tried slings and carriers. Gave me such a sore back and were uncomfortable and I felt less than agile and more cumbersome than when I was pregnant, if thats even possible! but others swear by them, its personal preference. I'd rather put my baby in his or her pram/stroller to be honest. It was okay when they were less than 12 weeks old but after that it just made me way too sore.
Apparently the contoured slings are fine for them because when you think about it they are all scrunched up in the womb so being in those slings is apprently no different. I wouldn't use one personally

Hope that helps! Good Luck!!

>>> External Audio Interface help <<<?

Joe

hi, i'm looking to buy an external audio interface. which one should i get?
the main reason is to get the best sound quality i can out of my monitors (KRK Rokit 6s)
however it'd be good to be able to plug an instrument or mic or two in as well.
my budget is about £150 roughly (or around $230 for you Americans)
i also need help with the cabling. i think XLR is what i want, but the KRKs also have TRS (and unbalanced RCA). any advice about the different cabling would be much appreciated too.

interfaces i've been looking at already are the M-Audio Fast Track Pro or variations of and the Presonus Audiobox... any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!
also, it needs to be able to work with my Windows 7 (64 bit) PC and a MAC laptop i'm getting shortly

Answer
One of the things that you need to be cautious about is the stability of drivers. There are a lot of audio interfaces out there that do the job in terms of hardware and features. But their compatibility with software is horrible due to faulty drivers. Especially since you plan to use that on a 64-bit Windows 7 for a while, driver stability is all the more important.

I would advise you to buy the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. It is available on Amazon UK for exactly £150. It has 2 microphone/instrument inputs with phantom power. And apart from RCA outputs, it has 1/4'' Phono outputs too(which is exactly the same thing as TRS. This baby's drivers are SO solid that it responds well to anything I throw at it. For my last song, it ran 24 tracks of audio with three plugins on each track! It is built like a tank, so it'll last a while too.

Now in comparison to the M-Audio Fast Track, this is far far better. My friend has the M-Audio, so I have hands on experience with both these interfaces. The pre-amps in the M-Audio are just not as good and the output is a bit muddier. The build quality is not as good, and there are a few latency issues. And more importantly, the drivers are a hit and a miss. So I would advise you to stay away from M-Audio Interfaces. Their keyboards and monitors are great. Interfaces, not so much.

I am not sure about the Presonus as I haven't used it. But this is what I found from a review. And if you are a guitar player this might effect you:

"I tried the PreSonus AudioBox recently and was extremely disappointed with it. I didn't try it with a microphone since I'm usually recording guitars direct, but the preamps are designed to ALWAYS have 20 db of gain being applied even with the input turned all the way down. I looked this up on their official forums, and it is intentional. Because of this, I was never able to get a signal that wouldn't clip when palm muting (even with passive pickups). They don't have any kind of software mixer either, so you have to buy an attenuator pad or find some other workaround.

There's also a knob that you use to blend the mix between the hardware direct monitoring signal and the regular output. Even with the knob turned all the way to the regular output side, you still get some "leak" from the direct signal coming through the monitors. This can cause feedback problems, give you inaccurate monitoring (in my situation, because I'm hearing dry/clean guitar signal at the same time as amp sim VSTs), and is just a general pain in the ass.

And just to add icing on the cake...I also discovered that the output starts digitally clipping with the output knob at only 9 O'CLOCK! Ridiculous."

So in conclusion. I will hands down recommend the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. And if it is of any good, it is an English company based in High Wycombe (looked up wikipedia). So it is always good to work with a local company as support is far more available. M-Audio support is terrible. Enjoy!

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What does an obstetrics appointment involve?

calisia_c

I will be having my first obstetrics appointment when i am 12 weeks pregnant. I remember when i was pregnant 1st time round, i never saw an obstetrician, and saw a midwife instead. So i am wondering what this involves? And also if i am referred to see the obstetrician, does that mean they consider me as high risk?

This will be my first appointment, so im not sure if this will involve the booking appointment, I will also be having my first scan at the same day.

All advice appreciated.

From UK.
Thanks for your reply. Im just abit confused why i am refered to obs, as i had a normal pregnancy. The only thing i think of is i am 1 point over obese. Hope its nothing to worry about though. :S

Answer
Obstetrician appointment - will discuss your medical history, previous pregnancy and birth, information on father to be, your current pregnancy, your due date, will take bp, maybe ultrasound (if obs has machine in office). It is a get to know you and your history and where you currently are at.

My first pregnancy i saw a midwife, 2nd pregnancy i requested an obstetrician, my 3rd (current) pregnancy, i automatically went back to my obs.

Being referred to an obs can mean your pregnancy is higher risk or it needs more monitoring, but this is not always he case.

My first pregnancy ended at 24 weeks when her heart stopped beating. My 2nd pregnancy was not considered high risk and i had the option of midwife or obs. I personally chose an obs, i wanted the special treatment, the regular reviews, a doctor. She was lovely, she also was/is into fetal medicine/research and reviewed my lost daughters autopsy/results and researched this further for me, but still no answers. She was caring, thorough, professional, observant and very reassuring.
Even though neither were high risk, previous pregnancy and current, i don't regret obs over a midwife. No offense to midwives, they are trained and do a great job, but for me, a specialist was reassuring even though not needed.

Good luck and congratulations

Add:
Surely that wouldn't be the case, if it is that's weird :)
An obs is no bother, just more qualified than a midwife. If you had no problems with your first then your situation is unusual or the midwife/place is unusual. You can always ask the obs why you were referred, the are pretty honest most of the time.
Try not to worry, midwife or obs, your baby and you are being looked after :)
In Australia, those with private health insurance automatically go to obs for private hospitals for normal healthy pregnancies, where as midwifes treat/monitor public patients.

Digital camera that takes a picture quickly?

edkolover

I'm looking for a digital camera that takes a picture quickly (short time between pressing the button and ACTUALLY taking the picture). I'm looking for one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The camera I have right now takes great pictures, but it takes way too long from the time I click it to the time it captures, and that just doesn't work for me because I have a baby. I don't want to miss his first steps because the camera took too long!

So, quick picture taking & low price.

Thanks!

Answer
Digital SLR's have virtually no shutter lag at all.

If you pre-focus by pressing the shutter button half-way down while aiming at your subject - or where you anticipate your subject will be when you want to take the picture - it will help considerably. You can set your camera in "Sport" mode or "Scenery" and this will minimize the lag. If you do not use the flash, it will help. If you turn off "face detection," it will help. If you turn off the LCD monitor and use the viewfinder only, it will help.

Some point and shoot cameras are better than others. I have a Canon Powershot SD900 that seems quite fast to me. If you go to http://www.dpreview.com and read the reviews (once they are available for the cameras you are considering), you can go to the page called "Performance" and see exactly what the tested shutter lag is, as well as several other performace benchmarks.

Here's a link showing a chart of various cameras and their shutter lag as well as the time it takes to shoot five frames. You will not see any DSLR's listed, because they have no shutter lag. If you click on the column heading, such as "One Shot," the chart will sort according to that measurement.
http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm

Here's a list of five good cameras with brief shot-to-shot delays of less than 1.5 seconds (in good light) each: http://www.cnet.com.au/digitalcameras/cameras/0,239036184,339271492,00.htm
Canon Powershots SD850-IS and SD750, Sony Cybershots DSC-T100 and DSC-W55, Kodak Easyshare C875.

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>>> External Audio Interface help <<<?

best baby monitor reviews uk image

Joe

hi, i'm looking to buy an external audio interface. which one should i get?
the main reason is to get the best sound quality i can out of my monitors (KRK Rokit 6s)
however it'd be good to be able to plug an instrument or mic or two in as well.
my budget is about £150 roughly (or around $230 for you Americans)
i also need help with the cabling. i think XLR is what i want, but the KRKs also have TRS (and unbalanced RCA). any advice about the different cabling would be much appreciated too.

interfaces i've been looking at already are the M-Audio Fast Track Pro or variations of and the Presonus Audiobox... any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!
also, it needs to be able to work with my Windows 7 (64 bit) PC and a MAC laptop i'm getting shortly

Answer
One of the things that you need to be cautious about is the stability of drivers. There are a lot of audio interfaces out there that do the job in terms of hardware and features. But their compatibility with software is horrible due to faulty drivers. Especially since you plan to use that on a 64-bit Windows 7 for a while, driver stability is all the more important.

I would advise you to buy the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. It is available on Amazon UK for exactly £150. It has 2 microphone/instrument inputs with phantom power. And apart from RCA outputs, it has 1/4'' Phono outputs too(which is exactly the same thing as TRS. This baby's drivers are SO solid that it responds well to anything I throw at it. For my last song, it ran 24 tracks of audio with three plugins on each track! It is built like a tank, so it'll last a while too.

Now in comparison to the M-Audio Fast Track, this is far far better. My friend has the M-Audio, so I have hands on experience with both these interfaces. The pre-amps in the M-Audio are just not as good and the output is a bit muddier. The build quality is not as good, and there are a few latency issues. And more importantly, the drivers are a hit and a miss. So I would advise you to stay away from M-Audio Interfaces. Their keyboards and monitors are great. Interfaces, not so much.

I am not sure about the Presonus as I haven't used it. But this is what I found from a review. And if you are a guitar player this might effect you:

"I tried the PreSonus AudioBox recently and was extremely disappointed with it. I didn't try it with a microphone since I'm usually recording guitars direct, but the preamps are designed to ALWAYS have 20 db of gain being applied even with the input turned all the way down. I looked this up on their official forums, and it is intentional. Because of this, I was never able to get a signal that wouldn't clip when palm muting (even with passive pickups). They don't have any kind of software mixer either, so you have to buy an attenuator pad or find some other workaround.

There's also a knob that you use to blend the mix between the hardware direct monitoring signal and the regular output. Even with the knob turned all the way to the regular output side, you still get some "leak" from the direct signal coming through the monitors. This can cause feedback problems, give you inaccurate monitoring (in my situation, because I'm hearing dry/clean guitar signal at the same time as amp sim VSTs), and is just a general pain in the ass.

And just to add icing on the cake...I also discovered that the output starts digitally clipping with the output knob at only 9 O'CLOCK! Ridiculous."

So in conclusion. I will hands down recommend the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. And if it is of any good, it is an English company based in High Wycombe (looked up wikipedia). So it is always good to work with a local company as support is far more available. M-Audio support is terrible. Enjoy!

First time mom here, just registered for my shower yesterday & wondering what products are the best?

Q. Im almost 19 weeks pregnant & had a gender ultrasound yesterday & found out that Im expecting a GIRL! So, we registered right after my appointment at Target & since Im a first time mom we werent sure on a few things to put on the registry. Im wondering if any moms can give me advice & recommendations on the following items that worked best for you & are useful.

The following are things we didnt add to the registry, but are planning to today after getting some reviews on the best ones at Target.

1) Bottles, I have no clue what types are good for newborns. Im not going to breastfeed because Im taking blood pressure meds & dont want to pass to baby, so just bottle feeding

2) Bottle sterilization - which is better, steam or microwave? And which brands?

3) Monitors - This is a very hard one for me. Is video really better? Digital? Analog? Im so clueless on this one

4) Bassinette - We plan on having baby in one in our room the first couple of months. Should I go with something neutral as we are planning to have another child in the future & dont want to have to get another if we get a girly one now & then end up having a boy later. Any certain types better than others?

5) Humidifier - There are cute animals ones at Target (I like the frog) is that a good one, or a Vicks?

6) Sling - Do babies really like these? They look uncomfortable the ones that curve across the body, like babys neck is being strained. And which brand, kind?


**** Thanks ladies, Im a first time mom & just want to get the right stuff not to waste other peoples money & have things that are useful. Baby stuff is so expensive!! Any other tips, advice on anything I forgot is helpful! ****

Answer
1) VERY Hard to choose before the baby is born. Skip adding this and just purchase 2-4 bottles yourself of your choosing, Dr Browns is a good choice but expensive or Avent or similar or also good. Once you know she will definately drink out of them then go out and buy more. If she doesn't like them you'll have wasted a lot of money having to replace them for other ones. Just keep some money aside under your mattress for when the time comes!

2)Microwave!!!! Soooo much quicker and easier. Takes like 4 mins for 4 bottles! Steam is overrated and waaay to expensive compared to the microwave one.
If you own a dishwasher, wash the bottles in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water (what you have to do before using any steriliser anyway), and throw them in the washer instead.

3) I chose just a regular one without all the bells and whistles. I only need to hear my baby and that is it. All those extra bits and pieces is just a marketing ploy. Just use a regular one with good sound clarity. Mine is a basic fisher price sound and lights monitor and it works just perfectly. Its not like I can see my baby when I'm sleeping anyway and thats really when you need it. It does have a little night light on it which I do recommend though. This is it and is great.
http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2009/126/4/1241601168-90347_full.jpg

4) Def get a neutral one. Dont get a pink or blue. I do like the idea of the arms reach co sleeper that the other person said but only if its on wheels and the side that juts up to the parents bed can actually be closed off so you can utilise it in other areas of the house. if you don't know what they are heres a link
http://www.totscorner.co.uk/images/Universal_CoSleeper.jpg
otherwise a normal, neutral coloured one is great. Nothing too fancy with music, vibrating, rocking or anything like that. Its a complete waste of the extra money and those functions will not get used especially as its only for the first couple of months when a newborn could care less about it lol

5) Def get the vicks one. It will last, the novelty ones will not

6) I tried slings and carriers. Gave me such a sore back and were uncomfortable and I felt less than agile and more cumbersome than when I was pregnant, if thats even possible! but others swear by them, its personal preference. I'd rather put my baby in his or her pram/stroller to be honest. It was okay when they were less than 12 weeks old but after that it just made me way too sore.
Apparently the contoured slings are fine for them because when you think about it they are all scrunched up in the womb so being in those slings is apprently no different. I wouldn't use one personally

Hope that helps! Good Luck!!

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

First time mom here, just registered for my shower yesterday & wondering what products are the best?

best baby monitor reviews uk image

Q. Im almost 19 weeks pregnant & had a gender ultrasound yesterday & found out that Im expecting a GIRL! So, we registered right after my appointment at Target & since Im a first time mom we werent sure on a few things to put on the registry. Im wondering if any moms can give me advice & recommendations on the following items that worked best for you & are useful.

The following are things we didnt add to the registry, but are planning to today after getting some reviews on the best ones at Target.

1) Bottles, I have no clue what types are good for newborns. Im not going to breastfeed because Im taking blood pressure meds & dont want to pass to baby, so just bottle feeding

2) Bottle sterilization - which is better, steam or microwave? And which brands?

3) Monitors - This is a very hard one for me. Is video really better? Digital? Analog? Im so clueless on this one

4) Bassinette - We plan on having baby in one in our room the first couple of months. Should I go with something neutral as we are planning to have another child in the future & dont want to have to get another if we get a girly one now & then end up having a boy later. Any certain types better than others?

5) Humidifier - There are cute animals ones at Target (I like the frog) is that a good one, or a Vicks?

6) Sling - Do babies really like these? They look uncomfortable the ones that curve across the body, like babys neck is being strained. And which brand, kind?


**** Thanks ladies, Im a first time mom & just want to get the right stuff not to waste other peoples money & have things that are useful. Baby stuff is so expensive!! Any other tips, advice on anything I forgot is helpful! ****

Answer
1) VERY Hard to choose before the baby is born. Skip adding this and just purchase 2-4 bottles yourself of your choosing, Dr Browns is a good choice but expensive or Avent or similar or also good. Once you know she will definately drink out of them then go out and buy more. If she doesn't like them you'll have wasted a lot of money having to replace them for other ones. Just keep some money aside under your mattress for when the time comes!

2)Microwave!!!! Soooo much quicker and easier. Takes like 4 mins for 4 bottles! Steam is overrated and waaay to expensive compared to the microwave one.
If you own a dishwasher, wash the bottles in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water (what you have to do before using any steriliser anyway), and throw them in the washer instead.

3) I chose just a regular one without all the bells and whistles. I only need to hear my baby and that is it. All those extra bits and pieces is just a marketing ploy. Just use a regular one with good sound clarity. Mine is a basic fisher price sound and lights monitor and it works just perfectly. Its not like I can see my baby when I'm sleeping anyway and thats really when you need it. It does have a little night light on it which I do recommend though. This is it and is great.
http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2009/126/4/1241601168-90347_full.jpg

4) Def get a neutral one. Dont get a pink or blue. I do like the idea of the arms reach co sleeper that the other person said but only if its on wheels and the side that juts up to the parents bed can actually be closed off so you can utilise it in other areas of the house. if you don't know what they are heres a link
http://www.totscorner.co.uk/images/Universal_CoSleeper.jpg
otherwise a normal, neutral coloured one is great. Nothing too fancy with music, vibrating, rocking or anything like that. Its a complete waste of the extra money and those functions will not get used especially as its only for the first couple of months when a newborn could care less about it lol

5) Def get the vicks one. It will last, the novelty ones will not

6) I tried slings and carriers. Gave me such a sore back and were uncomfortable and I felt less than agile and more cumbersome than when I was pregnant, if thats even possible! but others swear by them, its personal preference. I'd rather put my baby in his or her pram/stroller to be honest. It was okay when they were less than 12 weeks old but after that it just made me way too sore.
Apparently the contoured slings are fine for them because when you think about it they are all scrunched up in the womb so being in those slings is apprently no different. I wouldn't use one personally

Hope that helps! Good Luck!!

I cant believe it, they MISSED something on my ultrasound! shallow amniotic fluid? can someone help?

Bogan Mum

Ok, il give the scenario quickly. 37 weeks, fundal height (tummy measurement) is only at 34weeks and baby is measuring at 34-35 weeks on ultrasound and her measurements are well below average and only just above the 5% emergency line, her weight has been guessed around 4lb 2oz. if you want the full picture go to my questions and read the one where it says "feel like they arent doing enough to find out whats wrong with my baby". please dont question my due dates or shyt like that as its all explained in the question i said.

Went to hospital today to get monitored and for a better scan to check the amniotic fluid levels and to make sure blood is getting to the baby. They SAID everything was fine and to come back in 2 weeks for another scan and if she hasnt grown then they will induce me then.

However, just got a call from my midwife (its 9.15pm) saying that they (hospital) were reviewing my notes and pictures from ultrasound and noticed that my pools of fluid were too low for 37 weeks?

Now what does that mean? I took a couple of guesses. Does it mean that im further on than they think? Because going by my period my due date would be the 9th november (making me 39 weeks on monday) but at my 6 week scan they put me back to the 18th november (making me 37 weeks 2 days today). Or does it mean that i could be leaking amniotic fluid and not noticing?

Honestly i wish they would just get her out of me so i can stop worrying. Im so fcuked off, honestly!

Answer
Low amniotic fluid can be caused by a few things. Problems with the placenta, leaking or ruptures with the membrane, post date pregnancy (which you don't have since you're early, not over due), dehydration, hypertension, preeclampsia, diabetes and can also be caused by a birth defect with the baby if the kidneys are not developed properly since the amniotic fluid is made up of her urine at this point.

At this point, your best option would be to have your baby delivered unless they give you options on how to raise the level of fluids.

If I were you, I'd go through with your delivery and if you were planning on having more children, switch to an OB (I didn't notice if you were in the UK/Australia or not) or switch midwife since your midwife has left you hanging with a diagnosis that to us can sound like the end of the world without a resolution or explanation as to what's going on.

Please call your midwife and have her explain all of it to you until you are fully satisfied with her explanation and then ask her what the next course of action is until you are satisfied with her answer.

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Building a Computer...Can you help me!?!?

Q. Ok so i am currently running a Pentium 4 dell factory 8300 desktop computer.
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/desktops/0,1000000968,10004197,00.htm I updated the graphics card last year to a very nice ATI card, and i also added another 512 stick of Ram. Everything is fine on it, but i just want more speed/power/reliability. So i am wanting to build myself a new computer and purchase the parts off of new egg. My question is what all do I need to buy, and what can i steal from my old comp?

I figure the new Core Duo processor is a must. (2.0 GHZ)
I also am going to get a new tower. (This will come with a power supply).
I will steal my old graphics/video card as well as mouse, keyboard, speakers, and monitors.
Do I need to buy a CD-Rom, CD-RW, CD-DVD or can i steal these too?
Motherboard? If so how much memory usage do i need for serious gaming?
Sound card, can i steal this from the Dell?
Ram, I currently have a gig of ram in the other comp, can i steal these too?

A. ok well first. the core duo is nice but it will not work on your current mobo. the core duo is a lga type (which has not pins)
so you will need a new mobo. next yes you can use your optical drives(dvd cd)
you will probably need to use different memeory as well. most mobos use ddr2 which is much faster. i would go with at least 2gigs of this.
next get a seriousl graphics card with at least 256 and either agp2 or a pci express. i recomend either stealth with a radeon chipset or a realy nice nividia card.

also not to knock new egg but you might want to try global first they tend to have a little better slection on cases and on prices they are alot lower than most places.

one last thing when you get your new mobo,tower and stuff make sure you get at least 2 case fans. one push back and one pull in front to keep this monster cool. eithr that or do what i did and put yourself togethr a system with these parts.

intell core duo extreme
3 gig of ddr2
2tb hardrive(sata)
stealth graphics card with radeon 9800 running 512mb pci express
volcano temp and tach case fans
water cooler
850 watt power supply
asus motherboard (ifogot the number)
a 37" lcd screen
wireless mouse and kb
linksys 2.4 ghz wireless dsl setup

this baby kicks a>>
good luck dude
let me know how it goes ok. and hey dont burn down the house doin it like i almost did with my first build 10 years ago.lol

Original Question

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Building a Computer...Can you help me!?!?

Q. Ok so i am currently running a Pentium 4 dell factory 8300 desktop computer.
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/desktops/0,1000000968,10004197,00.htm I updated the graphics card last year to a very nice ATI card, and i also added another 512 stick of Ram. Everything is fine on it, but i just want more speed/power/reliability. So i am wanting to build myself a new computer and purchase the parts off of new egg. My question is what all do I need to buy, and what can i steal from my old comp?

I figure the new Core Duo processor is a must. (2.0 GHZ)
I also am going to get a new tower. (This will come with a power supply).
I will steal my old graphics/video card as well as mouse, keyboard, speakers, and monitors.
Do I need to buy a CD-Rom, CD-RW, CD-DVD or can i steal these too?
Motherboard? If so how much memory usage do i need for serious gaming?
Sound card, can i steal this from the Dell?
Ram, I currently have a gig of ram in the other comp, can i steal these too?

A. ok well first. the core duo is nice but it will not work on your current mobo. the core duo is a lga type (which has not pins)
so you will need a new mobo. next yes you can use your optical drives(dvd cd)
you will probably need to use different memeory as well. most mobos use ddr2 which is much faster. i would go with at least 2gigs of this.
next get a seriousl graphics card with at least 256 and either agp2 or a pci express. i recomend either stealth with a radeon chipset or a realy nice nividia card.

also not to knock new egg but you might want to try global first they tend to have a little better slection on cases and on prices they are alot lower than most places.

one last thing when you get your new mobo,tower and stuff make sure you get at least 2 case fans. one push back and one pull in front to keep this monster cool. eithr that or do what i did and put yourself togethr a system with these parts.

intell core duo extreme
3 gig of ddr2
2tb hardrive(sata)
stealth graphics card with radeon 9800 running 512mb pci express
volcano temp and tach case fans
water cooler
850 watt power supply
asus motherboard (ifogot the number)
a 37" lcd screen
wireless mouse and kb
linksys 2.4 ghz wireless dsl setup

this baby kicks a>>
good luck dude
let me know how it goes ok. and hey dont burn down the house doin it like i almost did with my first build 10 years ago.lol

Original Question

>>> External Audio Interface help <<<?

Q. hi, i'm looking to buy an external audio interface. which one should i get?
the main reason is to get the best sound quality i can out of my monitors (KRK Rokit 6s)
however it'd be good to be able to plug an instrument or mic or two in as well.
my budget is about £150 roughly (or around $230 for you Americans)
i also need help with the cabling. i think XLR is what i want, but the KRKs also have TRS (and unbalanced RCA). any advice about the different cabling would be much appreciated too.

interfaces i've been looking at already are the M-Audio Fast Track Pro or variations of and the Presonus Audiobox... any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!
also, it needs to be able to work with my Windows 7 (64 bit) PC and a MAC laptop i'm getting shortly

A. One of the things that you need to be cautious about is the stability of drivers. There are a lot of audio interfaces out there that do the job in terms of hardware and features. But their compatibility with software is horrible due to faulty drivers. Especially since you plan to use that on a 64-bit Windows 7 for a while, driver stability is all the more important.

I would advise you to buy the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. It is available on Amazon UK for exactly £150. It has 2 microphone/instrument inputs with phantom power. And apart from RCA outputs, it has 1/4'' Phono outputs too(which is exactly the same thing as TRS. This baby's drivers are SO solid that it responds well to anything I throw at it. For my last song, it ran 24 tracks of audio with three plugins on each track! It is built like a tank, so it'll last a while too.

Now in comparison to the M-Audio Fast Track, this is far far better. My friend has the M-Audio, so I have hands on experience with both these interfaces. The pre-amps in the M-Audio are just not as good and the output is a bit muddier. The build quality is not as good, and there are a few latency issues. And more importantly, the drivers are a hit and a miss. So I would advise you to stay away from M-Audio Interfaces. Their keyboards and monitors are great. Interfaces, not so much.

I am not sure about the Presonus as I haven't used it. But this is what I found from a review. And if you are a guitar player this might effect you:

"I tried the PreSonus AudioBox recently and was extremely disappointed with it. I didn't try it with a microphone since I'm usually recording guitars direct, but the preamps are designed to ALWAYS have 20 db of gain being applied even with the input turned all the way down. I looked this up on their official forums, and it is intentional. Because of this, I was never able to get a signal that wouldn't clip when palm muting (even with passive pickups). They don't have any kind of software mixer either, so you have to buy an attenuator pad or find some other workaround.

There's also a knob that you use to blend the mix between the hardware direct monitoring signal and the regular output. Even with the knob turned all the way to the regular output side, you still get some "leak" from the direct signal coming through the monitors. This can cause feedback problems, give you inaccurate monitoring (in my situation, because I'm hearing dry/clean guitar signal at the same time as amp sim VSTs), and is just a general pain in the ass.

And just to add icing on the cake...I also discovered that the output starts digitally clipping with the output knob at only 9 O'CLOCK! Ridiculous."

So in conclusion. I will hands down recommend the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. And if it is of any good, it is an English company based in High Wycombe (looked up wikipedia). So it is always good to work with a local company as support is far more available. M-Audio support is terrible. Enjoy!

Original Question

First time mom here, just registered for my shower yesterday & wondering what products are the best?

Q. Im almost 19 weeks pregnant & had a gender ultrasound yesterday & found out that Im expecting a GIRL! So, we registered right after my appointment at Target & since Im a first time mom we werent sure on a few things to put on the registry. Im wondering if any moms can give me advice & recommendations on the following items that worked best for you & are useful.

The following are things we didnt add to the registry, but are planning to today after getting some reviews on the best ones at Target.

1) Bottles, I have no clue what types are good for newborns. Im not going to breastfeed because Im taking blood pressure meds & dont want to pass to baby, so just bottle feeding

2) Bottle sterilization - which is better, steam or microwave? And which brands?

3) Monitors - This is a very hard one for me. Is video really better? Digital? Analog? Im so clueless on this one

4) Bassinette - We plan on having baby in one in our room the first couple of months. Should I go with something neutral as we are planning to have another child in the future & dont want to have to get another if we get a girly one now & then end up having a boy later. Any certain types better than others?

5) Humidifier - There are cute animals ones at Target (I like the frog) is that a good one, or a Vicks?

6) Sling - Do babies really like these? They look uncomfortable the ones that curve across the body, like babys neck is being strained. And which brand, kind?


**** Thanks ladies, Im a first time mom & just want to get the right stuff not to waste other peoples money & have things that are useful. Baby stuff is so expensive!! Any other tips, advice on anything I forgot is helpful! ****

A. 1) VERY Hard to choose before the baby is born. Skip adding this and just purchase 2-4 bottles yourself of your choosing, Dr Browns is a good choice but expensive or Avent or similar or also good. Once you know she will definately drink out of them then go out and buy more. If she doesn't like them you'll have wasted a lot of money having to replace them for other ones. Just keep some money aside under your mattress for when the time comes!

2)Microwave!!!! Soooo much quicker and easier. Takes like 4 mins for 4 bottles! Steam is overrated and waaay to expensive compared to the microwave one.
If you own a dishwasher, wash the bottles in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water (what you have to do before using any steriliser anyway), and throw them in the washer instead.

3) I chose just a regular one without all the bells and whistles. I only need to hear my baby and that is it. All those extra bits and pieces is just a marketing ploy. Just use a regular one with good sound clarity. Mine is a basic fisher price sound and lights monitor and it works just perfectly. Its not like I can see my baby when I'm sleeping anyway and thats really when you need it. It does have a little night light on it which I do recommend though. This is it and is great.
http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2009/126/4/1241601168-90347_full.jpg

4) Def get a neutral one. Dont get a pink or blue. I do like the idea of the arms reach co sleeper that the other person said but only if its on wheels and the side that juts up to the parents bed can actually be closed off so you can utilise it in other areas of the house. if you don't know what they are heres a link
http://www.totscorner.co.uk/images/Universal_CoSleeper.jpg
otherwise a normal, neutral coloured one is great. Nothing too fancy with music, vibrating, rocking or anything like that. Its a complete waste of the extra money and those functions will not get used especially as its only for the first couple of months when a newborn could care less about it lol

5) Def get the vicks one. It will last, the novelty ones will not

6) I tried slings and carriers. Gave me such a sore back and were uncomfortable and I felt less than agile and more cumbersome than when I was pregnant, if thats even possible! but others swear by them, its personal preference. I'd rather put my baby in his or her pram/stroller to be honest. It was okay when they were less than 12 weeks old but after that it just made me way too sore.
Apparently the contoured slings are fine for them because when you think about it they are all scrunched up in the womb so being in those slings is apprently no different. I wouldn't use one personally

Hope that helps! Good Luck!!

Original Question

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