Showing posts for January 2005
Millions of people around the world begin their day with a cup of coffee, believing that they cannot wake up without it. However, there are other ways to get going in the morning - to wake up naturally, without a dependence on coffee.
One of the main problems with human and computer interaction is the computers inability to understand natural language. The aim of natural language processing is to allow the computer to understand and react to voice and written communication, as well as generation.
As well as helping to improve spelling and grammar checking, natural language process has the potential to allow people with disabilities to interact more with computers.
One of the most important parts of 'playing the market' is researching companies.
What is the difference between human intelligence and artificial intelligence?
The difference between natural intelligence (e.g human intelligence) and artificial intelligence is hard to define, as not much is known about natural intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can learn, just like natural intelligence (NI). When programmed to, Artificial Intelligence can sense changes in its environment and react accordingly. It can then refer to the ways it reacted to previous changes to help decide what to do the next time a similar change occurs.
Both Artificial Intelligence and natural intelligence are mortal. Like humans, Artificial Intelligence can cease working and all that is needed is a natural or man-made disaster to occur.
One big difference between Artificial Intelligence and natural intelligence is the fact that natural intelligence can forget and lose information. Artificial Intelligence could do this if it was program to do so, but this would be counter-productive.
Another big difference is accuracy. Artificial Intelligence, when given the same information can be exact, every time with speed. When natural intelligence is given the same information, it can not be as exact, and is slower.
Evaluate a number of factors before you decide it is time to sell some of your shares.
Consider selling if the price has dropped substantially or remained stagnant for several months.
Think about selling if the price has risen to or beyond a target that you established when you bought the shares.
Note whether the company's fundamentals remain strong..
Evaluate earnings trends, management changes, revenue growth and other basics to determine whether fundamentals are sound. Even if the share price is sluggish or, for that matter, has hit new highs, you might want to hang on to the shares if fundamentals remain sound and growth prospects look good.
Visit your public library's business reference section and review reports by Standard & Poor. Do they project no price appreciation for the shares?
Consider changes in the competition. If an effective new player or several hot new players have entered the market, your share growth prospects could be in jeopardy.
Think about the company's product line. If the company depends on one product alone and has no plans of broadening its base, perhaps you should think about selling.
Consider the tax consequences of selling shares. If you have taxable capital gains, you might want to take some losses to reduce your taxes.
There are no set areas of AI when it is looked at from what the AI system does. This is because many of the systems do many different things. For example, a robot many include areas of Natural Language Processing, Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning that help it to do its job.
One website says the field of AI can be spilt into four main sections.
This is quite different to another site that says that major areas of artificial intelligence research can be split into seven categories.
A third website has yet another way of defining the main areas. On this website, the areas are divided into ten areas.
The above areas of AI can be summarized into five main areas. That will be covered in more depth in other articles.
Small talk can be a big challenge, but a little preparation and confidence is all you need.
“Machine learning is the ability of a computer to learn from experience. It is essential in situations where the environment changes, standards of expertise changes and in situations where there is no case history or historical data of any kind and learning takes place as a task is performed.”
Machine learning is the adjustment of computers ‘knowledge’ according to the computers experience to help with later tasks.
Goose bumps are caused by a reflex called piloerection. All mammals, including us, have skin covered with hair. Much of our body hair is quite fine -- sometimes barely visible. When the hair in the follicle lifts up (that's piloerection) it makes the hair follicle stand out. And that causes goose bumps, so named because they look like the skin of a plucked goose.
Piloerection puffs up furry mammals, making a cold animal warmer or a frightened animal more impressive. That's why when a kitten encounters a dog, it turns into a little hissing puffball.
Goose bumps are an automatic response, like sweating or increased heart rate. We can't easily control them.
Like other emotion-linked reflexes -- blushing, turning pale, butterflies in the stomach -- goose bumps are triggered by the limbic system of the brain. This governs primitive drives: sex, fear, rage, aggression and hunger. All the good stuff.
The limbic system is connected to two parts of the brain: the thalamus, which receives virtually all sensory input, and the hypothalamus. In humans, these parts of the brain allow emotional stimulation from music or the reading of poetry to cause goose bumps.
It seems music not only soothes the savage beast, it also makes it prickly. But why?
Poetry and music -- and even the scariest of movies -- don't make us cold, and aren't physically threatening. Why does our depth of human feeling make us respond like a frightened kitten?
Our automatic response to music or movies or emotion isn't driven by a physical prompt, but by a psychological one. What we see or hear or feel makes us vulnerable in a different -- but just as meaningful -- way.
Something that causes severe anxiety causes an adrenaline rush -- but so does something that causes intense pleasure or an emotional "welling up." Like the final scene in "Field of Dreams," when Kevin Costner asks his dad to play catch.
Our bodies often can't tell the difference between what's real and what's imagined. That's why you might get hungry watching a TV commercial that shows a hot, fresh pizza bubbling with cheese and pepperoni. It's also why you might get the wits scared out of you when the alien finally walks by in the movie "Signs" -- even though, logically, you know the theater is cozy and safe.
As we've become more civilized creatures, cerebral things have become more physically "real" to us. We don't need to puff up to fight rivals much anymore, but we do encounter and process many powerful emotional and psychological stimuli. That's our reality in the 21st century.
And the response varies from person to person.
"For some, being in a specific fearful situation causes goose bumps, but in another the same specific fearful situation does not," explains the University of Kansas' Dr. David Pendergrass, who's written about goose bumps and related responses.
"The key to understanding the perception is previous experience. A young child gets goose bumps because he is in a poorly lit room with whistling winds and long shadows and his best friend telling him a story about someone getting killed by a ghost in this very room. But if you were in the same room and being told the same story, you would probably not have goose bumps. The young child does not have the same previous experiences as you."
Author Stephen King, this generation's master of horror, has probably given goose bumps to as many people as anyone. Last year the National Book Foundation presented him its annual medal for distinguished contribution to American letters. It was the first time an author of a popular genre like horror had received the award.
King recalled being called "a hack, a terrible writer, everything that is wrong with America.
"After 25 years of that, to get something like this ..." King said, getting overwhelmed, "I got goose bumps."
A knowledge based system is a system that is designed to help solve difficult problems and make decisions.
They can often be divided into 3 parts:
Q. Sometimes when I listen to certain pieces of music or hear replays of certain historic events, I get goose bumps. Why? -- Bob Tennyson, Kings Mountain
Bob, I love finding out what gives people goose bumps. Is it the scene in the movie "The Sixth Sense" when Haley Joel Osment whispers "I see dead people"? Is it the plaintive singing of Sam Cooke? Is it hearing John F. Kennedy declare: "Ask not what your country can do for you ..."?
Goose bumps are caused by a reflex called piloerection. All mammals, including us, have skin covered with hair. Much of our body hair is quite fine -- sometimes barely visible. When the hair in the follicle lifts up (that's piloerection) it makes the hair follicle stand out. And that causes goose bumps, so named because they look like the skin of a plucked goose.
Piloerection puffs up furry mammals, making a cold animal warmer ora frightened animal more impressive. That's why when a kitten encounters a dog, it turns into a little hissing puffball.
Goose bumps are an automatic response, like sweating or increased heart rate. We can't easily control them.
Like other emotion-linked reflexes -- blushing, turning pale, butterflies in the stomach -- goose bumps are triggered by the limbic system of the brain. This governs primitive drives: sex, fear, rage, aggression and hunger. All the good stuff.
The limbic system is connected to two parts of the brain: the thalamus, which receives virtually all sensory input, and the hypothalamus. In humans, these parts of the brain allow emotional stimulation from music or the reading of poetry to cause goose bumps.
It seems music not only soothes the savage breast, it also makes it prickly.
But why?
Poetry and music -- and even the scariest of movies -- don't make us cold, and aren't physically threatening. Why does our depth of human feeling make us respond like a frightened kitten?
Our automatic response to music or movies or emotion isn't driven by a physical prompt, but by a psychological one. What we see or hear or feel makes us vulnerable in a different -- but just as meaningful -- way.
Something that causes severe anxiety causes an adrenaline rush -- but so does something that causes intense pleasure or an emotional "welling up." Like the final scene in "Field of Dreams," when Kevin Costner asks his dad to play catch.
Our bodies often can't tell the difference between what's real and what's imagined. That's why you might get hungry watching a TV commercial that shows a hot, fresh pizza bubbling with cheese and pepperoni. It's also why you might get the wits scared out of you when the alien finally walks by in the movie "Signs" -- even though, logically, you know the theater is cozy and safe.
As we've become more civilized creatures, cerebral things have become more physically "real" to us. We don't need to puff up to fight rivals much anymore, but we do encounter and process many powerful emotional and psychological stimuli. That's our reality in the 21st century.
And the response varies from person to person.
"For some, being in a specific fearful situation causes goose bumps, but in another the same specific fearful situation does not," explains the University of Kansas' Dr. David Pendergrass, who's written about goose bumps and related responses.
"The key to understanding the perception is previous experience. A young child gets goose bumps because he is in a poorly lit room with whistling winds and long shadows and his best friend telling him a story about someone getting killed by a ghost in this very room. But if you were in the same room and being told the same story, you would probably not have goose bumps. The young child does not have the same previous experiences as you."
Author Stephen King, this generation's master of horror, has probably given goose bumps to as many people as anyone. Last year the National Book Foundation presented him its annual medal for distinguished contribution to American letters. It was the first time an author of a popular genre like horror had received the award.
King recalled being called "a hack, a terrible writer, everything that is wrong with America.
"After 25 years of that, to get something like this ..." King said, getting overwhelmed, "I got goose bumps."
Sometimes it's not awe, but awww.
A.M. Turing published "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" (1950). -
The paper also introduces the Turing test. This is where one out of two participants is replaced by a computer and observer tries to work out which is the computer. If the computer can not be picked, then for all intent and purposes, it is intelligent.
Prolog was designed in 1973 by Alain Colmerauer to implement the idea in the 1970’s of programming in logic. It uses symbolic manipulation to create a flexible yet powerful programming frame work. It allows the uses of facts and rules.
parent(bill,sam).
parent(sam,tom).
grandparent(X,Z) :- parent(X,Y),parent(Y,Z).
? – grandparent(X,tom)
Prolog can workout from the above example that bill is the grandparent of tom.
In 1997 the chess playing super computer ‘Deep Blue’ was put online. After 2 other attempts, Garry Kasparov (The current world chess master) was beaten by Deep Blue. Deep blue operated at One Trillion operations per second.
In total, IBM spent millions of dollars and five years building the world's most powerful chess playing computer. On their website they say that they did this “merely as a benchmarking process” and that they are “taking some of the lessons [they] learned from building this system and applying it to other complex and difficult problems that require a tremendous amount of computational power”.
Body language is the meaning behind the words or the “unspoken” language. Surprisingly, studies show that only up to an estimated 10 percent of our communication is verbal.
The majority of the rest of communication is unspoken. This unspoken language isn’t rocket science. However, there are some generalizations or basic interpretations that can be applied to help with the understanding or translating of these unspoken meanings. Here are some basics below.
1. Smile
Women like warm smiles. Think of a heartfelt warm-fussy, maybe your favourite pet, and smile.
2. Eyes
If you don’t look a woman in the eyes while speaking, this can be interpreted as dishonesty or hiding something. Likewise, shifting eye movement or rapid changing of focus/direction can translate similarly.
If more than one woman is present in a group, look each in the eye as you speak, slowly turning to face the next with eye contact as well. Continue on so that each one has felt your warm, trusting glance. Some suggest beginning with one person and moving clockwise around the group so that no one is missed, and so that you are not darting around, seemingly glaring at people.
3. Attention Span / Attitude
Women can tell what type attitude you have by your attention span. If you quickly lose focus of what is being said, and if your attention span wanders, this shows through and makes you seem disinterested, bored, possibly even uncaring.
4. Attention Direction
If you sit or stand so that you are blocking another in the party, say someone is behind you, this can be interpreted as rude or thoughtless. So be sure to turn so that everyone is included in the conversation or angle of view, or turn gently, at ease and slowly, while talking, so that everyone is incorporated, recognized and involved in the conversation. Again some suggest the clockwise movement when working a group.
5. Arms Folded / Legs Crossed
This can be seen as defensive or an end to the conversation. So have arms hang freely or hold a glass of water, a business card or note taking instruments while communicating with women. Be open with open arms. Note: If you need to cross legs, cross at your ankles and not your knees. Sitting tightly folded up says that you are closed to communications.
6. Head Shaking
If women are shaking their heads while you speak, they are in agreement. If they are shaking, “no,” disagreement reigns in their minds.
7. Space / Distance
On the whole, women like their own personal body space. Give women room and keep out of their space. Entering to close can be intrusive and viewed as aggressive. Leaning – Sitting or standing, leaning is viewed as interest. In other words, an interested listener leans toward the speaker. Note women's body language – While you are with women, note how their bodies read. If a woman suddenly folds her arms across her chest and begins shaking her head “no,” you’ve probably lost her. You might try taking a step back and picking up where the conversation began this turn for the negative and regroup. It’s all about strategic planning!
1950 - A.M. Turing published "Computing Machinery and Intelligence"
(1950). -
The paper also introduces the Turing test. This is where one out of two
participants is replaced by a computer and observer tries to work out which is
the computer. If the computer can not be picked, then for all intent and
purposes, it is intelligent.
1958 - John McCarthy (MIT) invented the Lisp language. Lisp (standing for
list programming) uses predicate logic and recursion rather than common looping.
1964 – A MIT student, Richard Greenblatt builds MacHack. MacHack was a
knowledge-based chess playing computer that achieved a C class chess ranking.
1973 - Alain Colmerauer developed Prolog. Prolog (standing for
programming in logic) focuses on the logic rather than the process of solving
the problem.
1973 – A group at Edinburgh University created Freddy. A robot that was
able to put together a toy wooded car and boat in about 16 hours.
1979 – A medical diagnostic program based on knowledge call INTERNIST was
created by Jack Myers and Harry Pople.
1979 – Hans Moravec creates the Sandford cart. The cart could navigate a
chair-filled room.
1997 – The world chess grand master was beaten by Deep Blue, a chess
playing computer.
1997 – Web crawlers (or spiders) and AI based data mining programs become
widely used on the Internet.
2000 – Robotic ‘Smart’ pets become available to the general public.
2000 - A Carnegie Mellon University robot ‘Nomad’, explores Antarctica in the hope of finding meteorite samples.
Does she want you, or doesn't she? Her words may be ambiguous, but her body language says it all.
Imagine this: You're saying goodnight to a terrific woman you've just met and hope to see again. "I'll call you in a couple of days," you say enthusiastically.
"That would be great," she replies, raising her left hand in front of her face, then fluttering her fingers in what looks like a sexy little au revoir wave as she slowly backs away.
You stand there grinning as she turns and strides quickly toward her car. You're excited about all the possibilities - until two days later, when you make the promised phone call and hear, "You know, I don't think we really have enough in common to see each other again."
Huh?
Where did that come from? Didn't she say it would be great if you called? So what's the story?
The problem is, in the euphoric haze of what you thought wasa very promising encounter, you heard her words but tuned out the cues she was giving you in the language of inescapable truth: her body language.
You didn't notice that by backing away from you, by using her hand as a subtle barrier to keep you at bay, and by fanning the air with her "goodbye" message, her body contradicted every word her lips formed. Maybe she didn't consciously know she had reservations about seeing you until much later, but her body knew from the get-go and was letting you know with key rejection signals. And since you weren't reading her completely, you wound up getting blindsided.
When it comes to understanding a woman, what she's doing is just as important as what she's saying - sometimes more so. After all, she can't be totally honest; if she comes out and tells you she's hot for you, she might seem desperate or easy. Or if she isn't interested in what you're selling, she might not want to hurt your feelings by saying so. Luckily, her body's messages are a lot less coy, which means that understanding them will give you a better idea of what she's really thinking and feeling. And then you'll know when you need to change your approach or move on to someone else, and when it's time to go in for the kill.
The next time you meet a woman you're interested in, watch for the following physical signals. (Of course, don't concentrate so hard that you forget to listen to what she's actually saying, too.) The more you practice, the better you'll become at figuring out what's really going on in a woman's head. And who knows? She might be happy to have finally met a man who truly understands her.
1. If she makes direct, steady eye contact, she's interested. (You may be able to stir her on with a few lingering gazes of your own, but don't overdo it - staring will just make her uncomfortable, especially if you forget where her eyes are.)
2. If she leans in close to you, she's attracted. And if she gets close enough to whisper in your ear, she's really saying that she wants to be even closer.
3. If she leans away from you, she's distancing herself from what you're talking about - or from you. Change your approach immediately.
4. If she smiles with her mouth but not her eyes, it's likely that she's just trying to be polite.
5. But if you can see both rows of teeth when she smiles, she's genuinely happy to be with you.
6. If her palms are open, it shows sincerity and receptivity - she isn't hiding anything from you.
7. If her fists are closed or clenched, she's angry or she's protecting herself from you (or she's about to take a swing at you).
8. If she tilts her head, she's creating a sultry, affectionate gaze that shows her interest.
9. If she tosses or touches her hair, this is classic "preening" behavior and is clearly flirtatious in a social setting.
10. if she lifts her hair off her neck and stretches, baring her neck, she's displaying submissive behavior that leaves her vulnerable to you - a telltale sign of attraction.
11. If she taps or drums her fingers, she's bored, impatient or annoyed.
12. If her legs are crossed in your directions, she's inviting you to stay put.
13. But if she's swinging her foot in your direction, consider that she's actually making a kicking motion.
14. If she hides her face with her hand or a menu, she's protecting herself from you, or she's keeping something from you.
15. If her hand is on her cheek, she's still evaluating the situation.
16. If her hand is over her mouth, she disapproves of you or is reluctant to say what's on her mind.
17. If she blushes, or her ears or chest redden, she's nervous, excited and possibly quite attracted to you.
18. If she moistens her lips with the tip of her tongue, that's a very good thing. If she applies lipstick in your presence, that's even better ... especially if she does it slowly.
19. If her arms are crossed, she's defensive and guarded.
20. If she touches your arm, even very casually, that's a very good sign. Even if she touches everybody that way, this signal may not mean she's crazy about you, but she certainly isn't repulsed by you.
21. If she touches any other part of your body, she definitely wants to get to know you better.
22. If she rubs up against you with her body, she really wants you - unless, of course, she just had to squeeze by you in order to get to the bathroom.
23. If she seems generally tense, ask her nicely if she's hada bad day. If she hasn't, it's you. Now is the time to get her to laugh, ask her to dance or at least have another drink before she bolts.
24. If she seems generally relaxed, you're doing fine - she's enjoying being with you and is open to future possibilities. If you keep doing what you've been doing, she'll be putty in your hands.
Seattle-based therapist Joy Davidson, PhD, answers your sex questions in our "Ask Dr. Joy" column.
If you're at a bar or a party and have been together for more than 10 minutes, ask if you can buy her a drink. (This may seem rudimentary, but you'd be surprised how many men ignore basic boy-girl etiquette.
If you want to spark a woman's welcoming body signals, you'll need to use that other language - English - to get her interested. Here are few ways to tune up your conversational skills and keep the electricity flowing during that all-important first encounter.
AI is not only used for Process Control, Process Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis/Maintenance, but also for Scheduling and Planning.
The reasons for using AI for scheduling and planning is that as more factors have to be taken into account in a larger business, there is a need for fast service and good quality products. As well as offering speed, it can take many factors into account and produce for the user different ways of planning to choose from.
Because AI is programmed, it has greater potential not to miss information given to it.
Because of it’s speed, its analytical abilities and it non-biased point of view, AI can be an important tool in making management that could take ethics into account and increase management productivity.
With good planning and the use of AI, processes can become more Energy Efficient, have better Quality and be more Productive. This, in the end, means more money and better business.
Saving money when you're young age is an important lesson. All good lessons and habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone needs. Many people - adults included - do not have a good sense of saving for the long run. Besides being a great way to ensure you have enough money for your old age, saving money when you are young can only help your future.
I have been lucky to learn this lesson early because I have had a lawn business since I was ten years old. Of the money I make, I spend approximately ten percent and save the other ninety.
Making sure you don't spend too much and continuing to save is a good way to accumulate wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank, and with investments and regular interest rates, have almost doubled my savings. Your money will double after twelve years at a modest rate of six percent interest. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to grow.
Teens should realize that now is a prime time to begin saving. In high school many parents pay for almost everything, so expenses can be small. If you have a job, you should have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some so that it will grow for you without your working, and begin planning for your future. When you spend money, you not only lose that money, but also the interest you could have accumulated by saving it.
After high school, college is expensive and then "real" life begins, with expenses such as food and rent. If you can hold onto a good portion of the money you earn as a teen, going to college and buying a house will be much easier. The earlier you begin saving, the more time the money has to grow.
If you are in your thirties without any savings, you will always have to play catch up. If you can just save $100 a month for five years at a ten percent interest rate, that money will be worth $7,750 in five years. After 25 years continuing to save $100 each month, your savings will be worth $132,000. These statistics show that the earlier you begin saving the easier it is to create a nest egg.
Later in life it can be hard to start saving because life is more expensive and you may only have enough to pay your bills. If you want to buy a house and have a family, you need capital, which comes from savings.
Many say money cannot make you happy (which is true), but money can help you lead a stable life.
Saving early will mean you will have to work fewer years when you are older and allow you to spend time doing things you want. You also want to be financially secure so you can live the way you want without worrying. Also, you will be able to retire at a reasonable age.
Think: if you have two million dollars capital when you retire, that money growing at a modest five percent annual interest rate will produce an income of $100,000 a year without you working an hour. That is without even mentioning the possibilities of wise investing in the stock market or mutual funds, where sometimes you can increase your capital by a hundred percent!
Industrial robots make up half of the value of robots and the most common industrial robots are demolition robots, medical robots, underwater robots, surveillance and security robots, laboratory robots and agricultural robots.
Through out all industrial areas, there is a niche for AI. There are possible applications for AI in everything from rubbish collecting and cooking, to managing money and commercial interests.
When your drum head is too tight or the pitch you are playing in is too high, try to place it in a cold place. When the pitch of the drum is stable, coat the drum head with a thin layer of beeswax.
It is more common to have problems with a drum head being too loose. This means that it will have quite a dead sound. The first thing you can try is to put the head side down onto a cloth heading pad at medium heat for 12 minutes. If this does not help, you will need to take further action. Use a cloth to get the skin head wet (inside and out) without getting any moisture on the rim. Place a wet 50-75mm square of cloth on the centre top of the head. Place in a warm place, with the wet cloth in place for 5 to 10 hours. Once the edge of the drum head is dry, remove the small wet cloth and let the drum dry in a warm location for a further 5 hours. The drum can not be played during this process.
Although bass drum is rarely the defining element of a song, quite a few classic hits just wouldn't be the same if they had a different kick sound. Try to imagine, for instance, Led Zeppelin's “When the Levee Breaks” with a dull, thuddy, disco-type bass drum. Or at the other extreme, how about the Commodores' “Brick House” with a huge, boomy kick? Clearly, such changes would make either song sound and feel very different.
The fact is that the sound of the kick is often critical to the success of a mix, particularly in rock, dance, and other types of music for which the bass drum plays a foundational role.
But what's the best way to record bass drum? One challenge is the big range of bass-drum sizes that today's engineer is likely to encounter, from tiny 16-inch boppers to 26-inch behemoths. Various tunings, head configurations, and types of heads can also affect how the recording engineer approaches capturing this bottom-dwelling instrument.
In this column, I'll offer some tips and techniques for recording kick drums. Of course, my prescriptions are meant only as guidelines; your own results will necessarily vary depending on the recording space, drum, heads, tuning, muffling, mics, preamps, recording medium, and so on.
For obvious reasons, it can be difficult to suggest changes to setups when working with drummers who bring their own kits into your studio. Still, some scenarios may warrant polite intervention from the recording engineer.
A relatively common problem is worn-out or “dead” drum heads. Note that a head can look okay and still be sonically dead. Worn-out heads will almost always lack a strong fundamental tone — a thin, one-dimensional sound coming from an otherwise decent drum should send up a quick warning flag. Another telltale sign is a head that must be tensioned tightly just to producea tone. That usually means the head has been beaten so long and hard that the material (typically Mylar) has stretched or is pulling loose from the collar.
For engineers who record lots of different bands, it makes sense to have a few new replacement heads on hand. For kick drum, the most common sizes are 20 and 22 inches. One of each size should suffice.
Unwanted noise from kick-drum pedals can also present problems. Though the sound of John Bonham's squeaky pedal may be an endearing feature of some Led Zeppelin songs (at least to Zep heads), the usual goal is a silent pedal. Solo the kick and overhead mics and listen carefully for any squeaks, scrapes, clicks, or other unwanted sounds coming from the pedal. If the pedal is making noise, applying a drop or two of lightweight oil to moving parts — springs, bearings, hinges, or what have you — will usually take care of it.
Finally, a word about attack, the “click” of the beater striking the bass-drum head. For pop-oriented drum tracks, as well as many others, a well-defined attack is an important part of the composite sound of the kick drum. A mushy felt beater is not going to make the job easier. Therefore, you might also consider keeping on hand a hard plastic or wooden beater, which will help emphasize the attack.
The jazz kick — think early Elvin Jones — is traditionally a small drum, typically 18 inches in diameter, fitted with single-ply heads front and back, with little or no damping. The heads are often tensioned fairly tautly, which, combined with the lack of damping, can result in the drum sounding more like a low tom than a standard kick. (The playing style adds to the effect: rather than be relegated to timekeeping and low-end syncopation duties, like a rock bass drum, the jazz kick is more an equal voice in the drum kit, often with as much say in accents, rolls, and phrases as the snare and toms.) Some players tame a bit of the resonance with one or more felt strips stretched across the head or heads and secured beneath the hoops; others prefer to leave the drum “wide open.” Either way, the traditional be-bop kick produces a resonant tone, making it quite a different beast from the usual thumpmeister.
Jazz drummers tend to be particular about tuning and the overall sound of their kits, so accuracy of sound capture is usually key. In multimic setups, I have achieved my best results using a high-quality large-diaphragm condenser mic positioned anywhere from six inches to two feet back from the kick drum, with the capsule (in cardioid mode) parallel to and facing the resonant head (see Fig. 1). One of my favorite mics for this application is the Neumann FET U 47; I have also gotten excellent results using my Microtech Gefell M71KMT.
Up to a point, the farther back you position the mic from the kick, the more natural the drum will sound, because the low-frequency sound waves have more time (space) to develop. Because this approach captures not only the sound of the kick drum but the sound of the rest of the kit as well, mic placement is critical. Most importantly, make sure the signal coming from the kick-drum mic blends in well with the other drum-mic signals.
In the case of a jazz kick that is too resonant for the track, a quick and easy fix is leaning a pillow against the resonant head. The larger the pillow is — and the more contact it makes with the head — the more damping will result.
The double-headed kick drum with a hole or port in the resonant head is popular among drummers in many styles because of its versatility. Generally preferred for pop, rock, and funk, double-headed-with-port kick drums are usually in the 20- to 24-inch range. Often these drums will have batter heads that are double ply (possibly oil filled) or fitted with a semiperforated edge muffler. Depending upon the application, the drummer may have fitted the drum with some form of extra muffling to further damp the heads. Mufflers come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from felt strips to pillows or blankets to purpose-built contraptions. In general, a muffled double-headed kick with a port provides a nice balance of attack and some resonance.
The port opens up (pun intended) some options when it comes to miking the drum, allowing you to position a microphone fully or partially inside the drum or even to use two mics (more on that in a moment). A single-mic setup that has worked well for me has been to place a large-diaphragm, unidirectional dynamic mic — for example, an AKG d12e or EV RE20 — just inside the port and facing the batter head. That gives you the archetypal “basketball bouncing” kick-drum sound, which is often desirable for pop, rock, and funk tracks. As always, small changes in mic positioning can yield very different results, so make sure to experiment. For more attack, you can aim the mic toward, or move it closer to, the point where the beater strikes the head; for more resonance, pull the mic back or aim it more toward the shell of the drum.
The double-headed-with-port kick drum is a good candidate for using two microphones, one inside the drum and the other outside. The internal mic is used primarily to capture the attack transient while the external mic picks up the overall ambient sound of the drum. If you are adding a second mic, it is customary to use a large-diaphragm condenser; however, good results can also be had with other types of microphones, most notably boundary-layer mics such as pressure-zone microphones (PZMs), which can be placed on the floor directly in front of the drum.
When using two microphones, pay particular attention to ensure that the two mics are not significantly out of phase with each other, which can lead to a deterioration of the sound — thinness or hollowness, typically — when the two channels are combined. To check for phase problems, solo the two channels with one fader up and the other down and then listen carefully as you bring up the second fader. Simply put, the sound should get better — fuller, clearer, better defined — not worse. Another way to test for phase problems is to reverse the polarity on one of the mic channels (whether at the preamp or channel strip) and listen for changes in the quality of the sound. Then, choose the polarity configuration that sounds best.
Even when you use just one microphone, the ratio of initial transient to fundamental tone can be modified significantly with compression. If you want more attack, slow down the attack time; if you need more sustain, set a longer release time. One of my favorite units for altering the ratio of transient to fundamental tone is the SPL Transient Designer 4, a unique dynamics processor that allows you to emphasize or smooth the attack and extend or shorten the sustain without introducing other compression characteristics (see Fig. 2). (SPL also offers the Transient Designer 2, a lower-end version of the same processor.)
If you're after the ultimate in smack and dryness, the single-headed kick is the way to go. Generally, single-headed kick drums are at their best when muffled, typically with a blanket or large pillow resting snugly against the lower portion of the batter head.
On single-headed kicks, a good, if slightly retro, sound can readily be captured with the ubiquitous Sennheiser MD 421 dynamic microphone (see Fig. 3). If you want a sound that's even more bandwidth limited, try deploying a Shure SM57. A condenser microphone can serve up a great kick sound, too, especially if you are looking to emphasize attack. Do some research first, though — not all condensers can handle the high SPLs a kick drum delivers.
Because the drum is open to the studio, you can expect more leakage of the bass drum into the room microphones and other mics used on the kit. There are several ways to get around that. One is to apply a gate to the drum track. However, that is almost always better done during the mixdown stage — after all, you can't “ungate” a sound after the fact.
A good way to treat the problem at the source is by walling off the sound, either with thick blankets draped around the drum and mic (which also attenuates the loudness of the drum somewhat; see Fig. 4) or through some kind of tunnel that fits around the drum and channels the sound to the kick-drum mic. The tunnel approach is especially helpful because it lets you move the mic back from the drum, thus bolstering resonance (by allowing the bass waves to develop) while minimizing leakage from the rest of the kit.
One way to build a tunnel is by bending a fairly stiff rectangular piece of carpet into a semicircle and then fitting it around the drum, using tape, clothespins, or whatever to secure it in place. A quilt or thick blanket draped over the top of the carpet tunnel will provide even more isolation. Because the front of the tunnel remains open, any leakage that does get through to the other mics will sound relatively natural (as opposed to the more muffled sound that results from simply draping the drum and mic with a thick blanket).
My favorite thing to use for a tunnel is a Sonotube — one of those heavy cardboard tubes used as a form to pour cement into. They can be purchased from building-supply stores or lumberyards for $10 to $15 apiece. Diameters vary considerably. I have some 24-inch-diameter tubes in several lengths — 2, 4, and 8 feet. The 2- and 4-feet ones get the most use in my studio (see Fig. 5).
You can also use smaller-diameter tubes — an 8-inch-diameter PVC pipe, for example — to capture more unusual bass-drum sounds. This technique is most effective on double-headed-with-port kick drums. If possible, match the diameter of the tube to the diameter of the port. Position the tube flush with the head at the port and mic the drum at the other end of the port. This typically provides a whoosh sound and resonance from the pipe, which can sound really cool — or really bad, depending.
The late John Bonham had a penchant for oversize drums, but it wasn't the size of his drums alone that resulted in his typically monstrous kick-drum sound. A large component of Bonzo's sound came from the massive rooms the songs were tracked in — something to keep in mind if you're trying to get a similarly huge sound.
Still, a 24- or 26-inch kick with two heads, no port, and little or no muffling is going to make a big sound in almost any room. Like the open-tuned bop bass drum, it is usually better treated as part of the kit rather than as a separate instrument, meaning that you should get some distance between the drum and the microphone. Not only does that allow the low-frequency waveforms to develop, but it also helps avoid picking up any resonant “flub” from the movement of the resonant head. A high-quality large-diaphragm condenser microphone placed a couple of feet away from the kit and aimed toward the kick drum is probably your best bet. This positioning also allows for capture of room resonance — again, a critical part of the sound if you're after a huge Bonzo-type kick. Experiment with positioning to find just the right balance of direct drum sound and reflected room resonance.
Insufficient attack is a shortcoming that is not uncommon with this setup. In that case, try positioning a second mic — a Shure SM57 is a good pick — on the batter-head side of the kick with the capsule aimed at the point where the beater strikes the head. However, because this mic is aimed in the opposite direction of the large-diaphragm condenser out in front of the kick, the signals the two mics pick up will naturally be out of phase — around 180 degrees out, in fact. Conventional wisdom holds that it is therefore necessary to reverse the polarity on one of the mic channels. Though this is often the case, try all the possible permutations of polarity settings between the two channels — sometimes what should sound best in theory doesn't do so in practice. After determining which settings yield the best sound, the two signals can be mixed to one channel during tracking or, better yet, recorded to two separate tracks and blended together during mixdown.
Unless you are truly blessed, some EQ or other signal processing will often be required to make the kick-drum sound “fit” into the track. Although it is possible to process the sound before it hits your recorder, it's usually best to concentrate on capturing a clean representation of what is coming from the drum. On the other hand, occasionally a bizarre sound can inspire similar madness in all subsequent tracks — if that's where you want to go, by all means, print the processed track as is.
However, try to limit premix processing to minor EQ adjustments — after you've exhausted the possibilities for tonal improvement by way of drum positioning in the room, drum tuning, and mic selection and positioning, of course. Rather than boosting specific frequencies, try cutting. Usually, a cut in the 400 to 600 Hz region will remove tubbiness and make for a tighter, more powerful sound. If you aren't getting enough attack, try boosting somewhere between 2 and 5 kHz.
As for compression, the primary reason I compress a kick drum when tracking is to bring out the low-frequency ring and boom — components of the sound that happen after the initial transient. A good compressor can really bring out the resonance yet maintain or even enhance the desirable click from the beater. Note, however, that I record primarily to 2-inch tape. For those recording to digital media, it may be advisable to use a compressor or limiter also as a means to avert digital clipping.
In addition, noise gates can be effective for removing sounds (snare, hats, or whatever) that occur in the spaces between kick-drum hits. If the decay of the drum starts to sound odd, try using less than the maximum dynamic range the gate offers.
No matter how carefully you record a kick drum, it's always possible to discover (usually after the drummer has packed up and gone home) that the kick is too thin sounding or just isn't working for the track. In the case of it sounding too thin, you can beef up the sound by means of a low-frequency oscillator used in conjunction with a noise gate that features a key input. To do this, first split (mult) the kick-drum signal and insert one signal into the noise gate's key input. Next, insert a low-frequency tone from a synthesizer or another oscillator into the gate's input. Experiment with the length of time that the gate stays open and the frequency of the tone. Long gate times will yield a booming, Roland 808-type kick. (By the way, the sound used by Roland in the 808 is actually a floor tom tuned way down.)
As a last resort, a drum module with trigger inputs can mean the difference between saving a track and rerecording it. Most models will have a gate and sensitivity control that allow the unit to reject unwanted sounds on the kick-drum track. If not, it may be necessary to insert a gate between the tape output and the drum module. Of course, for those working on computers, drum tracks can readily be replaced, either manually (one hit at a time) or with the help of automated software such as Digidesign's SoundReplacer for Pro Tools.
When recording drums, keep in mind that most any drum will sound good if monitored loudly enough. Therefore, monitor at low levels, at least during the initial setup, to limit the “flatter effect” caused by sheer volume.
Another thing to be aware of is that your impression of the drum sound will change once the rest of the instruments are added to the mix. Thus, in addition to soloing the kick and other drum channels, make sure to audition the drums along with the other instruments. That way you can ensure that the sound is working for the song.
