• Free music for everyone: How you can stream music for free

    Free music instead of music subscription: You can also listen to songs for free on the Internet. You have different providers at your disposal, which have different advantages and disadvantages. We’ll explain where to find free songs, what to look out for and what alternatives you have – should you decide to spend money on music.

    Free Music on YouTube and Soundcloud

    You can find well-known songs for free on different platforms – partly even including the official videos. Many artists upload their singles and music videos to YouTube, for example. The well-known portal offers you a large selection of titles to browse through. At a party, however, things might get a bit fiddly with YouTube, as playlists may not be created as quickly and conveniently and advertising breaks may occur. By the way, you can also look around for songs on Vimeo – here you will find just as many well-known titles.

    Another tip for free music is VidZone. You can use your smartphone to control the platform via an app, access it from your computer or even start it conveniently from your PlayStation. The service offers you a large selection of music videos free of charge. You can quickly assemble entire playlists of videos using the console. However, the free version will show you commercials from time to time – that’s probably the price for “Free Music”.

    A well-known provider of free music is also Soundcloud. This service is especially useful if you are organising a small party in a hurry, for example: You can find hours of remixes here, which you can run wonderfully in the background. You can also download some songs as an alternative to streaming. If you plan to use a song from the platform in a hobby movie, for example, you should take a look at the respective license. This is where the pieces differ: Some you can use for free, others not.

    Use free version of Spotify

    If you want to listen to songs for free and can do without music videos, you should also give the free version of Spotify a chance. If you use the streaming service for free, you still have access to all songs on the platform. However, there are a few restrictions: After some songs a few commercials are played, which interrupt the music enjoyment. In addition, you can only freely select the titles on a computer or with a tablet. All you have on your phone is the “Shuffle” mode, which allows you to start random playback of a playlist.

    If you have the idea to just put a single song into a playlist and then start it in shuffle mode to get the song you want immediately: The makers of Spotify apparently already came up with the idea. In this case, the playback of tracks that match your actual desired track starts. And because you can’t skip songs on your phone indefinitely, you should save the skipping for the songs you really don’t want to hear.

    Alternative: Music streaming with paid subscription

    There are ways and means to get free music on the internet, but if you want something for free, you have to make compromises. If you decide to try one of the well-known music streaming services, you can listen to more comfortable songs. With Spotify, for example, a premium subscription gives you even better audio quality.

    Since the big providers usually offer free months (one or more) for you and you can cancel the subscriptions monthly, you usually also have to take no or only very little money in your hand for testing. If you don’t like the platform in question and you don’t want to pay the monthly fee, you should only think about cancelling it in time. In addition to Spotify, there are major providers such as Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer and Google Play Music. Jan compared the services for you in another article.

    Another option is to subscribe to Amazon Prime. The Amazon Music app gives you access to nearly two million songs without any additional payment – and without any advertising. Although some brand new top hits are only available to users of Amazon Music Unlimited, the platform offers you a large selection with many well-known songs.

    Technosaurus
  • What role does music play in casinos?

    Casinos are a serious business and there are no coincidences, except for gambling, of course. All tablecloths are green, no windows and no wall clocks are visible. Even music that is always played in the background is not random at all.

    What music is on the casino playlist?

    Music is the whole world, and the whole world is music. Nowadays you hardly find topics that have not yet been sung about. The casino with its endless temptations, high risks and brilliant games often appears in song lyrics of different times:

    • “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley
    • “The Ace of Spades” by Motorhead
    • “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers
    • “Black Jack” by Ray Charles

    But not only games of chance are used by the music industry, casinos also make use of popular songs at any time. But how do you choose exactly what is played in the casino rooms?

    Not a question of aesthetics

    The choice of suitable music is not based on aesthetic reasons or personal preferences. Melodies played in your favourite casino from well-hidden boxes are not meant to attract you to the dance floor. Rather, it is about the psychological purpose that music should fulfil. And to make yourself relaxed enough to get rid of your money more easily. The ambience of an average casino is extremely disturbing. Constant sirens, bells, lights and screams can make even the wildest, most drunken guest feel uncomfortable. To compensate for this madness, many casinos play soft, soothing music. You can also experience this at online casinos. Next time you want to get a bonus in your favourite internet casino on your PC, distract yourself for a moment and listen to the quiet casino music. It’s always there, you just don’t know it.

    Speed also plays its role

    However, it was also found that red light and fast music make people make their missions much faster. That’s why large land-based casinos have different music in different game rooms:

    • Well-known but neutral songs are suitable for large halls, because many people with very different tastes live here;
    • Classical music is quite common in poker rooms;
    • In rooms with slot machines there is always an upbeat atmosphere. The game is fast and rhythmic beats with high tempo go with it.

    In addition, music is always adapted to the style of the respective playhouse. When it comes to a casino with a French theme, one can of course expect that there will be lids from the French music scene. After all, every single casino is a whole universe in which everything should be in tune with each other. Check out some French theme casino games at https://casino41.ch and https://casino-en-ligne-canada.ca.

    Spellbound

    There are also casinos where you can only listen to classical music. It has been proven that classical music has the greatest influence on the minds of players. On the one hand it spurs players on and makes them more eager to win, on the other hand it helps players to keep their concentration and cope better with losses.

    Conclusion

    So what we hear while playing is not necessarily our choice. But when you think about it, no one would really enjoy gambling in complete silence, would they?

    Technosaurus
  • The 5 best synthesizers of all time

    What are the 5 best synthesizers ever? In this article you’ll find 10 synthesizers, all of which have at least one special feature that you can count on.

    Sure, here are the 5 best synthesizers of all time! There are many such lists and so far I haven’t found a list that I could agree with completely. Won’t be any different for many of you on this one. But that doesn’t stop me.

    Okay, what I’m not doing is setting up a ranking like a top 10. There is almost always the Moog Minimoog in first place, but that’s completely unfair in my opinion, because it’s not perfect either. Rather, I will mention ten synthesizers that all have something very special. You’ll see.

    And to make sure that no one is preferred here, the list comes in strict chronological order.

    Roland TB-303 (1982)

    Roland TB-303 (1982)

    The Roland TB-303 was just as much a megaflopp in synthesizer history. For Roland, the silver box was such an utter nonsense that it took him 30 years to realize what had actually happened.

    The small bass synthesizer with integrated sequencer was actually meant for guitarists who could program such a bass and drum accompaniment together with the small drum machine TR-606. Hardly anyone wanted to. The TB-303 was initially offered for 730 D-Mark and was later auctioned off for less than 200 D-Mark. Cause still nobody wanted to.

    But then something happened that is still unique in the history of popular music and the reason why the TB-303 appears in my list of the best synthesizers of all time: A completely new style of music was created with it! Of course, rock music owes its breakthrough to the electric guitar. But it doesn’t matter if you play a Strat, Les Paul or whatever. The DJ formation Phuture from Chicago released the song “Acid Trax” in 1985, which consisted only of drum computer and TB-303. A new style of music was born. Acid had its first peak in the late’ 80s.

    With the advent of the techno movement, however, a few years later there was a revival that has continued to this day, at least in the club framework. The significance of the TB-303 is also shown by two things: No other synth has been copied or cloned so often. In the 90s, a new synth was released almost weekly, the manufacturer of which claimed to emulate the TB-303 1:1 – and everyone forgot that the silver box not only had a special sound, but also a unique sequencer. Even Roland himself has successors in the meantime.

    And what synth – off the shelf, not just any signature instrument! Here you go, did you manage to increase the value? An original TB-303 costs between 1.500 and 2.000 Euro, depending on the condition! If only I’d have struck out at the 1984 sellout…

    Oh yes, the TB-303 is a powerful and extremely groovy bass synthesizer, even if you don’t touch the buttons.;)

    Yamaha DX7 (1983)

    Yamaha DX7 (1983)

    Back to a real box-office hit! The Yamaha DX7 stands for the sound of the first half of the 80s. No ballad without his e-piano, hardly a charthit without any sound from him. From Depeche Mode to Whitney Houston, the DX7 was heard everywhere.

    The reasons for this success: It sounded new with its extremely fast digital envelopes, was 16-part polyphonic and had 32 memory slots plus a card slot for memory cards with a further 32 sounds. His keyboard was velocity sensitive and he already had MIDI that had just appeared. The Yamaha DX7 was programmable for this purpose. At least, as long as you knew how to use FM synthesis and got along with the small display.

    But best of all, it only cost about 4,000 D-Mark and thus only a fraction of its competitors at that time! The synthesizer had reached the mass market with the Yamaha DX7 and thus shaped an era.

    Korg M1 Music Workstation (1988)

    Korg M1 Music Workstation (1988)

    Here comes the mother of all workstations! While the Yamaha DX-7 left its mark on the first half of the 80’s, only the Korg M1 could be heard from 1988 onwards. Everyone knows the factory sounds like the piano, the organ (both still used in house music), various leads or the drums and the legendary finger snippers.

    Analog fans turned up their noses: 4 MB of sampled waveforms serve as the base material for the M1, the 12 dB filter without resonance is at best “nice”. But the keyboarders couldn’t care less. So many realistic sounds, plus an 8-fold multimode – where the sounds had to share the two effect processors, which often led to a lot being taken away from the sounds – an integrated 8-track sequencer, velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch: all in one synthesizer? The approximately 4,500 D-Mark were quickly sold over the counter.

    The entire following development of Korg’s “big” synthesizers is based on the M1 – from the reamed T-Series to 01/W, Trinity and Triton, Oasys, to the current Korg Kronos. And the other major manufacturers also quickly adopted the workstation principle. With the advent of General-MIDI there were 16 tracks very fast, sounds became more independent of effect devices, own samples could be loaded and so on.

    Want some more hits where you can hear the M1? Of course: The organ from Robin S.”Show Me Love”, the Preset Orchestra 2 in Queen “The Show Must Go On”, the piano in Snap “Rhythm Is A Dancer”, all sounds from one of the best synthesizers of all time, the Korg M1 Workstation.

    Doepfer A-100 Eurorack (1995)

    Doepfer A-100 Eurorack (1995)

    And another “deputy”, with whom something big started. When Dieter Doepfer introduced the small modular system A-100 to the market in 1995, he would never have dreamed that it would become THE industry standard for modular synths, which makes it one of the best synthesizers of all time.

    At the beginning there were only ten modules, but Doepfer made two clever moves: On the one hand there is a complete modular system including frame and the most common modules already for about 1.150, – Euro. If one compares this with the prices that were called in the 70s for the large modular systems, this is practically a gift.

    He made all specifications public and invited other manufacturers to create their own modules. Doepfer itself now has over 120 modules, but this is only a fraction of all the modules that have been developed for the Eurorack.

    The largest German distributor for Eurorack modules alone lists almost 1,000 different models. And on the one hand, it doesn’t have everything in its program, on the other hand there are new crates from all over the world almost every week. The future of modular synthesizers is guaranteed thanks to the Eurorack standard and many inventors.

    Korg microKORG (2002)

    Korg microKORG (2002)

    A look at the year of release and the knowledge that this synth is still available in its first version on the market makes it clear to everyone how Korg mikroKORG made it into my list of the best synthesizers of all time. It is the longest continuous synthesizer ever built.

    On average, synthesizers are built for about four to six years. During this time there are often new revisions that improve something. Then it’s time for a new product, the marketing people start pushing.

    But the Korg mikroKORG with its gooseneck microphone inspired by the Korg Vocoder VC10 has decided to stay in the program. And this for 15 years now!

    Yes, as the name suggests, it has little keys that are not for everyone. There is no USB port that would have been in there 15 years ago. And the power is supplied by the external power supply, which is despised by so many. Or via batteries for travelling!

    And it sounds really good too. The microphone can be used not only for decoration but also for the integrated vocoder. And anyway, isn’t he cute, the kid? It fits on top of every keyboard. And with less than 400, – Euro even cheaper. Yes, there is now an S and an XL+ version. And in general, Korg has expanded its synthesizer range in the last 15 years. But there is no end in sight to this modern classic.

    Technosaurus