The Digidesign Mbox 2 Pro Factory Bundle software is one of the most common industry standards in the music recording world. Renowned for its in-depth effectual qualities, expansive editing abilities, and therefore, a rather non-user-friendly interface, ProTools proves itself to be one of the most difficult programs to learn. But once acquainted with its most basic nuances, the learning curve decreases drastically, allowing the user to master it without further hassle.

The ProTools software comes with some of the most simplistic sound effects, also known as plugins. These basic plugins are nothing fancy, but are much like the add-ons available on many mixing programs. But deciding which ones to use and how to use them can be a challenge, so I’ll delve into some of the frequently used ones here.

The Expander/Gate: When we first began to record drums, we were disappointed with how mushy they sounded. The snare taps bled into the cymbals, which in turn spilled onto the bass, and finally died with the crash. I’m sure you fellow first-time recorders can relate to this very circumstance. What’s the fix? An effect called Expander/Gate. To use this impression, select the audio track you wish to fix, hover over the “Audio Suite” button on the menu bar of the ProTools window, and scroll through the window until you find “Expander/Gate.” Once selected, a pop-up window will appear, presenting you with all kinds of input, output, hold, threshold, and other buttons. The two I usually use are the hold and threshold selections. As a general rule, I scroll the hold button to a high setting, and the threshold to a low setting. What this does is make each beat of the snare drum sharper, while at the same time allowing the threshold to monitor how much extra noise is allowed to stay in the track. In my case, there’s not much crunchy noise left once I’m through with it.

The Reverb: For those of you who love to play with ricocheted sound, I give you the reverb. From the hall to the church to the lavatory, there’s a little something for everyone with these …

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Purple is a favorite color of many and is the most vibrant of colors on the color wheel. It is loved by little girls, funky teenagers, and cultured adults. Purple can have an array of connotations depending on the depth of the hue. Throughout history, purple was a signature color of royalty. Purple has also been heavily used in the occult for mysticism and mystery. Purple pops up in nature once in a while too, creating beautiful wildflowers and tree accents. Purple can become overpowering and overdone if used incorrectly, but it can make eye catching décor.

Sophisticated Purple does exist for adults. To dress up purple a little bit and make it appropriate for everything, just drop the saturation of the color. Lavender and pinkish purples of lighter shades are hitting the design scene fashion forward. Light purples look great with white and especially in kitchens with stainless steel appliances. It adds a dash of character to a stark white room, but is unintrusive to the eye. Lighter purples are best to use in a room that will be accessed by everyone since your guest may not enjoy purple as much as you.

Purple patterns can be classy or flashy. You are sure to find purple prints for teens and kids in big flowers, hearts, peace symbols and more. Purple wallpaper can be utilized as focal pieces of walls or in hallways to keep visual interest throughout the entire home.

Prints should never become overpowering, so don’t let it take over the entire wall. If you have any crown molding, use the print above the molding and a solid color below it. This is a smart way to slip in deeper purples. Pair a rich colored purple print with a light purple solid to off-set it.

The Variation of Purple will allow you to use it in some way in each room. Purple’s technical, complimenting color is yellow; try it with gold for a regal touch. Pinkish purples have a modern appeal with greens. Use light purples with blues. Rich browns can be paired with nearly any shade of …

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One fun, and interesting project that your child can make using the different items found in the treasure chest is a space design. While this is a decorative design, it can be a great educational tool, for it uses different textures and materials in the creation of the design. Some recommended items used for the base of the space design are: a lump of fired clay, a piece of chicken wire, a block of wood, or a chunk of wood from a log. Dowels, wires, pipe cleaners, old meat skewers can be used to stick into the base, then have added to it any other materials intended for the project. For this space design, a block of balsa wood will be used because it is soft enough to stick a straight wire into.

Start by painting the block of wood in a bright acrylic color, like red, blue, or green. Let the paint dry overnight if necessary. Taking one piece of wire, preferably one between 12 and 15 gauges, and stick it into the wood far enough so that it will stand alone by itself. Take a second piece of wire of the same gauge, stick it into the block a few inches away from the first wire. Angle the wire so that it meets with the first wire. Using a pair of pliers, twist the two wires together then fold over the two wires so that no sharp ends stick out. Now you can start to add other items to this form. Try twisting a metallic pipe-cleaner around the wires. For a real space look, go with silver. Then add a silver or gold painted wooden spool to the base, right underneath the wires. Glue securely in place using Tacky glue. With a crumpled piece of tin foil, form something space-like, such as a crude meteorite or a comet. Glue this to the top of the two twisted wires. For a contrast, add something soft, like a piece of silk, or a feather, to the comet or …

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She was the oldest, one brother.
He was the youngest, two sisters, plus one.

She the WhiteCollarLongIslandHippyJewHighSchoolDropout, 
who came to the country College, Running.

He was the BlueCollarCountryBusAdminBaptistHighSchoolHonorRoll, 
who came to the country College, Running.

They collided one night in a bar, fallingdowndrunk, but not in love.

—-

She went to Texas 
“It was so hot and flat in Abilene, I went to cross the street, 
and tar stuck my sandal to the road and ruined it”

A Secretary

He joined the Navy 
“The ship was brand new, my system was brand new and my Jesus was brand new to me. I was really obnoxious!”

A Sonar Tech and Protestant Lay Leader

—-

She went to Miami, for Grandma Sarah 
“Somebody has to take care of her since Grandpa died, and you aren’t doing anything, they said.”

He went to Norfolk and listened to Manny Brotman all the way home in a traffic jam. 
“WHY do they have a Jewish evangelist on the radio on the way home during rush hour? Of all the stupid…!”

Click! 
—-

He wrote to her: “Jesus Jesus Jesus.” 
She responded: “This jesus person sounds interesting.” 
He wept, almost uncontrollably.

He wrote to her: “I’m in Virginia, but I’ll be changing duty stations. I’ll stop by.” 
Miami’s on the way to San Diego, I think. Yea, must be. I’ll have to check.

She wrote back. “Sure. I’ll see ya then.” 
We have a trip to Disney World planned for that weekend. Maybe he won’t show…

April Showers 
“I got to town the 10th, she got save the 17th, we got married the 26th.”

May flowers. 
“We left town, for San Diego the first of May.”

Twenty-two years later, some things still haven’t changed. Some have. 
We’re beginning to agree.…

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