Computer Music

Computer Music has been deemed as the “World’s Best Selling Music Software” magazine written to help musicians create great music with a PC or Mac computer. Futuristic music has finally arrived in the “Now” and this cutting-edge magazine offers musicians all the tricks of the trade they’ve been craving for visualizing, creating, developing, and executing their musical genuius.

Hailing from the UK—England since the first issue was introduced to the world of musicians in 1998, Computer Music (‘CM’ is its nickname) “tests the latest computer music products and offers tutorials on the most current software, enabling computer owners to develop their musical interests and expertise.” Each issue includes a DVD-ROM focusing on the current month’s topics. The DVD is a PDF guide offering an “exclusive” library of software, samples, and other materials compiled for “newcomers and rookies” to expose and help them gain basic computer music concepts—allowing them to take their music into another stratosphere.

Ever wonder how or what actually goes into the making and cutting of a musical soundtrack? How can you transform your music with the processing tricks of the pros? How to get big-bass sound from your sound system--and if changes can be made to create the sound you wish to achieve? Well, look no further. CM magazine’s step-by-step guides and illustrations offer answers to your questions. Readers will be guaranteed professional reviews on pricings, equipment and essentials, new sample packs, and applications and recommendations on the how, who, what, and where on the making of today’s worldly music.

Here are some magazine highlights:

• Making stunning vocal tracks without a singer in sight
• How to get Reggae musical sounds
• Making Beats and Basslines/Arrangement and Sound Design/Mixing and Mastering
• Making Laid-back tracks on a Mac or PC
• Guides on Audio/Sampling, Sound playback, Editing/Manipulating music on your computer
• Tips on Re-Sampling music/ Customizing sound and instruments

This is only the “tip-of-the-iceberg” of what you’re treated to in CM magazine. A Web site offers mostly the same information as does the magazine. Furthermore, one can experience listening to live sessions, plugins, software demos, tutorials, free apps for iPhones and iPod touch through the Computer Music magazine Facebook site designed to help you share music tips and ideas with other music afficionados.

The library has a small collection of periodicals on the subject of computer music, and our home page can be accessed at sfpl.org:

Go to Books & Materials, click Library Catalog, and run a keyword search for “computer music periodicals.” Notice there are a couple of electronic resources that gives you full-text articles. Of course, you can always visit San Francisco Public Library’s Magazines and Newspapers Center for more assistance.

ABCs of Digital Scanning Microfilm

Hands-on demonstration

Please join us for a digital scanning instruction session that will combine historical research with image-capturing computer technology. The Magazines and Newspapers Center hosts this workshop to demonstrate successful techniques for digitizing archival newspapers and journals from the vast San Francisco Public Library collection.

- Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, 5th Floor, Microfilm Room
- Event Date & Time: Monday, June 27, 2011 (Noon - 1 p.m.)

Mining Magazines and Journals with MasterFILE Premier

Have you ever wanted to browse through back issues of Consumer Reports or Psychology Today, but had no time to visit your local library? Perhaps you remember an article from Atlantic Monthly or Science News, but couldn't remember in which issue it appeared. In this presentation, learn how to answer some of these types of questions with one of our electronic databases--EbscoHost MasterFILE Premier. Explore popular magazines, journals, and trade publications from over 1700 sources by navigating and searching this periodical database.

- Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room B
- Event Date & Time: Monday, June 20, 2011 (Noon - 1 p.m)

Anime and Manga for Grown-Ups

They occupy the shelves of libraries and bookstores. The film industry has adpated them into feature length movies and TV series appearing in theaters and on DVD. Fans ranging from children and teens to adults and seniors often find themselves indulging in their magical realism conjured up by creative writers and artists from all genres. Anime and manga have swept through the United States like a whirlwind, creating a pop culture phenomenon that continues to proliferate at an astounding rate.

There is a strong cultural assumption in the U.S. that all animation and comic books are juvenile forms of entertainment. The mediums are actually far richer than that, and nowhere else is this truer than in Japan. The Japanese have developed a rich industry producing thousands of titles both in print and animated. Any genre you are familiar with has been mined and combined with visuals to help tell the story. Don't assume everything is family entertainment or sitcoms. Join us to explore works that range from respectable literature to delightful trash, and everything in between.

Gilles Poitras, the Access Services Librarian at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, is best known for his three books: The Anime Companion, Anime Essentials, and Anime Companion 2, as well as writing for the magazines Newtype USA and Otaku USA. He also sits on the senior board of Mechademia, an annual scholarly anthology of essays on anime, manga, and fan culture.

Mr. Poitras has delivered presentations on anime for Japan for U.S. friendship groups, public libraries, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, conventions, all-day workshops for librarians, introduced anime films at the Smithsonian, and even taught a course on the subject for Pixar staff.

- Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room B
- Event Date & Time: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 (6-7:30 p.m.)

Crossing the Pacific with Cross Currents

May heralds the arrival of Asian Pacific American Heritage month. From the collection of the Magazines & Newspapers Center, we are highlighting Cross Currents, a quarterly newsletter that features news from the Asian American Studies Center at the University of California at Los Angeles. This newsletter introduces members of the faculty as well as the students--highlighting their achievements, publications, and research on the Asian American community. New books, symposia, cultural performances, and other related topic populate the pages of Cross Currents.

Throughout May, you can also check out Our Road - A Journey that Goes On Forever--one of the exhibits at the Main Library, featuring works by local Chinese American authors and artists. And on Saturday, May 21, come visit our booth at the annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration by the Main Library.

Journey back in time to the archives of the of the mid-19th century and early 20th century with the Magazines & Newspapers Center on Wednesday, April 20. Learn how to search for and access articles from the San Francisco Chronicle with one of our most popular electronic resources for historical researching--the San Francisco Chronicle Historical. For a sneak peek at how to search and navigate this this database, check out our previous blog posting.

-Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
-Location: Main Library, Fifth Floor Training Center
-Event Date & Time: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 (2 to 3 p.m.)