Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 February 8

= February 8 =

tv
Why are the mostly cartoon being cancelled after 26 og 52 episodes? --109.232.72.49 (talk) 14:35, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * 26 episodes is a standard length for a season of a show. So a show which completes one season would have 26 episodes; those that complete more seasons would have multiples of 26 (52, 78, etc.)  For cartoons, the manner in which they are created probably lends itself towards completing a whole season at one stretch (one notable exception is South Park which is deliberately run more like a live-action show, working on each show the week prior to when it will air, this is to keep it current and topical).  -- Jayron  32  15:12, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

Copying 33rpm record to USB
I have tried to do this using a *ion turntable. It also has two wires ending up in a red plug and a white plug. Don't know what to plug them into. The record played but has no amplifier or speakers. The result is one side of the record recorded onto my computer track after track. Also it plays back very quietly. What am I doing wrongly please? Kittybrewster  &#9742;  16:34, 8 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Firstly you will need to get an adaptor to allow you to plug the record player into your PC. The connectors on the record player are RCA connectors, also known as 'phono', and you probably have a 3.5mm socket on your PC marked something like 'Line In', or 'Mic' (or possibly a symbol depicting the same). It may also be coloured red. Therefore you will need a '2 phono to 3.5mm Stereo adaptor' (e.g. this - other electronics retailers are available). Plug the male (pointy) end into your PC and connect the record player to the other end.
 * Now you just need to fire up your recording software and hit record. It sounds like you already have this under control. However, if you find the recording level still too quiet, you may need a 'pre-amp' - like a guitar amplifier, this simply increases the signal between the record player and the PC. If you do need that, though, it might well be cheaper to send the record away and get someone else to do it. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 17:03, 8 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Agreed. Note, however, that getting stereo instead of mono won't make it much louder, so you probably will need the amplifier.  I bet you have a friend or relative with either an amp or a turntable which has one built in.  (They are on shelves, gathering dust in homes around the world.  I can see mine from here. :-) ) StuRat (talk) 01:22, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Cucumber Mike and StuRat: ION Audio makes "digital conversion" turntables. This kind of turntable connects to a computer via a USB cable and appears as a sound card to the computer. --Bavi H (talk) 01:32, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm aware of those devices, but since this post is about converting a single record, not an entire collection, that seems like an unnecessary expense. StuRat (talk) 02:47, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * (Kittybrewster already has an ION Audio turntable, as you realized below. The "USB" in the title and the "*ion" in the question were the clues I picked up on. I was trying to explain those clues to everyone because the answers were getting too far astray and recommending additional equipment that may not be needed.) --Bavi H (talk) 19:14, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Here's a FAQ page from the ION Audio website that might help solve problems: Turntable and Cassette Player Frequently Asked Questions. If you're still having problems, perhaps you can state the exact model of your turntable, and we can search for more detailed information about it on the ION Audio website. --Bavi H (talk) 01:32, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * It is an *ION LPDOCK. The gain is set to low. The RCA connector phono switch is set to line rather than phono. Kittybrewster   &#9742;  16:51, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Have you tried setting the gain to high ? That should increase the volume and also the quality, as more signal should result in a better signal-to-noise ratio, as long as you don't get distortion from making it too loud.  I'm not sure what "line" vs. "phono" setting will change, but try it both ways, and find out. StuRat (talk) 18:42, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I looked at the Quickstart Guide and the FAQ page. If I understand you correctly, you have two problems:


 * 1. The recording is too quiet. Solution: On your turntable, the gain control is a volume control. If the recording is too quiet, try turning up the gain control.


 * 2. You can't hear the audio from the record while you are recording it. After reading the manual and the FAQ page, I believe there may be two options.


 * a. The LP Dock appears as a sound card to the computer. If your computer is set to use the LP Dock as the playback device, then any sounds the computer plays will come out of the RCA cables on the LP Dock. To hear the sound, you'll have to connect the LP Dock's RCA cables to another audio system. You need to set the RCA PHONO / RCA LINE switch to match the kind of input ports used on the audio system.


 * b. The FAQ page suggests you can set your computer to record from one device and playback on another device. You might follow the instructions there to set the LP Dock as the recording device and your normal sound card as the playback device. Hopefully, this will let you hear the audio through your computer's normal speakers while you are recording.


 * --Bavi H (talk) 18:58, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * also, must mention the possibility of a loose wire(s) dislodged in shipping or something, on the turntable. If the USB and the phono outputs (the red and white plugs) both have the same pathology, especially just the one channel, that would implicate the turntable. (you can get adapters at radio shack, for instance, that connect the two phono plugs to a stereo miniphone plug, which is the kind that plugs into most PC audio cards). Gzuckier (talk) 16:07, 12 February 2013 (UTC)


 * The quickstart guide explains about the three bottom panel controls in question. I've copied that bit below and added some additional information in italics to help you:
 * RCA Audio Output Cables: These cables should be plugged into the audio inputs of your home stereo system. (Please note: you can still copy records to your iPod or computer, even if the audio outputs of the turntable are not connected to a stereo system).
 * What this means is the RCA cables are used to send the analogue audio signal to another piece of equipment such as tape deck or a separate hi-fi amplifier (useful if you want to hear the record while you are recording it). The red phono plug is for the right and the white is for the left. They can also be used to provide an alternative analogue to digital conversion using an adapter cable to convert the phono plugs to a 3.5mm jack and then plug that jack into the line-in connection on your sound card.  You would only really need to do this if the USB connection and included software don't work for you.
 * RCA PHONO | RCA LINE Switch: There is a switch on the bottom panel, next to the RCA cables, that selects between PHONO/LINE. Use PHONO level for plugging into a turntable input on a home stereo. Use the LINE level for plugging into CD/AUX/TAPE inputs. WARNING: You may damage your receiver if you plug in a LINE level into a PHONO input.
 * The analogue signal from a turntable is very weak. So weak that separate hi-fi amplifiers often had a dedicated PHONO input just for the turntable which included a separate pre-amplifier.  The ion turntable however includes a built-in pre-amp.  If you were to use the pre-amp and still plug it into the PHONO input of your amplifier, you will damage a possibly very expensive amplifier.  The PHONO/LINE switch lets you bypass the built-in pre-amp so you can still use the PHONO inputs.  However, if you are simply going to connect it to a tape deck, or your computer's sound card, you need the pre-amp to be activated by moving the switch to RCA LINE.  I'm not sure if this affects the output through the USB cable.
 * Gain: This knob can be used to adjust the gain level of the audio signal from the turntable. If the audio from the turntable is too quiet or too loud, use this knob to adjust the volume setting.
 * This lets you simply turn up the volume (presumable it acts on the built-in pre-amp). Like the troubleshooting on page 12 suggests, turn it up if the recorded aound is too quiet.'
 * I have considered buying one of these myself, so would be interested to find out what kind of results you get. Astronaut (talk) 19:06, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

music used in video
Hello, it is i, and i'm making a podcast parrody of 1984 apple commercial about aliens. duringthis podcast, after the explosion, i'll go into a speach about aliens, in a documentary-esk style, talking as an alien journalist. i've found a video that uses music that i think would go perfect with it, but i'd like a version of the song without the thunder and rain sounds. the song can be found |here  if you can't find out the name of that song, are there songs similar to this that i can use? if so, what are their names? Alien Arceus  16:43, 8 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Sounds like New Age music, to me. Is that the pan flute ?  Of course, if you want stereotypical eerie alien music, you need a theremin. StuRat (talk) 01:10, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

Wow! i'll look into this! thanks! YAHOO, woopee! (makes other mario noises and jumps away crazily, then falls) Alien Arceus  02:40, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * You're welcome. StuRat (talk) 04:17, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Kind of a unique way to get us to watch a video with a whole mess of propaganda about PETA (not People Eating Tasty Animals, but the other PETA). ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:22, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
 * If the good Lord didn't intend us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. -- Jayron  32  04:19, 10 February 2013 (UTC)
 * babies too. Gzuckier (talk) 16:08, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

Image description?
I am looking for an image that's on Wikipedia. Is it okay if I describe the image here?--68.186.238.19 (talk) 17:39, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Sure, give it a shot. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:22, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

The image I'm looking for: The image I'm looking for has two cartoon characters on it. The first cartoon character looked like a boy. He had light blue hair and he was wearing brown clothing. He also looked frightened and his teeth were showing. The other cartoon character looked like a girl. She looked half-lion. She had fur and a white mouth.She was also smiling a little. Her head was also resting on the boy's shoulder. Her hair was long and it was a brownish color. Also, the picture was only showing their heads, not their entire bodies.And the entire background was blue. Somebody help me find this image. It is definitely on this website, because I saw it here.--68.186.238.19 (talk) 07:26, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Do you know what sort of style it was? e.g. was it manga?--Shantavira|feed me 10:57, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

Let's just say, the boy kind of reminded me of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The girl did look kind of anime, but I'm not sure if they were supposed to be anime characters. Just so you know, I'm the one who described the picture. I wasn't logged in when I described it, so there's only numbers by the description instead of my username. --Peta8 (talk) 16:02, 9 February 2013 (UTC)


 * So the image was hand-drawn, then? (Sure sounds like it.) (Hence "cartoon"!) You should also try asking at Commons—and forgive me if cross-posting is frowned upon in this case, but I think it'd be more helpful to have more minds thinking about this one. I'm not familiar with the image myself, and I wouldn't know where to begin. – Kerαu noςco pia ◁ gala xies 11:46, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

It wasn't hand-drawn. I saw it on a "List of Characters" page. I'm not exactly sure it was anime.--Peta8 (talk) 23:59, 10 February 2013 (UTC)