Net Navigation - January 2000
By Jim Norris

Every year the number of web sites, newsletters, FTP sites and Discussion groups increases, adding to the wealth of information and the time required to find sites of interest.

   The best Internet resources are usually found in one of two ways - by searching for a specific site by name or key words or by browsing through various sites and bookmarking sites of interest. Most of the most interesting sites I use were found while looking for something else. It is a good idea to reserve some time every week for this second activity.

   I find it best to start with Yahoo (yahoo.com) since it is maintained by humans and very well organized. You can either enter a search phrase or browse through the various categories. Also use the major search engines since they contain many more web sites. Try different engines since each one will yield different result for the same key words. Try different combinations of words and to narrow your results, make sure you are using AND instead of OR with the keywords. On most search engines, surrounding your key words with quotation marks (") will find that exact phrase. Also try meta search engines such as Inference Find (www.infind.com) which gathers its results from all of the major search engines.

   Don't restrict your searches to the major search engines. There are many music and audio-related directories and search sites which contain links to a wealth of great sites. Many of these sites also link you to other audio-related search sites and directories. Associations such as AES, NAB, NSCA and NAMM have resource sections where you can find areas of interest.

   Organize you bookmarks or favorites into folders and subfolders so you can find great sites at a later date.

   Also remember that much of the Internet's treasures are not found on the World Wide Web. FTP and Shareware sites contain files and software for download for personal and business uses. There are dozens of free electronic newsletters available on music and pro audio. Usenet discussion groups such as rec.audio.pro and rec.audio.high-end are an excellent venue for posting questions and finding answers to audio queries. Visit Liszt (www.liszt.com) to search for mailing lists, Usenet groups and Chat areas.

   Great utilities for Internet searching can be found at Ferret Soft at www.ferretsoft.com. They include FileFerret, WebFerret, NewsFerret, InfoFerret, EmailFerret, IRCFerret, and PhoneFerret. They run on Windows only but the best news is they are free. WebFerret, for example, will come up with completely different result from any of the search engines.

   With a little practice and a lot of patience you will be able to distill a wealth of useful information from the mountain of chaos that is the Internet.

Resources

• If you are looking to sell used or excess music, audio or lighting gear or buy some products at reduced prices, visit Digibid.com at www.digibid.com. Digibid is an online action site for musical instruments, audio equipment, DJ gear, video equipment and lighting products. Once you have registered, you can list your products for sale or bid on listed products.
• E-Mu/Ensoniq has announced a complete redesign of their website at www.emu.com. Included are company information, product details, support, on-line shopping, an artist lounge, and company news.
• Rocket Network allows artists, producers and engineers to meet online and produce professional audio from locations around the globe. RocketControl software for Mac or PC allows the user to relay digital audio and MIDI from any audio application that has RocketPower to other participants in the Internet Studio. For more information, visit www.rocketnetwork.com.
• Steinberg has introduced Cubase.net, a web community for Cubase users. The site contains product reviews, industry news, exchanges of MP3 files, interviews with high-profile users and Cubase TV which contains video streams of Steinberg events, and VIP interviews. Visit at www.cubase.net.
• The Synthesizer Picture Archive contains photos of new and vintage synthesizers, samplers, organs, drum machines and other related signal generating and processing equipment. Drop by at www.code404.com/synths.
• Indie-Music.com is devoted to indie musicians and features band listings, eductaional how-to's, studio, venue and radio listings, music reviews, places to sell your CD and discussion forums. Visit at www.indie-music.com.
• Music Books Plus has greatly expanded their catalogue and now features online over 3,000 books, videos and CD-ROMs on music, recording, audio, songwriting, MIDI, multimedia and the Internet. You can join the electronic newsletter or request a printed catalogue online at www.musicboooksplus.com.
• Norris-Whitney Communications operates The Music & Audio Connection, the international on-line resource for music enthusiasts, musicians, music and audio professionals. Included are classified ads, products for sale, company showcases, discussion forums, associations, music education, music & audio resources, career information and file libraries. Updates to the site are available by e-mail or on The Pointcast Network. Visit at musicandaudio.com. For more information, e-mail to Fax (905) 641-1648 or call (905) 641-3471.