You've managed to get online and have your favourite browser humming along and you're quickly becoming a pro web surfer. Don't stop there. There are many programs, utilities and plug-ins to make your web experience even more productive. Here are just a few.
Many files for download are compressed to save time and storage. In the Windows world you will need PKZip available at http://www.shareware.com and Mac users can find Stuffit at http://www.aladdinsys.com.
Many printed manuals, brochures and catalogs are available on the Internet in Adobe Acrobat format (pdf). Download the free viewer for most platforms at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.
To listen to real-time audio, you will need RealAudio at http://www.realaudio.com or Liquid Audio at http://www.liquiaudio.com.
To make order out of your Bookmarks or Favorites check out Bookmark Magician at http://www.q-d.com. You can import your bookmarks from Navigator or Explorer and organize them into customized categories.
JASC Media Center allows you to catalog and view all you multimedia and graphics files. Find it and many other useful utilities at http://www.jasc.com.
Once you get started, there's no end. Prowl shareware sites such as http://www.shareware.com, http://www.download.com or http://www.tucows.com or search Yahoo (http://yahoo.com) under Internet Utilities. Happy hunting.

RESOURCES

• For Web searches try Inference Find at http://www.inference.com/ifind/. It searches WebCrawler, Yahoo, Lycos, Alta Vista, InfoSeek, and Excite simultaneously and displays the results grouped by category. You can specify the time allowed which determines the number of sites that are retrieved. It gets my vote as best combination search facility. The software can also be purchased for use on company intranets and configured as to what search engines it uses.
• Audionova, distributors of LA Audio, Gold Line, Abstract, Colortran, Disco Tech, NSI and Smoke Design have debuted their website at http://www.audionova.ca. Featured are company news, rep information and product details including links to their suppliers' websites
• Intersect Inc. provides monitoring, research and analysis of intellectual property distribution on the Internet. Intersect enables companies to detect their products' presence on the Internet to assist in combatting Internet piracy. Their customized reports disclose the source of music and software files including the Service Provider, the domain name, and a list of files offered for downloading. For more information visit http://www.intersectinc.com, e-mail or call (213) 614-7931.
• Great things are happening at Liquid Audio these days. Download for free version 2.1 of the Liquid MusicPlayer CD for Windows 95 or Mac. The Player allows you to sample and purchase digital music tracks as well as view album graphics and liner notes. The Player also features personal music library management and the ability to record an audio CD, playable on any stereo system. Their web site at http://www.liquidaudio.com lists dozens of Internet sites featuring Liquid Audio for sale and for preview.
• Latin Percussion announces the updated version of their company website at http://www.lpmusic.com. The site is organized into five major areas: LP The Company, Product Showcase, Online Magazine, LP Marketplace and LP University. Featured are company history, an e-mail directory, a database of dealers, prodyct information with photos, endorser news, technical support and articles on percussive technique. Coming soon is the LP line of clothing available directly through the Internet.
• Meyer Sound has expanded their web site at http://meyersound.com. Added to the site a monthly column by Meyer founder, John Meyer, news on artists and sound companies using Meyer products and feature stories on Meyer installations. Coming soon to the site are Meyer's merchandise catalog and patent information including diagrams and technical descriptions.
• Yorkville Sound has updated their site at http://www.yorkville.com. You can take a virtual factory tour and use their reference audioguide. Product manuals are available in Acrobat format as well as information on distributors and products including photos.
• Music Books Plus has changed its web address to http://musicbooksplus.com. Here you will find over 2,000 music and audio books, videos and CD-ROMs and a free electronic newsletter is available as well.
• 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 http://musicandaudio.com. For more information, e-mail to , Fax (905) 641-1648 or call (905) 641-3471.

| Contents | Showcase | Music On-Line | Studio Guide | Canadian Artists |