Focus Vari

Used Ford - Focus Reigns Supreme

Like it or not family motoring comes to us all eventually. Some people, mostly men including myself I must admit, cling on to the last vestiges of an immaculately clean car with a spotless interior smelling of some masculine fragranced air freshener and then suddenly without warning those days are gone.

Now my car mostly smells of dog with a hint of rotting fruit which my daughter has deposited in some inaccessible part of the vehicle. Not to mention the countless number of sticky raisins I seem to find everywhere, in fact the interior of what was once my pride and joy frankly now resembles a mobile monkey enclosure.

Having said that it's not all gloom and doom, in the past family motoring was a passport to boredom and misery. Things are different now, thanks to models which successfully combine driving pleasure with practicality. Cars such as Ford's Focus for example.

The Focus had its work cut out to become the nation's top-seller following as it did in the wake of the all-conquering Escort. It has succeeded in appealing to a variety of owners, but the question was whether this would include used buyers. Luckily for Ford the answer was a resounding yes.

Since its launch back in 1998, the Focus has been the benchmark for its class. While others can match it, none have been able to top it. The handling is exceptional, and the ride and comfort qualities are equally impressive. In line with all modern Fords, the Focus is both user-friendly and pleasant to drive. And there's one for all budgets, with the choice of smooth reliable engines ranging from 1.4 to 2.0 litres.

While buying the model with the smaller capacity makes some sense for those wanting to save on road tax, the difference in fuel economy between the 74bhp Fiesta-sourced 1.4-litre Zetec unit and the 99bhp 1.6 alternative is marginal. You can expect both to return around 38-40mpg.

Yet the difference in performance is quite substantial. While the 1.4 needs to be worked hard, the 1.6 has ample performance for the average driver. For easier overtaking, I would go for the 113bhp 1.8 litre, which is still good for more than 35mpg, while the slightly rarer 128bhp 2.0 Focus offers pretty impressive handling if required.

The early diesel Focus wasn't quite so impressive, and couldn't match the best from Vauxhall, Volkswagen or Peugeot in terms of performance and refinement although it was fairly economical

As with the exterior, the Ford's cabin is radically styled and well presented. The Focus is roomy for its class. Of the three body styles, the three and five-door hatchbacks are by far the most popular thanks to their style and practicality. The saloon is the least desirable as the styling is pretty awful and looks like an afterthought on a Friday afternoon. The estate version is a rare beast indeed as you might as well of just bought a bigger car altogether.

The top of the range is the Ghia with its imitation wood interior and has always been popular with older buyers as were the automatic variants. The best value model was probably the Zetec which combined alloy wheels with air-conditioning and Ford's fantastic heated windscreen which baffles me why all cars don't come with this feature.

Mechanically the Focus is known by workshops across the land and holds few surprises for any decent mechanic. Apart from a massive franchised dealer network Ford also operates Rapid Fit, a fast-fit service geared specifically to older Ford models

As Ford churns out revised versions every couple of years the second-hand market is awash with Focuses and prices can vary greatly as a result. Main dealers charge top dollar, but those which operate Ford Direct offer not only fully refurbished and serviced examples, but also back them with a comprehensive warranty. There are also a number of Used Ford dealers offering great used bargains.

The Focus proves that family motoring can be enjoyable especially if you have just dropped the kids off at their Grandparents!

About the Author

The Ford Focus has been setting the standards for medium family cars in the UK for over a decade. Jon Barlow looks at why the Focus has been so successful for more information visit
used Ford

Bass Drum Designs

The Luna line of musical instruments had been envisioned Yvonne de Viliers. Her idea was simple. She wanted to create guitars that were comfortable, affordable, artistic and unique! She said why can't an instrument be additional ergonomic. She wanted to change that.

This is the second installment of my series of articles addressing the processing of drum tracks. Our focus here is on compression. I tend to use compression for two distinct causes - to color a signal or to control its dynamic range. I will not go into fantastic lengths about how you can use a compressor but will touch upon some desired approaches. Also, you can find four diverse forms of compressors: Vari-mu (Delta-Mu), VCA (voltage controlled amplifier), FET (field effect transformer) and Electro-Optical (opto).

First, let's talk about color. By altering a compressor's attack and release controls, 1 can alter just how much sustain, attack and punch a track will exhibit. For example, by compressing a kick (bass drum) track, it is possible to control how much beater "click" you hear versus how much "body" and thump is heard. If you need a lot more "snap" out of a kick, merely slow down your attack to permit more of the initial transient through. Want additional "shell" or "bloom"? Crank up the attack and slow down the release.

Think of this method as a approach to EQ the signal without having resorting to utilizing an EQ. Stylistically speaking, Modern Rock tracks seem to beg for massive amounts of compression, whereas Jazz and Folk tracks prefer to be untouched. Ratio and threshold are also unquestionably important, but to me the key to suitable compression is all inside the manipulation of attack and release.

Yvonne was an artist that worked in the stained glass industry. She believed they should also be deemed functions of art. She swiftly learned that designing the fretboard of the bass and also the guitar was exactly the identical as her stained glass art. She could incorporate everything that she knew suitable into the neck and bodies of the guitars and basses. She also utilizes laser etching in a henna art style on the actual body of the instrument. This creates a gorgeous style that isn't observed on any other brand of instrument.

Okay, so the other reason compression is employed would be to merely decrease a signal's dynamic range. For instance, for those who have a snare track that has varying intensities in amplitude (meaning the drummer played some hits harder than others) and also you want a more consistent level or placement inside the track, you may possibly need to slap a compressor on it to keep the output constant. You could also location a limiter on the track to maintain from spiking into the red (overloading) whilst still preserving most of the original dynamics. Compressing or limiting overhead mics is often a popular practice and you may obtain that just a touch of compression here and there can support reign in unruly hits.

If you concluded that this topic is inspiring you might also want to be researching about Bass Drum Designs and Double Bass Drum Sets.

Nikon D5000 vs. D90 video?

I've been doing a lot of research lately on a DSLR to replace my broken D40 and my JVC MG330 camcorder...

I love filmmaking and the manual focus and DoF control DSLRs offer really appeals to me.

I'm considering the D5000 over the D90 lately because I like the vari-angle screen, and the lack of AF motor doesn't bother me as I already have AF-S lenses and would have to use manual focus for video anyway (which I actually prefer, I don't like the look of the full time af in the D3100).

So many people I've spoken to seem to prefer the D90's video over the D5000's. But why?

Why do so many people seem to think this?

I'd suggest you go with D5000. I have both, and the D90 is much more expensive because of it's features (none that would benefit you in video).

For video, they're exactly the same. You can get D5000 kit for ~$550 if you look hard enough. D90 kit costs 900+. Huge price difference.

If you want better video without the AF, I suggest you look into Canon's t2i. Cheaper than D90, costs more than D5000.

In my opinion D5000 would be the perfect choice if you want to stick with Nikon.

Nikon D5100 (CES )

Nikon has introduced the Nikon D5100 Digital SLR camera designed for those
ready to artistically express themselves and need a versatile SLR camera that
can keep pace creatively. The Nikon D5100 SLR camera houses a host of new and
innovative features aimed at giving digital photographers the tools to shatter
creative constraints and tell stories with amazing photo quality and stunning
HD videos. The new Nikon D5100 Digital SLR camera includes features designed
to enhance the shooting experience, including an impressive new 3 inch, sharp
and clear 921,000 dot Vari-angle LCD screen and full HD (1080p) movie
recording with full-time auto focus.

CES

Focus - 06 - Cirkaj, Vari Pt. 2 Feat. G