For the gigging musician, this could be an excellent investment, especially if your set list calls for the sound of a nylon classical guitar on one song and an electric sitar on another.

NPR: The Variax: Many Sounds from One Guitar

Immerse yourself in surroundings that evoke a more genteel era and watch treasures from the archives in the glass orangerie (modelled on Crystal Palace), silent films accompanied by live orchestration in the neo-classical drawing room or take part in a foley workshop (recording sound effects) in the crumbling stable block.

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Debussy and others tried to mimic the sound of the gamelan orchestra in their classical compositions.

FORBES: Fifth Anniversary

At the same time, sound quality is important to classical music collectors, and most are not really satisfied with heavily compressed files.

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Chanticleer, an all-male a capella group best known for its classical repertoire, has released How Sweet the Sound, its second CD of gospel music and African-American spirituals.

NPR: The Gospel According to Chanticleer

For players, the distinctive sound of jazz has derived not from acquiring a conventional classical technique on an instrument, but from emulating the spontaneous twists and turns of an impassioned voice.

ECONOMIST: Jazz singers

This may sound faintly ridiculous, but the finished object looks like a deeply satisfying classical column.

ECONOMIST: American contemporary art

One finding: The "Sound Charge" shirts collected more energy with dance music than jazz or classical, says Mat Sears, a spokesman for Orange parent company Everything Everywhere.

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