The benefits of using a computer are automation of the system like for example date sensitive messages and great user control applications. By using on hold software we get complete control over messages. Also one can have access to state of the art features that have never been available on hold before. In case a studio produces the messages then the presentation can be updated over the Internet also.

The software can be installed on any Windows machine. This connects the computer’s sound out socket to the music on hold port on the office’s phone system. The software mixes and plays messages on hold using the computer’s idle time. Another benefit is that no special hardware is needed and one can continue to use the machine as normal. If the owner has a windows machine in the office then the soft wares available in the market are most affordable way of playing on hold messages to the callers when they are on hold or being transferred among different departments.

The features of these software’s are that they are real time mixing of on hold messages and music to create an endless presentation. Also they are capable of message scheduling to commence and expire on certain dates and to play only on certain days of the week or times of day. The software’s are fully digital audio ensuring that your messages sound good, are clear and are easy to listen to.

They offer almost unlimited message and music capacity. The state of the art of fuzzy logic formula achieves the optimal message on hold rotation rate. A direct user can easily have control over messages and message time table. The software are capable of being used with professionally recorded messages sent to the user by a studio by email or by compact disc or through automatic online updates through internet.

The messages which we want to be played when caller is kept on hold can also be recorded directly on computer by plugging in a microphone. The voice can be synthesized to speech from text by use of voice synthesizer. The music on hold software is capable of working well with all the telephone systems like the intercom systems etc. Also with message or music on hold feature the software’s, and can also work directly with voice over internet protocol phones used in the business.

The software for music on hold come packaged with music and professionally recorded general messages. If the software has been downloaded once the downloaded file automatically setups the software.

Music affects us all. But only in recent times have scientists sought to explain and quantify the way music impacts us at an emotional level. Researching the links between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how our brains, and therefore our bodies, function.

It seems that the healing power of music, over body and spirit, is only just starting to be understood, even though music therapy is not new. For many years therapists have been advocating the use of music in both listening and study for the reduction of anxiety and stress, the relief of pain. And music has also been recommended as an aid for positive change in mood and emotional states.

Michael DeBakey, who in 1966 became the first surgeon to successfully implant an artificial heart, is on record saying: “Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients.”

Doctors now believe using music therapy in hospitals and nursing homes not only makes people feel better, but also makes them heal faster. And across the nation, medical experts are beginning to apply the new revelations about music’s impact on the brain to treating patients.

In one study, researcher Michael Thaut and his team detailed how victims of stroke, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease who worked to music took bigger, more balanced strides than those whose therapy had no accompaniment.

Other researchers have found the sound of drums may influence how bodies work. Quoted in a 2001 article in USA Today, Suzanne Hasner, chairwoman of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, says even those with dementia or head injuries retain musical ability.

The article reported results of an experiment in which researchers from the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, Pa., tracked 111 cancer patients who played drums for 30 minutes a day. They found strengthened immune systems and increased levels of cancer-fighting cells in many of the patients.

“Deep in our long-term memory is this rehearsed music,” Hasner says. “It is processed in the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. Here is where you remember the music played at your wedding, the music of your first love, that first dance. Such things can still be remembered even in people with progressive diseases. It can be a window, a way to reach them.”

The American Music Therapy Organization claims music therapy may allow for “emotional intimacy with families and caregivers, relaxation for the entire family, and meaningful time spent together in a positive, creative way”.

Scientists have been making progress in its exploration into why music should have this effect. In 2001 Dr. Anne Blood and Robert Zatorre of McGill University in Montreal, used positron emission tomography, or PET scans, to find out if particular brain structures were stimulated by music.

In their study, Blood and Zatorre asked 10 musicians, five men and five women, to choose stirring music. The subjects were then given PET scans as they listened to four types of audio stimuli – the selected music, other music, general noise or silence. Each sequence was repeated three times in random order.

Blood said when the subjects heard the music that gave them “chills,” the PET scans detected activity in the portions of the brain that are also stimulated by food and sex.

Just why humans developed such a biologically based appreciation of music is still not clear. The appreciation of food and the drive for sex evolved to help the survival of the species, but “music did not develop strictly for survival purposes,” Blood told Associated Press at the time.

She also believes that because music activates the parts of the brain that make us happy, this suggests it can benefit our physical and mental well being.

This is good news for patients undergoing surgical operations who experience anxiety in anticipation of those procedures.

Polish researcher, Zbigniew Kucharski, at the Medical Academy of Warsaw, studied the effect of acoustic therapy for fear management in dental patients. During the period from October 2001 to May 2002, 38 dental patients aged between 16 and 60 years were observed. The patients received variations of acoustic therapy, a practice where music is received via headphones and also vibrators.

Dr Kucharski discovered the negative feelings decreased five-fold for patients who received 30 minutes of acoustic therapy both before and after their dental procedure. For the group that heard and felt music only prior to the operation, the fearful feelings reduced by a factor of 1.6 only.

For the last group (the control), which received acoustic therapy only during the operation, there was no change in the degree of fear felt.

A 1992 study identified music listening and relaxation instruction as an effective way to reduce pain and anxiety in women undergoing painful gynecological procedures. And other studies have proved music can reduce other ‘negative’ human emotions like fear, distress and depression.

Sheri Robb and a team of researchers published a report in the Journal of Music Therapy in 1992, outlining their findings that music assisted relaxation procedures (music listening, deep breathing and other exercises) effectively reduced anxiety in pediatric surgical patients on a burn unit.

“Music,” says Esther Mok in the AORN Journal in February 2003, “is an easily administered, non-threatening, non-invasive, and inexpensive tool to calm preoperative anxiety.”

So far, according to the same report, researchers cannot be certain why music has a calming affect on many medical patients. One school of thought believes music may reduce stress because it can help patients to relax and also lower blood pressure. Another researcher claims music allows the body’s vibrations to synchronize with the rhythms of those around it. For instance, if an anxious patient with a racing heartbeat listens to slow music, his heart rate will slow down and synchronize with the music’s rhythm.

Such results are still something of a mystery. The incredible ability that music has to affect and manipulate emotions and the brain is undeniable, and yet still largely inexplicable.

Aside from brain activity, the affect of music on hormone levels in the human body can also be quantified, and there is definite evidence that music can lower levels of cortisol in the body (associated with arousal and stress), and raise levels of melatonin (which can induce sleep). It can also precipitate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller.

But how does music succeed in prompting emotions within us? And why are these emotions often so powerful? The simple answer is that no one knows yet. So far we can quantify some of the emotional responses caused by music, but we cannot yet explain them. But that’s OK. I don’t have to understand electricity to benefit from light when I switch on a lamp when I come into a room, and I don’t have to understand why music can make me feel better emotionally. It just does – our Creator made us that way.

You do not have to worry about the legality of downloading online music at these online music stores. The online music stores have sought for the permission or licence of record labels to distribute their music. In return, the record companies are paid hefty sums of royalties of course. What are some of the handy tips music lovers can use when downloading online music?

1. Cost per song

It is important to compare this among the licensed music retailers as their prices tend to vary. On average, a price of $0.99 or less per music piece is quite reasonable. Some sites offer you a monthly subscription that permits you to download a specific number of songs every month. It can be anything between 30 to 40 songs.

2. Newsletters

Sometimes, there would be promotional offers for entire albums or top hit singles. The trick is to sign up for their newsletters to receive such news updates.

3. Music Genre

Different music stores offers different music genre. Some specializes in rap, while others may offer oldies. Generally, the most established ones would carry Alternative music, Rock, Country music, Hip Hop, Christian music, Pop, Reggae, Dance music, R&B, Jazz, Techno, Blues, Classical, Trance music and movie soundtracks. Music videos are also available at majority of the online retailers.

4. Service Agreement

Remember to read the terms and conditions of the online music site. Downloading online music directly to your computer is acceptable at all sites. However, if you wish to copy them to a portable digital device such as an MP3 player or to copy and burn them onto a CD, it requires different user rights. Be sure to clarify with the site to ensure that you stay on the right side of the law.

5. Sound Quality

The most common music format is MP3. But for those who appreciate better music or want to listen using a home theatre system, this piece of advice would be useful to you. Music files are normally compressed to reduce the space required. MP3, AAC, WMA and Vorbis formats are compressed files that have lost bits and pieces of the original music. Such music files are called lossy files. MP3s are the worst of the lot. So if you want to get the best out of your favourite musical piece, avoid these. WMA and FLAC file formats are able to retain the original sound without music loss, making them ideal choices if you are downloading music online to build a private music collection.

Read more about downloading online music at my popular music blog. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.