Video Production Equipment Checklist: Here’s What You Need

Well, you probably need some ideas on what are the necessary equipment you need to get started.

Camera

This is a given – you should know what kind of camera that would be suitable for your video production process. At times, taking videos with a good smartphone camera is sufficient enough but that’s not the case if you plan on doing this professionally.

The recommended cameras to use would be either DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. Be sure to look out for a camera that offers minimum 1080p output with proper stabilization.

Lenses

In a proper video production setting, there are so many angles, filters and shots to capture. Hence, you will need a set of lenses alongside filters so that you are able to get all those shots in while maintaining the quality.

For instance, if you’re shooting an extreme closeup of something, then you would need lenses which allow you to super zoom (also commonly known as macro lenses).

Camera Lights

Without a question, you will have to purchase camera lights because no matter how bright your environment is, the camera isn’t able to capture without random shadows appearing.

A good rule of thumb is to have a complete lighting set including one that is able to attach to your DSLR or camera. Most of the sets include a reflector (which is a must to make use of ambient light) as it reflects light effectively. Be sure to get the 5-in-1 reflector set as it comes with different surfaces, namely, white, translucent, gold, silver and black.

Microphone

Imagine recording a video but you can barely hear what the person is saying. Yup – we all don’t want that to happen, which is why it’s essential to get an external microphone as the built-in microphone in your camera may not be sufficient enough to deliver quality audio.

One thing to take note of is that not all microphone jacks are compatible with cameras. Hence, you have to make sure that the microphone is compatible with your cameras. Aside from that, you can also consider boom poles which you are able to attach your microphone to so that you can keep it steady all throughout the shooting.

Tripod

A tripod is a must-have when you’re shooting steady shots. If you’re running around and capturing fast-moving scenes, then you don’t really need a tripod. But if it’s a scene that is standstill, you need a good tripod to keep the camera steady and smooth.

Good video editing software

After you manage to shoot all of the videos, you will need a video editing software to compile everything together and create a good final video. You can either use a laptop or a good desktop PC to edit the videos.

However, if your videos are more towards the high-end, then you might need a Mac which offers the best editing capabilities around as it contains impressive, powerful graphic cards. Now, in terms of software, the recommended ones would be Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. You shouldn’t use a free video editing software because not only will there be a watermark, it just wouldn’t be able to produce a quality video as the paid ones.

Need someone to help build your video production studio? Quickmedia is a professional broadcast service company who can help provide you with everything you need to get started.

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Traditional Advertising: The Ultimate Guide

What is Traditional Advertising?

The meaning of traditional advertising is any form of methods used to reach an audience offline. For instance, print media and broadcasting are the common traditional advertising methods used by many companies and businesses.

Traditional advertising is known to be effective in boosting a company’s brand awareness alongside the product or service they are promoting.

The Different Types of Traditional Advertising

Traditional advertising is quite wide, but there are a few commonly used methods as below:

  • Various print media such as brochures, flyers, magazines, and so on.
  • Television broadcasting
  • Radio broadcasting
  • Billboards

Traditional Advertising Benefits

Better sustainability

Traditional advertising allows the customers to simply just keep the promotional materials instead and can read or take a look at them at any time. Hence, you don’t have to regularly come up with new content just to promote your service or product.

Besides, all of the promotional materials can easily be recycled too and save the environment!

Target local audience

It is much easier to reach the local audience if that is the main marketing goal. This is because for certain traditional advertising channels such as radio is usually local-based, so you can choose that particular media platform to promote your product or service.

Furthermore, going through the traditional advertising methods would catch the attention of the locals better as it creates a better relationship since they can connect on a closer level, especially if the content broadcasted are localised too.

Gain more credibility

Here’s an interesting fact about traditional advertising: when using print media, customers tend to believe the brand or business more. This is because compared to modern advertising, anybody can portray themselves however they like but traditional advertising is usually used by brands or businesses with bigger advertising budgets.

Hence, advertising with print media such as magazines or broadcast via the radio or television generally tend to cost more, meaning they are more established so the customers consider them highly credible.

Easier to understand

When you compare graphics or animation used in modern advertising, some people will find it hard to understand because it’s not that straight-forward. Studies have also shown humans tend to digest and absorb information with print media much faster and effectively.

As such, humans also have a short attention span so they are able to catch a commercial on TV faster than a Youtube video. This is because humans might get too distracted with modern advertising.

Traditional Advertising Cons

Can be quite expensive

Certain costs of print media can be quite costly, especially if it’s something like from a notable magazine. Only companies or businesses which have a high marketing budget are able to afford traditional advertising.

Target audience can’t be further segmented

Unlike modern advertising, though you can target local audiences, you can’t exactly further go into specifics such as target a certain age group or occupation with traditional advertising.

May take a long time to produce or execute

When you compare traditional advertising vs modern advertising, it is much easier to make edits or changes on modern media platforms. But for traditional media platforms, because it is already printed out, it can take some time with the revisions to make sure everything is final.

On top of that, once you’ve printed out the material, you can’t keep testing it with your target audience because it’s already done.

Results can’t exactly be measured

You won’t actually know if your traditional advertising efforts are working or not. This is because there is no way for you to know the exact number of people that have seen your advertisements.

All in all, traditional advertising is here to stay – and that is why QES Malaysia helps companies who are offering traditional advertising such as television and radio broadcasting. Contact them today if you need broadcasting services!

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Traditional Advertising vs Modern Advertising: What’s the difference?

If you’re not sure what is the difference between traditional advertising vs modern advertising, read on to find out more!

What is traditional advertising?

Traditional advertising consists mainly of print media such as newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers as well as digital screens such as billboards and signages alongside broadcast facilities such as TV or radio stations and so on. 

The idea of traditional advertising is to sell a product or service and get profit from it, also known as push marketing. Traditional marketing is solely based on profits.

The common traditional advertising methods are:

  • Radio and TV
  • Brochures and Flyers
  • Business Cards
  • Signages and Billboards
  • Cold Calling
  • Direct mailing

Advantages & Disadvantages of Traditional Advertising

Advantages

  • High potential customer reach – The customer base when it comes to traditional advertising is quite wide. This is because it can even reach rural areas where internet access is limited.
  • Able to reach the target audience – If you are planning on advertising on specific geographical locations, it would be extremely effective.
  • The advertising is permanent – As consumers would receive hard copies for print media, it will always be in their hands until they dispose of them.

Disadvantages

  • Quite expensive – You will have to spend a hefty amount because certain advertisements which are well-known would cost more.
  • Difficult to measure the results – You won’t really know how to measure because you can’t keep track of every single consumer that your ad has reached. You also won’t be able to 100% know how the consumers are reacting to your ads.

What is modern advertising?

Modern advertising is when all marketing efforts are solely based on customers. Basically, making sure the customers are fully satisfied by meeting their needs or demands are a priority.

Various digital media platforms are used for modern advertising. The idea is to build trust and loyalty with the targeted audience.

The common modern advertising methods are:

  • Internet ads
  • Email marketing
  • Websites
  • Social media

Advantages & Disadvantages of Modern Advertising

Advantages

  • Better engagement with customers – This allows us to communicate with the customers directly (such as social media) so you can see all the positive or negative feedback from them.
  • More specific target audience – Aside from the geographical location, you will be able to target very specific people such as the age and interests/hobbies.
  • Better measurement in terms of ROI – You will be able to track your marketing efforts because the digital media platforms are able to do so.

Disadvantages

  • The trends are always changing – Unfortunately, the digital media platforms are constantly evolving and you will need to keep up with the trends to make your strategy up-to-date and more effective.
  • Not that permanent – Unfortunately, the ads on certain media platforms are only temporary as customers are always scrolling or clicking on something else in an instant.
  • Can be annoying to some – Certain groups of people get turned off by ads and may just ignore them altogether.

Should you use traditional advertising or modern advertising?

Well, it all depends on what you deemed the best for your business. It’s all about trial and error to find out which method gives you the most ROI as well as meet your marketing objectives or goals.

Planning to dive into traditional advertising and looking to build your own broadcasting facility? We are able to help you design from A to Z as we have all the necessary equipment needed. Contact us today to find out more! 

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Top Equipment Needed For Music Production

Here are the top 5 equipment needed for music production:

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

For music production, think of DAW as you’d think of a canvas for your paint brushes.

A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is a computerized application for recording, editing, and creating audio files. There are a variety of DAW apps available on the market, each with its unique features and benefits. However, below are the core qualities that you’ll find in all Digital Audio Workstations:

  • Multitrack recording
  • Pitch modification
  • Tempo modification
  • Filtering

DAWs are the foundation of electronic music production — without them, studios would be limited to producing music on audiotape recorders.

Studio headphones

Studio headphones are headphones that are specifically designed for professional music production. They have the property of neutral sonic balancing and offer certain tunings that differentiate them from the typical consumer or gaming headphones.

These headphones are critical for producing, mixing, recording, and mastering audio. Studio headphones output the least colored sounds possible to achieve effective audio isolation. It helps you know what your song actually sounds like, enabling you to correct tonal imperfections conveniently.

MIDI Controller

Just as you’d think of DAW as a canvas, think of MIDI Controller as your paintbrush.

Essentially, the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Controller controls your DAW. It has become the universal technical standard for music production. A MIDI Controller enables the physical hardware to interact with digital audio workstations.

The most popular forms of MIDI Controllers are MIDI keyboards; they allow you to have a blank keyboard piece to which you can assign sounds via your computer. MIDI Keyboards are an intuitive and inexpensive way to trigger samples and arrange beats for your music.

Audio Interface

Non-MIDI instruments such as guitars, pianos, or vocals lack universal connectivity. An audio interface addresses this problem.

An audio interface acts as the bridge between traditional analog sounds and modern digital audio. In today’s music production setups, analog instruments (think violin or guitar) are recorded as analog electrical signals. An audio interface helps convert those analog signals into digital audio signals to enhance compatibility.

Further, a good audio interface is needed to translate acoustic nuances into digital audio files when handling live instrumentation.

Studio Microphone

A studio microphone is designed to capture sounds and immediately convert them into digital signals.

Typically, studio microphones are wired-bound. This implies that they are fixed in a specific position to capture audio in a dedicated environment, such as a recording booth.

Studio recording microphones are either cardioid, which means they can only capture sounds from the front — suitable for recording vocals and speech, or omnidirectional, which allows them to capture audio in a 3D sphere and record most audio types.

So if you are in need of broadcasting services for your music production studio, Quickmedia offers various broadcasting services that will surely meet your needs and requirements! Whether it is in terms of broadcasting equipment or consultation, you will be guided from head to toe.

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Tips For Creating A Successful Radio Station

If you’re not sure what it takes to build a successful radio broadcasting station, below are some of the tips that will help you achieve that goal!

Don’t be boring

Nobody likes to listen to the same ol’ content! Keep things fresh often by mixing things up and playing different music (also be sure to play the latest ones too!). Just be sure that what you’re playing is a wide variety instead of the same ones all the time.

Know your audience from head to toe

How clear are you on your target audience? Do you really know them from head to toe? What are the common age groups that would listen to your radio broadcasting station? At the very least, you should know the basic demographics of your audience such as their age, location, monthly income, and so on).

To get to know your audience interests, you can simply make use of polls and send them to them. That way, you know how to plan out your content too which caters to the majority of your listeners.

Try doing some interviews

Most people love to listen to their favourite artists or influencers and get to know them better. You could consider interviewing any popular person around. You don’t even have to interview famous people, you could simply interview a few normal people to gain insight on interesting topics that your audience would want to learn more about

Interact with your audience consistently

It is crucial to keep your audience engaged because you are nothing without them! Try to improve the interaction and communicate with your audience on a regular basis. Every single day, try to respond to their comments or questions.

Get some of them on air as well and come up with ways to make them participate through contests or giveaways. You can also come up with quizzes or content and try to encourage your audience to participate in them.

Maintain good quality audio

If you don’t offer good quality audio, then you will not keep your audience’s attention. You can’t have your songs regularly skipping all of the sudden – that’ll just drive all your listeners away.

Check that all of your audio is tip top and the sound is crystal clear or crisp. This can be either your audio file or equipment.

Promote on social media

These days, it is abnormal for anyone to not have social media. To build a successful radio station, you need to be active on social media. This is also one of the ways where you can interact with your audience.

You can also update your regular listeners with your latest promotions or updates through your social media.

Reduce the number of ads

We get it – you need to run ads in order to keep the radio station afloat. However, most radio listeners find ads really annoying. When you run ads continuously back to back, you’ll send every single person running away and never turning on your radio station channel ever again. That’s because all radio listeners wanna do is hear their favourite tunes!

Try to make sure there is a gap in between the ads so that it doesn’t seem like there are endless ads running every hour.

With that being said, if you need additional assistance for your radio broadcasting station, QES Malaysia offers various broadcasting services that will help you build a successful radio station!

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The Top Equipment Needed For Radio Broadcasting

Microphones

Without a doubt, having good microphones for the hosts to record their voices is essential. You could start off with earbuds, regular headsets or built-in mics but in the long run if you wish to get a little more professional, that means you need to offer good quality audio.

A traditional microphone (the standalone ones) offers the best audio quality. This is because these types of microphones, also known as dynamic mics, usually produce a brighter and clearer sound compared to the other types which are also known as condenser mics that produce a warmer, focused sound.

The condenser mics will usually have a USB jack whereas the dynamic mics consist of a XLR jack. Another equipment you need to pair with your microphone would be a shock mount. This equipment is useful to prevent any unwanted sounds caused by your mic such as movements of the mic, vibrations along with the sound coming from the typing of keyboards.

Headphones

When you prefer to have full control of the audio, you need to make sure that you can monitor the quality of the audio with the help of headphones. Imagine if you’re speaking with the mic but without headphones, you’re not able to hear what you sound like!

To make sure that you can clearly hear the audio, you should use over-ear headphones instead of earbuds, though the latter works just as well but it wouldn’t be as good quality.

Here’s an interesting fact you need to know about if all this is new to you: the studio monitor speakers will be muted automatically once the microphone is turned on. Hence, nobody would know what is going to air unless they have headphones.

Mixers

Mixers, also known as a mixing table, enables you to group a few inputs to a single output alongside the ability to manually adjust every level per input. Therefore, you can easily connect all the essential equipment such as your headphones or microphones.

The main function of a mixer is to allow better control (so you can adjust everything consistently) and to make sure that the overall audio quality is maintained all throughout.

Plus, if you have several people talking on the microphone at the same time, you can broadcast all of their voices live simultaneously.

Soundproofing

In order to make sure that the host or announcer’s voice sounds good, you will need to soundproof your entire studio. The main reason why there is a lot of echo or a ‘hollow’ sound coming out from a room is due to the fact that sound naturally bounces off any smooth surfaces.

The best way is to create some sort of special texture on the walls of the room so that the sound can be bounced off upon hitting the walls.

Microphone Processor

You probably also need a microphone processor so that you can minimize external noises coming from the background or make sure nothing interrupts the signal. Another perk of having a microphone processor is that you’ll be able to achieve top-notch audio quality because you can simply stabilize your audio without the use of editing the levels.

Optional: Computer Monitor

Well, if you need to do more than just monitoring your audio, having one or two computer monitor screens would come in handy to get a complete overview of your studio while on-air.

If you need help on starting your radio broadcasting studio, you can contact QES Malaysia as they have many years of experience with setting up a radio broadcasting studio from A to Z.

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The Different Types of Television Cameras

Here are the different types of television cameras available on the market:

ENG Cameras or Video Production Cameras

First, we have ENG (Electronic News Gathering) video cameras. Initially, these cameras were exclusively used by live news studios. However, they have now transcended as the dominant means of video production for most broadcasting uses, such as producing live events, shooting documentaries, music videos, and corporate training tapes.

Also known as broadcasting cameras or cinema cameras, these equipment are typically the most expensive camera types, ranging from $10,000 to over $100,000.

These cameras have a variety of high-end features. For example, some ENG cameras can record in frame rates of up to 240 fps, allowing you to capture the tiniest of detail. Others may allow the frame rate to be adjusted while recording. Further, some ENG cameras have advanced sensors that adapt to any lighting condition, accept various lenses, and do much more.

If you need a television camera that offers maximum configurability and utmost precision, an ENG camera will best suit your requirements.

Studio Cameras

These types of television cameras are placed on the floor, supported by pneumatic or hydraulic mechanisms called pedestals. Typically, they are used within a studio.

These cameras can be placed on a tripod when used outside a formal broadcasting facility. So, there’s always a base that supports them. Studio cameras can further be of many types, but they all retain the following defining characteristics:

  • They are lightweight, which signifies that you can easily take them off the pedestal.
  • They are lens-flexible, which means their lens can be changed to a smaller size to be used handheld on a camera operator’s shoulder.
  • They are cable-bound, which means they are not portable like a camcorder.
  • They are equipped with a tally light, which is a small signal lamp that indicates that the camera is “live.”
  • They can’t record.

EFP (Electronic Field Production) Cameras

EFP cameras are considerably similar to studio cameras in that they predominantly find their use in multiple camera-switched configurations. However, these television cameras are mainly used outside the studio environment.

For sports, concerts, and live news coverage of special events, EFP cameras are almost exclusively used. These cameras can be mounted on pedestals and cranes or kept on the camera person’s shoulder.

And again, similar to Studio Cameras, EFP Cameras have no recording ability. They only transmit signals to the broadcast facility via fiber optic cables, radiofrequency, or triaxial cables.

PTZ Cameras

PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) Cameras are the types of television cameras that are implanted within a solid frame and operated remotely.

Having a flat base, PTZ cameras can be securely affixed to different surfaces, such as a table, ceiling, or tripod. These cameras are an outstanding choice for “set and forget” recording styles, where the filming locations or conditions are not frequently changed.

If you are looking for television broadcasting services, QES Malaysia is widely familiar with the various televisions made available! Contact them today to find out how they can provide you with the equipment or consultation you need.

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The Different Types Of Audio Equipment and Their Benefits

If you are planning on purchasing several audio equipment for your radio broadcasting station or for whatever reason it may be, you should get to know what the available audio equipment is so that you will not make the wrong decisions. Besides that, you will also know what the audio equipment you actually need before purchasing them.

Here are some of the common types of audio equipment in the market:

Audio Cables

Contrary to popular belief, audio cables are one of the important types of audio equipment when it comes to sound design. The type of audio cables can make or break the sound quality too.

The available types of audio cables are:

  • Balanced audio cables: These cables usually consist of three wires (cold wire, hot wire and shielding ground wire mesh) which use an XLR connection or TRS (tip ring sleeve). When it comes to large distances, this type of cable would work best.
  • Unbalanced audio cables: This type of cable consists of two wires which is a hot wire and a shielding mesh wire. The hot wire is used to transmit signals through short distances whereas the shielding mesh wire is known as a zero point of a signal.

Headphones

Other than hearing any form of audio through the speakers, you can also use headphones! These days, there are so many types of headphones to be used such as for gaming, work or radio broadcasting stations.

Some of the available types of headphones include:

  • Closed-back Headphones
  • On-Ear Headphones
  • Open-back Headphones
  • In-Ear Headphones
  • Over-Ear Headphones

Try to use a wired headphone because sometimes Bluetooth ones aren’t able to offer the same audio quality due to the signal connection strength.

Preamplifier

To boost the audio electrical signals, a preamplifier, which is an electronic audio equipment, will be used. When recording an audio, there will be some sort of noise interference going on. With the help of a preamplifier, you can improve the overall quality of the sound by eliminating any noise distortion caused by other equipment such as a microphone.

The latest technology of a preamplifier allows you to switch between the microphone signal and the current line within just a switch of a button. You will also have to take note of the audio levels when using a preamplifier as there’s a chance of the audio to be clipped.

Microphones

Microphones are also known as one of the oldest audio equipment around. If you want to record an audio, of course you would need a microphone! Even when you’re at a radio broadcasting or TV broadcast station, there are microphones.

There are three types of common microphones:

  • Dynamic Microphones: This type of microphone is usually used when the environment is noisy. One of the best places where these microphones are used is during live concerts.
  • Handheld Microphones: A microphone like this can pick up the sounds in the environment well, which makes it a popular option in talent shows or the newsroom.
  • Shotgun Microphones: When recording audio or sounds during movies or videos, a shotgun microphone will be used as it is attached to a boom pole. This type of microphone also doesn’t pick up any unwanted sounds caused by the environment.

Audio Analyzers

Audio analyzers is a type of audio equipment that adjusts the gain, noise, level and frequency response of the audio quality. Certain products have particular standards, so with the help of audio analyzers, the quality of the audio can be adjusted accordingly to meet the required specifications.

You can also measure the audio signals to assess for any deficiency such as distortion or interference. A common type of audio analyzer would be the audio precision.  

Mixers

Using a mixer helps to blend the various sounds in an audio such as midrange, bass and treble. This helps to mix a few tracks together and flow well to produce a single song. Essentially, mixers help you equalize, position and balance the various audio channels available.

Are you trying to find a company that provides broadcasting equipment or services for your business? Contact QES Malaysia today so you can get advice on which audio equipment you need!

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Must-Have Equipment In A Podcast Studio

Shock Mount

If you don’t know already, microphones tend to have weird sounds which don’t travel in the air. Hence, when recording your podcast, it will pick up unwanted sounds such as tapping or objects moving about.

A shock mount helps to prevent your microphone from recording those random vibrations or sounds. Most of the shock mounts are compatible with any type of microphone.

Headphones

Headphones are essential when it comes to podcasts because you need to know how your audio sounds (despite cringing at your own voice). The reason being when you are recording your podcast with headphones in, you can hear exactly what you’re recording.

You can start off with over-the-ear headphones as it offers the best quality so you can clearly hear how your audio sounds. Try to avoid using earbuds because you won’t be able to hear your audio well.

Microphones

Probably the most important equipment when it comes to podcasts, choosing a good quality microphone makes a difference to your podcast quality.

Do you have multiple people speaking at the same time? If that’s the case, you shouldn’t use USB microphones as it will just be everyone’s voices cancelling out each other. Below the common microphones used in podcasts:

  • USB Microphones: This would be ideal if you are a solo podcaster and don’t plan on bringing any guests over. Basically, it’s just you speaking. 
  • XLR Microphones: Professional podcasters would use this as it has to be connected to a computer and a mixer to function.
  • Dynamic Microphones: This microphone would be useful for those who don’t have acoustic treatments in the place of recording. It offers a clear and crisp sound.
  • Condenser Microphones: If you have acoustic treatments in your recording studio, then this microphone would benefit you as it is more sensitive to the environment noise along with the high frequencies occurring in the background.

Microphone Stand or Boom Pole

Imagine always having to bend down to speak on the microphone. Nobody wants that! It’s best to get a microphone stand or a boom pole so that you can simply adjust the level to your liking.

That way, the microphone can be close to your mouth without you having to bend down or whatnot (because the level of the microphone from your mouth makes a difference to your audio quality!)

Besides, you will also save yourself from accidentally knocking your microphone over.

Computer or Laptop

Of course, you will need a computer or laptop to edit or produce your podcast as you’ll need to use an editing software to put your recordings together.

You can either use a Mac or Windows PC as both will work just fine. Most podcasters tend to use Apple MacBook Pro. But ultimately, you should use something that you’re already familiar with.

Windscreen Or Pop Filter

Sometimes when we pronounce certain letters or words, it tends to sound plosive on the microphone. Hence, a windscreen such as a foam windscreen attached at the top of the mic will prevent those sounds from getting recorded.

The same goes for a pop filter – it will boost your audio quality as you place it around your microphone (usually made out of foam or metal).

Mixer

This equipment will be useful because when it comes to podcast broadcasting with several people, it allows to boost the audio quality while more than one person is talking at the same time.

You can also opt to record your podcast live with the help of a mixer as it enables special AUX features where everything is being recorded at one go, on top of adding several sound effects or music.

Require additional assistance to start your own podcast? Quickmedia not only offers broadcast services in terms of setting up the equipment but also consultation to ensure you achieve great success.

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