IPod Help

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Check this out:

http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/musicrescue/

Music Rescue is AWESOME! It can run independently or dependently of iTunes. It saved me some really bad headaches.

From the link:

"If you're not allowed to install iTunes (school and corporate networks tend to not like this), simply install Music Rescue onto your iPod at home and it'll be available wherever you go - Mac or PC."

Right. Don't install iTunes because your boss won't like it, but go ahead and put our handy little program on there and your entire music library as well.

Where do these people work? That's a great way to get fired, especially in a company with an IT policy against such things. Are there really jobs where you can sit at your work computer, on the clock, and shuffle around music from your iPod to listen to at work? Don't people realize that a work computer is for work?

Nothing against this utility or Besson983 - didn't mean to slam on you at all - I'm sure it's a nice resource.

[brianf]

FYI - I have all Beethoven Symphonies plus overtures loaded on a computer, it takes 648 meg - less than 1 gig! All the Mahler symphonies take 1.37 gig.

As far as a player, I have a Dell 15 gig. The main thing I like about it is that when I plug it into my big computer, it shows as an additional hard drive and I transfer music over in Windows Explorer as an ordinary data file. Since I own a ton of CDs, I rip them into mp3's with the Windows Media Player, organize them in folders by genre-artist(or composer)- album(or symphony) then load them on the MP3 player. My 15 gigs are full and I change things every now and then. My MP3 player is not my only source of music, it is only used when I travel - I have other sound systems that I plug my man computer in.

There are many who will disagree with this but I would not own an IPod even if someone gave it to me! Why?

Their software sucks. I have loaded ITunes for a lot of clients and hate it.

Apple is in the business of selling music, while they have provisions in all but the earliest versions to rip from a CD, they want you to buy from them.

They use their own format, not an MP3 or 4 which is standard - yes, Microsoft does the same with WMA's so you have to change the preferences in Media Player to save in MP3.

Apple's philosophy has always been to tell you how to do things and not let you have options. While some people like that concept, I want the ability to change things such as sampling rates.

I have had a few clients blow out their drives when switching to a different computer. Maybe this is the sync thing someone mentioned, maybe it is the "their way or the highway" thing I mentioned. Music is data and data should be backed up. WQhat good is software that only works on one machine?

Finally, although from a hardware prespective, the IPOD is grat, Apple's software sucks!

[The Jackson]

If there's one thing that could make my Zune better, it'd be the ability to use any other software (like Winamp) to sync items. I hate using the Zune software. It eats through my RAM lik Pac-Man eats dots.

[sungfw]

FYI - I have all Beethoven Symphonies plus overtures loaded on a computer, it takes 648 meg - less than 1 gig! All the Mahler symphonies take 1.37 gig.

The London Classical recording of Beethoven's Ninth is 629.7 Mb in AIFF format. At less than 1 gb for all 9 symphonies, I guaran-dam-tee you're using a low bitrate and a lossy format.

They use their own format, not an MP3 or 4 which is standard

Dude, if you want to parade your ignorance in public, that's your privilege, but you seriously DO NOT know what you're talking about.

The ONLY proprietary audio format in iTunes is Apple Lossless Encoder.

EVERY version of iTunes, beginning with the 0.9a, has had the capability of reding, writing, and converting to MP3. AAC—which is the audio format of the MPEG-4 standard—has been available since v. 4.1.

iTunes 7 reads, writes, and converts between MP3, AIFF, WAV, MPEG-4, AAC, and Apple Lossless, and the FREE iTunes plugin Flip4Mac adds the ability to read, write, and convert WMA within iTunes.

And the MP3, AAC, AIFF, and WAV encoders allow you to specify the bitrate, sampling rate, and channels.

[brianf]

The London Classical recording of Beethoven's Ninth is 629.7 Mb in AIFF format. At less than 1 gb for all 9 symphonies, I guaran-dam-tee you're using a low bitrate and a lossy format. "

The Beethoven's I have are all MP3 recorded at 255 bps, a little lower than the 320 bps that is the max for Windows Media player.

Dude, if you want to parade your ignorance in public, that's your privilege, but you seriously DO NOT know what you're talking about. "

I worked my way through grad school working in a stereo shop then got into the installation business of big buck houses that have had photo spreads in magazies such as Archetectural Digest, Good Housekeeping, Audio Video Interiors and newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune. While I do not do as much work in this area, I get many a call to come out and correct other's mistakes. I have been in this business for over 30 years.

I get a laugh out of those who think the only audio system these days is an MP3 player. Yes, they are nice - easy to transport and hold a lot but they do not and will never not give you the sound of a good high end audio system. There is comprimise with different formats - I have heard an LP blow away a CD, my inwall speakers sound different than my main speakers even though I use Class A amplifiers on both. Sorry, an MP3 or any other format is not high end audio - it was never ment to be and never will be. We are musicians, we are paid big bucks to produce high quality sound, what is our concept? It is not an MP3 player!quote]

[tubafatness]

I have never known of someone who filled up their 30 gb iPod with just music. People put full-length films there, too.

Well, now you do! I filled up my old 30 gig Ipod when I had it; now I'm on to a newer 80 gig which I have also filled up, (yes, with all music!)

80 gigs should be plenty for several symphony cycles. I have many similar things on mine; Barshai/WDR complete Shostakovich, the entire studio discography of Tom Waits, around 200 tracks split between John Cage and Morton Feldman, about 3 gigs devoted solely to Stockhausen, etc.etc.... It depends a lot on what type of file you use; I'm kind of an audiophile, but I still use the mp3 format, (granted, it's about the biggest, most uncompressed mp3 format you can make, but it's still an mp3.) If you went completely uncompressed, as in a .wav file, then you might spring for the 160 gig, but there's really no need to have such large files.

[Chuck Jackson]

Just use a portable reel-to-reel, Chuck. Much more retro looking. Chicks dig that.

Finally, an answer that makes sense. It's all about the chicks.

Chuck"happier now than I was 2 minutes ago"Jackson

[sungfw]

I worked my way through grad school working in a stereo shop then got into the installation business of big buck houses that have had photo spreads in magazies such as Archetectural Digest, Good Housekeeping, Audio Video Interiors and newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune. While I do not do as much work in this area, I get many a call to come out and correct other's mistakes. I have been in this business for over 30 years.

Absolutely NONE of which is in any way relevant to the capabilities of iTunes or your knowledge thereof.

Fact is, EVERY SINGLE THING you complained about re: the capabilities of iTunes is flat out WRONG:

only proprietary formats - WRONG;
no MP3, MP4 - WRONG;
no ability to change things like sampling rates - WRONG;
no ability to show as an additional hard drive - WRONG.

There are any number of legitimate reasons to dislike iTunes. The fact that not even one of the reasons you it is valid demonstrates that you have no clue of what the capabilities and limitations of the program are.

[brianf]

There are any number of legitimate reasons to dislike iTunes.

What's your point? If ITunes is the end all, what do YOU dislike about it?

[dunelandmusic]

Count me as another one who filled a 40 GB with music. It's pretty easy to do, I had about 600 CD's when I started. This year I bought the 80GB iPod. I have about 70 GB on it, and could easily add another 10 GB. When you have it, you just find more ways to use it. And the ways to use it will only increase with time. A beautiful thing, the iPod, yesterday I had it plugged into the stereo, and shuffled through my music for 6 hours continuously. So easy to use, no more CD's to put in, go on the road, take your whole music library with you, and some podcasts. On the airplane, take a video with you. Or an audio book. As I said, the more you use it, the more you find ways to use it.

I say, get the 160GB if you can, I wish I had it, it came out a few months after I got mine.

[Chuck Jackson]

Thanks to everyone who took time to give their opinions. Here is my decision:

1. I am saving my shekels for a 160G IPod. I have done the math in term of space and what I want on it and figured that it was more than I would ever need.

2. In the mean time, I am downloading music to SD Cards on my Palm Tungsten. Very cool using RealPlayer. I have been able to fit all Beethoven Symphonies, Piano Concertos, and the Violin Concerto using under 1G. The device will read up to a 4G card, so I have plenty of space if I am judicious in my choices.

I am not an audiophile, I just love music and wanted the most expediant way to have all of my favorites at my finger tips. Thanks again.

Chuck

P.S.- I really do have a reel-to-reel player. A studio quality Tascam 10.5" that a studio guy GAVE me last year with two boxes blank tapes. I really like the quality of sound.