Posted on 05/07/2005 11:28:05 AM PDT by ambrose
I have no idea how it works, but Mp3 compression technology apparently gets rid of the parts of the recording that are not detectable to all but the most sensitive of ears.
Let's face it... most music these days is not "pure"... they've all been tinkered with during the recording to CD transfer process... especially older albums, which have been remastered.
I have an old Jazz album that still retains the scratchy recording sound. The only thing "authentic" about the experience is that it replicates the inferior recording technology of the 20s/30s. The person hearing it live back then didn't hear those scratchy noises, and I doubt the artist intended those noises to be present either.
Some questions, I see the iPod folks w/little ear buds.
I use a walkman, have a long bus commute, and am subject to a lot of bus noise. I bought high end earphones (big suckers) to drown out some of the outside noise so I wouldn't go deaf turning up the volume on the walkman.
1. Can I use other earphones w/it? I've never seen anyone w/anything other than the little white earplugs.
2. I listen to a lot of talk radio (hence the FReepername). I don't suppose they make an iPod w/a radio? I haven't seen one, but the young people I know who have iPods don't listen to talkradio, so they wouldn't be looking for this function.
I wear my walkman all the time, but until I can get something small, like a walkman, that has radio, I don't see me switching over to an iPod. I don't even use a portable cd player cause they don't fit in a pocket.
Yeah. My Dad (Sonny's GrandPa), likes to tease me in front of him that I went into my room when I turned 13, and didn't come out until I left for the Army at 17. Partially true. I DID come out for meals and phone calls. Had there been a slot in my door, meals wouldn't have been a problem, but of course, he never DID allow me to have my own phone; the Cruel Ogre! :)
Hmmmm, I wonder if they have pods in their cellars....
When you 'rip' your CDs into computer files (for an iPod owner, typically using iTunes) you have a choice on what format and what bitrate the resulting file will be. The iPod can play all the formats that iTunes can encode.
Looking at iTunes right now, I see that it can encode into:
It's all there in iTunes - just look in the preferences, at the "importing" tab.
I'm a pretty demanding listener, and I use AAC 256 to encode my music - I can't tell the difference between that and a CD. But if you are really a fanatic, go with Apple Lossless - it's exactly like the CD, but saves (by my memory) half the space.
Why don't you give it a try? Just go to the iTunes download page, install it, and try it out on some of your favorite music.
People with headphones on in public look like goofs.
No pair of headphones on earth can beat a good set of speakers so, what's the point? I mean, why engage in something half-a$$ed?
I'm comfortable enough with my own thoughts that I can walk places without distracting myself.
Those reason apply to iPods so I don't own one.
I live for my iPod. During a trip I took last month, I used it to cover the sound of snoring so I could drop off and fall asleep. :-)
Question on the Audible.com - On the two per month downloads - Are they like rentals or they purchases. In other words do you get to keep them?
Can you recommend any good meditation music? Here or private message. Thank you.
Steven Halpern
Deuter's Buddha Nature
Liquid Mind
Visionary Music's DNA series
Carlos Nakai
Those are some of the best ones out there. I never did like Yanni. He's artsy fartsy new age. I like real spacey, granola crunching stuff :-) I also have a yoga series by Beth Shaw that I downloaded off of itunes.
My boss is an "iPod person." It's kinda scary.
They're purchases. You own the digital book.
Yes, this is the crux of the problem. I have ridiculously sensitive ears, and the times I've heard MP3 audio I've been disappointed with the quality.
Let's face it... most music these days is not "pure"... they've all been tinkered with during the recording to CD transfer process... especially older albums, which have been remastered.
Naturally there's nothing pure about most music these days given all the processing that happens during recording and mastering. But I'm not interested in absolute universal purity. What I'm interested in is hearing a pure reproduction of the master recording with all its impurities.
That may sound strange, but really not, because not all impurities are created equal. The impurities added during recording and mastering were put there by audio guys to make the music sound better. MP3 and other compression schemes, on the other hand, were designed by computer guys to decrease bandwidth. The one has to do with creating music, the other with saving hardrive space. My ears tend to appreciate the first but not the second.
I have an old Jazz album that still retains the scratchy recording sound. The only thing "authentic" about the experience is that it replicates the inferior recording technology of the 20s/30s. The person hearing it live back then didn't hear those scratchy noises, and I doubt the artist intended those noises to be present either.
Well, I think a scratchy old jazz recording is an exceptional case. What bothers me is hearing high-quality modern recordings that are missing dynamic range and high-frequencies due to MP3 compression.
Like I said, I'm picky :)
I put my Ipod in the tour-pack of my Harley. I attach an RF generator that broadcasts on the FM frequency of my choice. Since the Harley antenna is mounted on the tour pack, the signal is excellent. I can ride across the US with music I like coming out of the radio (when Rush isn't on of course).
Good info. I didn't realize that an iPod did anything but lossy compression, but now I see that they do.
For free?
give, sister!
Whoah, what does it cost??
The two downloads are yours to keep. You download them directly from Audible.com. The two download plan is $21, I believe, while one is at $14.
I think you can get audio magazines and periodicals as well. I'm just focussing on classic lit right now. Then I'll move towards Bestiat, Adams, and Locke.
You mean people still listen to that nut? ;-)
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