CDs v. MP3s

[tD77]

http://media.www.iowastatedaily.com/media/storage/paper818/news/2008/03/11/Opinion/Davis.Downloaded.Mp3s.Should.Not.Re place.Cds-3262393.shtml

Your thoughts on the decline of CD sales and the emergence of digital mp3s. What's your stance? What do you advocate? etc., etc. The link above is my general thoughts on the issue published for the campus newspaper.

If this topic has been done and re-done, my apologies; I've only recently gotten into the forums.

[theguy77]

fuck digital music. i like the feeling of having the product in a hardcopy. i like having my booklet and my artwork.

[x togepi x]

fuck both. buy vinyl

[Chromefox]

fuck digital music. i like the feeling of having the product in a hardcopy. i like having my booklet and my artwork. I concur.

[versus_god]

I'm too cooooooooool for music.

[TheOtherAndrew]

1) Buy used CDs
2) Rip CDs to your computer
3) Sell CDs for higher prices than you bought them for

[AP_Punk]

cassette tapes.

[Chris Fallon]

8-track plz

[TheOtherAndrew]

Wax cylinders

[theguy77]

fuck both. buy vinyl

8-track plz

no booklet, no win.

[TheOtherAndrew]

no booklet, no win.
lyric sheets > booklets.

[x togepi x]

the inserts that come with records are way better than shitty little booklets

[Nevuk]

Yeah... full-size album art ftw?
I will say vinyl can be kind of variable, though. It might have a terrible mastery (although this is far less likely than the CD one having it).
I guess I'm basically saying : Don't buy underoath on vinyl.

[TheOtherAndrew]

Yeah... full-size album art ftw?
I will say vinyl can be kind of variable, though. It might have a terrible mastery (although this is far less likely than the CD one having it).
I guess I'm basically saying : Don't buy underoath on vinyl.
Garrett is not stoked!

[theguy77]

i love booklets especially when they come with little perks like awesome drawings, or like on TBS's TAYF where they had the lyrics written in a more free verse manner than the song structure, all disjointed and out of order and with extra witty lines/phrases that arent actually in the song. it makes it interesting. and i mean theres nothing better than listening to a cd you just bought for the second time, this time with a lyric booklet open on your lap, following the melodies and messages after you've been acquainted with the music.

[x togepi x]

Yeah... full-size album art ftw?
I will say vinyl can be kind of variable, though. It might have a terrible mastery (although this is far less likely than the CD one having it).
I guess I'm basically saying : Don't buy underoath on vinyl.

don't buy underoath ever

[Genuma]

I'll take an 8 track over a digital any day.

[Nevuk]

I'll take an 8 track over a digital any day.
Even like FLAC?

[theguy77]

im guilty of getting around 20 digital records but in all honesty im totally unsatisfied with them and plan to buy them all on disc, even the ones i paid for via itunes.

[Nevuk]

i love booklets especially when they come with little perks like awesome drawings, or like on TBS's TAYF where they had the lyrics written in a more free verse manner than the song structure, all disjointed and out of order and with extra witty lines/phrases that arent actually in the song. it makes it interesting. and i mean theres nothing better than listening to a cd you just bought for the second time, this time with a lyric booklet open on your lap, following the melodies and messages after you've been acquainted with the music.
I mean, if it comes with a neat booklet like that, the vinyl will usually come with it. Or if it gets pressed after the CD it might just be the booklet. (My Neon Blonde and Crimes are like this :(

[TheOtherAndrew]

I bought Oh Calcutta by the Lawrence Arms from iTunes. Worst fucking mistake I've ever made.

[Genuma]

Even like FLAC?
I just want some hard copy. I'll just go download the album to listen to it.

[theguy77]

im a bit obsessive compulsive, i have a huge cd carrying leather notebook thing, and i have the bands organized alphabetically, with their discographies organized alphabetically, and the booklet stored behind the respective cd.

the cd cases are all empty but i keep those stored in my closet, also stacked alphabetically.

[Nevuk]

Some of my music is buried in a 9 folder path that I have to remember every time to listen to them. I'm just too lazy to move them and that's the default on fucking vista.

[AP_Punk]

I bought Oh Calcutta by the Lawrence Arms from iTunes. Worst fucking mistake I've ever made.

:smackhim:

[TheOtherAndrew]

:smackhim:
I was young! I didn't know any better!

[AP_Punk]

I was young! I didn't know any better!

hahaha, k, i understand.

[El_Jeffe]

i guess like a lot of people here i don't have any problems trying before i buy (especially since cds here are 35 bucks). but if i like it i always buy it some time or another, can't stand having mp3's. they just seem so cold & worthless

im a bit obsessive compulsive, i have a huge cd carrying leather notebook thing, and i have the bands organized alphabetically, with their discographies organized alphabetically, and the booklet stored behind the respective cd.

the cd cases are all empty but i keep those stored in my closet, also stacked alphabetically.

haha holy heck, what happens when ya get a new cd & the bands name starts with 'a'? whole carry case reshuffle... crikey

[3eb23]

fuck digital music. i like the feeling of having the product in a hardcopy. i like having my booklet and my artwork.

I agree man I love having a hard copy. Sadly though, according to EMI the cd will be dead within 3 years.

[TheBaroness]

CD's suck, they offer nothing. At least mp3's are portable. Download digital files and buy music on vinyl. Best of both worlds.

[Paulb-182]

CD's suck, they offer nothing. At least mp3's are portable. Download digital files and buy music on vinyl. Best of both worlds.

Digital files suck harder than a 75 year old prostitute giving a blowwy to a donkey for tree fiddy though

the sound quality is truly dreadful

CD's all the way, i dont need to have my music everywhere..

[EchoPark]

Excellent article.

[jhog3411]

I prefer buying CD's over mp3's because I like to own a physical copy and there is a noticeable sound difference between the two.

Also, not necessarily a knock on the author because I see it everywhere, but I've always wondered if campus newspapers have people who edit and proofread articles for grammar, typos, awkward wording, etc.

[lew_1987]

CD's are good, but you have to consider their environmental impact too. I'd prefer CD's, but if I had to make the sacrifice, I would.

[hockeyguitar99]

Cd's will always own mp3s in my heart.

[checkered.stars]

Defintely CDs, but I'm guilty of buying digital music over physical music.

[hockeyguitar99]

CD's are good, but you have to consider their environmental impact too. I'd prefer CD's, but if I had to make the sacrifice, I would.

A lot of bands are making cds out of recycled materials, hopedfiull others will follow

[SLoT]

CDs.

[lew_1987]

Defintely CDs, but I'm guilty of buying digital music over physical music.

Are you sure? ;-)

A lot of bands are making cds out of recycled materials, hopedfiull others will follow

We can only hope. I don't think digital-only is the best answer.

[Klatzke]

im a bit obsessive compulsive, i have a huge cd carrying leather notebook thing, and i have the bands organized alphabetically, with their discographies organized alphabetically, and the booklet stored behind the respective cd.

the cd cases are all empty but i keep those stored in my closet, also stacked alphabetically.
Yeah, mine are in a rack, in alphabetical order by artist, then by album. I keep the cd's in the cases though, since i mainly use my zune to play them.

[checkered.stars]

Are you sure? ;-)



We can only hope. I don't think digital-only is the best answer.
Haha I buy my music legally 90% of the time.

[Until The Bombs]

CDs are old news. MP3 ftw. Although I wish I'd get more into vinyl.

[Troggy]

fuck digital music. i like the feeling of having the product in a hardcopy. i like having my booklet and my artwork.

THIS. My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy because I am all about the booklets. They ARE COOL. And CDs are way better quality than the crap on my itunes.

[googirl8907]

I buy cds whenever I can. I like the booklets and artwork.

[ToastmasterAlph]

Since I don't have much money spend on music, I often end up buying mp3 online. But when I can afford it, I prefer buying actual CDs. Mainly I just like having the real thing. Also, it's way more convenient to just let someone borrow a CD if you want to get them into a band than to have to burn one. I'm not really big on the whole booklet thing, since many albums just come with a flimsy foldout with some lyrics and a few pictures of the band. But it is a nice plus when booklets have sweet extra material.

[tD77]

Also, not necessarily a knock on the author because I see it everywhere, but I've always wondered if campus newspapers have people who edit and proofread articles for grammar, typos, awkward wording, etc.

Just about every newspaper staff has an editor and editor-in-chief, including campus/student run organizations. Is there something that displeases thou? My personal version was about a carbon copy to the one printed besides for about 1-2 sentences and a few choice words.

Booklet DO make a huge difference when getting CDs. There's a good feeling about having something that acts as a tangible visual while listening to your freshly purchased album.

[theguy77]

i guess like a lot of people here i don't have any problems trying before i buy (especially since cds here are 35 bucks). but if i like it i always buy it some time or another, can't stand having mp3's. they just seem so cold & worthless

35 dollars?!?!! what the shit?? that sucks! but yeah the concept of music going digital reminds me that progression in a technological age is not always a good thing.

haha holy heck, what happens when ya get a new cd & the bands name starts with 'a'? whole carry case reshuffle... crikey

haha see i fill a smaller carrying case with new cds, and when i get about 20 or 25 then i reorganize the whole binder.

CD's suck, they offer nothing. At least mp3's are portable. Download digital files and buy music on vinyl. Best of both worlds.

fuck mp3/other portable digital players, i hate ear buds. they're supposed to be one size fits all but they never fit anyone's ears correctly. the sound quality sucks they're seriously lacking bass, they make the music have a poppy, empty, fake mix of treble, and to me that just strips the warmth and integrity, and meaning out of it. it may be far less practical but i'd rather carry a walkman and my CD binder around in my backpack than an ipod in my pocket.

[xX~Zak~RaWr~Xx]

mp3, cds are overpriced and when i'm very poor, it's better to save more money.

[theguy77]

THIS. My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy because I am all about the booklets. They ARE COOL. And CDs are way better quality than the crap on my itunes.

I buy cds whenever I can. I like the booklets and artwork.

booklets ftfw. having a new cd in my ears while im following along in the neat booklet and it's artwork, is a very intimate time, i mean it literally helps me get personal with my music and actually appreciate it far quicker than if i just downloaded it and am listening on itunes.

[Troggy]

booklets ftfw. having a new cd in my ears while im following along in the neat booklet and it's artwork, is a very intimate time, i mean it literally helps me get personal with my music and actually appreciate it far quicker than if i just downloaded it and am listening on itunes.

:hug:

I hate it when they don't have lyrics though.

[Chris Fallon]

:hug:

I hate it when they don't have lyrics though.
:nod:

[SickOfStars]

i love booklets especially when they come with little perks like awesome drawings, or like on TBS's TAYF where they had the lyrics written in a more free verse manner than the song structure, all disjointed and out of order and with extra witty lines/phrases that arent actually in the song. it makes it interesting. and i mean theres nothing better than listening to a cd you just bought for the second time, this time with a lyric booklet open on your lap, following the melodies and messages after you've been acquainted with the music.

I'm glad you like to masturbate

[theguy77]

:hug:

I hate it when they don't have lyrics though.

d'agreed.

[theguy77]

I'm glad you like to masturbate

:lol:

[Troggy]

d'agreed.

:nod:

Pet peeve of mine obv. Some bands are notorious for not including lyrics and that does bother me. Off hand Blue album and Pinkerton don't have anything but a little front/back insert.

[AP_Punk]

who DOESN'T like to masturbate?! :-0

[theguy77]

who DOESN'T like to masturbate?! :-0

davey havok.

[AP_Punk]

and maybe priests.

[SickOfStars]

davey havok.

no man, flipping your clit around and sticking fingers in your vagina is still masturbation.

and maybe priests.

priests HAVE to masturbate to avoid fucking male children

[x togepi x]

Digital files suck harder than a 75 year old prostitute giving a blowwy to a donkey for tree fiddy though

the sound quality is truly dreadful

CD's all the way, i dont need to have my music everywhere..

aww...it's cute. you're trying to be a pretentious dick and failing at it totally.

[AP_Punk]

:lolatpost:

[theguy77]

no man, flipping your clit around and sticking fingers in your vagina is still masturbation.

haha. he said he was "asexual" once.

priests HAVE to masturbate to avoid fucking male children

behold, for he is the truth

[Troggy]

:lolatpost:

so awkward how that is at the top of a new page. i hate that. haha.

[theguy77]

"VIEW FIRST UNREAD" LOL!!!!!!!111!1!11!

haha

[Troggy]

:-|

[theguy77]

:-|

(cause that's what's above his post?)

[AP_Punk]

so awkward how that is at the top of a new page. i hate that. haha.

hahaha. i hate when that happens.

[AP_Punk]

it looks like i'm laughing at my username.

[Troggy]

(cause that's what's above his post?)

riiiiiiiiiiight

it looks like i'm laughing at my username.

haha, I wish I had saved that picture of the failboat. that picture is hilarious

edit:
http://www.forumammo.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10063/failboat2.jpg

[SickOfStars]

it looks like i'm laughing at my username.

that's a neat optical illusion, since I'm actually laughing at your username.


did you do that with mirrors or something?

[AP_Punk]

ancient chinese secret.

[SickOfStars]

riiiiiiiiiiight



haha, I wish I had saved that picture of the failboat. that picture is hilarious

edit:
http://www.forumammo.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10063/failboat2.jpg

that's so awesome

[Troggy]

that's so awesome

I wish I had posted it first, but it came up yesterday. So goood.

[ToastmasterAlph]

Wow, this thread went downhill fast.

[theguy77]

Wow, this thread went downhill fast.

hahaha why do you have washington DC's subway/metro map as your avatar? i recognize that exactly cause i use it to get home from college.

[funkel]

fuck both. buy vinyl
What I was gonna say but less vehemently.

[Troggy]

hahaha why do you have washington DC's subway/metro map as your avatar? i recognize that exactly cause i use it to get home from college.

ahahaha. yeah i memorized that shizz

What I was gonna say but less vehemently.

My car doesn't have a vinyl player...

[xX~Zak~RaWr~Xx]

35 dollars?!?!! what the shit?? that sucks! but yeah the concept of music going digital reminds me that progression in a technological age is not always a good thing.



haha see i fill a smaller carrying case with new cds, and when i get about 20 or 25 then i reorganize the whole binder.



fuck mp3/other portable digital players, i hate ear buds. they're supposed to be one size fits all but they never fit anyone's ears correctly. the sound quality sucks they're seriously lacking bass, they make the music have a poppy, empty, fake mix of treble, and to me that just strips the warmth and integrity, and meaning out of it. it may be far less practical but i'd rather carry a walkman and my CD binder around in my backpack than an ipod in my pocket.

ipod sucks, but an mp3 player like the Creative Zen V+ 8GB with decent headphones like the sennheiser PXC 300 sound very good, if the mp3 files are 320kb or more.

[x togepi x]

ahahaha. yeah i memorized that shizz



My car doesn't have a vinyl player...

that's what they made NPR for.

[Troggy]

that's what they made NPR for.

I listen to cds in the car :shrug:

[AlternateToLife]

fuck both. buy vinyl

Hell yes.


But strictly CD vs. MP3, I'll take a hard copy any day.

Edit: After reading through the whole thread I have to add that I love the booklet's that come with CDs. But I'll still take the wax.

[googirl8907]

booklets ftfw. having a new cd in my ears while im following along in the neat booklet and it's artwork, is a very intimate time, i mean it literally helps me get personal with my music and actually appreciate it far quicker than if i just downloaded it and am listening on itunes.
Exactly. And I love to have the lyrics instead of having to look them up onling.

[ToastmasterAlph]

hahaha why do you have washington DC's subway/metro map as your avatar? i recognize that exactly cause i use it to get home from college.

Well, I just grabbed the first interesting pic on my computer I found for my avatar. I was a major fan of the DC metro when I visited the city. I dunno I guess I'm just weird. Bonus points for recognizing it though!

[SanePsychotic]

CDs over MP3s. I do like my iPod for how easy it is, but I don't like buying it in the MP3 format at all. I'm sure everything I want to say has already been said.

[handlikesecret]

what Ryan said at the beginning.

[SanePsychotic]

what Ryan said at the beginning.

I just noticed your avatar and user title. Nice. :-D

[handlikesecret]

I just noticed your avatar and user title. Nice. :-D
haha thanks, it just came to me one day. i love all the Jokerized avatars on here.

[SanePsychotic]

haha thanks, it just came to me one day. i love all the Jokerized avatars on here.

I used to have Blake Swartzenbach Jokerized, but I got tired of it. My MS pic is still Jokerized though.

[handlikesecret]

I used to have Blake Swartzenbach Jokerized, but I got tired of it. My MS pic is still Jokerized though.

haha nice, i made an ICP and Heath Ledger from Brokeback Mountain one, but i like this one a lot more.

[Neo Cassady]

fuck digital music. i like the feeling of having the product in a hardcopy. i like having my booklet and my artwork.

nothing more needs to be said.

[SanePsychotic]

haha nice, i made an ICP and Heath Ledger from Brokeback Mountain one, but i like this one a lot more.

An ICP one? Ha, sounds awesome.

[Neo Cassady]

im a bit obsessive compulsive, i have a huge cd carrying leather notebook thing, and i have the bands organized alphabetically, with their discographies organized alphabetically, and the booklet stored behind the respective cd.

the cd cases are all empty but i keep those stored in my closet, also stacked alphabetically.

I did that for a while, and I was really OCD about it. Now they're all over the place, and I'm tempted (because I don't carry CDs around with me any more, and if I do it's 1 or 2 to the car) to put them back in the jewel cases and re-alphabetize them.

But I don't know if I can agree with a system that organizes discographies alphabetically. Chronological all the way!

[versus_god]

Autobiographical.

[EchoPark]

How do you people turn a very good thread about mp3's vs. cd's into a priest screwing children and davey havok, what the hell is the matter with some of you people

[kevinrocks409]

CD's.

[hockeyguitar99]

I did that for a while, and I was really OCD about it. Now they're all over the place, and I'm tempted (because I don't carry CDs around with me any more, and if I do it's 1 or 2 to the car) to put them back in the jewel cases and re-alphabetize them.

But I don't know if I can agree with a system that organizes discographies alphabetically. Chronological all the way!

Thats the way I do it. And I am extremely OCD about it.

[AlternateToLife]

im a bit obsessive compulsive, i have a huge cd carrying leather notebook thing, and i have the bands organized alphabetically, with their discographies organized alphabetically, and the booklet stored behind the respective cd.

the cd cases are all empty but i keep those stored in my closet, also stacked alphabetically.

Wow. My CDs are literally thrown randomly into an empty drawer in my dresser.

Though I do chronologically organize my records by release date, making sure they're all facing the same way. So maybe I just have a weird selective OCD.

[SanePsychotic]

I do alphapetically by artist. Within the artist I do chronologically.

[tipoftheiceberg]

Autobiographical.
mmmm, high fidelity

honestly. ill download an album, listen to it a few times and if it's worth the money i'll buy it

[theguy77]

Wow. My CDs are literally thrown randomly into an empty drawer in my dresser.

Though I do chronologically organize my records by release date, making sure they're all facing the same way. So maybe I just have a weird selective OCD.

haha no i totally understand. the clothes in my closet are organized the weirdest way. like, i have them first grouped by warmth -- heavy coat on the far right, then as you move left it goes to jackets, hoodies, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, and then onto my polos and then it goes to my pants. but then within each category, i have them arranged by formality -- most formal looking items on the right and the trashy/casual looking ones on the left. for example in the pants section my dockers slacks are on the right and my jeans with a giant ink stain and rips at the knees are on the far left. haha.

im adamant about my opinion on this topic. choosing digital music over CDs is like choosing porn over sex.

[TheBaroness]

Digital files suck harder than a 75 year old prostitute giving a blowwy to a donkey for tree fiddy though

the sound quality is truly dreadful

CD's all the way, i dont need to have my music everywhere..

that's why you have vinyl to listen to when you're not on the move...

[TheBaroness]

35 dollars?!?!! what the shit?? that sucks! but yeah the concept of music going digital reminds me that progression in a technological age is not always a good thing.



haha see i fill a smaller carrying case with new cds, and when i get about 20 or 25 then i reorganize the whole binder.



fuck mp3/other portable digital players, i hate ear buds. they're supposed to be one size fits all but they never fit anyone's ears correctly. the sound quality sucks they're seriously lacking bass, they make the music have a poppy, empty, fake mix of treble, and to me that just strips the warmth and integrity, and meaning out of it. it may be far less practical but i'd rather carry a walkman and my CD binder around in my backpack than an ipod in my pocket.

maybe so, but I find if I'm outside/on public transport (places where I most often listen to MP3's) I can't really hear what's playing in any superb detail anyway so you don't lose that much by having an MP3 player, and you gain a lot by not having to carry around annoying CD's.

[theguy77]

maybe so, but I find if I'm outside/on public transport (places where I most often listen to MP3's) I can't really hear what's playing in any superb detail anyway so you don't lose that much by having an MP3 player, and you gain a lot by not having to carry around annoying CD's.

haha see thats where we differ. im a songwriter, who is doing the whole production job on his entire album, and writing all the guitars and piano, most of the bass and working actively with the drummer. its unsatisfying if i cant hear everything.

[Paulb-182]

that's why you have vinyl to listen to when you're not on the move...

thats not the question though :/

i do prefer vinyl..i collect as much as i can of it, but id take CD over mp3 anyway seeing as vinyl players are getting harder to get hold of :-)

[x togepi x]

haha see thats where we differ. im a songwriter, who is doing the whole production job on his entire album, and writing all the guitars and piano, most of the bass and working actively with the drummer. its unsatisfying if i cant hear everything.

she's saying on the subway/streets, where there's lots of background noise, she can't hear all the intricacies of the music, which you wouldn't either because of said noise. i'm a production major, working on two albums at once, and i can't hear those things when i'm walking down a busy street either.

[theguy77]

she's saying on the subway/streets, where there's lots of background noise, she can't hear all the intricacies of the music, which you wouldn't either because of said noise. i'm a production major, working on two albums at once, and i can't hear those things when i'm walking down a busy street either.

oh i missed that detail haha

[x togepi x]

oh i missed that detail haha

yeah. i mean speaking as someone who used to have the mp3 player and switched over to cds before i started riding my bike everywhere, there really isn't a difference in crowded areas. mp3s still blow. cds are better, vinyl is best. that's the end of this thread (or should be)

[BOZZLORDPUNK]

I only really buy C.Ds from bands after ive heard their albums, I don't know why i just like having a full C.D rack :P

[AlternaPrincess]

I buy hard copies of albums as often as I can. I hate buying digital music like on iTunes or whatever. It feels so much more rewarding to hunt down rare albums and EPs and stuff and then get to put them on your CD rack rather than just download them and never leave your computer.

[x togepi x]

Yeah but I can play CD's in the car, other people's houses or take them to work etc.. way more versatile. The only time you can ever listen to vinyl is the one room where you keep your player.

Versatility is the only advantage of cds and I care little for it. besides, all my friends I care to listen to music with have record players of their own. it doesn't trump the sound quality of vinyl at all.

[Nevuk]

People have also put vinyl into cars. Why ? I have no fucking clue. But they've done it.

[TheBaroness]

she's saying on the subway/streets, where there's lots of background noise, she can't hear all the intricacies of the music, which you wouldn't either because of said noise. i'm a production major, working on two albums at once, and i can't hear those things when i'm walking down a busy street either.

correct

[TheBaroness]

Yeah but I can play CD's in the car, other people's houses or take them to work etc.. way more versatile. The only time you can ever listen to vinyl is the one room where you keep your player.

my friends all have shite taste so that's never been an issue for me, haha

[thesafeword]

Cassettes!

[Anthony Lutz]

Yeah, CDs > MP3s, but I must admit, I love carrying my iPod around rather than CDs. I will always support CDs though, paying for a digital download just doesn't do it for me.

[Anthony Lutz]

People have also put vinyl into cars. Why ? I have no fucking clue. But they've done it.

Wouldn't that fuck it up if you hit a bump really hard, or drove on a gravel road?

[Jumpoff]

Digital files suck harder than a 75 year old prostitute giving a blowwy to a donkey for tree fiddy though

the sound quality is truly dreadful

CD's all the way, i dont need to have my music everywhere..

If you download flac it's actually CD quality and probably far better for archiving purposes than a plain CD... oh and I forgot, it's free?

[Nevuk]

Wouldn't that fuck it up if you hit a bump really hard, or drove on a gravel road?
Well yeah. But I think it is more of a fashion statement.

[Neo Cassady]

Thats the way I do it. And I am extremely OCD about it.

I just brought all my CDs from my parents' house to my apartment; I'm probably going to spend most of the night once I get off work organizing them. Even though I have all my music on my computer, and will probably never listen to the CDs themselves, I love looking at them.

[DaveZeroZero]

If I'm paying for it, I get the CD. End of story.

[DaveZeroZero]

If you download flac it's actually CD quality and probably far better for archiving purposes than a plain CD... oh and I forgot, it's free?

Yeah, but flacs are huge. As in MASSIVE.

[Nevuk]

Flacs are probably only 3x the size of a 320 kbps mp3. Finding places to download them from is the issue, not space. Plus, if you buy a CD, you can make a flac of it - I do this with every CD I own and try and do it with every vinyl.

[DaveZeroZero]

Flacs are probably only 3x the size of a 320 kbps mp3. Finding places to download them from is the issue, not space. Plus, if you buy a CD, you can make a flac of it - I do this with every CD I own and try and do it with every vinyl.

Not to mention the time taken to download it.

[Neo Cassady]

Flacs are probably only 3x the size of a 320 kbps mp3. Finding places to download them from is the issue, not space. Plus, if you buy a CD, you can make a flac of it - I do this with every CD I own and try and do it with every vinyl.

3x 400 albums or so is a big difference, though.

That said, I've never made flacs, and I'm kind of uninformed about what they actually are (besides being lossless). How does one go about making them from CDs?

[Troggy]

Flacs are probably only 3x the size of a 320 kbps mp3. Finding places to download them from is the issue, not space. Plus, if you buy a CD, you can make a flac of it - I do this with every CD I own and try and do it with every vinyl.

haha I don't know about that, I only have a 20gb iPod, I can't be having rediculous quality music on there.

[fly_guy]

I just brought all my CDs from my parents' house to my apartment; I'm probably going to spend most of the night once I get off work organizing them. Even though I have all my music on my computer, and will probably never listen to the CDs themselves, I love looking at them.

Haha, same with me! I buy cd's that I like, even if I already have them on my computer and end up never listening to them.

[Nevuk]

3x 400 albums or so is a big difference, though.

That said, I've never made flacs, and I'm kind of uninformed about what they actually are (besides being lossless). How does one go about making them from CDs?
Flacs are essentially a form of compressing music in a method that all non sound is lost, but all the sound that actually exists is kept. The logic behind keeping frequencies that you can't actually hear is that they influence the other parts of the waves of sound through their existence, and that some can hear them. A .wav is entirely uncompressed, say a 60 second file is oh, 70 MB. A flac file is going to be probably around 20-30, depending on the compression rate.

To get it from a CD, there are a few methods. I personally use dbPoweramp, it is an excellent tool for ripping and converting to anything. However, if you wish to go the easier method get a secure method for ripping audio CDs (actually probably the most complex part, this can be almost impossible. I advise ... buying pirating dbpoweramp for this reason, as it is a bit easier to work with for secure ripping) to an uncompressed format. This will be .wav on windows, and apple can do this as well. Then get flac, which is an open source codec and use the frontend on the website to convert it to a lossless file.

haha I don't know about that, I only have a 20gb iPod, I can't be having rediculous quality music on there.
Well no, and Ipods can't play Flac either, although I'm less certain about apple lossless (aac). That alone keeps me from wanting one (proprietary = idiotic). Plus I rarely listen to music on the go now, if I did I'd get better headphones before flac.

[Nevuk]

3x 400 albums or so is a big difference, though.

That said, I've never made flacs, and I'm kind of uninformed about what they actually are (besides being lossless). How does one go about making them from CDs?
I have around 1000 albums, and probably 100 max at flac. I only do it for a special album, one I've listened to millions of times, would own if I could, etc. Granted there are a few it has been impossible (free jazz in flac, usually) but I've managed to get almost all my classic ones into it.

[Troggy]

Well no, and Ipods can't play Flac either, although I'm less certain about apple lossless (aac). That alone keeps me from wanting one (proprietary = idiotic). Plus I rarely listen to music on the go now, if I did I'd get better headphones before flac.

Yeah, the quality is good enough for me when I am actually using the iPod, which isn't very often anyway. iPods play AAC files they are .m4a...those don't work with anything else though so I convert mine to mp3.

[Nevuk]

Yeah, the quality is good enough for me when I am actually using the iPod, which isn't very often anyway. iPods play AAC files they are .m4a...those don't work with anything else though so I convert mine to mp3.
I can't listen to 128 kbps. And actually anything below 256 vbr tends to give me a headache if I've ever heard it in a higher audio form (DLJ, for instance).

[Troggy]

I can't listen to 128 kbps. And actually anything below 256 vbr tends to give me a headache if I've ever heard it in a higher audio form (DLJ, for instance).

hahahaha I must be used to it...everything I have is 128 for ipod purposes.

[Anthony Lutz]

hahahaha I must be used to it...everything I have is 128 for ipod purposes.

Same here, fitting more space on iPod > quality that I barely notice a difference in.

[Anthony Lutz]

BTW, is it even possible to listen to FLAC files on an iPod?

[Nevuk]

BTW, is it even possible to listen to FLAC files on an iPod?
No, apparently you can use apple lossless codec which is almost the same thing except it only works in itunes and on an ipod.

[Jumpoff]

3x 400 albums or so is a big difference, though.

That said, I've never made flacs, and I'm kind of uninformed about what they actually are (besides being lossless). How does one go about making them from CDs?

Another way aside from the way Nevuk already mentioned is to use EAC. It's a great program, just need to get the settings correct.

The best thing about flacs is not just that it's slightly better sound quality (because, really, I barely hear the difference.)... but because it's for archiving purposes. With a cue file and flacs, you can use Nero and burn an exact replica of whatever cd. So, if a CD ever goes missing, breaks, or you just don't own it but want it to be perfect qualityo n the cd, than FLAC is the way to go. You can also convert flac to whatever format you like. FOr example, you can keep the flac and convert it to 192 (or whichever smaller size you like) for ipod purposes since ipod headphones don't really convey great quality regardless. Plus, if a new format comes around that is at all better than MP3, than you can convert from FLAC to said format without losing anything soundwise.

Just FYI.. don't convert mp3 or anyother lossy format to flac or any lossless format. It just makes it sound really shitty. Transcodes are never a good thing.

[Tyler Revolution]

Digital. I don't buy music.

[theguy77]

Flacs are probably only 3x the size of a 320 kbps mp3. Finding places to download them from is the issue, not space. Plus, if you buy a CD, you can make a flac of it - I do this with every CD I own and try and do it with every vinyl.

only? that would make your typical pop song around or above 2 MB.

edit: 20 MB**

[theguy77]

Flacs are essentially a form of compressing music in a method that all non sound is lost, but all the sound that actually exists is kept. The logic behind keeping frequencies that you can't actually hear is that they influence the other parts of the waves of sound through their existence, and that some can hear them. A .wav is entirely uncompressed, say a 60 second file is oh, 70 MB. A flac file is going to be probably around 20-30, depending on the compression rate.

yeah i dont think i would want a file compressed without those extreme frequencies because im pretty sure they keep a sort of dead air space which increases the clarity and makes everything sound far more natural than it would without them.

[Nevuk]

Another way aside from the way Nevuk already mentioned is to use EAC. It's a great program, just need to get the settings correct.

The best thing about flacs is not just that it's slightly better sound quality (because, really, I barely hear the difference.)... but because it's for archiving purposes. With a cue file and flacs, you can use Nero and burn an exact replica of whatever cd. So, if a CD ever goes missing, breaks, or you just don't own it but want it to be perfect qualityo n the cd, than FLAC is the way to go. You can also convert flac to whatever format you like. FOr example, you can keep the flac and convert it to 192 (or whichever smaller size you like) for ipod purposes since ipod headphones don't really convey great quality regardless. Plus, if a new format comes around that is at all better than MP3, than you can convert from FLAC to said format without losing anything soundwise.

Just FYI.. don't convert mp3 or anyother lossy format to flac or any lossless format. It just makes it sound really shitty. Transcodes are never a good thing.
EAC, yeah. I forgot the name of it, every time I've used it I spend hours setting it up and find out my CD drive refuses to work with it for more than 3-4 times. For what its worth, I'm fairly sure EAC is better than dbPoweramp, it is just one of the most difficult to set up programs I've ever encountered. And yes, I'll make a copy of a CD in flac, then burn it to a burnable CD, it is pretty much the only way 40-50% of my collection hasn't been destroyed.

[Praetor]

EAC, yeah. I forgot the name of it, every time I've used it I spend hours setting it up and find out my CD drive refuses to work with it for more than 3-4 times. For what its worth, I'm fairly sure EAC is better than dbPoweramp, it is just one of the most difficult to set up programs I've ever encountered. And yes, I'll make a copy of a CD in flac, then burn it to a burnable CD, it is pretty much the only way 40-50% of my collection hasn't been destroyed.
I don't know if you saw this or not but there's a great guide to setting up EAC out there.

http://www2.firehose.us:81/~jiggafellz/eac/index.html

[Gwytherspoon]

hard copies all the way.. I can never really get into songs I download for some reason
I hope cd's will last longer than a lot of people say..

[Regards]

I don't know if you saw this or not but there's a great guide to setting up EAC out there.

http://www2.firehose.us:81/~jiggafellz/eac/index.html
Wow, thats pretty crazy.

[Nevuk]

I don't know if you saw this or not but there's a great guide to setting up EAC out there.

http://www2.firehose.us:81/~jiggafellz/eac/index.html (http://www2.firehose.us:81/%7Ejiggafellz/eac/index.html)
Yeah, I used it it just gets old after the 6th time I've set it up...

[Ruki Katiakicz]

I use mp3s that reach me to bands I'd like to hear more of, thus buying their CD. However, I will never ever EVER buy a mp3. Ever.

Also, I'm wondering how so-called indie labels like deep elm and lookout can hate 'illegal downloading' yet that's what brings in their customers. =\