Never got into vinyl. I have a couple cds in the car.
There should be a car that can read hard drives and play them.
I actually just picked up my first, non gift, audio CD ever(or at least in the last 10 or so years).
It was a tour only live CD and a release of only 500 so I snapped it up at the show.
I had to use my PlayStation to play the damn thing :P
CD audio is 2 channels of 16k at 44.1kHz. Nowadays people are recording at higher bit rates than this and compact disk is not capable of being any higher. So regardless of if the original recordings are higher quality, the moment it is put on CD it goes back down to 16k/44.1kHz. This is called lossy data compression. If you want to hear what this compression sounds like just listen to music on YouTube, specifically higher frequency elements such as cymbal crashes and high-hats. You tube compresses already compressed files so you can really hear the degradation. That being said, mp3 files are worse than CD as far as quality goes. If you want to retain the quality you need to use a larger file format such as WAV or AAC (also known as mp4) but even these formats will only result in "near cd" quality. Since storage space on hard drives are getting better and better, file size is becoming less of an issue so the future for music is looking good.
Oh I'm all for 16bit/44.1kHz. I think you misunderstood me. I'm not an equipment freak I just went to school for audio production and sound engineering so I come from purely an engineering perspective. In fact I don't even own a sound system other than my recording rig. just think its worth noting that newer (mp3) is not better as some people might naturally assume. Unless of course you are judging "better" based on convenience.CD audio is 2 channels of 16k at 44.1kHz. Nowadays people are recording at higher bit rates than this and compact disk is not capable of being any higher. So regardless of if the original recordings are higher quality, the moment it is put on CD it goes back down to 16k/44.1kHz. This is called lossy data compression. If you want to hear what this compression sounds like just listen to music on YouTube, specifically higher frequency elements such as cymbal crashes and high-hats. You tube compresses already compressed files so you can really hear the degradation. That being said, mp3 files are worse than CD as far as quality goes. If you want to retain the quality you need to use a larger file format such as WAV or AAC (also known as mp4) but even these formats will only result in "near cd" quality. Since storage space on hard drives are getting better and better, file size is becoming less of an issue so the future for music is looking good.
LOL we got an equipment freak over here. :D
No matter how large you make your digital file, you are approximating something with infinite complexity, which is why there is no replacement for live"
Should we develop better equipment, the answer is up until a POINT, where the cost exceeds our ability to discern.
Where the problem occurs is, when the COST to discern, is greater than the cost of "enjoyment".
This is where the audiophiles usually end up, when they spend more resources listening to their "EQUIPMENT", rather than the music being played, which is a corruption of the original PURPOSE of the music...
NOW,, if you want to argue the engineering perspective, sure, bigger numbers = great..
But, please take a step back when you tell people 16bits/44k is "not enough"
One thing that makes me laugh is the number of people you come across who race about how much better lossless file types are and how only the clueless use mp3's etc.. When the vast majority of them use onboard sound cards lolWhat I find funny is when people make a point of telling you the high bit rate they recorded with while showing you their material on compact disk therefore rendering their high bit rates useless. But as a sound engineer of sorts, I will always record at the highest rate I can for future formats. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
As much as I love having my entire music collection a click or two away having a proper hifi system is so nice, if forced to choose between mp3s and CDs I'd go with CDs everytime
Thing is, most music I listen is never made into cds. I can count every cd I've bought with one hand : D
Thing is, most music I listen is never made into cds. I can count every cd I've bought with one hand : D
this probably means your taste in music sux.. :D
Thing is, most music I listen is never made into cds. I can count every cd I've bought with one hand : D
this probably means your taste in music sux.. :D
Thats probably true! Most metalheads keep CDs, I think they are one the few remaining people who actually buy CDs.
One thing that makes me laugh is the number of people you come across who race about how much better lossless file types are and how only the clueless use mp3's etc.. When the vast majority of them use onboard sound cards lolWhat I find funny is when people make a point of telling you the high bit rate they recorded with while showing you their material on compact disk therefore rendering their high bit rates useless. But as a sound engineer of sorts, I will always record at the highest rate I can for future formats. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
As much as I love having my entire music collection a click or two away having a proper hifi system is so nice, if forced to choose between mp3s and CDs I'd go with CDs everytime
Some people just don't get it. Personally I find it torture to listen to anything on YouTube. I love that new daft punk album by the way.One thing that makes me laugh is the number of people you come across who race about how much better lossless file types are and how only the clueless use mp3's etc.. When the vast majority of them use onboard sound cards lolWhat I find funny is when people make a point of telling you the high bit rate they recorded with while showing you their material on compact disk therefore rendering their high bit rates useless. But as a sound engineer of sorts, I will always record at the highest rate I can for future formats. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
As much as I love having my entire music collection a click or two away having a proper hifi system is so nice, if forced to choose between mp3s and CDs I'd go with CDs everytime
Yeah, when Random Access Memories leaked I got people sending me links to higher (slightly) bitrate versions because 128kbs was just 'horrible' etc but on my PC set up I couldn't tell much if any diffrence between them... Sure my vinyl sounds alot nicer, but that's thanks to my amp and hifi speakers mostly lol
Some people just don't get it. Personally I find it torture to listen to anything on YouTube. I love that new daft punk album by the way.One thing that makes me laugh is the number of people you come across who race about how much better lossless file types are and how only the clueless use mp3's etc.. When the vast majority of them use onboard sound cards lolWhat I find funny is when people make a point of telling you the high bit rate they recorded with while showing you their material on compact disk therefore rendering their high bit rates useless. But as a sound engineer of sorts, I will always record at the highest rate I can for future formats. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
As much as I love having my entire music collection a click or two away having a proper hifi system is so nice, if forced to choose between mp3s and CDs I'd go with CDs everytime
Yeah, when Random Access Memories leaked I got people sending me links to higher (slightly) bitrate versions because 128kbs was just 'horrible' etc but on my PC set up I couldn't tell much if any diffrence between them... Sure my vinyl sounds alot nicer, but that's thanks to my amp and hifi speakers mostly lol
Thing is, most music I listen is never made into cds. I can count every cd I've bought with one hand : D
this probably means your taste in music sux.. :D
Thats probably true! Most metalheads keep CDs, I think they are one the few remaining people who actually buy CDs.
Here's my confusion on that...
Given that the METAL genre has a great deal of "intentional" distortion... How worthwhile is preserving it on hifi..
This is a case where you'd have to discern Intended distortion from un-intended distortion.
Also, with how loud metal-crowds listen to their music, many have hearing damage.
So we have, distortion intended+ un-intended + hearing damaged people...
Where does Hifi come into this... :D
Mp3 is more than enough.
Vinyl yes, CDs no :)Pretty much this, unless the band i want to support does not have vinyls. Then i buy the CD ;D
This is exactly right. I can't listen to music now without trying to determine what types of reverbs/delays etc. they use in the process. What mics did they use? How did they get that kick drum sound? Oh **** that hi hat is a little loud. Why didn't they do this or that. It is both a blessing and a curse in that I hear good things that some other people may not hear and know how they did it, but also I hear some of the unwanted bits like edits here and there etc. But it's really rewarding when you listen to an album that's just put together so flawlessly.Some people just don't get it. Personally I find it torture to listen to anything on YouTube. I love that new daft punk album by the way.One thing that makes me laugh is the number of people you come across who race about how much better lossless file types are and how only the clueless use mp3's etc.. When the vast majority of them use onboard sound cards lolWhat I find funny is when people make a point of telling you the high bit rate they recorded with while showing you their material on compact disk therefore rendering their high bit rates useless. But as a sound engineer of sorts, I will always record at the highest rate I can for future formats. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
As much as I love having my entire music collection a click or two away having a proper hifi system is so nice, if forced to choose between mp3s and CDs I'd go with CDs everytime
Yeah, when Random Access Memories leaked I got people sending me links to higher (slightly) bitrate versions because 128kbs was just 'horrible' etc but on my PC set up I couldn't tell much if any diffrence between them... Sure my vinyl sounds alot nicer, but that's thanks to my amp and hifi speakers mostly lol
You find it torture, but this has been purely a personal choice..
You made it a point to be an "audio-engineer", you've trained yourself to discern good vs bad recording.. So you've already doomed yourself from every returning to the reality of the untainted audience..
That is to say, you'll never enjoy music as music ever again... biting into the fruit of knowledge (of sound) screwed music for you FOREVER...
:D
Thing is, most music I listen is never made into cds. I can count every cd I've bought with one hand : D
this probably means your taste in music sux.. :D
For example, Most of the old movies I like made it to DVD, then Bray.
Thing is, most music I listen is never made into cds. I can count every cd I've bought with one hand : D
this probably means your taste in music sux.. :D
For example, Most of the old movies I like made it to DVD, then Bray.
I haven't seen any edm artists' cds : D
Nothing beats cracking open up a new CD, popping it in the player and having a mosh. When you rip CDs, the quality is superb too, which is a bonus.
Nothing beats cracking open up a new CD, popping it in the player and having a mosh. When you rip CDs, the quality is superb too, which is a bonus.
yeah, just went to go buy daft punk's new album last week. best buy isnt what it used to be. the internet has really put it in their butt raw.
Ebay is the world's marketplace.
When CDs came out in the mid-1980s, they totally sucked because they did not care and left them equalized for phono cartridges.
Try not to buy any CD mastered earlier than early-mid-1990s, and high-bit remasterings are usually - but not always - well worth it.
Some artists (cough - Frank Zappa - cough) went to great effort to change and degrade wonderful originals.
Not true, especially with modern metal/ 'djent.' There is no way you can pick up all the nuances in modering tech metal in MP3 format. I consider my self an audiophile and I listen to 95% metal.
You MAY be right... but...... it is a bigger leap taken this time as he personally oversaw the transfers according to wiki
I wonder sometimes. We are living in a modern age where old devices become so irrelevant over time.
it handles DVDs, but not CDs...
When I buy CDs I usually end up spending more time fixing em than actually listening em...
My last CD purchase -> http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45656.msg955869#msg955869
When I buy CDs I usually end up spending more time fixing em than actually listening em...
My last CD purchase -> http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45656.msg955869#msg955869
Just wondering. Can you hear these inconsistencies?
My hearing is not that great anymore since i have tinnitus, but this is quiet interesting. Never thought about that.
For some reason i feel that if i download Mp3 from Amazon that they sound better than my wav's that i rip from my cd's. Not sure why.
But i haven't ripping for a longer time and since i listen only sometimes to music at all, i just never noticed these inconsistencies in the files.
My hearing is not that great anymore since i have tinnitus, but this is quiet interesting. Never thought about that.
For some reason i feel that if i download Mp3 from Amazon that they sound better than my wav's that i rip from my cd's. Not sure why.
But i haven't ripping for a longer time and since i listen only sometimes to music at all, i just never noticed these inconsistencies in the files.
Part of the problem probably is that I'm kinda trained to spot errors in audio and video,
because I was involved in A/V filter and codec development for like 10 years,
and doing A/B comparisons or spotting irregularities was part of it...
Anyway, I cut out and uploaded a sniplet with one of the stronger glitches:
http://soulhunters-crappy-website.com/misc/Before.flacShow Image(http://soulhunters-crappy-website.com/misc/Before.png)
Can you hear it?