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- slappy83, on 10/19/2008, -3/+7Good article, but Gimmesometune is much better for getting lyrics.
- Trat, on 10/21/2008, -1/+0Who listens to music with lyrics in it? Sucks big time IMO...
- NoSuccess, on 10/19/2008, -3/+4Cool I've been looking for a simple lyric widget.
- EH90, on 10/20/2008, -18/+75Yea, Mac only cuz iTunes is a piece of ***** on Windows.
- archer75, on 10/20/2008, -3/+8Same machine, itunes in Leopard has the exact same performance and stability as in windows. So I don't see how it's ***** on windows?
- Lochie, on 10/20/2008, -20/+14Must be ***** on Mac then as well.
- Soave, on 10/20/2008, -16/+9Hahah so true, Lochie.
- mrsteveman1, on 10/20/2008, -2/+10Yea try playing a high def video in it, then we'll talk. Windows version chokes on even standard def. Same machine can play 1080i stuff in any other format. Same machine running OS X can play stuff in iTunes just fine, even HD.
- KJSatz, on 10/20/2008, -2/+9I watch 720p podcasts on my Windows install of iTunes just fine....
- duccodude, on 10/20/2008, -1/+6Just browsing through the albums grinds it down to a halt. I'm only using iTunes right now because it currently doesn't work for Amarok yet. Also, anyone know when amarok 2 is coming out?
- kkyiosueki, on 10/20/2008, -4/+5"How to improve your iTunes experience" - Write a better program than what it is now.
- archer75, on 10/20/2008, -3/+8Same machine, itunes in Leopard has the exact same performance and stability as in windows. So I don't see how it's ***** on windows?
- LordBacon, on 10/20/2008, -34/+26Buried, because i'm a PC !
- joelement, on 10/20/2008, -7/+25Dugg, because i'm a PC as well !
- ethana2, on 10/20/2008, -2/+6Buried because a mac is a PC and I'm a Human Being.
- spvn, on 10/20/2008, -7/+21does that mean i should bury everything PC related since I use Macs?
- aznhomig, on 10/20/2008, -5/+18What, you guys already don't?
- kfconme, on 10/20/2008, -14/+5I'm ignorant, and I'm a PC!
- PabloMac, on 10/20/2008, -2/+6Dugg for redundancy and repetition.
- Nephersir7, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3A Mac is a ***** PC.
- TremorX, on 10/20/2008, -2/+3Then go wear some tweed while you bleed on a shark-filled space shuttle
- bakagaigin, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2I'm going to use this comeback the next chance I get (I think it could apply to many situations).
- batmanz, on 10/20/2008, -4/+4Imma Pee See, und I sell feesh.
- NSsoccer1, on 10/20/2008, -3/+3Buried because your a PC.
- joelement, on 10/20/2008, -7/+25Dugg, because i'm a PC as well !
- risenphoenixkai, on 10/20/2008, -3/+466 diggs and it's down. What are they using for a server, a Kaypro?
- akchrs, on 10/20/2008, -10/+2http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/apr/12tigerse ...
- Nephersir7, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1hes using a mac server
- username7410, on 10/20/2008, -7/+31"Static, buzzes and noise in my music really ticks me off. That’s why I always go for a lossless file format if possible. Right now, I’m settled on Apple Lossless but FLAC is still the most popular lossless format."
Lossy formats when used properly never add static, buzz or noise to music. Buried.- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3True, sounds like he totally missed the point of why lossy formats sometimes sound worse.
Usually, you lose dynamics, the spatial image, fine details and texture to instruments.
Sometimes even the high/low ends, since the crappier lossy formats assume you can't hear them anyway.- r3zonance, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1"Usually, you lose dynamics, the spatial image, fine details and texture to instruments.
Sometimes even the high/low ends, since the crappier lossy formats assume you can't hear them anyway."
But, when ALL portable music players have a high cutoff frequency of 22050Hz, what does that really matter as you have lost just over half the frequency range anyway?
- r3zonance, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1"Usually, you lose dynamics, the spatial image, fine details and texture to instruments.
- sittered, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1And if you want to carry a 5000+ song library around without the hassle of an external HD, then everything at 192kbps or more is not an option.
- kingm1k3, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Yeah... FLAC/lossless formats are unrealistic.
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3True, sounds like he totally missed the point of why lossy formats sometimes sound worse.
- BrendanSheehan, on 10/20/2008, -5/+5Why can't iTunes do lyrics itself, it's stupid having to need another app to handle that, especially when you need to have a widget open to get that app to work properly.
Do you hear that? It's the sound of AppZapper being used everywhere.- spvn, on 10/20/2008, -1/+7 well, no other media player does that anyway... not without a plugin at least.
- BrendanSheehan, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Yeah, to be sure but it would be handy.
- Virgule, on 10/20/2008, -7/+2The funny part is that iTunes actually have a lyrics placeholder on the song's get info panel (see: http://i35.tinypic.com/2s16ic8.png), yet, can't quite make use of it.
- macslut, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2The funny part of your comment is that you link to a picture that actually shows the use of the lyrics placeholder. You can copy and paste lyrics there or, as your picture shows, you can view lyrics.
Apple doesn't provide a server for pulling lyrics, nor is the software capable of doing it (without a plug-in/script/widget/app). This is because if iTunes did do this, Apple would immediately be facing a lawsuit.
- macslut, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2The funny part of your comment is that you link to a picture that actually shows the use of the lyrics placeholder. You can copy and paste lyrics there or, as your picture shows, you can view lyrics.
- Frozo, on 10/20/2008, -1/+7Brendan, I think its a copyright issue. Those lyric sights are always incorrect and are not sanctioned by the RIAA. In fact they want to shut them all down. Plus the logistics of Apple getting a server together that has all of the correct lyrics is a huge undertaking.
- BrendanSheehan, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Darn copyright laws.
- a0me, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3Actually the database that iTunes uses to get song info (such as when you play/rip a CD with iTunes) is Gracenote, which also has a large database of song lyrics (Link: http://www.gracenote.com/business_solutions/lyrics ... ). Not sure why iTunes don't download the lyrics simultaneously with the song info though.
High license fees?
Incompatible DRM?- Frozo, on 10/21/2008, -0/+1They are always wrong.
- spvn, on 10/20/2008, -1/+7 well, no other media player does that anyway... not without a plugin at least.
- spvn, on 10/20/2008, -4/+4this article didn't really tell me anything new.,..
- MacParrot, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2Neither did your comment
- aaronoog, on 10/20/2008, -23/+16You lost me at [Mac Only]
- evanstapler, on 10/20/2008, -10/+5I was lost at "iTunes".
- PabloMac, on 10/20/2008, -7/+6Yet you still felt the need to waste your time and ours with your comment.
- lolmacs, on 10/20/2008, -4/+2Good thing I can access the website
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1Really?
- watermelonx, on 10/20/2008, -15/+1I love my music and everything else that goes along with it. I love the fact that in my iTunes, every song is properly labelled, is nicely arranged alphabetically by artist and have their particular album artwork attached in high resolution. It is so much easier to search for the songs you want when almost all the fields (i.e. genre, artist, album, year) are completed. Every little bit of information helps Genius to find the songs which match the ones you are listening to, creating a playlist which suits your current musical mood. I grimace when I browse though some of my friends’ playlists and most of the songs are labelled “Track 1, Track 2…. Untitled Artist”. They must have some kind of ESP or monumental memorizing ability to remember what track is by which artist. Listening to music on iTunes can be more than simply “listening”. It can turn into a pretty interactive hobby which for me, has become an obsession. A fairly rewarding one, at least. Here’s how you can convert from mere music-listening to actively interacting and expanding your music experience. In this part 1, I’ll show you how to enjoy your current music collection. How To Organize Your iTunes Library This is the very first step to improving your iTunes experience. How can you truly enjoy your music if you’re not sure who you’re listening to? Label your music properly, fill in their genre (if you’re not sure of what genre your artist/album fall under, check the iTunes store by clicking the arrow link next to the album title. It might not always be 100% accurate as some might argue but it’s a start), rate the songs you like, enter the year it was released - you get the drift. I spend quite a lot of time doing this, especially after I get my hands on a couple of new albums. My friends think that I’m crazy for wasting so much time but in the end, it’s very rewarding. Why? It is easier to search for the song you want to listen to Rated songs automatically gets added into “My Top Rated” playlist for quick access Smart playlists get updated instantly when new song from a particular artist/genre is added to library Instantly create playlists by year (eg. 90’s or Oldies) if you fill in the year it was released Properly labelled songs make it easier to check for duplicates It helps Genius find out which songs you’re listening to and find the songs which are similar by retrieving information from iTunes according to the artist, genre etc. As your music collection gets larger, you’ll find more reasons to organize your music. If you have somehow labelled your songs but haven’t capitalized the first letter of each word and you couldn’t be bothered to redo them again, TuneInstructor can do it for you. It has a lot of other functions but I mainly use it to recapitalize some of the letters which escaped me. Add Album Cover Artwork To Your iTunes Songs This is just eye-candy but it subconsciously improves your music experience. In addition to only using your sense of hearing, you’re now adding a visual sense. Wine connoisseurs use this theory - that when more senses are involved, the better the experience. That’s why they look at the wine (vision), swirl it (hearing), smell it (smell) and finally drink it (taste). The most reliable way to add cover art to your music is to do it individually by album. It takes a little bit of time and effort if you’re starting from scratch but it prevents mistakes from occurring. To do this, I use Amazon Album Art Widget. I find it very usable and almost always finds the cover art I’m looking for. Other applications you may try are Corripio and GimmeSomeTune (which I covered in a previous article). If most of your music have their artwork attached and you’re trying to find those little buggers which eluded you, there’s a very useful script from Doug’s Applescripts called Tracks Without Artwork To Playlist which will find the songs without any artwork and automatically add them into a separate playlist. Don’t Settle For Low Quality Static, buzzes and noise in my music really ticks me off. That’s why I always go for a lossless file format if possible. Right now, I’m settled on Apple Lossless but FLAC is still the most popular lossless format. Music, especially classical or jazz are better appreciated in higher quality because of their sophistication. In the long run, keeping your music in a higher quality, either lossless, 320kbps MP3 or 256 AAC will spare you from re-ripping your songs in the future once your taste for music quality has been acquired. For starters, don’t settle for anything lower than 192kbps MP3. If you need an explanation about audio files formats, a good introduction would be to check out the article I wrote about audio convertors for Mac. As I said earlier, FLAC is the most popular lossless audio format but unfortunately, iTunes doesn’t support FLAC. Previously, I had to convert FLAC files into another format which iTunes recognizes. Every time a music file is converted from one format to another, it loses quality. That’s something that makes me cringe. Granted, that loss in quality might not be audible but it’s a loss nonetheless. Then I found Fluke. Fluke is an utility that allows me to play FLAC files directly in iTunes without any conversion and hence, without any loss in quality. Sing Your Songs (Add Lyrics to iTunes ) How many times have you listened to a song you’d really like to sing along then had to open your browser, search for the song’s lyrics and add them into iTunes? TunesTEXT is a very reliable widget which retrieves the lyrics of the song which you are currently listening to and adds them into iTunes - you don’t even have to lift a finger! Use this together with DesktopLyrics and you will always have your lyrics right on your desktop. No rogue lyric windows to deal with. Whenever you want to view the lyrics, use the Show Desktop Exposé hotkey and boom - sing-along time!
- PabloMac, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3WordPad sucks.
- tomwhughes, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2Comment is too long - post a working mirror.
- gmprunner, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3I'll give you a thumps up just for typing all of that info.
- DesignerScott, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3WTF was that all about?
- gmprunner, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3Wait a minute, I just realized you copied all of the text from the article!
- Soave, on 10/20/2008, -0/+4WALL OF TEXT!!!!!!
- kprooney, on 10/20/2008, -17/+6Step 1- install winamp
- LordBacon, on 10/20/2008, -3/+14Step 2- Uninstall Winamp
- Th3Wh1teRabb1t, on 10/20/2008, -0/+6Step 3- ????
- EXTER, on 10/20/2008, -0/+6Step 4- Profit!
- Soave, on 10/20/2008, -0/+6Step 5 - delete orphan keys in Registry. :/
- Zippo, on 10/20/2008, -3/+7On a Mac? I wish. I miss Winamp.
- wolfboyZ, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2I never thought I would stop using WinAmp until I tried out MediaMonkey. It takes the light resources of WinAmp and combines it with iTunes fast organization, renaming, and album art embedding. You can even change the filename itself within the program. Good alternative program to use with iPods and other mp3 players as well.
Still waiting for that mac version...- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -2/+1A media player that lets you rename files? And shows a picture while doing it?
You guys have really low standards. - KibibyteBrain, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Foobar2000 for me on windows, and amarok for linux. Foobar is simple, but powerful. Its still good to have iTunes around though, for some little management things, its pretty good.
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -2/+1A media player that lets you rename files? And shows a picture while doing it?
- LordBacon, on 10/20/2008, -3/+14Step 2- Uninstall Winamp
- adougy, on 10/20/2008, -4/+15"As I said earlier, FLAC is the most popular lossless audio format but unfortunately, iTunes doesn’t support FLAC. Previously, I had to convert FLAC files into another format which iTunes recognizes. Every time a music file is converted from one format to another, it loses quality. That’s something that makes me cringe. Granted, that loss in quality might not be audible but it’s a loss nonetheless."
Converting from one lossless file to another loses NO quality. Lossless is just that, lossless.- mastercheif, on 10/20/2008, -3/+1I think he was talking about converting to AAC or MP3
- InspectorGadget, on 10/20/2008, -0/+10Yeah, it's pretty clear the author has no ***** clue what he's talking about and substitutes personal preferences and misconceptions for facts - like that ***** wine analogy.
- noblepenguin, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2It's clearer to me that you're intentionally misconstruing what the author's said just so you can play the cynical hero.
This was actually kind of a helpful article, as I learned about some new pretty cool software. Not perfect, but helpful.
- noblepenguin, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2It's clearer to me that you're intentionally misconstruing what the author's said just so you can play the cynical hero.
- reformation, on 10/20/2008, -1/+2This tool even admits he can't hear the difference between flac and whatever else he's using - proving there is no point in keeping lossless files.
- MacParrot, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2Maybe he feels that have lossless files helps to future-proof them for whatever format comes next.
- holyreality, on 10/20/2008, -1/+21I have over 30,000 songs, 99% of which is organized impeccably. as long as you get artwork and label everything as soon as you add it, your collection will start to take shape fairly quickly and easily. I'm not that crazy about getting lyrics though, and I really only find the ones that I either can't understand or can't remember.
- cheeseron, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2cheesus crust 30,000 is a lot of songs. i thought my 7,000 was a lot. :/
- DaviDTC, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1I thought my 600 was a lot (not a big music fan obviously).
- davidrsmith, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2ive got nearly 15,000 and i realized half way through that i should organize it nicely. half of it is done perfectly, and the other...i wish i had started earlier.
- cheeseron, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2cheesus crust 30,000 is a lot of songs. i thought my 7,000 was a lot. :/
- goosegoosegoose, on 10/20/2008, -2/+3Someone find a mirror
- generalzod1, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1ditto
- jrburkh, on 10/20/2008, -2/+0Download Jaikoz for a very intuitive and customizable automatic tagging tool. It's quite powerful.
http://www.jaikoz.com - diggzoid, on 10/20/2008, -2/+23How to improve your iTunes Experience: Make sure you use a good bit torrent site where people care about labeling their files correctly such as What.CD or Demonoid.
- ZombieSociety, on 10/20/2008, -0/+5If I could dig this comment a thousand times, I would.
- ethana2, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1jamendo.com is basically the only tracker I use.
- macslut, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1I would begg a thousand times for a What.CD invite. Please?
- customer, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1I hate the way most people at what tag their stuff. It's goofy. I have to retag pretty much 99% of music I get.
- alextiming, on 10/20/2008, -2/+10Here's a copy of PearLyrics. This is extremely rare program and widget for Mac. Please DL and share with others.
http://www.filedropper.com/pearlyrics- mrwright613, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2i had this before apple or whoever shut it down, and have been looking for it again ever since. you sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.
- Virgule, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2Read the pearLyrics story then spread it as far as you can. ^_^
http://www.pearworks.com/pages/pearLyrics.html - reformation, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1What are you going to do ? Start a ***** kareoke club?
- MacParrot, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2AAAAAAaaaaat the Copa
Copa Cabana...HEY!
The hottest spot north of Havana...YEAH!
- MacParrot, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2AAAAAAaaaaat the Copa
- arnmsctt, on 10/20/2008, -1/+3Mirror:
http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:http://www.mak ... - theiss, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3i have to say, smart playlists are awesome. i have revolver lists for all of the above-average songs in a genre that haven't been played in a month. play a song in that playlist and you don't have to worry about hearing it again for a month. it stays awesome and you don't get burned out on it.
adding sub-genres into the grouping field also lets me jump from a doom metal mood to a thrash playlist while staying in my metal genre.
the downside is you have to keep on top of your library data. don't trust iTMS dates or genres. if i want some good ol' 80's glam rock, you can bet there'll be a lot of albums missing if you use the iTMS (or even Amazon) release dates. wikipedia is great for this. for metal, finding correct album dates and subgenres, http://www.metal-archives.com/ is indispensable. - Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -10/+4I used to be an iTunes AND an iPod user.
I hated how iTunes made my music sound all dull and crappy, and how it decided to reorganize my music that was neatly organized into logical folders.
The iPod never sounded quite right to me. Even after buying highend earbuds, it just didn't sound right.
My 300$ iPod died shortly after the warranty expired, so i bought a 30$ Sansa Clip as an intermediary solution. Turned out, the Sansa Clip sounded MUCH better than the iPod, even without the expensive portable amp i bought for the iPod (trying to fix the sound), so i ended up keeping it, and loving it to this day.
Is a Mac gonna change any of that?- Hosalabad, on 10/20/2008, -2/+11Aww, here's a cookie.
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -5/+1Never mind the cookie, how about an iPod/iTunes that sounds better than just "mediocre"?
- ZombieSociety, on 10/20/2008, -2/+10A Mac won't change iTunes reorganizing your music for you. But, you know what would?
...turning off that option. *facepalm*- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -2/+2iTunes and the iPod can organize into folders?
Everyone else says they can't, but clearly you know better. - macslut, on 10/20/2008, -1/+3Grummond,
iTunes has two modes on both the Mac and PC. The default is for iTunes to organize your music in folders (in a way that actually works pretty well). In preferences, you can turn this option off. This is what ZombieSociety was referring too.
I don't know who "everyone else" is that you're talking to, but in iTunes, simply go to Preferences and then the advanced tab. You'll see right there that it will create sub-folders for your music to be organized by default. Simply uncheck it if you wish.
As far as why the sound quality you experienced differed from every professional editorial review, well, I can't help you there. It may be a bad unit, bad files, or simply a subjective distaste you experienced. - Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1Yeah i had all my music neatly organized a certain way, and foolishly turned the option on when i first installed it and was getting to know the program. Took me months to get things just right again, what a hazzle.
As far as the sound quality, i think the general consensus over at head-fi.org is that the ipod is pretty mediocre, with even a 30$ unit like the Sansa Clip outperforming it. Featurewise the Clip is better too, with stuff like a radio, better file support (ogg vorbis and FLAC) and a fully customizeable EQ, not just some presets. And you can just drag and drop files onto it, no need to use iTunes.
All the iPod has going for it, is it looks better.
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -2/+2iTunes and the iPod can organize into folders?
- HanSolo69, on 10/20/2008, -3/+2Wow, you're a sucker. A sucker with some money to burn apparently. Portable amp for your iPod? Gimme a break.
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -1/+2Well it did improve the sound, but not as much as buying a 30$ mp3-player as a replacement :P
And yes, i might be a sucker in your optics, but i care about sound quality.
As much as you care about picture quality when watching movies, i care about sound quality when listening to music.
Sue me.
- Grummond, on 10/20/2008, -1/+2Well it did improve the sound, but not as much as buying a 30$ mp3-player as a replacement :P
- sjps220, on 10/20/2008, -1/+2Grummond I totally agree with you about the sound stuff. I got my first ipod a year ago and have been unimpressed with the sound. They do nothing to improve sound quality in their updates, and many of the reviews I read of the players don't even mention sound quality at all.
As for itunes in windows, I run xp with a core 2 duo at 3.6 ghz and 3 gb of ram, and it's still quite sluggish.- r3zonance, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1That sluggishness is just Windows, as it doesn't have some of the nice streamlined APIs that are afforded on the Mac.
- aaarrrggghhh, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1'That sluggishness is just Windows'
Dont talk *****, if the app is ***** on windows thats the developers responsibility, if apple don't care enough to rewrite the app for windows correctly it doesnt make it windows fault. Winamp isnt slow, hell even windows media player blows itunes away in terms of performance, its apples issue.
Hey i just noticed, 'blows' and 'itunes' in the same sentence, how unusual
- markstory, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1I've never heard these acoustic issues you mention, perhaps you had an EQ applied? I've got fairly decent headphones, and have never noticed that 'lacking' quality to the output from iTunes.
- Hosalabad, on 10/20/2008, -2/+11Aww, here's a cookie.
- nmanguy, on 10/20/2008, -12/+3How to improve the iTunes Experience (Windows):
1. Uninstall iTunes, Quicktime, anything that has the word "Apple" in it.
2. Install K-Lite, VLC, FFDShow or the Quicktime allternative.
3. Relax
How to improve the iTunes Experience (Linux):
1. Install Linux
2. Relax- JulyZerg, on 10/20/2008, -3/+2The first 100 people to make this comment weren't original, and you are even less so.
- mastersquirrel3, on 10/20/2008, -0/+3That what he's saying. He doesn't like static so he uses FLAC instead of MP3.
- ethana2, on 10/20/2008, -3/+3MP3 to FLAC is overkill..
I NEVER use mp3 when I can help it. Stick to .wma, .ogg, and .acc, you know, real formats that don't completely suck, and you'll be fine.- InspectorGadget, on 10/20/2008, -1/+6If you transcode MP3 to FLAC, you're doing it WRONG.
- jordn, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2Transcoding MP3 to FLAC?
*cringe*
- ethana2, on 10/20/2008, -3/+3MP3 to FLAC is overkill..
- Sunscreen, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1It doesn't find lyrics to anything. :(
- freakFlag, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Not a thing mentioned about Video organization. For those who use iTunes to sync video to an ipod that docks with a TV, you can end the madness of having to get up off your stoned ass to begin the next video. After you import a video, assign the Genre of the video, "Show Name - Season #" (ie. Venture Brothers - Season 01), then create a Smart Playlist, sort by Genre with that "Show Name - Season #" and BLAM-O you now have a continuous playlist that you can navigate with a remote (if applicable). I like to name my episodes, so I can keep the title using this method.
- CrimsonFlash, on 10/20/2008, -1/+4I really like using DockArt.
Places the current album art in the dock as the iTunes icon. As such; http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/901/picture1ek8 ...
You can get it here; http://homepage.mac.com/gweston/dockart/index.html - bjdowns, on 10/20/2008, -1/+2I really dislike it when people are mp3/FLAC elitist. 128kbps is perfectly sufficient for most people, even with good speakers or headphones. I can't tell the difference between either on my Bose speakers, and can barely detect anything in my Sony MDR-7506's.
It's all psychology.
Try it yourself. (Remember you have a 50/50 shot, so don't judge it by guessing correctly. Actually listen.) http://mp3ornot.com/- thefinger, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Uh, well no it's not all psychology. Also, how can you be discerning enough to use Bose speakers, and yet your ears fail you when it comes to mp3 bitrates. Try listening to those 128s with blues or jazz or most any kind of more laid back music. Try to have it quiet around you as well, no masking noises. Then you will hear a difference. Another thing you can try, is to listen to lossless for maybe a week or two, then go back and see how your mp3 collection stacks up. I'll bet it doesn't.
- mktwo, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1@thefinger
Difference you think you hear could be just inside your head. That's Placebo Effect.
I recommend you to try doing ABX test to see if you can really tell MP3 and Lossless file apart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABX_test
Also, if you'd like, you could participate in a new MP3 listening test at HydrogenAudio.
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?show ...
- mktwo, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1@thefinger
- markstory, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1You are deaf, or don't know what to listen for then. 128kbps chops quite a bit out of the highs and lows on most music. First you need to start with properly mastered music, which would mean something older. A lot of newer music is brickwalled to some extent. Listen to the CD and the 128kbps one after each other, and you should be able to pick up the differences in the cymbals and kick drums / bass guitar.
- thefinger, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1Uh, well no it's not all psychology. Also, how can you be discerning enough to use Bose speakers, and yet your ears fail you when it comes to mp3 bitrates. Try listening to those 128s with blues or jazz or most any kind of more laid back music. Try to have it quiet around you as well, no masking noises. Then you will hear a difference. Another thing you can try, is to listen to lossless for maybe a week or two, then go back and see how your mp3 collection stacks up. I'll bet it doesn't.
- dontswimtoshore, on 10/20/2008, -0/+4buy good speakers. done.
- Mutiny32, on 10/20/2008, -7/+4Step 1 for everyone else:
Uninstall iTunes - gospe1337, on 10/20/2008, -2/+1http://mediamonkey.com
- aaarrrggghhh, on 10/20/2008, -0/+0Seconded, I did all my files over a weekend, fantastic app
- thefinger, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2There should be no static coming from his mp3s, unless there is something ***** up about his itunes configuration, which, I'm guessing, he managed on his own.
ot.... Everyone, be kinder to yourselves. Use lossless whenever possible.- reformation, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1There is no need to use a lossless format. Endless tests have shown that it is impossible to tell the difference between a decent quality mp3 and lossless.
If you think you can hear the difference you need to carry out some proper 'blind' testing where you don't know if the track is FLAC, mp3. your results will be no greater than chance.
edit - check out mktwo's post below for some tests
- reformation, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1There is no need to use a lossless format. Endless tests have shown that it is impossible to tell the difference between a decent quality mp3 and lossless.
- mktwo, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2"For starters, don’t settle for anything lower than 192kbps MP3"
That's a stupid statement, urging people to use unnecessary high bitrate that yield no quality gain perceptually. I guess author has never conduct any ABX test or don't even know what it is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABX_test
Most people cannot even differentiate between 128 kbps MP3 and original file. Last listening test in 2005 show that "with the current encoders, the quality at 128 kbit/s is very good... It's time to move to bitrates like 96 kbit/s or even lower (64 kbit/s)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec_listening_test
The new MP3 listening test is currently open, you can try yourself to see whether you can tell any difference between 128 kbps MP3 and original.
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?show ... - Nephersir7, on 10/20/2008, -2/+2Buried, DRM SUCKS! "kids, dont support evil companies"
- MacParrot, on 10/20/2008, -0/+2So you only buy from EMI?
- aaarrrggghhh, on 10/20/2008, -1/+1I'd like to Second all the itunes sucks comments, I have a quad core at 3ghz with 4Gb Ram and itunes is almost unuseable, i only have 4500 files too. Winamp flies, unfortunately thanks to Apples sickening attempts to take over my world I have to use it for my ipod touch (its crap in winamp thanks to apple removing files support)
One improvement, why not add a rescan library function for when i add more music, ffs EVERY other play i've used has it, FFS apple, wankers, I dont want you to manage my music cos you're ***** at it. ***** (touch is so nice why ruin it by hobbling it with *****)
And Relax.... - tylanga, on 10/20/2008, -0/+1how do i get rid of duplicates on my ipod without having to delete all of them?
- drpaidout, on 10/22/2008, -0/+1answer: uninstall it
- TinababyK, on 10/23/2008, -0/+0well a good piece of information.... itune is getting better with its every new versions
- bjdowns, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1As far as my collection goes, I have plenty of jazz and classical, myself being a bassist and classically trained saxophonist. I would consider myself to have a trained ear, as I've done technical sound work for several stage productions. Still, I must say that there is a placebo effect, as mktwo stated.
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