Shop Tunes: moderninzing the system (CD to MP3?)

[WadePatton]

Hey yo, I'm sure twelve or seven of my brethren/sistren here have been through this process so I'm looking for a quick, down and dirty, primer on tools/tech for setting up my workspace for digi-tunes. Heck I've some good vinyl to save if i can work out an interface (and find the damn things).

I need to compile my CD's and of course I'll be buying new stuff from this here interweb. Want to run that through "normal" stereo/speakers in the shop (no internet in shop-or i'd just rock the pandora).

Last time I looked around there were dozens of options and they vary bunches in price. What are the bare necessities? conflicts?

Can i score mp3 thingies at yardsales yet?

effing b/c radio is killing my brain. change from the "best rock ever" station to the soul/hip-hop station and get the same effing adverts. then go country and all is well for a moment and the same string of adverts starts up again!!! and I'm pulling signals from two different markets--enough of the mindwashing numbness that they feed the herd.

thanks

blame DWF--for digging on E.Hilter and U.Hinson lately at FB.

[chasea]

Quickest and easiest solution would be to get an ipod (it'll hold ALOT of music) and a 1/8" to 1"4" stereo cable. They also make adapters so you could use an existing cable and size the input/output up or down depending on your current stereo.

You could even use the cable to go directly from your laptop to the stereo if you want to skip the ipod and don't mind having the laptop in your shop.

Is this of any use, or am I way oversimplifying your situation here?

[WadePatton]

I get the cabling thing. last time i did some CD => mp3 type conversion it seemed very slow and tedious... there's probably an easier solution.

How many tetrahugeous-bytes do i need for say-30 cd's? I don't have any personal experience with i-pods and such devices.

Didn't think of running straight offa the PC...will look into that-thanks! I don't "need" tunes portable.

note to self to improve "backup" policies and practices.

[chasea]

Ah, this is where I won't be much help. I'm a bit of a techniphobe. Importing cds can be time consuming. There are businesses here in NYC where you can drop of your laptop/ipod and cds and pay them to do it for you. Its best to just put one in, import it, walk away and find something else to do. Downloading mp3s takes less time because the lower quality results in a smaller file.

vinyl to mp3 is more complicated and requires more equipment. Here's a link I found on the subject. Vinyl-to-MP3
Sounds like it might be less of a hassle to just hire a shop DJ.

I think your best bet is to run everything through iTunes, as its fairly simple; and it will work with your iPod if you choose to go that route. As far as memory and mp3 converter programs, that question is better left to someone who didn't get their first cell phone in 2006 (in other words, not me).

[edoz]

At a typical (128-160) bitrate, mp3 audio is roughly 1mb/minute. So a CD is gonna be about 80mb, but it will vary of course. Any mp3 player software will import your CDs, if you only have 30 or so it won't take long to import them all. You could probably do them a few at a time as you listen to them or as you surf the internet.

[maunahaole]

A quick conversion for mp3. At 128kbs sampling rate it is about 1MB per minute of audio. You probably do not want to go lower than 128, as the sound quality will degrade significantly. Experiment with what bitrate works best for you - some folks cant stand mp3 in ANY sampling rate, works for others. Spoken word can use a low rate, music with more "signal" should use a higher rate.

[WadePatton]

See, it's crap like this: I popped a CD into the drive and WMP jumped on it and "ripped" all the songs...now it wants to "burn" a cd...I just want files damminent. Don't see that option.

Guide me to proper (cheap to free) software thanks.

wp

looking at this now: (how to do it with wmp) http://www.askdavetaylor.com/produce...ia_player.html

whilst other programs jocky for position...


more addendum:

thanks for the rate info. i see that "wav" is "lossless" if i'm running straight of the 'puter, is there any reason to use one audio file type over the other? or am i going to bog myself down in data beyond my speakers/ears comprehension?

[WadePatton]

have to re-"rip" the b-52's, now working on the Clash--and have made mp3 progress. using 256 rate...what's the hurry?

[edoz]

If it ripped the cd, then the files are on your computer. Check in your 'My Music" folder in 'My Documents" WMP should also have them in your library.

[caleb]

enough of the mindwashing numbness that they feed the herd.

Has the Yankie/Commie conspiracy known as "public radio" crossed the Mason-Dixon line yet? That and Pandora are my safe havens.

[WadePatton]

If it ripped the cd, then the files are on your computer. Check in your 'My Music" folder in 'My Documents" WMP should also have them in your library.

yes, they were here, but in the wrong format and not where i wanted them. quickest fix i found was dump and redo. nearly redone now--nutz how easy this chit is when the ducks line up.

[WadePatton]

Has the Yankie/Commie conspiracy known as "public radio" crossed the Mason-Dixon line yet? That and Pandora are my safe havens.

yankee/commie/liberal conspiracy is right here. darned rf won't stop at the border. yes, i dig most of the weekend programming on npr/apr/pri-type stations--but i can't deal with the opera part. absolutely love the old-style radio show type stuff like Guy Noir, and that Cowboy thing Keillor does. I miss the Rider's Radio Theatre show. Quiz shows, Cooking/cuisine education...it's all there. out guessing Click and Clack is not that difficult and is how I learned to tolerate that dialect and tonality.

Check out the AM side of the dial--after dark and away from city lights(noise sources). The propagation of radio waves in that spectrum change after dark and you'll hear stations many many miles way. Do not try in stormy weather as lighting makes horrendous static crashes even at 500 miles away. I also pursue the WW shortwave BC sometimes as my ham gear covers nearly all frequencies, but this gear is not in the shop.

...now working on some HW3..."if the devil's got a daughter, she's sittin here next to me..." (country you kin believe in yo)

[maunahaole]

Wade, there are such things as directional wi-fi antennas and some wireless routers can be hacked to increase the output power - so you may be able to get the pandora out there with a little bit of tinkering.

[avalonracing]

I have an Apple Airport Express $79 plugged into my stereo and I just stream from my computer. It's a great set up as I have a couple systems around the house and I can just stream to the one that I want.

As for digitizing all of my CDs that sucked. I have about 600 CDs, many rare, and I didn't want to just burn entire CDs when some only merited one or two tracks. So I spent late nights over a few months burning just the tracks that I wanted to the hard drive. Now that they are on there it's great. I'm listening to stuff that I haven't played in years.

[WadePatton]

i build antennas, but i'm not "wi-fi" ing anything yet. building antennae is all about the frequency and the feeding and the trade-offs.

I'm piling a bunch of cd's onto a thumb drive--nipping out my "non-fave" songs. Give it a run tomorrow. tnx

ANNNND the neatest thing just happened. I have this disc i've been toting around for years--bought it used, it's good atb pre-ride tunes, but i lost the case and couldn't tell folks who it was (no identifying stuff on the disc yo)...just got the ID from jamming it into the 'puter.

it's Overkill from 1997! omfg--they're still playing: http://wreckingcrew.com/Ironbound/

for those who need a little singlespeeding riffage:

[WadePatton]

Here's the scoop for those who might find themselves in my sichiation as of yestiddy. I'm using WMP (10). Once set to "rip" mp3/256 and "rip" to d: (removable drive) WMP names, illustrates, makes folders, puts all the van halen in the van halen folder...automagically! The I go back and nip out the odd few songs I just can't bear to hear anymore--like "Money for Nothing". I effing love Knopffler's work, but that one was run into the ground-hard. Nipping out a few here and there (at 256)--I have about 18 CD's into just over half a 2gig thumbie.

hmmm, looks like locust abortion technician is next.

Another great thing is that the damaged discs either get copied and recopied until they are perfect-or they don't get copied at all. I lost a few on a beat-to-hell disc, but getting clean copies from some that always skip and flutter is worth the tradeoff. Some of these are quite old...and have seen a lot of rough and tumble.


a classic from 1975 that many may not have heard. lotta songs 'bout blue jeans in this world, but this is at the top of my denim_song_chart:

slow southern electric blues....with a maine mike-ish twist on the lyrics.

[bikinchris]

Circuit City has 16GB thumb drives for 17.99. And 500GB solid state hard drives for $99 (no moving disk, like the military uses in Iraq's deserts). I think you could put an awful lot of music on 500GB.

You might even think of this:
Shop XM Satellite Radio | Radios | In Your Home

But if you get Wifi, stream KRVS radio over the internet. The best public radio station in the country. Friday is Blues from 9am to 2pm, Saturday is Zydeco and Sunday is Cajun Chanky Chank.

If you like Mark Knopffler, check out this local guy:





How do you guys imbed like that?

[WadePatton]

thanks, but if it costs money, i'm out for a while.

...
If you like Mark Knopffler, check out this local guy:





How do you guys imbed like that?

pop the vidyea button up there between the "photo" and "quote" buttons--dump your link into that there...presto embedo.

[WadePatton]

peeling motorhead off them digitized plastic now.

[edoz]

Motorhead, oh yeah.