What music are you listening to?

[GeorgeH]

I have that one. The "Magician's Birthday" is good too.

Then there is Eric Johnson that I don't think gets enough recognition:

 

[GeorgeH]

But I have more than rock music in my collection. There is "Ambient" music that some folks call "Chill Out" music that I sometimes listen to when reading a book:

That is enough for now. I have over 16,000 songs on my iPod.

 

[elton]

I like a lot of ambient music ... to chill out though I like Clannad, Enya, etc.
My digital library has grown over the years and is now stored on 2x2TB [primary and backup] HDD's. I built an Excel spreadsheet to catalogue it all. Over the years it had grown out of the limits of Excel's Pivot Table and currently consists of over 300k tracks; I really need to spend some time and organise it better!
Sold most of my vinyl but still have 80 or so albums. Likewise the CD's have decreased from a huge number to circa 700 discs.
Have an original Sony NW-HD5 mp3 player for use in the garden which is great. Tracks ripped using ATRAC to get a lot of albums on the 20GB HDD.
Yeah, I like my music too :)

 

[GeorgeH]

Wow! I thought my collection was rather unwieldy but you have me beat. I do have it organized though. I have my entire collection on my iPod. I have added ratings of 3 to 5 stars. It took almost as much time rating all the music as it took adding it to my iPod. The ratings work for me pretty well on the playlists. You might want to try my method. I have playlists by Genre and by names of artists. The Genre playlists play songs rated 4 or 5. The playlists for the individual artists play songs rated 3 to 5. Then I have a playlist that plays any Genre with the rating set to 5. I only use a rating of 1 or 2 to flag a change on my iPod that is needed on iTunes when I sync it. I tend not to play unrated music so I would suggest you only add music to your player that is rated 3 to 5.

All my music is either on CD (with a handful of vinyl records I don't play anymore) or in uncompressed flac files. I do compress all of it myself to a bit rate of 256 kbps with variable bit rate (VBR) with iTunes using the AAC format for my iPod. I know that music fanatics would consider compressing music heresy but the reality is that even sound engineers can't tell any difference from the original recording. However, I do not use any music that is compressed by others.

 

[elton]

Sweet. I'm not sure what I'll do yet. There are many that have not been listened to in a long time. Life gets in the way of listening!
Most of my mp3's are 320kbps I've not got any flac ... I thinned them out a while back when I could not tell the difference in sound quality but the space freed up was astonishing!
Mine is organised via, Artist, Album and Track. Did try iTunes but it was making a mess of my albums. It would take a perfectly ripped album, with 100% correct tags and bugger it up. I'd end up with say an album Kevin Ayes, Joy of a Toy with tracks 1,5,7&9 and another Kevin Ayers Joy of a Toy with tracks 2,3,6 & 8 and another Joy of a Toy album containing just 1 track, track 4!!! To say it was frustratiing was an understatement!
Even played around with the tags using TagTuner and MP3Tag but to no avail.

Regrettably, my daughter and all her worldly belongings are being stored in the quiet 'music' room while she is between houses ... no chance of giving my system an airing for many a month yet ... sure do miss a higher quality sound .. but hey ho. Needs must.

 

[elton]

Oh, and while digging a path out earlier I was listening to Quintessence, In Blissful Company. Okay it's a 1969 album but I can totally fall into reminiscence mode while listening. :)

 

[AnonTet]

I'm in the other end of the spectrum as I only use FLAC and many at 96/24 and above! Some rips are in ISO format though.

Everything still amounts to 500GB or so. When in my head I think i'm a DJ, I have 1TB worth of "electronic music" in a disk I still have to unpack along my little mix table... guess I've been lazy since I moved but before i did I still have trashed around 1500CD/DVD's unused from my mp3 days decades ago. Thinking about this makes feel old :D

Obviously still have CD's but not many. And it makes me said to write that I don't hear vinyl at my own home for decades either

 

[GeorgeH]

I don't recommend iTunes unless you have a Apple product. The only way I can update my iPod is to use iTunes. Most players have some sort of rating system that you can use instead of iTunes' stars.

I have about 2 TBs of flac files, some of which are high resolution recordings that I have compressed like the other audio files. Believe it or not the compressed version does often sound better than the CD quality recordings. In fact, I noticed a big improvement on a high res version (24bit 192khz) of Alan Parsons's "I Robot" song even after compressing it for my iPod. I am not sure how truly high res some recordings are. A lot depends on how good the original recording is.

 

[AnonTet]

That's nothing out of ordinary. Bad recordings will sound bad on a proper sound system but if you use your phones on the street it'll sound just fine.

It's no different than manufacturers being clever about how sound is reproduced; a very much common practice headphones with "bass boost". In any case:

 

[elton]

I must admit I do prefer music through a hifi system in the house.
Outside is okay to plug the Sony mp3 through a smal amplifier/speaker. Wearing headphones doesn't generally work for me when I'm gardening and sound quality is not an issue. Half the time I'm listening to a few radio shows Kenny Everett, Adrian Juste or even the Goons radio shows from the 1950's :)

 

[GeorgeH]

I must admit I do prefer music through a hifi system in the house.
Outside is okay to plug the Sony mp3 through a smal amplifier/speaker. Wearing headphones doesn't generally work for me when I'm gardening and sound quality is not an issue. Half the time I'm listening to a few radio shows Kenny Everett, Adrian Juste or even the Goons radio shows from the 1950's :)

You should try the Shure SE535 ear buds. They are a little expensive but they have 3 speakers in each ear bud and sound incredible. The only way you can get a little better sound is if you go to an audiologist and have a cast made of your ear and send it to a company to custom make your ear buds which cost more than double what I paid for the Shure buds.

I paid $500 for mine but they are on sale here for $349:

SE535 Wireless - Sound Isolating™ Earphones - Shure USA

Put them in your ears and hear your world expand, because SE535 Sound Isolating™ Earphones deliver cinematic sound that will envelop your brain.

www.shure.com

They are still listed on Amazon for $500.

By the way, I do plug my iPod into my stereo system that has Kipsch speakers and it sounds good.

 

[elton]

Not a fan of anything in my ears. My over the ear headphones are Beyer Dynamic and I can use those for hours, but anything in my ear is impossible for me. I get terrible earache whenever I’ve tried so tend to steer clear.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Not a fan of anything in my ears. My over the ear headphones are Beyer Dynamic and I can use those for hours, but anything in my ear is impossible for me. I get terrible earache whenever I’ve tried so tend to steer clear.

For me, given all the earbuds I've misplaced or accidentally mangled over the years, I think I'll be passing on $500 earbuds as well. Although, Elton-- if you want to treat me to a pair for an early Xmas gift, I think I'd be willing to make the sacrifice.

Btw, evidently there's a danger of buying stuff on Amazon in that Amazon farms out some items & orders to 3rd-party warehouses, some of which specialise in filling orders with Chinese-made fakes of various items. Since most stuff is made in China anyway, some no doubt have an inside track on faking things, given that someone's elder brother is already starting with original spec from the source designer.

Couple years ago I bought myself a pricey Neumann studio mic, and I'm still not sure it's actually the real deal or not. The sound doesn't seem much better than a good ol' Shure SM58, for example. Point is-- it's good to use a 3rd-party appraisal site, since Amazon reviews can also be faked, hugely.

 

[StevOz]

I just roll with a pair of Mpow H7 Bluetooth Headphones, bang for buck, comfort and performance is hard to beat.

Detailed Review of the Mpow H7 Bluetooth Headphones - Nerd Techy

Choosing great Bluetooth headphones begins with knowing exactly what you’re looking for. Different headphones are made for different types of use. Some of this easy to see, like with athletic headphones. But judging between gradients of general-use headphones is another matter entirely. Some...

nerdtechy.com

 

[elton]

I just roll with a pair of Mpow H7 Bluetooth Headphones, bang for buck, comfort and performance is hard to beat.

Detailed Review of the Mpow H7 Bluetooth Headphones - Nerd Techy

Choosing great Bluetooth headphones begins with knowing exactly what you’re looking for. Different headphones are made for different types of use. Some of this easy to see, like with athletic headphones. But judging between gradients of general-use headphones is another matter entirely. Some...

nerdtechy.com

They look ideal Steve, regrettably my Sony mp3 player is so old, bluetooth hadn't been invented! But if I ever need another pair of headphones for outdoor work, the Mpow look great :)

 

[StevOz]

They look ideal Steve, regrettably my Sony mp3 player is so old, bluetooth hadn't been invented! But if I ever need another pair of headphones for outdoor work, the Mpow look great :)

Actually you can also use them without bluetooth, they also have an audio in socket.

 

[JonPurpleHaze]

Anyone like "Yes". This is one of their lesser known songs that I like:

I haven't had time to reply on the forums but I need to start here, my older brother brought me to my first concert ever with his friends that included Yes along with I believe was Muddy Waters, I have a ticket stub from 1974 along with many others. I just took a phone picture of the stub and I'll figure out how to get it uploaded on my PC. My camera broke and I own a scanner that my family uses, the stubs are valuable memories. I also think it's the first time I smoked weed.

Need to read the rest of the posts since the quoted one. I love this thread and we should start adding things to the Media section and then embedding them into wherever with the Gallery embed BBCode, you will have options with what to share with albums.

[GALLERY=media, 8281][/GALLERY]

Roundabout (2008 Remaster)

• JonPurpleHaze
• Jun 9, 2021

Provided to YouTube by Rhino/ElektraRoundabout (2008 Remaster) · YesFragile℗ 1972 Atlantic...

[GALLERY=media, 8280][/GALLERY]

Yes - Yessongs (Full Album - 1973) Live - Remastered

• JonPurpleHaze
• Jun 9, 2021

Yes - Yessongs (Full Album - 1973) Live - Remastered CD1 + CD201. Opening (Excerpt from...

 

[JonPurpleHaze]

Logged in with the Pinball Nirvana Progressive Web App for mobile devices, going to try and upload my Yes stub!
Edited, It worked and I really suck with phones..?

 

[GeorgeH]

Maybe I should have posted this album instead of the other one that has not gotten much air play:

 

[elton]

Their first album and a beauty at that! :)

Then Time and a Word blew me away :)

 

[GeorgeH]

Their first album and a beauty at that! :)

Then Time and a Word blew me away :)

I was almost sure your had this one. It is why I posted it.

 

[StevOz]

Came cross this rather amusing animation as I do, it rocks thus I had to share, both the animation and the full music track for your amusement.

 

[shiva]

I'm actually rebuilding my vinyl. I have tons of flac, but enjoy the tradition of the process to playing vinyl. Getting a good collection though, got the 2021 record store day picture disks of the first 2 black sabbath albums with dio, heaven and hell and the Mob Rules. Hope they release the final 2 next year so I have the complete set.
As for headphones, I have a set of Klipsh and a set of 1more triple drivers for ear buds, both highly recommended, and a Audio Technica m50x studio headphones, which are great for pro audio as they don't color any sound, they just play exactly what is coming into them, unlike a lot of brands that bump up the bass to cover up their treble is crap (cough Beats cough) Good enough for me, all of them as good as you are going to get for less than 200 dollars

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Came cross this rather amusing animation as I do, it rocks thus I had to share, both the animation and the full music track for your amusement.

ou7GZDeOp3g:43

That was neat (the animation). What's it from, Steve?

Also reminds me a good bit of singing & performing. As a natural introvert, it's been a right good challenge over the years.

It's weird, though-- 23 years after I decided I wanted to sing and play guitar, I now get bored & rudderless just practicing alone. I crave other singers and players around me, or better yet, a crowd to hear it.

Just like the recording artists say in their bios, there really is a unique, special high that comes from entertaining a crowd. And just having a modest sip of that beverage, I better understand how some people in the business grow massive, planetary-sized egos.

I'm actually rebuilding my vinyl. I have tons of flac, but enjoy the tradition of the process to playing vinyl. Getting a good collection though, got the 2021 record store day picture disks of the first 2 black sabbath albums with dio, heaven and hell and the Mob Rules. Hope they release the final 2 next year so I have the complete set.

Hehe Paul, every time you mention your musical tastes, I'm sort of struck by how utterly dissimilar they seem from mine. Then again, would I really be happy living in Camazotz?
(f%$k, no)

On that same note (ugh), I've been moving in the opposite direction in terms of music (and book) storage. Trying to turn everything physical into digital, as it were. Thank heaven for people like you, though, because after the apocalypse, the survivors will be able to enjoy civilisation's art and writing.

Like, one only needs a stylus, a horn, and a rotational device to get an LP to play, yeah?

 

[shiva]

Yeap. :)
And going along with the pictures, all I can say is my system costs a lot more clams.
What can I say, bought up in the 1980's. It's either classic metal, or stuck with disco or new wave. Not much of a choice there.

I think you have seen my stereo system, 350 watt power amps, so you have to play vinyl on it just for the experience. I will be adding more power amps to it soon (I can have up to 11) which is kind of insane considering I live in a apartment, but I prefer the sound from my system as opposed to a flac player/headphones. All those sound waves bouncing around, love it. :)

I kind of find that with the modern stuff, the music sounds too perfect with flac and decent headphones. Besides, I love sharing my music with my neighbors. :)