 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-07-27 06:52
Sorry I know this isn't directly related to clarinetists.
Is there anyone out there who owns an Ipod? I plan on buying to put all my classical music CD's in. It says it can hold ten thousand songs but I am sure that is pop music thus different lengths and the sound quality doesn't have to be as high.
I'm just curious, for people who one, what do you think about the Ipod?
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Author: Anon
Date: 2004-07-27 12:41
I love mine- I have a 15 gig and it is fabulous. I mainly use mine for pop and rock to listen to at the gym, but I have a lot of classical stuff on it too for when I'm traveling. The sound is awesome and the quality is very high.
Mine is the original style, not the mini. But my husband has the mini and he loves his too.
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Author: kenabbott
Date: 2004-07-27 13:01
I have a 30 gig. I have about 6000 mp3's on it, including lots and lots of classical stuff.
I don't get all hung up on bit rates. The way I look at it, sitting in an orchestra or big band is true high fidelity. Everything else is second rate. A 128 bit arte recording sounds just fine to me, especially since I usually listen to my iPod on the road.
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Author: Pappy
Date: 2004-07-27 13:16
I've been thinking about getting one as well. My question is, why is an Ipod better than other MP3 players? (I know it might be a dumb question....but I tend to be a "late adopter" to technology and I haven't paid much attention to these).
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-07-27 13:37
The difference is, the iPod comes in up to 40gb, for the price of a 128mb player from another manufacturer. (Well, the prices are very similar here in Australia)
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-07-27 14:07
The iPod accomodates several different codecs, including AAC and VBR MP3, so you can get some pretty decent sounding bit-reduced sound files out of iTunes. More importantly, if fidelity is truly important, you can dump full-width 16bit 44 kHz files into it. A 40Gb pod will hold 60 or 70 full-length uncoded CDs, or hundreds if you cook them down.
Well worth it. For less than the cost of a cocobolo bell for your clarinet, you can put your entire record collection in your pocket.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-07-27 14:11
There have been complaints about iPod batteries, which apparently die after about a year. They're not replaceable, so you have to buy a new iPod when this happens.
Like most Apple products, the iPod is priced higher than others.
Also, Apple uses a proprietary format, so music tracks for the iPod can't be played on other players, and the iPod will play only its own format. Just yesterday, there was a posting on the techno-geek site Slashdot about software to convert formats. http://apple.slashdot.org/ However, things are in flux, so, for the time being, you have to choose between incompatible formats. One will eventually win out, and, as in the Betamax/VHS battle the technically superior one may lose out.
It's a close call, but I guess the time has come to get one.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-07-27 14:23
Ken Shaw wrote:
There have been complaints about iPod batteries, which apparently die after about a year. They're not replaceable, so you have to buy a new iPod when this happens.
That isn't what Apple say:
http://www.apple.com/uk/batteries/replacements.html
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Brad
Date: 2004-07-27 15:17
The Ipod is a truly elegant device in both form and function. It is rugged, nice to look at, and sounds great. Not only can store your music in various formats and levels of fidelity, but you can also store other data files on it as well. The Itunes software you use to arrange your music library is also very intuitive and easy to use. You can even burn a CD directly from the Itunes software without owning any other CD burning software. The Itunes store has quite a few classical titles now, including clarinet solo repetoire. Most items in the store are $.99 a pop. You can download whole albums for about $10.
I would recommend spending the extra $60 or so for the 2 year service contract from Apple. It is not your run of the mill "Ciruit City" type extended warrenty. It both extends the warrenty and allows you to call Apple directly for help. Apple has a real winner here.
Apple has recently introduced new models that feature a longer battery life and lower prices!
Sony is also getting ready to release an Ipod like device along with their own online music store.
Brad Cohen
Clarinetist
la_brad@yahoo.com
Post Edited (2004-07-27 15:21)
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-07-27 22:09
Why are Apple iPods more expensive? ... like most of their product range their manufacture and attention to all aspects of detail are excellent. Interesting topic as I've been contemplating getting a mini ...
One question for the iPod devotees ... is the quality of CD to iPod fantastic and can you go from (music) DVD to iPod.
thanks
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-07-28 04:05
I would HIGHLY recommend an getting an iPod. I have a 10gig with about 85 classical cds on it, and it's about full. I'm considering selling mine and getting a 40gig, just because I like to have all the music I have on it at once, and I don't see myself stopping buying CDs anytime soon.
As far as the price difference goes, I can't say what about the iPod makes it worth more. From my experience in dealing with general computer things, Apple products are far superior to other brands, in their design and performance. I have no specific experience with other brands of mp3 players, however.
I haven't checked the price on the iPod minis lately, but last time I checked, it seemed like sort of a rip-off. I think you would get more bang for you buck just to get the regular iPod. Definitely go for the 40gig if you have a considerable music collection.
DH
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: larryb
Date: 2004-07-28 12:13
Very important Ipod tip!
When importing opera recordings, be sure to use "track joining" in order to create a seemless file. Otherwise, you will hear very distracting clicks or interruptions between each track - in other words, between arias, recitatives, transitions, etc. This is also true for symphonic works that have no pause between movements (such as Beethoven 9 and 5) - you don't want to have a sudden pause/click as the third movement of Beethoven's 5 swells into the 4th movement - as I remember)
"Track joining" is found under the Advanced pull down menu in iTunes.
I love my Ipod. It contains over 700 recordings by Louis Armstrong, several hundred by Ellington, Parker, and other jazz greats, as well as the complete Ring Cycle, 5 greatest Mozart Operas, complete Brahms symphonies, two versions of the Requiem (Sussmyr and Druce editions), etc, and it's still not full (still room for about 400 normal length tracks).
I do have the battery problem, but it still works fine when plugged in to an electrical outlet (car or home stereo).
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-07-28 12:26
diz -- if you don't run the CD through a codec (like MP3) the transfer to iPod is bit-accurate. Same numbers on the CD go on the iPod. Any perceptual coding algorithm is going to lose something in the translation, so you do give up some quality if you compress the files. Depends how much sonic fidelity you want to trade for the convenience of getting more albums on the pod.
As for music DVD, unless you use a no-no piece of software like De-CSS you can't rip the files.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-07-28 13:12
Just wondering....with all that music handily available for listening when will one ever have time for using their cell phone.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-07-28 19:07
Well, Bob, you are in luck! Apple and Motorola just announced that there is going to be a version of iTunes that will download music into new models of Motorola cellphones coming out. Why? I guess because they can...
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-07-29 23:22
msloss ... thanks for that. Frankly, I can't see myself ever having the inclinaiton to spend hours of time downloading my CD collection ... but I'd certainly use it for my "all time favourties" ... might just purchase one very, very soon.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-07-30 13:05
BTW, I've decided to start the iPod mafia as an officially sanctioned offshoot of the Buffet mafia. If you don't like it, we'll break your headphones.
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Author: Luke
Date: 2004-07-30 21:14
I wouldn't be surprised if the sound quality of (modern) pop music were higher than that of your average classical recording. They use a lot of digital mastering these days which most classical musicians just can't afford.
As for the iPod, if you can deal with the whole yehu about its battery (which I haven't had an issue with), it's an EXCELLENT player. The sound quality is better than any portable player I've found yet. Don't worry about space, the hard part is going to be filling it up with songs!
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-07-31 02:41
Oh Luke, Luke, Luke, poor deluded Luke. All those digital toys in the studio can be the enemy of sound quality. You wouldn't believe the horrors inflicted on good sound before it becomes a finished pop album. The sound is folded, spindled and mutilated to maximize its punch and pop coming out of the radio. I've heard stunningly good tracks destroyed in the interest of giving the label and Clear Channel what they want.
For the most part, classical is recorded (certainly in my studio) as simply and as unadulterated as possible. Classical recordists are finally shunning the overmiked disasters of the 70's and returning to the beauty and simplicity of a Decca tree and a simple two or three channel mix. And, digital mastering is actually cheaper than analog now. A cake of 1/2" tape running at 30ips gets pretty expensive pretty quick, and the machine is no bargain either. We can master in 24 bit splendor on a computer for a fraction of the cost.
And yes, the iPod is pretty sweet.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-08-01 17:09
A follow up note on recording on the iPod with the technology currently available.
Whilst watching the talking head programs on Sunday morning television, I used my Belkin "voice note recording module" with my iPod. It had been a good half a year since I bought the thing and tried it, so I wanted to make sure that my first impressions were still accurate in light of what has been discussed here.
I tried recording my voice as foreground and a "turned up" Mary Maitland in the background to provide some "distant" sound source (the TV is well across the room). No music; too much trouble to dig out a horn and set it all up.
Ease of use was simplicity itself. You plug the module in the top of the iPod, and immediately the recording module of the software jumps into action. Two basic menu choices, Record (to start things happening) and a listing for each of the prior recordings (labeled by date and time; no titling is permitted in the limited input of the iPod interface).
Click the center button twice and you start recording. Timing is provided by a large digital clock on the screen. To stop, just punch the center button, then use the scroll wheel to select save. And, that's it.
Now for the bad stuff.
o Sound quality is not just "not professional quality"; it's not even up to a cheap over the counter cassette recorder from the 1960's. Lots of crackle from plosives in my near speech (one foot from microphone). The distant recording (the cackling of Mrs. Carville) was better, but still very "flat", with not all of the frequencies being accepted by the miniature microphone in the head in device.
o Hard drive "whine" was noticeable both during the spin up prior to the start of recording, and in the recording itself when listened to with head phones. I had totally missed this in my first test of the thing, and it came as quite a surprise.
o As I recalled from my first test, there is NO way (short of some "hack" known only to the compugeeks) of transferring the recording from the iPod to the "mothership" computer.
The recordings show up on the iPod's window as displayed in iTunes. They are found at the end of all of the regular music that you've uploaded, but they cannot be selected and played in the iTunes program.
When you look at the "iPod as hard drive" display in the Finder program, you see a series of folders that display those "non-music" elements stored on the iPod. Here, you see any regular files that you may have uploaded (if you chose to use your iPod as an auxiliary hard drive for your computer), along with a series of folders for the "extra" functions of the device (Calendar items, Contacts, Notes and (yes) Recordings).
When you open each of the other folders other than Recordings, you see what you've placed there. However, no matter how many or how long the recordings you have made, the folder remains empty when opened.
So, there you have it. You can make recordings with the Belkin device and the iPod, but they're not really adequate for the spoken word, much less for instrumental music. I would have to say that, for the couple of times I used a Palm Tungsten T3 to record music, the T3 outperformed the iPod/Belkin combination hands down.
The Griffin device may do a better job with the quality of the recording if you use it as an input device for a decent microphone. (It has a microphone jack in its little head, unlike the Belkin.) However, the limitations as to accessibility and inability to transfer the completed recording would still apply, as both products utilize the same software module on the iPod.
In summary, it's a neat idea and one that you'd want to work in the worst way, but as it is currently configured, it's not even close to equal to a mini-disk recorder.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2004-08-02 02:49
But what is Mary Maitland's set up? Bet she plays alto clarinet.
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Author: ajablons
Date: 2004-08-05 03:32
Just as a side note, The iPod I bought (15g) did not come with a USB cable, only firewire, which if you can imagine was really disappointing when I got home since I don't have firewire.
So you either need to buy the USB cable or firewire port card.
Some might come with the USB cable, i don't know.
andy
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-08-05 14:11
We just bought a 20 meg "traditional" iPod for my mother, and it came with the following items:
o 1 iPod
o 1 charger brick
o 1 Firewire ("Farwarh" in Texian) cable, plugs into power brick or computer on one end, into iPod on other
o 1 USB 2.0 cable, plugs into computer on one end, into iPod on other. Any but the most modern of Macintosh system computers require a free software update to iTunes or the System to make this work (don't remember which, though)
o 1 set of the world's crappiest earphones. (Dump these and get a set of the in-ear with silicone sleeve phones instead)
o 1 package including minimal documentation and a CD of software
Quite a change from when we bought the first one and got a case, remote control and charging "dock" as well as some other throw ins. However, they are trying to position the iPod as a "roll your own" item, figuring not all will want the case or the remote, etc. The mini iPods have a different feature set as well.
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Author: Pappy
Date: 2004-08-05 19:32
Has anybody tried the HP iRiver? It looks to have a lot of features for the money and, on paper, seems to give the iPod some serious competition.
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Author: jn_pdx
Date: 2004-08-05 22:42
The Archos GMINI is another less expensive alternative, like the iRiver. The GMINI 120 had battery complaints, but the 220 seems to be holding up in the reviews.
I've been very happy with mine - 20 GB storage and line-in and microphone recording. It also has a built-in port for CompactFlash cards, which makes it a great digital photo wallet. Much better to have an MP3 (and WMA) player that can store your photos too than buying a really expensive Flash card that can only hold 1/40th of the data anyway.
-jn
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