Have Laptop Will Travel

Ripping CDs with EAC

Originally posted on August 7, 2007 @ 6:29 pm

I love music, there is no doubt about that. I’m like a junkie looking for a constant fix of new music and new music genres that I can sink my teeth into. I’ve already built a very respectable CD collection and an ever growing digital music library that is currently about to hit the terabyte level. Unfortunately, because digital music is so much easier to handle, I have not used my CDs that much, in fact, I have not even transferred any of it into a digital audio format and, therefore, have not been able to load my favorite CDs on my iPod.

I have decided that ripping my CDs will be my pet project for the month. I’ve already set up my computer for maximum efficiency in ripping by downloading Exact Audio Copy (EAC) – the digital music connoisseur’s choice for best CD ripper. The funny thing about EAC though is that it has built a reputation for being the best ripper on earth because it is so damn complicated to use. There are just so many tweaks and settings you need to fiddle with in order to get the maximum efficiency for the rip. I bet the casual music fan won’t even be bothered to open the options menu of a strange piece of software when they can just use Microsoft’s built in Windows Media Player to rip their CD of Celine Dion or Beyonce Knowles. But I tell you the difference of the rips from WMP and from EAC are night and day (it’s like comparing Celine to, say, Martha Wainwright or Joanna Newsom). It really is worth the hassle and cursing because EAC’s output has top notch detail and clarity. No muddy quality for this baby. From here on out, I’m EAC’s man all the way.

Musical chairs with audio formats

Originally posted on August 8, 2007 @ 7:31 pm

I finished ripping about twenty CDs from my collection last night. That means I’ve still got, oh, 968 more titles to go before I finish this project.

I used to rip some of my CDs to an MP3 format, at around 192kbps. At that time, that setting suited my purposes of having a decent enough sound quality without the file getting too large. With the arrival of the iPod, I started ripping from between 256 to 320 kbps. I still used the MP3 format but there was a time I actually used Apple’s AAC format just to try it and because I knew it had a smaller file imprint. That experiment didn’t last long because AAC may be great if you only have Apple compatible machines. Put the file in an environment where “Apple” means a kind of fruit and you’re left with unplayable music files. I’d rather go for the more universally accepted format.

With this present batch of CDs though I am tinkering with a lossless format, specifically FLAC. I’m doing this for three reasons. First, I installed Rockbox on my iPod, which means I can now play practically any format. It’s liberating to know that you can dump OGG VORBIS, FLAC or even Monkey Audio into your Rockbox’ed player and be confident that it will work. My second reason for using Flac is that I’m looking at really archiving my collection for easy access and to protect my CDs from unnecessary scratches. If I want to play something from my collection, I’ll just get the FLAC file with no worries at all. Third reason? Well, with storage capacities at its largest and most affordable, it’s not a problem consuming such a large space for my music files.

What about you guys? What kind music formats do you use when ripping your CDs?

iPod Touch, new iPod versions revealed

Originally posted on September 5, 2007 @ 5:11 pm

Talk about true portability and for sure you any group of people will not only talk about their notebook computers but also their iPods. The Apple iPod has defined gadget portability for the last few years. It has become an iconic totem of the portability revolution. Apple does realize the importance of the iPod to consumers all over the world and has taken great pains to make it constantly fresh and current by releasing updates almost every year.

This year is no exception either. In a recent press conference Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPod touch, the newest generation iPod in the market. The iPod Touch is basically a stripped down version of the company’s bestseller iPhone. It can play music, videos and photos and even has WiFi capabilities. Lest you think that the era of the physical clickwheel has just passed us by, Jobs said that the iPod Touch is actually an addition to the iPod lineup. All of the other product lines in the iPod family will remain although these will have significant changes. For example, the Shuffle will now come in more colors, and the Nano will have a slimmer build and a new interface. The same goes for the iPod Video, which is now called the iPod Classic, which will also sport the new interface, as well as a beefier capacity and battery life.

Christmas just got a whole lot messier.

iPod plays FLAC? Yes, if you’ve got Rockbox

Originally posted on July 28, 2007 @ 10:52 pm

One of the biggest shortcomings of the Apple iPod is the fact that it only supports a very limited number of audio formats, namely, AAC, MP3 and WAV. That’s a paltry three formats when other competing music players can support more than five formats. I have nothing against the AAC format that Apple developed. But I am really just much more comfortable with the other audio formats that I personally think sound much better. For example, I think that the FLAC lossless format is far superior to the Apple Lossless format. the logical solution would be to just get these competing players but I Apple’s good customer support and the iPod’s better resale value is something that I just cannot ignore.

What I have done instead is to install Rockbox on my 5G iPod. The Rockbox is basically an operating system replacement to the  existing OS installed in various music players. The plug-in architecture of Rockbox means various features can  be added to further enhance the capabilities of these players.

I’ll write about the other great features of Rockbox at some future time. Right now I am quite happy that with this firmware/OS replacement I can now load my favorite FLAC files on my iPod. These files have now been freed from my laptop. Even OGG files can now play in my machine. Nothing gives a smile to your face than to hear your favorite songs in lossless fidelity. My Tom Waits collection appreciates the upgrade.

Record label touted to be first to choose USB drive as album format

Originally posted on July 27, 2007 @ 11:24 pm

One thing that I really love about being a hard core music fan is that I can never talk or research about music without touching on technology. Music and technology go hand in hand not only in terms of the way songs are recorded and produced but also in the different media in which music is distributed. Of course, we also talk about technology in terms of re-encoding those grooves (if you’re into old school analog) or binary code (if CDs are used) into actual music.

The distribution of music has entered a new phase with the introduction of digital formats like MP3, AAC, and WMA. with digital music files now escaping the boundaries of the nerd and becoming a universally recognized format, it is only a matter of time before this is used imaginatively into introducing new formats. Take for example the increasingly popular idea of coming out with music in the thumb drive format. The White Stripes have recently done it with their new album Icky Thump. Now an independent record label recently released an announcement that they are now the world’s first record lable to use the USB flash drive format as its official format for releasing albums.

The label, called SUPERFROTHCO, will be releasing its first USB drive album on September. I for one am quite interested how this new format will develop. With flash drives becoming more and more inexpensive, this could actually be the wave of the future. The possibilities of this format are also endless because you can actually insert other types of files in the drive like videos, art works and even lyrics. The USB drive format is going to effectively cover artwork though. We’ll see what the future has in store.

Our first USB Flash Drive release will be the debut album from
painter/jazz musician Jeffrey Scott Holland’s JSH COMBO, a peculiar
combo that weds experimental modern jazz to dixieland, cabaret and
show tunes, and comes out in a whole new realm of sonic territory in
the process. The album will ship on September 1st, 2007 but we’re
already taking pre-orders and sending out review copies to the media.
This album will be available ONLY from Superfrothco and ONLY on the
MP3-player-friendly USB Flash Drive format!

All future Superfrothco releases, such as the long-awaited GRILLO THE
CLOWN album, will be released in this format. Back catalog items like
HASIL ADKINS’ final album “Night Life” will be reissued in this format
as well, with bonus material.