Why rip, back-up, etc, when you could just put a CD/DVD in?

[admin_exported]

This point gets raised often and although I am a fan of computer-based music I still cannot think of a good answer.

Having lived with a laptop full of thousands of songs for a long while I cannot go back to getting up and putting a CD in the drawer, but I can see the argument that putting a CD/DVD in a drawer is more simple.

A computer-based system does bring about additional admin. tasks, which I am currently aware of, as I restore my backup to replace some music files that seem to have disappeared!

I also store many films and TV shows on the computer. When guests are over they can generally navigate Front Row with the remote and select something to watch, but inevitably the ripping, downloading etc, takes time in the first place, in order to facilitate this.

What are your thoughts?

Discuss.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Eddie Pound:
This point gets raised often and although I am a fan of computer-based music I still cannot think of a good answer.

Having lived with a laptop full of thousands of songs for a long while I cannot go back to getting up and putting a CD in the drawer, but I can see the argument that putting a CD/DVD in a drawer is more simple.

A computer-based system does bring about additional admin. tasks, which I am currently aware of, as I currently restore my backup to replace some music files that seem to have disapeared!

I also store many films and TV shows on the computer. When guests are over they can generally navigate Front Row with the remote and select something to watch, but inevitably the ripping, downloading etc, takes time in the first place, in order to facilitate this.

What are your thoughts?

Discuss.

You've answered it. I now have my cds in a few boxes locked away in the garage and we now listen to music about 3 times more than we used to. It's so much easier and you can flick from album to album, song to song or set up a playlist and hit shuffle. All this without ugly cd racks and the inevitable 6 or 7 cds strewn across the rack looking messy.

Films are slightly different. I now have about 30 BDs and they are in a box near my set up. I have films recorded on Sky HD and the odd film on my pc. However, whereas the music sounds better streamed from my pc rather than from cd, films don't look or sound better streamed from my pc than BD or dvd upscaled.

 

[JoelSim]

Eddie Pound:

This point gets raised often and although I am a fan of computer-based music I still cannot think of a good answer.

Having lived with a laptop full of thousands of songs for a long while I cannot go back to getting up and putting a CD in the drawer, but I can see the argument that putting a CD/DVD in a drawer is more simple.

A computer-based system does bring about additional admin. tasks, which I am currently aware of, as I restore my backup to replace some music files that seem to have disappeared!

I also store many films and TV shows on the computer. When guests are over they can generally navigate Front Row with the remote and select something to watch, but inevitably the ripping, downloading etc, takes time in the first place, in order to facilitate this.

What are your thoughts?

Discuss.

I think you know my views on this Ed. Sometimes it's such a hassle having to get out of your seat to choose a CD once an hour, it really is.

I actually prefer to listen to a CD in full rather than randomise with a playlist, and I believe iTunes and the like encourage people to change tunes and not listen to albums

 

[professorhat]

For me, I work at home a lot now so having all my music on the Mac allows me to listen to music without having to keep going back and forth to the main room when I need a new album. Through Airport Express I can also stream the music to my living room and kitchen as well as the office / bedroom which is good for parties and also just when I'm doing general stuff around the flat as the music is all over my flat. With the iPod Touch, I can control this music wherever I am giving more loads more flexibility than just my CD player does.

One other big benefit I found out was when I decided to re-rip all my CDs into lossless. During this process, I found a large number of CDs which had gone missing over the years and also some which were scratched to the point that iTunes was unable to rip the music off them (I would point out, these were ones I have lent to people - I take good care of my CDs / DVDs and Blu-Rays and it's a shame others don't treat things they borrow with the respect they should, but that's another thread altogether!). In the end, I spent over £150 re-buying CDs just to start the attempt to get my music collection back to its former glory, let alone buying new music (I'm still nowhere close to replacing all the ones I lost - I think
that could well cost me in the thousands by the time I replace everything). Now I have everything stored on the Mac on a RAID 1 array, plus a regular backup of the entire machine to a FireWire drive, I at least know now this music is safe!

I would point out, I still listen to CDs on my main system. I have a Marantz CD-63mkII KI Signature player from the days of yore, and this outclasses my AE setup (unsurprisingly since I don't currently have an external DAC). I do still enjoy the process of listening to a CD rather than using the iTunes setup and I think this will continue. However, for the reasons noted above, the iTunes setup does bring a lot of flexibility that I otherwise wouldn't have.

 

[Fenton Beasley]

Eddie Pound:
This point gets raised often and although I am a fan of computer-based music I still cannot think of a good answer.

Having lived with a laptop full of thousands of songs for a long while I cannot go back to getting up and putting a CD in the drawer, but I can see the argument that putting a CD/DVD in a drawer is more simple.

A computer-based system does bring about additional admin. tasks, which I am currently aware of, as I restore my backup to replace some music files that seem to have disappeared!

I also store many films and TV shows on the computer. When guests are over they can generally navigate Front Row with the remote and select something to watch, but inevitably the ripping, downloading etc, takes time in the first place, in order to facilitate this.

What are your thoughts?

Discuss.

The only reason I have mp3's is to put on my Creative Zen Vision W and to listen to while surfing the interweb. I would rather get off my backside and change the CD/Record. Sound quality means more to me than convenience.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually I had several CDs where certain tracks skipped no matter what CDP I tried. Beauty of converted files - thanks to error correction the lossless files are perfect and I can enjoy those tracks again!

The convenience of not having to swap (or even purchase CDs) is a big plus. I find that 320k mp3s sound very good with upsampling DacMagic and I am less inclined to buy a CD if I can find 320k download.

When you do buy a CD, you can rip it and use it as a back up. It is less likely to get damaged/scratched if you dont use it regularly and will last a lot longer (as a backup).

 

[cram]

For me having everything on the PC/Mac brings a number of benefits

- convenience, locating anything is easy. I have access to all my music from anywhere in the house.

- playlists. In the main I tend not to like all the tracks on an album. Playlists give me the convenience of sequencing tracks together that I like. I can sequence different playlists for different moods/functions.

- random play. Throws up things that I wouldn't have thought of listening to. If I really don't like the track it is easy to skip to another one.

- no scratched CDs, broken cases.

I have all my DVDs and blu rays on PC as well. Again similar benefits.

I will freely admit that there is a lot of hassle to setting up a media centre PC or Mac. There have been numerous times that I've questioned myself for doing it. Not because of time spent ripping more to do with getting programs behaving correctly and consistently (ie driver updates that interfere with your blu ray playback). But having everything easily accessible around the house and being able to consign CDs to the loft has been a huge plus. I'm convinced that I've listened to more music and watched more films because of it.

Yes the initial rip takes time but once its done its done. I just add new stuff as I purchase it. I still mainly buy music on CD but I rarely listen to it from the CD, it get ripped straight away.

 

[John Duncan]

JoelSim:I believe iTunes and the like encourage people to change tunes and not listen to albums

Which, conversely, makes me listen to music I might never even hear otherwise.

 

[John Duncan]

Fenton Beasley:Sound quality means more to me than convenience.

Which is why I like the fact that lossless music from my PC sounds better than my CD player

 

[chebby]

The space my many, many boxes of CDs took up in the living room is now freed up and the CD boxes are now in a cupboard under the stairs.

It gave me a chance to 'cull'/trim the collection of all the stuff I had not listened to for years and probably never will.

People talk about backup of a computer system to external HD's as an inconvenience that only us idiots listening to music from a computer have to faff around with.

(Yes because no-one EVER needed to back up a computer before that did they?)

In fact I am fed up with writing why I love playing music this way and how it has opened up my musical tastes and enjoyment so much that I am going to sit down with a new Dave Brubeck CD that I spent all of about 1.5 minutes ripping to iTunes yesterday.

Click. done. (You could not have got your CD going in anything like the same time) Oops, changed my mind. Vaughan Williams. Click. Done.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Fenton Beasley:Eddie Pound:
This point gets raised often and although I am a fan of computer-based music I still cannot think of a good answer.

Having lived with a laptop full of thousands of songs for a long while I cannot go back to getting up and putting a CD in the drawer, but I can see the argument that putting a CD/DVD in a drawer is more simple.

A computer-based system does bring about additional admin. tasks, which I am currently aware of, as I restore my backup to replace some music files that seem to have disappeared!

I also store many films and TV shows on the computer. When guests are over they can generally navigate Front Row with the remote and select something to watch, but inevitably the ripping, downloading etc, takes time in the first place, in order to facilitate this.

What are your thoughts?

Discuss.

The only reason I have mp3's is to put on my Creative Zen Vision W and to listen to while surfing the interweb. I would rather get off my backside and change the CD/Record. Sound quality means more to me than convenience.

This is what I've said - sound quality/picture quality will always be the most important to me. However, because lossless files to my DAC through balanced cables to my amp sounds better than a cd to my amp unless I spend a lot more. The fact that it's convenient is a bonus. And Joel, you can still listen to a whole cd this way too. You just have quick and easy alternatives if you want.

 

[Anonymous]

Take CD of shelf: 5 seconds

Walk to CD player: 3 seconds

Turn on CD player and amp by pressing one button the remote: 1 second

Slot in CD: 3 seconds

Hit play: 1 second

Total time = 14 seconds.

Turn on amp, DAC etc.: 2 seconds

Walk to PC: 5 seconds

Turn on PC: 1 second

Wait for PC to boot up: 20 seconds

Login: 3 seconds

Wait for PC to finish booting up: 20 seconds

Load iTunes: 15 seconds (at least)

Switch to 'music' from 'podcasts': 5 seconds

Find album: 5 seconds

Hit play: 1 second

Total: 1 minute, 20 seconds. And that's assuming the PC, with its blasted fans and beeps, is in the same room.

Not to mention that it would take me approximately 120 man hours (optimistically) to rip my CD collection, assuming iTunes has the correct information for every CD (ha bloomin ha in my experience)

Conclusion: No thanks...

 

[Anonymous]

Posted on another thread:

I have a hi fi system at home, a separate older system in my office and a mini-system in my study. All are connected to 3 Apple Airport Expresses and 2 DACmagic optical outputs (the mini system is fed analogue direct from AE).

I only have a 10 year old £1000 CD player, 1 iTunes library on my laptop. I can play all my lossless files in the lounge, in the study or in the office, all remotely controlled from my iPhone, on which I also have lossless files so can enjoy those on the nice sould system in my car.

I back up my private, work and music files onto two external hard drives with one kept off site. Have done backups for years even before iTunes.

The money I saved from not having to upgrade my old CD player or buy a decent second one for the second system has been spent on DACMagic and AEs, and still enough left over to buy a stack of CDs for ripping to lossless.

I have my favourite music EVERYWHERE I go, Now THAT is flexibility & convenience!

 

[stevee1966]

I copy all my cd's to my mp3 as soon as i buy them to listen to 'on the move'(but at a lower bit rate as they'd never all fit on my 20 gb player) but when in the house always play my music via the cd.

 

[JoelSim]

JohnDuncan:

Fenton Beasley:Sound quality means more to me than convenience.

Which is why I like the fact that lossless music from my PC sounds better than my CD player

You obviously need to upgrade your CD player JD.

 

[chebby]

I am staggered at all the faulty assumptions expressed here.

We don't all power up/boot the computer every time we want to hear music. The computer is on anyway. iTunes can be left running also. No need to stop it/restart it in between music. You would not switch off your hifi between albums either.

ffiish:And that's assuming the PC, with its blasted fans and beeps, is in the same room.

I have yet to own a noisy computer (PCs, laptops or iMac). Do you have to specifically ask for a noisy one? I can only suggest politely there is something wrong if your computer is louder than the average DVD player in use. (Actually my new Panasonic DVD/HDD recorder has a fan that is noisier than any of the three computers in the house and even that cannot be heard above ambient room noise unless you get really close and concentrate.)

Beeps are switched off permanently here on my computer. Doesn't yours allow this? It should.

You can rip a CD whilst listen to something else or listen to the same album whilst ripping it. (Once the first track is completed.) As someone else said, rip your new CDs as soon as they are delivered.

 

[professorhat]

Before this post degenerates into yet another CD vs Computer based music thread, can I just say I think the OPs intent was to make this a post of why people rip their CDs to their PC / Mac to listen via this source rather than another "mine is better than yours" type thread.

If it sticks to this original intent, it could be a useful reference to someone who is thinking about doing it, but is not sure about the benefits. Otherwise, it'll just be another 20 pages of people arguing which doesn't really serve any purpose.

Just my thoughts

 

[Gerrardasnails]

ffiish:
Take CD of shelf: 5 seconds

Walk to CD player: 3 seconds

Turn on CD player and amp by pressing one button the remote: 1 second

Slot in CD: 3 seconds

Hit play: 1 second

Total time = 14 seconds.

Turn on amp, DAC etc.: 2 seconds

Walk to PC: 5 seconds

Turn on PC: 1 second

Wait for PC to boot up: 20 seconds

Login: 3 seconds

Wait for PC to finish booting up: 20 seconds

Load iTunes: 15 seconds (at least)

Switch to 'music' from 'podcasts': 5 seconds

Find album: 5 seconds

Hit play: 1 second

Total: 1 minute, 20 seconds. And that's assuming the PC, with its blasted fans and beeps, is in the same room.

Not to mention that it would take me approximately 120 man hours (optimistically) to rip my CD collection, assuming iTunes has the correct information for every CD (ha bloomin ha in my experience)

Conclusion: No thanks...

What a load of nonsense.

My pc is in my bedroom and is turned on when I wake up and turned off when I go to bed. I don't have to touch it after that. My media center extender is on too. I don't have to touch that. I leave my amp on most of the time, don't have to touch that. I turn my DAC on - 1 second. I pick up AV receiver remote and press HDMI 4 - 1 second. I pick up media center remote and press the windows button - 1 second. I have ALL my albums in front of me on my tv. I want to change album, 1 second. No noise from pc (as it's upstairs and isn't noisy either), plenty of choice, no mess, no ugly cd racks, no problemo.

 

[idc]

Why I rip, back-up etc as opposed to just putting a CD in.

1 - Continually having to compromise with speaker placement in the living room. Out of five homes in 20 years only one allowed a decent speaker placement.

2 - Wanting more space for a child to play rather than have a huge CD cabinet, boxes of cassettes and the hifi.

3 - I like the sound. It is a different sound from my traditional hifi, but I find music that sounded terrible on CD sounds fine through itunes, and the great music still sounds great. It is as if itunes/ipod is more forgiving of poorly recorded music, but it can still shine with the great recordings. There has been loss of the scale of the sound with using a Sounddock instead of speakers. But on headphones I prefer the ipod to CD. Furthermore, there is room for improvement as I have not even started to upgrade with better PSUs, a DAC, a Wadia itransport etc. I listen more now for the enjoyment of the music than I have ever done. I have lost that analytical listening style where I would listen more to the system than the music.

4 - I like the style, the simplicity, the lack of cables!. I like my Bose, I love the look of the B&W Zeppelin and Lars and Ivan speaker docks. Bang & Olufsen, don't get me started!

5 - I love coverflow. It reminds me of shopping for albums back in the good old days.

6 - It is more hassle at the start setting up itunes, importing CDs etc. After that there are more play options with an ipod than a traditional CD player especially with playlists. so swings and round-a-bouts there. I tend to listen to my albums as they were, so i have to move my fingers a bit to listen to something new. But I still use DVDs for films, so can still get that disc loading sensation if I want. It makes very little difference.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't appreciate the sarcastic sniping around the relatively minor points in my post. The key points around how long it takes to rip a CD collection running into the thousands hasn't been adequately addressed by anyone. Ripping them as you buy them is all very well for new ones, but I often buy 10 at a time, which will take at least an hour to rip. And unless you have your computer running all of the time (some people care about their energy use), the time taken to boot up etc. is significant, and frustrating.

I have good hearing, and the sound of a computer whirring away p****es me off big time; it doesn't matter how quiet it is, fans are not silent as a rule, and especially if you are listening to classical music, it is omnipresent during the quieter moments. For me, it's almost as bad as listening to a tape. Comparing it to a DVD player? A fatuous argument: I'm playing CDs on a CD player. That doesn't have a fan (or four).

I won't begrudge anyone else choosing to use alternative means of music delivery, but until the problems I have with it are resolved I won't be going down that path.

And by the way, it doesn't help your argument if you act like someone has insulted your mother, rather than your taste in electronics.

 

[idc]

I had a most enjoyable time whilst I was importing my CDs by exploring itunes and reviewing albums, 170 of them at the last count. Then I found this forum and all my new friends. Then I saw a picture of Lysette Antony.

 

[Gusboll]

I can see both sides but I'm with ffish on this one at the moment - it's simply too much hassle for me to be ripping, backing up, attaching new hard drives when they inevitably fill up and then more backing-up. The CD is just so convenient. I have absolutely no doubt however that I will have gone down the computer source road within the next couple of years.

I live in a small flat with 10 Ikea Benno CD towers (so over 1500 albums) and I actually love all my CDs being on display and they are always a source of conversation when people come round. I also like the the artwork and reading all the liner notes but then I started out as a vinyl junkie. Where is all my vinyl? In a cupboard in the back room where I suspect my CDs will end up in a few tears time!

G

 

[Gusboll]

"...a few tears time"?? A freudian slip if ever I saw one!

 

[cram]

ffiish

Yes the initial rip is a pain. Can't deny that. I broke it down really in order of things I liked and took my time with it, eventually only doing the stuff I don't like just for completeness (and I'm still questioning my judgement on that one). I quite often rip 10 + cds at a time but I break it around other things I'm doing on the computer so to be honest don't really notice the time. A favourite of mine is to start a rip at night whilst watching TV then change discs during the ad breaks or whenever I need to go to the toilet. There are companies out there that will also do the initial rip for you (ripcaster for example). Obviously there's a cost involved but you weigh it up versus your time and interest.

In terms of sound from a PC it is possible to purchase near silent PCs which take different approaches to cooling and dampen sounds from things such as hard disk access. I use a PC with a specialist case to reduce sound. There are a number of companies out there that specialise in that sort of thing. Another approach is not to have the PC in the room (airport express/Soundbridge) or even not to have a PC (Sonos/Soundbridge for example)

In terms of the electricity usage of a PC it really isn't great I spent last summer with meters looking at what all my gizmos use, PCs are not big guzzlers, there are various power saving modes to reduce the consumption during idle times yet give you a quick boot up.

 

[crusaderlord]

I just like CD's to be honest and i like having them on show to select what i want too.

Also i am with Joelsim as i would much prefer to listen to a whole album in the right order at a sitting rather than jump around between tracks.

Ive nothing against the rip option but i still think PC's do have a general noise level that i prefer to have in the celler / office than in the living room space.

I used to live on the PC with work and evening gaming etc but a year or so back i moved it out of the main space and our family life seems better for it and also my separates set up is way better than it used to be.