iPods and other MP3 players -discussion

[Dasher]

there's a solution out there, it just may not be the iPod for you

100% correct - BUT...

 

I have no choice in using the iPod, the decision was not mine to make - my choice was to buy and use the iPod to get songs to our gig, or trust my partner, a drummer with some marginal gear in a bedroom, as opposed to a tuned, analyzed room with very linear speakers to remix all my sequences (relatively orchestral, usually at least 16-20 tracks) to conform to the iTunes/iPod through Bose 802 speakers EQ.

 

BTW, CDa with MP3 have too many hi-freq artifacts that come through on our PA rig - tried that a year ago, and my drummer/partner hated the sound.

 

My problem is building a product for $50 and selling it for $499 (estimated cost to build a 40G iPod, according to some web article I did not save a link to. But it costs little or no more to build a Mac than a PC, and I can buy a PC with the same power for half the price, why should the iPod margin be any different?)

 

Any why should a box that can withstand jogging not be able to handle resting on its back for 4 hours a night? maybe we should hire somebody to jog around the room holding the iPod during the gig...

 

I realize that 'Apple people' are passionate about Apple products, and there is no rational argument that can be heard over the messianic fervor. I used to be one of them, till I saw how the company had changed from a customer-oriented company to a greedy corporate feeding frenzy. This is, I believe, the primary reason SJ can get away with his tactics - the users just bob their heads in time to their latest downloads and pull out their wallets.

 

So let's end this sub-thread, if you don't mind, Groovepusher Sly. I don't like raining on someone's parade - it's not fun for me, or for the true believers, I just come off looking like I farted in church. Which I did...

 

I think the iPod COULD be a great tool, if they'd let it, and if it were more reliable. End of my part of the story. There are a million stories in the Naked iPod, and they all fit on a 40G drive!

 

Dasher, Dasher, the Apple-basher (and user...)

[Salyphus]

Actually, the hard drive alone would cost a lot more than $50

[Groovepusher Sly]

Originally posted by Dasher:

So let's end this sub-thread, if you don't mind,

Cool, I just wouldn't use an iPod to do a gig.

 

Sly

[djarrett]

Actually, I know a growing number of professional musicians in Nashvegas here that are using the iPods in professional gig applications. I have several drummer friends that are using them to run and play their drum loop clicks in concert.

 

I also know a growing number of studios that are using the iPod along with something like the Griffin Technologies iTrip (FM transmitter) to drop demos on for playback in a car (seems studios here like to play back demos in a car to determine what a song will sound like to the public ... if played over the car sterio)

I had one engineer tell me that it has saved their studio thousands of dollars as it has replaced using blank media discs for this demo application.

 

So, there are growing numbers of pro applications for these devices!

 

DJ

[Rim]

Thanks for posting that, Dendy. That is a good idea using the FM transmitter with the iPod instead of building your own radio station. I wonder if it goes through the same processing, though?

 

Anyway, I've had my 15GB iPod for 6 months now (a present from work). I think a hard disk MP3 player in general is a great idea. As someone said, it's like having a radio station playing only songs you like. So in that sense, I love the iPod. I do like iTunes, too, as a music manager and as an online store.

 

But I have had some minor problems with the iPod. In the 6 months I've had it, I've had to reload it 3 times. Reloading is simple to do with the included software, but it involves reloading the iPod software and resyncing all your songs from iTunes to your iPod. Similar to reformatting your PC's harddrive and reinstalling the OS and all your apps - but iPod is much simpler. The process isn't a big deal, it's the time to sync all the songs you had back on there. I'm only using 1.5GB if the thing for over 24 hours of music so resyncing it all isn't so bad. But I can imagine if I had over 10GB of music - resyncing all that would probably take an hour or more (just guessing).

 

Another thing I've recently noticed is how long the battery takes to fully charge - over 24 hours? It does seem to last pretty long but I never actually timed it.

 

I did buy a cassette adapter so I could plug my iPod to my stereo and it works fine. I also bought a cigarette lighter adapter from Belkin that I use to power my iPod. Maybe it's because the iPod takes a long time to charge, but the cigarette adapter doesn't seem to charge my iPod even when I'm not playing and the car is on. I also bought an AC adapter to power up the iPod in case I'm not in my car or at home (where the iPod dock is connected to my PC). I also bought a different case for the iPod. Besides the casette adapter (not iPod specific), all the iPod accessories seem expensive to me. I probably spend over $200 on the accessories alone.

 

Bottom line: Do I like it? Yes. Would I buy it again? Not sure. Since it was a gift, I didn't spend money on it (thought I did eventually on the accessories). But if it were my money, I would seriously look at other alternatives cuz I think you can get someting similar for cheaper.

[Frost]

Look more closely in the crutchfield catalog. I found a bunch of car stereos that have 1/8" inputs. I liked my jvc that I sold with my last car and my new pioneer 6400 sounds great and even has digital VU's on the front. 1/8 adapter was $30 tho.

 

I love my ipod. Overstock has 15GB on sale for $275 right now. And I just replaced a battery for a friend (original ipod 20 gig). I ordered the battery for $37+ ship

Frost

[Frost]

Look more closely in the crutchfield catalog. I found a bunch of car stereos that have 1/8" inputs. I liked my jvc that I sold with my last car and my new pioneer 6400 sounds great and even has digital VU's on the front. 1/8 adapter was $30 tho.

 

I love my ipod. Overstock has 15GB on sale for $275 right now. And I just replaced a battery for a friend (original ipod 20 gig). I ordered the battery for $37+ ship

Frost

[Groovepusher Sly]

Some info:

ipodlounge

 

Maybe finally, a real FM transmitter! podfreq . I wonder why they don't list the transmitter power (watts - m/watts whatever) in the specs? How much power does it take to transmit 10 to 35 ft.?

Quote from the site:

Can the PodFreq transmit to multiple radios?

"Yes, we were transmitting to three car radios in the Sonnet parking lot just the other day. You can use your iPod to provide tunes at your next tailgate!"

Sonnet makes good stuff, I hope they got this one right.

 

Remove limitations on iPod Music Store tunes at fairtunes .

 

Sly

[Robman2]

I hope we own or are paying for the "tunes".

 

Download weasels are a bit below the rust level of dog piss on a manhole cover...

 

R

[Dogfur]

am I the only guy with a Nomad? 40gig, $250 from Best Buy (300 with the "extended service" contract, I know I'll go through at least 3 of these things in a couple years)

 

high points:

 

1) Listening to more music than I have in years. That alone is worth the price of admission.

 

2) Removed one of the CD racks in my living room, made for happy wife. A happy Dogfur requires a happy Mrs. Dogfur. Also pulling up a playlist of the wifes' faves and letting it be the background music for the evening can diffuse a bit of tension around the ol' kennel.

 

3) Portable hard drive functionality - bringing in those 96khz 24 bit takes from home to office isn't as big a pain in the ass.

 

4) Portable music library inspires more thorough analysis of music from peers/consultants/friends when it is readily available to hear.

 

Low points -

 

1) low playback level, not in the same range as other portable electronics. If you are using this in the car this means when it stops playing you will get a huge blast of radio static 4X as loud as the tunes you were listening to. Perhaps this issue is only a problem with the Nomad, not I-pod.

 

2) Menu navigation still a bit clunky - hopefully to be worked out in newer models.

 

3) I need to train myself to have all my selections up and running before starting the car, I don't need to be another idiot on the road.

 

4)I would like further file support beyond MP3, WMA, and WAV. Probably in the works, looks like you I-pod guys have a bit more support in this area.

 

5) FM transmitter technology is subpar, but a good idea. Needs work, probably will start evolving quickly now.

 

Easily my favorite recent "new toy", I imagine that this format isn't going to go away too quickly.

 

Cheers,

 

Dogfur

[Rim]

Originally posted by Dogfur:

am I the only guy with a Nomad? 40gig, $250 from Best Buy (300 with the "extended service" contract, I know I'll go through at least 3 of these things in a couple years)

 

...

 

Low points -

 

1) low playback level, not in the same range as other portable electronics. If you are using this in the car this means when it stops playing you will get a huge blast of radio static 4X as loud as the tunes you were listening to. Perhaps this issue is only a problem with the Nomad, not I-pod.

I don't have that problem with iPod. My problem is, I can't pause the tape player and still get output so in between songs, I hear the tape winding. But this isn't any reflection on the iPod.

 

2) Menu navigation still a bit clunky - hopefully to be worked out in newer models.

My iPod came with an extended cable with usual transport buttons and volume control. This is very handy as I've found the buttons on the iPod itself to be too sensitive.

 

...

 

4)I would like further file support beyond MP3, WMA, and WAV. Probably in the works, looks like you I-pod guys have a bit more support in this area.

I've only used my iPod with 192Kbps MP3 plus the M4P from buying at iTunes. I chose to stick with 192Kbps cuz I also have an Samsung Yepp MP3 player and 192Kbps is the highest it can play. iPod does not support WMA (which I actually prefer over 192Kbps MP3) and chances are, iPod will never support WMA (I've already ranted about this in a previous thread).

[Rog]

Originally posted by Rim.:

iPod does not support WMA (which I actually prefer over 192Kbps MP3) and chances are, iPod will never support WMA (I've already ranted about this in a previous thread).

It does now fella

[Rim]

Originally posted by Rog:

Originally posted by Rim.:

iPod does not support WMA (which I actually prefer over 192Kbps MP3) and chances are, iPod will never support WMA (I've already ranted about this in a previous thread).

It does now fella

Holy cr@p, Batman, you're right!!! The new iTunes, 4.5, which I just downloaded and installed, does support unprotected WMA files from MediaPlayer 9. It apparently copies the WMA file and makes an AAC file leaving the original WMA alone.

 

Why couldn't they have done this 6 months ago, BEFORE I deleted all my WMA files and started ripping my CDs to MP3s?

 

I give Apple major props, though, for doing this!

 

Thanks for the heads up, Rog!

 

- Rim

[Groovepusher Sly]

Originally posted by Rim.:

Why couldn't they have done this 6 months ago, BEFORE I deleted all my WMA files and started ripping my CDs to MP3s?

You know you're supposed to stay away from that ERASE button!

 

Sly

[Base]

*BUMP*

 

I've been oohing and ahhing about buying an mp3 player for a little while until my exceedingly lovely g/f gave me an iRiver H-120 for my birthday I decided against an iPod as you have to use iTunes for downloaded music?! And I'd quite like to use Napster to go, which she was told you can do with this one, but I haven't managed to do yet.

 

Anyway, have only had limited time to play with it so far, but the unit itself seems very cool and most reviews rave about it. Unfortunately, the documentation and web support sucks donkey bollocks!!!! Does anyone else have one and could possibly offer some advice???

 

I can get music onto it, but can only use the database indexing (so you can search by genre, album, artist, etc) if the files are mp3, which is a shame as it will play several types of music file. I'm also having trouble getting napster and windows media player 10 to recognise it (and very frustratingly, when you try to add the device in WMP, it takes you to a web page with an ad for it?!?!)....

 

Any help would be most appreciated....