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1951

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 09, 2012, 11:19 AM »

I swear by Exact Audio Copy for ripping.

 And my archive files are all FLAC. I'll convert something to MP3 if I need it in a tighter format. But at least with lossless formats all the music is there to begin with. Which gives you much more running room if you ever decide to re-encode.

And with the advent of mufti-tetrabyte drives (at affordable prices) filesize isn't the issue it used to be.

I'm sold on flac.

-40hz (March 09, 2012, 10:41 AM)

EAC is rock solid.  I used it for years.  Now I use dbpoweramp because it's basically one-click...done.  But it costs a little bit.  I think I checked at some point if dbp was as good as EAC, and I think it was.  Or else I'd still be using EAC.

1952

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 09, 2012, 09:57 AM »

That's why a lot of people initially rip their collection to something lossless (like FLAC). Then when they want to do another lossy encode (maybe going from MP3 to OGG or advances in lossy encoding) they can just fire up a program that will automate the task overnight for them. You save a lot of time with this method, but of course the trade-off is maintaining two sets of your music & the huge amount of space the lossless set will consume.

-Innuendo (March 09, 2012, 09:50 AM)

I resisted flac for years.  But with the huge hard drives now, and the upcoming abilities to pool drives easily can take care of that concern.  And that strategy is probably the best if you are unsure of how music formats are going to evolve.  It's interesting that mp3s are STILL the most robust, bang for the buck format after all these years.  I love mp3s, they changed my life starting in 1997.  I hadn't touched the piano for 10 years, and in 1998 I was back playing again.  And, of course, all the wonderful music I discovered since then.

1953

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 09, 2012, 09:53 AM »

^^It's funny, I know...but   , I have done stuff like that and probably will do it again!

When I first graduated from college, I would give myself an hour every thursday night to meticulously burn, tag, and organize my music.  I've learned (only recently) how to let some of that go.  On one hand, I'm finding the experience taught me a lot of things about myself (in a weird way that I can't describe).  On the other hand, I could have been doing other things with the time...but I can say that for a ton of stuff I've done.

But I am an archivist.  

1954

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: WebDrive Mini-Review: Caching FTP-to-LocalDrive Mapping Tool

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 08:21 PM »

Why didn't anyone ever tell me about these??  I've been asking about these forever!!!
 

This is what I'm talking about baby!

1955

Living Room / Re: Why I Pirate - An Open Letter to Content Creators

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 05:58 PM »

^^ EGG-xactly.

When I was in college, I had a downloaded copy of one of my favorite movies, Terminator 2.  A few years later, the Xtreme edition DVD came out, so I got it.  It bragged about having a special high-def version of the movie on it.  So I put it in, and similarly had to wade through all the promotional/advertising nonsense.  I watched the movie.  Fine.  Then I tried to "access" the high-def version, which could only be played at the time with Windows Media Player.  I spent, no joke, a week trying to configure everything to work...codecs, installation, reinstallation, rebooting, etc.  I tried everything and never got it to work.  What did I do?  Plopped in the downloaded copy and watched that.  no problem at all.  Double-click...boom, I'm watching the movie.  hassle-free, buffer-free, ad-free...just pure enjoyment.

Now...can I take any "action" against the comapnies for making it darn near impossible to watch the high-def version that was so prominently featured on the DVD cover?  Nope.  At best, i can get my money back.  What about all the time and effort I wasted?  Not their problem.  not an issue, will never be an issue...it's just the nature of things.  Governments and big companies...all of that stuff...they will NEVER value the time/effort people waste by reacting to THEIR decisions.  Because it doesn't mean anything to them as far as money is concerned.  They will only move or act on something if their money is threatened.  This is the nature of things.  It's not worth fighting, at least not for me.  I just do my best to be aware of it and not waste more of my time and effort than I can stomach.

I live in Los Angeles...and even if your household is pulling in $100k, you will still feel "poor" because of the demands made on your time and effort.  And that's a crazy thing.  I see it with my friends and family members that have kids and spouses.  Chasing after the scraps is basically living in poverty.  Sure, the scraps amount to $100k, but that's all relative.  Can't easily go on vacations.  Can't easily have time to relax as a parent.  Can't afford to just take a month off and decompress.  Wanna move?  Go ahead...good luck finding a job...and good luck managing the move until you do find a job.

1956

General Software Discussion / Re: Excel and third-party clipboard managers

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 02:44 PM »

I know, I've read those.  The thing is...I don't really want to disable the clipboard managers.  What I would rather disable is Excel's nazi control on the clipboard.  I don't need any of Excel's clipboard features, i really don't.  They're a nuisance at best.  The third party tools blows any of microsofts clipboard conveniences out of the water.

1957

Living Room / Re: For the LULZ or for the FBI? (Get ready to cry...)

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 01:14 PM »

I've said it before in other DC threads...unless you're willing to lose your life, or at least go to jail for what you're doing, you can't consider yourself a revolutionary. You're merely playing a game with yourself and other people's lives. And people who merely play high-stakes games with governments have this bad tendency to get other people hurt. Or worse.

I think the acid test to gauge somebody's real commitment to a cause is to see how susceptible they are to playing a logical + non-zero sum strategy in a game of Prisoner's Dilemma.

Looks like the FBI had Hector Xavier Monsegur figured out and called his bluff. He took the above option and turned in his friends. Much like many will do in a similar predicament.

Too bad for his compatriots however. It's all over for them except for their trials and sentencing. (I predict they'll all "cooperate" in the end to reduce their sentences. Further arrests will soon follow as a result.)

Here's a good Zen koan for would-be revolutionaries: What is the sound of one cell door slamming?

If the thought keeps you up at night rather than steeling you for what the the future likely holds in store for you - you're just kidding yourself about really believing in your cause. Because most governments are well-financed, have huge resources of equipment and personnel, have the general support of their people - and all the time in the world to run something to ground.

It's not so much a case of whether you'll get caught as when. So for a revolt to be successful, you need to mobilize as much widespread support as you can prior to the authorities finding and shutting you down.

That's the funny thing about a revolution. It isn't the revolutionaries who bring them off. They can only set the stage and possibly provoke the inciting incident. But unless the people (with a capital P) rise up, it's all to no avail. Because the only successful revolutions are the ones the general population ultimately embraces as their own and actively joins in on.

Better than 90% of all revolutionary actions end up either in a jail cell, on a scaffold, or before the wall.

Make sure it's really worth it to you. And above all, make sure you really believe.

Hector apparently didn't.

-40hz (March 08, 2012, 01:02 PM)

Thanks.  wise words.

1958

General Software Discussion / Excel and third-party clipboard managers

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 01:10 PM »

I use several clipboard managers:
--CHS
--NoteFrog
--Ethervane Echo
--AceText

Excel always has issues with these.  Whenever I start copying/pasting cells around in excel and I have the clipboard managers running, I get some kind of error about clipboard chains and what not coming up with every copy paste keystroke.  It's annoying as hell.  I've scoured the net and can't figure out a way to get excel to play nice with them.  I don't want to disable them because I use each for particular things.  What is Excel's problem?  It's very sensitive about clipboard management...it's like a prissy little kid, "my way or else I'll cry".  Frankly, I can do without excel's clipboard features.  Thoughts?

1959

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: DrawPlusX5 50% on BDJ

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 12:18 PM »

I think I may get this for my side businesses.  I'm constantly making logos, graphics, autocad things, flowcharts, sketches.  I usually use Photoshop and Illustrator, but this looks like it might be a lightweight and cheaper, and hopefully easier, tool to use for quick and easy type work.  Am I understanding this software right?

I may also use it to do more of my educational videos.  I use photoshop for the whiteboard stuff that is in the videos, but I often find it too complex and the complexity screws me up sometimes, which means retakes.  I'd like a simpler tool that also is flexible and has good looking output.

I tried a similar too, Paint Tool SAI (japanese), a while back, but didn't really take to the interface.  It was really lightweight and fast, but i felt the interface didn't make things that much easier than what i was used to in photoshop.  I've also tried the super cheap options, like freeware "Paint" alternatives, but their output quality and options are lacking.

Anyway, I'm always for software that makes it easier to create artistic things.

1960

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 12:04 PM »

Maybe if the number 192 hadn't been used in connection with both...

-40hz (March 08, 2012, 07:54 AM)

I think you're right!!  So true...I totally think if 192 wasn't in both buckets, we wouldn't get so confused about it.  (What's the psychological analysis there?)
I remember the first time I had to deal with 192 as it relates to kHz in a recording setting, and it took me a while before I realized that they're two different things...but until I started recording, I never even thought about the frequency, only the bitrate.

1961

General Software Discussion / Re: How to quickly autonumber text lists?

« Last post by superboyac on March 08, 2012, 12:00 PM »

Last two posts by kalos and skwire...

Renamer is awesome!
Textmechanic..yeah!

I love tools like these.

1962

General Software Discussion / Re: BULK Rename Utility

« Last post by superboyac on March 07, 2012, 12:32 PM »

  rjbull....I'm looking at your taskbar and it's looks more or less just like mine.  We use the same programs.  It's the DC connection.

1963

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 07, 2012, 09:27 AM »

Thanks for this @40hz. V interesting post and links.
It is in line with and updates my research from some years ago, providing some new material - so I have learned some new things.

Nowadays I usually listen to all my music via headphones on my laptop, from mp3's at 128kHz. I had always been skeptical of the need for using 192kHz and considered it to be inefficient in space terms and with no perceptible benefit in my case.

I guess the important variable in all of this is really your native hearing faculties, which tend to deteriorate with age and you tend to also gradually lose your pitch sense. That means the requirement for high fidelity that you might have had drops off with age. Fortunately, I used to  use earplugs when I went to noisy places - e.g., discos or pop music concerts - so my hearing is still pretty acute, but I can't really hear bats squeaking anymore, though I can still hear around 8kHz tones quite clearly in the upper registers, and bass always gets through (can be uncomfortable).

-IainB (March 07, 2012, 04:45 AM)

IainB...you're using the numbers 128, 192 in reference to your mp3 files...are you sure you mean kHz?  Don't those refer to the kbps of the mp3?  kHz is a whole other thing.  Personally, I can totally tell the difference between 128 kbps vs. the higher bitrates like 192, or even 320.  I'm betting most of your mp3s are 44.1 kHz and 128 kbps.

1964

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 06, 2012, 06:01 PM »

But the one piece of equipment I have recently accepted as being effective are pre-amps.  And if I'm understanding it correctly, the article actually confirms this belief.  For a given volume, I've noticed equipment with good or better pre-amps makes the sound more pleasing to the ear.  Why?  Well, apparently, for digital music, amplifying the signal reduces the effect of noise...and it's the opposite for analog.

-superboyac (March 06, 2012, 04:50 PM)

Bingo!

Which is why one of the more expensive devices you'll find in any recording studio are the outboard preamps. It's also the main thing that separates a PA or "live" mixing board from a studio console - the quality of the preamps.

Note: Good info on preamps (along with tons of other stuff) can be found here. I'm a big fan of Sweetwater. One of the best info sources and suppliers of all things musical. If you're a "music creative" looking for rock solid information and advice, browse their site and/or give them a call. They're fantastic. I usually don't buy anything musical (that doesn't have strings on it) without talking to them first.
 

-40hz (March 06, 2012, 05:02 PM)

I second that.  I bought some keyboard equipment from them several years ago and was shocked at how good their customer service was.  I remember having like 1/2 hour conversations on the phone about mind-numbingly dull audio geek topics.

1965

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 06, 2012, 04:50 PM »

You know, this is a really good article and makes a lot of sense of the mysterious world of audiophiles.  Most of us know now that those stupid expensive cables are all a scam for digital music.  Monster cables?  gold plated connectors?  really people?

But the one piece of equipment I have recently accepted as being effective are pre-amps.  And if I'm understanding it correctly, the article actually confirms this belief.  For a given volume, I've noticed equipment with good or better pre-amps makes the sound more pleasing to the ear.  Why?  Well, apparently, for digital music, amplifying the signal reduces the effect of noise...and it's the opposite for analog.

You can tell the difference a pre-amp makes.  Compare a high end Sony mp3 player to an ipod or any other cheapo player.  If you try it with different speakers, different headphones, in the car, in a room...you will soon notice that pre-amping the signal makes it buttery better.

1966

General Software Discussion / Re: Why 24-bit/192kHz music files make no sense - and may be bad for you!

« Last post by superboyac on March 06, 2012, 12:38 PM »

Thanks 40!  Fascinating...I never ever thought about that.

As a person who messes around with this stuff, I always found the 24/192 stuff to be a big headache.  The arguments in that article remind me off the similar issues that came up for quadrophonic technology of our hippie era.

I've never really had a chance to do a personal examination of these issues.  With this music stuff, I can't trust anyone.  Whether it's a discussion about monster cables, or mp3 vs. flac,...there's so much fluff to filter through.  And no graphs or written analysis is very effective.  I need to go to someone who has a very hi-fi setup with and personally test all the different audio qualities, and I'll have a better idea.  I've never even tried an epensive headphone amp to answer the question "Does it make $1000 difference?"

1967

Living Room / Re: Sansa Clip+ and Rockbox

« Last post by superboyac on March 06, 2012, 09:06 AM »

I think you can find it.  Who's going to pick it up??  It may not even be broken!

1968

Living Room / Re: Sansa Clip+ and Rockbox

« Last post by superboyac on March 06, 2012, 08:51 AM »

  oh no!

But DC brings luck in situations like this:

Interesting...my post from a couple days ago didn't show up...

I lost my gold pico-c usb drive Thursday night.  That's what I posted to say.  It didn't take long.

But just now, I found it!  I dropped it on the driveway of my parents' house.  The thing is so darn small, and it apparently got loose off my keychain clasp, which is hard to do.  Anyway, good news.  Time to back up and get a new keychain.

1969

Living Room / Re: Sansa Clip+ and Rockbox

« Last post by superboyac on March 05, 2012, 11:31 AM »

I still think if you figure out how to connect the device to the pc in rockbox mode, all your problems will go away.

1970

Living Room / Re: Sansa Clip+ and Rockbox

« Last post by superboyac on March 04, 2012, 09:37 PM »

Having read recent reviews of the Sansa Clip MP3s (and the rave reviews of Rockbox) in this very forum, I've just bought into the concept. 8Gb Sansa Clip + was under £30 and a respected Amazon-alike here in the UK was selling 32Gb Sandisk micro SDHC cards for £18. So now I have a 40Gb MP3 player for less than £50, which is just unimaginable...

So. Rockboxing it was straightforward -- although I haven't got completely comfortable with the interface yet (and I have yet to work out a good way to build playlists that aren't album- or artist-based) -- but my main problem is... in order to transfer music to it, I have to start it with the original firmware, because the Rockbox USB isn't recognised. With a nearly-full 32Gb card (almost my entire collection!) when I boot it into Sansa-mode, it rebuilds the music library... and takes AGES.

Is that just how it's going to be? Should I have formatted the card differently?

But the sound quality is superb. If I have to live with it, I guess I'll cope...

-oblivion (March 04, 2012, 05:27 PM)

Oh yeah...I do remember experiencing that also.  If you're like me and you use rockbox only, you can skip the rebuilding step.  That's just for the stock sansa firmware.  I forgot how I got it to skip the rebuilding process...i think i did actually get it connected by usb without needing to exit rockbox.  So it was usb plugged into my computer AND rockbox was still running.  I was able to transfer files and everything.  I think you have to hold a button while plugging it in or something like that.

1971

General Software Discussion / Re: Superboyac is throwing in the towel: I'm going to transition to Linux

« Last post by superboyac on March 04, 2012, 12:01 AM »

Well, this is my first post from my laptop with Linux Mint running!  

So far so good.  Super easy installation.  Everything about it is kind of very slick.  It feels like a traditional Windows interface with hints of the Mac style.  It's very responsive.  As responsive as anything I've seen in windows, and definitely way better than a mac.  I really like everything about it, to be honest. 

Now, first thing to check out...how to tweak my circular mousepad settings (I'm using a Toughbook).  Also, my network wifi connection is really flaky...do I need drivers?  This is where I start getting scared...

1972

General Software Discussion / Re: Flash not working in firefox. Some web addresses are inaccessible. Why?

« Last post by superboyac on March 03, 2012, 09:08 PM »

Hey!  It works now!  The newest place where I downloaded the installer finally did it.  I have no idea why this is the right one, or why this installation worked and the other dozen times I tried didn't.  i don't even know why it wasn't working in the first place.  Frankly, I don't understand why there is this "race" for new versions of browsers.  Was a contest announced to see who can get to the highest version before the Mayan calendar ends?  Highest version wins!

1973

General Software Discussion / Re: Flash not working in firefox. Some web addresses are inaccessible. Why?

« Last post by superboyac on March 03, 2012, 09:02 PM »

And by the way...on adobe's website, why are there multiple places and ways to download the flash installer?  I must have encountered 4 different ways already to get it, all on adobe's official pages.

1974

Living Room / Re: Anyone else noticed this?

« Last post by superboyac on March 03, 2012, 08:54 PM »

opera, eh?  I'll give it a shot, too...

1975

General Software Discussion / Re: Superboyac is throwing in the towel: I'm going to transition to Linux

« Last post by superboyac on March 03, 2012, 08:38 PM »

that's good advice, 40...instead of finding old drivers or something, I'd rather just get something that works. With my time and energy at this point, I can't afford to salvage everything like I like to do.