|
Post by john57 on Jan 20, 2014 17:48:07 GMT -5
Sounds sneaky!!
|
|
|
Post by mpower on Jan 20, 2014 17:58:39 GMT -5
Secondspin.com rocks for used discs of all kinds. They buy them too. Cheap to collect and flac
|
|
|
Post by Chuck Elliot on Jan 20, 2014 18:04:22 GMT -5
+1 for Bull Moose. I have been to several of their locations, including your store in Portland. They remind me of the old record stores I used to manage in the '80s/'90s. C Cory, I have 3 different stores within about 5 miles of my house. The Portland store is the oldest in the area located in the Old Port District. Second is out by the mall, and third is here in South Portland where they rebuilt the Blockbuster when it closed. If I'm looking for a used CD, I can check their web database and then go to the store that has it! This is all pretty good for a city the size of Portland, about 70,000, even though we swell to almost 250,000 when you add in the 'burbs. They will do mail-order Bull MooseChuck
|
|
|
Post by Chuck Elliot on Jan 20, 2014 18:11:57 GMT -5
I keep my original CDs because iTunes randomly deletes my music. I need to re-rip occasionally... And that's another reason I don't use ByeTunes! With all due respect, I don't know what you guys are doing, but I have well over 1000 CDs ripped to iTunes(Apple-Lossless) and I have never lost anything or had a single problem. I don't doubt what you report, but there must be a reason???
|
|
|
Post by Cory Cooper on Jan 20, 2014 18:19:16 GMT -5
Chuck, The Mill Creek (Waterman Dr - old Blockbuster - South Portland) is the location I was at. It was slightly hard to get to from 95, from what I remember. A few hilly, almost abandoned industrial roads. Probably just the directions I printed out. Luckily, there is a location here in my town too, about 2.5 miles from my home. I check their inventory all the time for the same reason, but I usually buy new. I drove up to the ME location for a specific DVD, and to add some miles to my truck to reset the computer so I could pass inspection! Long story. Next time I am up that way, maybe we can grab lunch or something. C
|
|
hemster
Global Moderator
Particle Manufacturer
...still listening... still watching
Posts: 51,920
|
Post by hemster on Jan 20, 2014 18:23:21 GMT -5
And that's another reason I don't use ByeTunes! With all due respect, I don't know what you guys are doing, but I have well over 1000 CDs ripped to iTunes(Apple-Lossless) and I have never lost anything or had a single problem. I don't doubt what you report, but there must be a reason??? Haven't found a reason. It happened to me only once. When I started to look under the hood and found how Apple names the files (e.g. F03A, etc.) I gave up on iTunes. It was a long time ago back when it didn't handle a large collection (~40,000 songs). Has the naming convention on disk changed or is it still proprietary? e.g. I prefer to see "Hotel California.m4a" instead of "F03A". I know lots of people are using iTunes without any hassles so it must be my luck. Perhaps if I decide to play in the Apple garden I will try it (um.. well I won't have a choice!).
|
|
|
Post by Cory Cooper on Jan 20, 2014 18:29:18 GMT -5
When I started to look under the hood and found how Apple names the files (e.g. F03A, etc.) I gave up on iTunes. It was a long time ago back when it didn't handle a large collection (~40,000 songs). Has the naming convention on disk changed or is it still proprietary? e.g. I prefer to see "Hotel California.m4a" instead of "F03A". . Currently, iTunes organizes all media under artist folder > album folder > song name. Example: Eagles > Hotel California > 01 Hotel California.m4a Must have been a long time ago, as I don't remember iTunes using that naming convention at all. C
|
|
|
Post by Chuck Elliot on Jan 20, 2014 18:29:23 GMT -5
Chuck, The Mill Creek (Waterman Dr - old Blockbuster - South Portland) is the location I was at. It was slightly hard to get to from 95, from what I remember. A few hilly, almost abandoned industrial roads. Probably just the directions I printed out. Luckily, there is a location here in my town too, about 2.5 miles from my home. I check their inventory all the time for the same reason, but I usually buy new. I drove up to the ME location for a specific DVD, and to add some miles to my truck to reset the computer so I could pass inspection! Long story. Next time I am up that way, maybe we can grab lunch or something. C The South Portland BM is a way from I-95. The mall store, labeled Scarborough, is just off it. Yes, PM me when you are coming up. Love to get together.
|
|
hemster
Global Moderator
Particle Manufacturer
...still listening... still watching
Posts: 51,920
|
Post by hemster on Jan 20, 2014 18:37:30 GMT -5
When I started to look under the hood and found how Apple names the files (e.g. F03A, etc.) I gave up on iTunes. It was a long time ago back when it didn't handle a large collection (~40,000 songs). Has the naming convention on disk changed or is it still proprietary? e.g. I prefer to see "Hotel California.m4a" instead of "F03A". . Currently, iTunes organizes all media under artist folder > album folder > song name. Example: Eagles > Hotel California > 01 Hotel California.m4a Must have been a long time ago, as I don't remember iTunes using that naming convention at all. C Sorry, I should clarify: I meant how iTunes saves files on an iPod. I installed RockBox and never looked back.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2014 20:12:23 GMT -5
I just recently built a physical media system into my theater sound system. A used Interga DPT1 mega changer and a mixed collection of used CDs off craigslist later and Ive got 300 music CDs at my fingertips for $250. The changer has an onscreen display that allows you to scroll through the artists and titles but I also made a printout of all the CDs in the player, one printout remains in the listening room and one at the rack for manual direct disk selection without a display. Works great but once a CD is scratched theres not much you can do to fix it short of taking it to a pro and spending more money to maybe get it fixed. None of my home remidies to fix scratches have worked, and not all of the collection plays flawless, but used is still a great savings especially when you can buy in bulk. I have had a lot of success using Mequiars's Scratch X 2.0 www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G10307-Scratch-X-2-0/dp/B0002UNON8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390439031&sr=8-1&keywords=mequiar%27s+scratch+x+2.0You can find it at any Autozone, Advance, etc. Car finishes, which is what this is made for, are polyester(type of plastic) based. CD's are plastic. When using, be sure NOT to use circular motions. Go straight across the CD. Polish in right angles only. I usually just place the CD on a hard flat surface and rub with my fingers applying a good amount of pressure. This stuff has also saved a lot of X-Box games too!!!
|
|
|
Post by jhanken on Jan 22, 2014 20:54:06 GMT -5
I have kept pretty much every CD I ever bought, some of the earliest ones are even having difficulty playing now. I am so glad that I have them, I am slowly upgrading my digital recordings from 192kb MP3 to FLAC to stream over my Squeezeboxes. I regret getting rid of all my killer vinyl and I don't ever want to have to kick myself like that again.
|
|
typea
Minor Hero
Posts: 74
|
Post by typea on Jan 22, 2014 20:57:47 GMT -5
Yeah I tried that, Ive tried most all of the remedies on the web. If the scratch is deep enough theres nothing you can do short of a pro fix, even the polish you suggest will only work for mild scratches. Price you pay for buying collections at a serious discounted price, some scratches just arent fixable and by the time you pay a pro you might as well seek the disk on the used market.
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Jan 22, 2014 21:38:11 GMT -5
I could tell my iTunes tale of woe, but who cares. It works perfectly for most folks, but if you're one of the unfortunate few, then iTunes is the nightmare that never ends. Ever. Period.
I just wish I had all my music back...
|
|
|
Post by Chuck Elliot on Jan 22, 2014 22:25:05 GMT -5
I could tell my iTunes tale of woe, but who cares. It works perfectly for most folks, but if you're one of the unfortunate few, then iTunes is the nightmare that never ends. Ever. Period. I just wish I had all my music back... Boom, As I said above, I am in no way am attempting to invalidate your experience. I read all your original posts way back. There must be a setup/use issue that has caused your problems in the past. My use on a PC(s) has been flawless. My main library has been on two different machines and I have moved the library to both my work machine and my HTPC machine. I do believe that you use a MAC? I always set iTunes Advanced Preferences to: Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized = TRUE; Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to Library = FALSE This makes getting music into the iTunes folder a two step process when importing folders. The first step is to import the file/folder. The second step is to consolidate the library. If you are importing a folder and don't do the second step you can have issues if you delete to folder that was imported without consolidating(moving to the actual iTunes library folder). This is the only way I have lost music and I consider it my fault. Chuck
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Jan 23, 2014 6:10:20 GMT -5
Hi Chuck -
Nope. It isn't a setup-use issue. I've verified all settings, tried every option (twice or more), had the machine/library/setup looked at by the Genius Bar personnel in several states, and had a former Genius Bar staffer from this Lounge go over with me all settings in a multi-step process. The problem has persisted through multiple versions of iTunes, multiple computers, multiple external hard drives, multiple recreations of the library, and multiple cables.
I'm not invalidating YOUR experience either. Your experience is FAR more typical than mine, and for the vast majority of users, iTunes works flawlessly. My experience, however, is NOT unique. Genius Bar personnel have confirmed that they've seen similar problems for other users and have no idea why the issue occurs. iTunes randomly deletes either songs or albums from my library. It does so without notification. It does not merely lose track of existing data - it deletes the data from the source drive.
Is there a mysterious iTunes virus that I have? No idea. One speculation by a Genius Bar expert was that the copy protection that Sony briefly used on some of their discs causes this artifact. I've never seen other confirmation of that theory though.
In any case, I wish you health and happiness with your iTunes install. I'm not going there again.
Boomzilla
|
|
KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 9,945
Member is Online
|
Post by KeithL on Jan 23, 2014 11:57:33 GMT -5
The best way is to polish in straight lines - radially (from the center to the outside)... seriously. The tracks are circular; the error correction used by CDs does best at correcting scratches that run at RIGHT ANGLES to the track (because they damage the fewest number of bytes). The way to get this is to rub from center to outside (or outside to center.) You can also try one of the many remedies intended to remove scratches from plastic glasses or sunglasses. Also note that, if you use a "good" ripping program, after it finishes it will calculate a checksum and verify it against one of several online databases (in other words it will confirm that your rip was bit-perfect... or not). I just recently built a physical media system into my theater sound system. A used Interga DPT1 mega changer and a mixed collection of used CDs off craigslist later and Ive got 300 music CDs at my fingertips for $250. The changer has an onscreen display that allows you to scroll through the artists and titles but I also made a printout of all the CDs in the player, one printout remains in the listening room and one at the rack for manual direct disk selection without a display. Works great but once a CD is scratched theres not much you can do to fix it short of taking it to a pro and spending more money to maybe get it fixed. None of my home remidies to fix scratches have worked, and not all of the collection plays flawless, but used is still a great savings especially when you can buy in bulk. I have had a lot of success using Mequiars's Scratch X 2.0 www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G10307-Scratch-X-2-0/dp/B0002UNON8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390439031&sr=8-1&keywords=mequiar%27s+scratch+x+2.0You can find it at any Autozone, Advance, etc. Car finishes, which is what this is made for, are polyester(type of plastic) based. CD's are plastic. When using, be sure NOT to use circular motions. Go straight across the CD. Polish in right angles only. I usually just place the CD on a hard flat surface and rub with my fingers applying a good amount of pressure. This stuff has also saved a lot of X-Box games too!!!
|
|
|
Post by monkumonku on Jan 23, 2014 12:13:15 GMT -5
|
|
KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 9,945
Member is Online
|
Post by KeithL on Jan 23, 2014 12:41:37 GMT -5
There are many ways of ripping a file - and iTunes is pretty far down on the "best to worst" list. I simply can't imagine "trusting" any individual program to keep my music safe... in terms of loss or damage. EVERY hard disk will fail someday; so you gotta have backups... no exceptions. Likewise, EVERY program screws up occasionally... not to mention the ever popular "operator error". iTunes may be easy, but doesn't make it at all easy to back up individual albums, or to get anything out of its "library" once it has "assimilated" it. I use a program called dBPowerAmp - which I highly recommend. As it rips each CD, it downloads the track list from an online database and inserts the labels into the individual files (not into a central database like iTunes normally does). It can also download album covers and such - automatically. It then does a checksum of EACH SONG it rips and compares it to an online database, confirming that the rip is BIT PERFECT (I get a warning if it fails to match). I have it store the files in LOSSLESS format - FLAC being the most universal and most common one used. (It can save files in any of a HUGE variety of formats, and also includes a format converter.) Now that I have the song as a file on my computer - I BACK IT UP - a lot. * The first "huge benefit" of computer audio is that I can put my 5000 favorite CDs on a single 3 tB USB drive (which costs about $129). * The second huge benefit is that I can make myself a spare backup copy of that entire drive in a few hours (and the cost of another duplicate drive). (I can store it in another room; or across town.) If you're really totally paranoid about quality (and never losing stuff once you have it) like I am, you can even "protect" the individual albums. (You can also use these protection utilities on your entire library - but then you will need to update the protection every time you add an album.) There is a cool program called CDCheck, which makes checksums of files and folders. (It saves a small file which acts as a sort of signature for the files. Whenever you ask it to, it will compare the current files to the stored signature and confirm that they are IDENTICAL to when they were "signed".) If you want to be REALLY fanatical, you can use something like QuickPAR. (It not only saves a signature, but also saves extra recovery information. Not only can it confirm that your album is exactly as it was the day it was stored, but it can actually FIX it if it has become damaged or changed. QuickPAR is often used when e-mailing or sending files to ensure that they arrive unchanged.) These are both standard computer applications - not specifically intended for audio - but since computer audio is just computer files, you can use any of the many security and safety utilities with them. Once you have your CDs properly ripped onto your computer (and backed up), you can of course import them into iTunes, or jRiver, or whatever player or manager program you like. Of course, you can also edit, adjust, or even repair them as well. (And, if you convert vinyl to digital, you can correct flaws, and remove noise, ticks, and pops.) I keep my original CDs because iTunes randomly deletes my music. I need to re-rip occasionally...
|
|
|
Post by mshump on Jan 23, 2014 14:16:03 GMT -5
I have used this before and had pretty good results also. I fixed many video games with it also. I then loaned it out, GRRR!
|
|
|
Post by Dr. Feel Good on Jan 23, 2014 14:39:53 GMT -5
I LOVE CD's, and I blame I tunes and apple for destroying the market and the media. I hate apple! ( but that is my personal thing). I have over a 1000 CD's and if economics permitted, I'd never download a single file. I've managed to rip about 75% of my library and now my library is going to be joined in w/my wife's smaller library, so its growing. But, I must also shamefully confess that I've been downloading lots of FLAC files from the internet as of late, filling holes in my Artist Discography's missing CD's and just trying new things out. I yet have to pay a single $ to iTunes for a file, and I'm gong to proudly continue this trend for as long as I can.
Buy those Used CD's, rescue them, think of them as lost puppies and kittens.
|
|