Alternate to taking test mixes to the car

[fross]

I usually burn CDs and take them to the resident stereo or to the car.
I'd like to avoid the CD burning step and perhaps transfer, for example, to an IPOD. This IPOD's sole duty would be to sit quietly and wait for me to upload a mix. I know my IPOD and I certainly like listening to music through it. It's a mediium I know. (in wav and loseless formats)

Have any of you done this?

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by fross

I usually burn CDs and take them to the resident stereo or to the car.
I'd like to avoid the CD burning step and perhaps transfer, for example, to an IPOD. This IPOD's sole duty would be to sit quietly and wait for me to upload a mix. I know my IPOD and I certainly like listening to music through it. It's a mediium I know. (in wav and loseless formats)

Have any of you done this?

Everything I mix goes into my IPOD. But CD's are so cheap I always burn one or two of them also. Using a FM transmitter to play the IPOD through the car stereo just doesn't cut it for me when evaluating mixes. If a mix sounds good on the IPOD (whose headphones are pretty good btw) it usually is a good sign.

The IPOD has become one of the 3 most valuable places to test a mix along with the car and the home stereo. I love it.

Lawrence

[Jose Mrochek]

I think it really goes down to what pair of speakers you know really well. Whatever they are.

[Aearth]

No matter where or what I mix my sessions on I still run it through my car stereo. The Ford ute of cause. Sorry, the Ford pick-up truck for you yanks.



Nick

[Travl]

I bought one of those all in one small home stereos. The thing has RCA connectors in the back and is perfect for auditioning mixes without having to burn a cd. But then of course I do always check the car mix too in the end. Just helps being able to audition it on the mini system before burning a disk.

[SparkyCanada]

Using an iPod over here as well.

Been thinking of of trying to send mixes to my Airport Express - anybody done this? This way I woudn't have to schlep my iPod around. Wondering if there is any sound degradation?

Thanks,

SparkyCanada

[captain54]

Originally Posted by fross

I usually burn CDs and take them to the resident stereo or to the car.
I'd like to avoid the CD burning step

I was at AES last year and Bob Clearmountain said he sometimes takes Mp3 mixes and references them that way, since that's what seems to be how the majority of stuff is listened to these days....I guess that would mean an IPOD, or it could just mean referencing them on a desktop PC with cheap computer speakers..however most people listen to music....

my car mixes really bring out the deficiencies of my monitor situation and room...inevitably, the bass in the car is way out of whack with what I hear in the control room...

it's a big pain in the ass....to make it easier, I usually send myself an mp3 thru airport and check it out on my desktop Pc.....either way I always check it against a good commercially recorded CD....

[recorderman]

iPod here to (30gB color photo one..sweeet).

BUT is it me? or does the actual headphone amp in the iPod kinda blow?

[84K]

Philips AZ2555 CD Boombox with USB PC Link

[ttauri]

Any suggestions on a cheap car stereo with a line in for the iPod?

Peece,
T. Tauri

[ttauri]

Originally Posted by ttauri

Any suggestions on a cheap car stereo with a line in for the iPod?

Sorry, didn't notice this was in the High End section. So: any suggestions for a really expensive car stereo with a line in for the iPod? :D

Peece,
T. Tauri

[doug_hti]

Originally Posted by SparkyCanada

Using an iPod over here as well.

Been thinking of of trying to send mixes to my Airport Express - anybody done this? This way I woudn't have to schlep my iPod around. Wondering if there is any sound degradation?

Thanks,

SparkyCanada

I was going to try this myself! Let me know if you try it...and the quality losses

[Billy Beuche]

I bought the Airport Express and hoped that this would work but the sound quality was so lousy that I just gave up... It's downright unlistenable. Fortunately, the AE works well for the most important purpose.

I, for one, think the car is a swell venue. A variety of home stereos are good. And even though the conversion into iTunes introduces some artifacts and tends to heat up levels, it is important to know what the listening public will hear. Sales figures don't lie -- the kids are loving the iPods. I find it is a nice way to check my panning. I have refined more than one mix after taking it for a walk with the iPod.

[David Lee]

not sure if its the converters or what...but when i burn a cd of a mix, then throw it in my cd player in the rig in the studio it has a different feel. it isn't good or bad, just different. it's a Denon DN2600F, a dual deck DJ unit with, i think, decent converters in it.

note, i am playing this through the exact same monitoring setup that i mixed the song in...??

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by captain54

I was at AES last year and Bob Clearmountain said he sometimes takes Mp3 mixes and references them that way, since that's what seems to be how the majority of stuff is listened to these days....I guess that would mean an IPOD, or it could just mean referencing them on a desktop PC with cheap computer speakers..however most people listen to music....

I'm not sure exactly why but the default IPOD format sounds better than mp3 to me. I think it's AAC or something like that. I've got a mini-jack to rca thing plugged into the home stereo for playing the IPOD through the speakers and it sounds exactly like CD quality to me.

Or so damn close it doesn't matter. Anyway I've got about 700 songs on my IPOD and about 150 are raw mixes from the studio.

Lawrence

[Offender]

I hope you all know that turning your song into Mp3 adds slightly more dynamic range to your track. Its to do wiht that low level noise thats added.

I also send my mixes to an Ipod...but the reason why you notice stuff to change issnt to do with the Ipods headphones or whatever. I think its to do with the fact that your tune is out into the real world. You suddenly wake up from your dream-like studio state.... and you realise the mistakes you were in denile about. lol

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by Lawrence

I'm not sure exactly why but the default IPOD format sounds better than mp3 to me. I think it's AAC or something like that. I've got a mini-jack to rca thing plugged into the home stereo for playing the IPOD through the speakers and it sounds exactly like CD quality to me.

Or so damn close it doesn't matter. Anyway I've got about 700 songs on my IPOD and about 150 are raw mixes from the studio.

Lawrence

I just finished ripping some 150 songs from CD's to the computer, and then to the ipod.. while waiting I noticed, in options you can choose what format to import the files from cd to the computer.. and noticed there is AAC , and then theres this "apple loss less" format ? shit I thought they where the same thing. whats up with this ????? and how close is AAC or Lossless to .wav ??

[oceantracks]

Listening in the car is always at least SOMEWHAT helpful, as long as we don't forget that it doesn't tell us at all how the song will sound on a RADIO.....if we are talking about commercial releases...anyone for a car stereo system with a built in smashmouth compressor??

TH

[84K]

HUMMER CD Boombox with MP3 Playback and Digital AM/FM Tuner - Yellow/Blue
Model: HBB1000Y

Similar to the Philips CD Boombox (with the USB port), but I hear it is more accurate to the sh!t car sound. Looks like cheese, but it is supposed to be the heat. I ordered it, and I will let you know when it comes in this week. I bought it from Best Buy dot COM.

[RoundBadge]

I use the phillips one too in the garden with an ipod into the front rca's..pretty handy for 50 bucks stike

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

I just finished ripping some 150 songs from CD's to the computer, and then to the ipod.. while waiting I noticed, in options you can choose what format to import the files from cd to the computer.. and noticed there is AAC , and then theres this "apple loss less" format ? shit I thought they where the same thing. whats up with this ????? and how close is AAC or Lossless to .wav ??

Dunno. AAC sounds better than mp3 to me. When I llook at the profile it says MPEG4. Maybe a better compression scheme?

Lawrence

[strauss]

Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek

I just finished ripping some 150 songs from CD's to the computer, and then to the ipod.. while waiting I noticed, in options you can choose what format to import the files from cd to the computer.. and noticed there is AAC , and then theres this "apple loss less" format ? shit I thought they where the same thing. whats up with this ????? and how close is AAC or Lossless to .wav ??

Losless means there's no loss in quality compared to waf/aiff.
You can even turn your losless encoded files into aiff/wav again with no loss in quality at all (guess that's why they call it losless )
Other losless formats are Flac and monkeyaudio, you might wanna do a google on it as I think that with the increase in (intrenet)bandwith and decrease in data storage price it's more interesting then mp3 or whatever type of lossy file...

[fross]

How do your mixes translate on the USB/Boombox?

[RoundBadge]

Pretty damn well .i was suprised when i got the thing off ebay .around 50 bucks new.
one week here a bunch of GS'ers went crazy and bought a bunch of em..me included.good purchase

[moeses]

if you're mixxing hip hop or r&b
you have to a/b on a loud car stereo system

[Igotsoul4u]

i always use my ipod. It may sound stupid and maybe it is, but I check my mixes in mp3 format in addition to AIFF. I figure most people, in NYC at least, listen to all their music in a compressed format on their ipods. I also have this old ass sony boombox that I love. It totally sucks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek
..... options you can choose what format to import the files from cd to the computer.. and noticed there is AAC , and then theres this "apple loss less" format ? shit I thought they where the same thing. whats up with this ????? and how close is AAC or Lossless to .wav ??

AAC does not compare at all to WAV. AAC is still a compressed format while WAV is not. Losseless should sound the same as WAV but be half the size.

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally Posted by Igotsoul4u

i always use my ipod. It may sound stupid and maybe it is, but I check my mixes in mp3 format in addition to AIFF. I figure most people, in NYC at least, listen to all their music in a compressed format on their ipods. I also have this old ass sony boombox that I love. It totally sucks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jose Mrochek
..... options you can choose what format to import the files from cd to the computer.. and noticed there is AAC , and then theres this "apple loss less" format ? shit I thought they where the same thing. whats up with this ????? and how close is AAC or Lossless to .wav ??

AAC does not compare at all to WAV. AAC is still a compressed format while WAV is not. Losseless should sound the same as WAV but be half the size.

oh that sucks i ripped like 15 cd's to AAC it took a while.... now i have to do it again with the lossless thing : (. Yeah I was prettyimpressed with AAC on the headphones, but today I connected my ipod to my homestereo that I know very well.. and well, it indeed sounds better than mp3 on the high freq. but it still sucks.

are lossless downloads available from itunes ? if not.. i'm not purchasing another file. : (