[Nicwix]

What is you primary use of MP3s:

1. What's an "MP3" or never touch the stuff

2. Occasionally download free songs

3. Download new music, but still buy CDs of the good stuff

4. Create own MP3s for use on computer or portable MP3 players

5. Both 3. and 4. (ie download and create)

6. All I use is downloaded MP3s

 

[RMSzero]

I live at college where there is a really good network and several good network searching engines, which means it is really easy to find entire albums.

For the most part what I listen to though is mp3s of what I have ripped myself (ie vbr LAME from CDs I own) but I do maintain a library of things that I have found for occasional listening but not things I would actually purchase.

I imagine that my habits will change once i'm off campus and once I have a real job where i can afford CDs.

 

[jbannow]

I used to download, but now I just encode my own stuff for portable listening. Having a CD with 10 albums on it is very conveinient on trips.

- Jeff

 

[Trawlerman]

I'm probably an audio-snob or something. But, MP3 is the spawn of the devil! Hehehehe

Seriously, why would anyone want to listen to MP3 in these days of SACD/DVD-A & CD? I'm sure you guys will agree, otherwise why do we frequent this board?

Beats the **** out of me why people put up with it. It's like having the choice of either prime steak or eating your boots and then choosing the latter? The only saving grace that I can see is that you can download all the latest albums for free. I've heard many people talk about how you can't distingush 320kbs MP3s from CD but there is still that element of compression and that can only be a bad thing, can it not?

Nope. MP3 is definitely not for me. The lowest audio format that I use is Minidisc and then only for music on the move.




Sound As Ever

 

[coolvij]

MiniDisc for portable use, here.

And MiniDisc does destroy MP3....really does....to my ears, at least.

 

[RMSzero]

Quote:

Beats the **** out of me why people put up with it. It's like having the choice of either prime steak or eating your boots and then choosing the latter?

Yeah, but you have to cook a steak, or go out to a restaurant, while my boots are right here, ready to eat.

I live in a dorm room, I have no room for towers of CD racks or big equipment for playing or housing lots of CDs. In my sitation, it pays to put all the stuff I listen to regularly onto mp3s.

Also, right now I'm listening to Infected Mushroom. I've never heard of Infected Mushroom. The mp3 format allows you to try out new music that you've never heard before and won't listen to again. This has questionable legality of course, but there's no way in hell I can go spend money on CDs with any regularity anyway. I constantly look for things I've never heard before/heard of and toss them on winamp, to see if they're something I'd want to buy.

Now, I will agree that the 128 kb/s mp3 is evil. I rip at high bitrate, I do get frustrated with low bitrate crap.

 

[Mr.PD]

RMSzero wrote; Quote:

Now, I will agree that the 128 kb/s mp3 is evil. I rip at high bitrate, I do get frustrated with low bitrate crap.

I am in total agreement with RMSzero. Heck even 160 kb/s sounds pretty flat. Thats why I don't download much anymore. I buy CD's then rip the songs I like into MUSICMATCH. I rip with EAC and encode with LAME set to r3mix (or something like that). Sometimes I rip with EAC and sometimes with MUSICMATCH. In testing I found MUSICMATCH set to VBR 86% sounds real close to EAC and LAME combo and is a lot less work. Plus the RIO SP250 reads the tags better if I use MUSICMATCH.

I make 8 hour CD's to take to work with me. Kinda nice to "set it and forget it"

 

[Audio-Me]

I always try to download mp3s and wavs if I can find them of an album I'm interested in to preview it before I buy.

I ripped (WinDAC, now EAC) and encoded (LAME) my own MP3s to share them. I now use MPC for sharing, and LPAC for archiving (for different playlists).

 

[Nicwix]

In the past I have download MP3s primarily looking for new music I like, but continue to buy abour 3 CDs per month.

Ironically , since I started downloading MP3s I tend to buy more CDs - from a real physical CD shop where you can touch and feel the medium !!!

I think it's time to start a new thread on whether and why one should buy CDs when you can download MP3s for nothing?

Nix

 

[dhwilkin]

#3. It's extremely useful to preview an album, and if I like what I hear, I buy the album. If not, those MP3s go bye-bye.

 

[dngl]

DH hit the nail on the head. The radio sucks these days, so MP3s are the only way for me to preview new CDs. Since MP3 quality sucks so much (not to open a can of worms), if I like them it is certain that I will buy the CD. I haven't purchased a CD since Amnesiac in 2001... but the downfall of modern music should be left to a separate thread.

 

[Driftwood]

I used to like mp3s a whole lot. But then I got tired of the quality and also their rather phantom (whoops, deleted, bye) nature.

I am sticking to cds. I have plenty, and there is no reason for me to really use mp3s.

Whee, free hard drive space.

Driftwood

 

[Braver]

I download music sometimes before I buy, to check bands out I don't know. and sometimes I rip one of my sister's better choices (Live, Natalie Imbruglia...but not Creed or Celine Dion ).

but I really need the real thing, the artwork, the plastic, the shiny silver, the booklet