Don Pearce wrote:
Adrian C wrote:

Over a few hundred tracks, you'll need *some* management software if
not iTunes. Show me an explorer folder of an MP3 device, and folder on
a hard drive and ask me to identify non-matched or duplicated (i.e.
non-replicated) files, and I'll run thaaaaaaaaat way ..... -


My music folder is pretty well managed manually. The first layer is the
artist, after that an album name (or misc), followed by the music itself.


Used to do that. A labour of love with many compilations with all tracks
not from the same artist. For me, easier to throw all into iTunes and
let that sort it all out, read tags, identify genres, attach pretty
album artwork and build 'Genius' play lists ...

.... & later ...

and inform Apple which tracks are 'missing' from my collection, which
TV shows and films have been added from 'elsewhere', what religious,
sexual and political persuasion I have (for later subliminal
'adjustment'), the depth of my pocket buying tracks and iPod
accessories, and the hours, minutes and seconds I have left on planet earth.

Oh hang on, there's a knock on the door ....

--
Adrian C

Adrian C wrote:
Don Pearce wrote:
Adrian C wrote:

Over a few hundred tracks, you'll need *some* management software if
not iTunes. Show me an explorer folder of an MP3 device, and folder
on a hard drive and ask me to identify non-matched or duplicated
(i.e. non-replicated) files, and I'll run thaaaaaaaaat way ..... -


My music folder is pretty well managed manually. The first layer is
the artist, after that an album name (or misc), followed by the music
itself.


Used to do that. A labour of love with many compilations with all tracks
not from the same artist. For me, easier to throw all into iTunes and
let that sort it all out, read tags, identify genres, attach pretty
album artwork and build 'Genius' play lists ...

... & later ...

and inform Apple which tracks are 'missing' from my collection, which
TV shows and films have been added from 'elsewhere', what religious,
sexual and political persuasion I have (for later subliminal
'adjustment'), the depth of my pocket buying tracks and iPod
accessories, and the hours, minutes and seconds I have left on planet
earth.

Oh hang on, there's a knock on the door ....


The grim reaper?

I'm not interested in genres, playlists etc. It is my music, and I know
what I have. All I need is a simple, logical way to find it. A directory
structure of my own devising is precisely that.

d

Meehan Mydog wrote...

Does one exist yet?

The nearest thing is the Arcam MS250,£3,000
http://www.arcam.co.uk/prod_fmj_ms250_intro.cfm
which could just hold your current CD collection.

--
Ken

http://www.members.lycos.co.uk/buddyduck/

Don Pearce wrote:
Adrian C wrote:
Don Pearce wrote:
Adrian C wrote:

Over a few hundred tracks, you'll need *some* management software if
not iTunes. Show me an explorer folder of an MP3 device, and folder
on a hard drive and ask me to identify non-matched or duplicated
(i.e. non-replicated) files, and I'll run thaaaaaaaaat way ..... -


My music folder is pretty well managed manually. The first layer is
the artist, after that an album name (or misc), followed by the music
itself.


Used to do that. A labour of love with many compilations with all
tracks not from the same artist. For me, easier to throw all into
iTunes and let that sort it all out, read tags, identify genres,
attach pretty album artwork and build 'Genius' play lists ...

... & later ...

and inform Apple which tracks are 'missing' from my collection, which
TV shows and films have been added from 'elsewhere', what religious,
sexual and political persuasion I have (for later subliminal
'adjustment'), the depth of my pocket buying tracks and iPod
accessories, and the hours, minutes and seconds I have left on planet
earth.

Oh hang on, there's a knock on the door ....


The grim reaper?

I'm not interested in genres, playlists etc. It is my music, and I know
what I have. All I need is a simple, logical way to find it. A directory
structure of my own devising is precisely that.


I've now lost track of my digital music - well over 1000 artists.

I find iTunes a good method of organising, lossless compression and a
Mac Mini a good way of storing/serving, and an iPod Touch a good way of
accessing. The Touch is also a good portable device, although storage is
limited.

Rob

Rob wrote:


I'm not interested in genres, playlists etc. It is my music, and I
know what I have. All I need is a simple, logical way to find it. A
directory structure of my own devising is precisely that.


I've now lost track of my digital music - well over 1000 artists.


Are there that many artists? The number I consider listening to doesn't
exceed a few dozen, I think.

I find iTunes a good method of organising, lossless compression and a
Mac Mini a good way of storing/serving, and an iPod Touch a good way of
accessing. The Touch is also a good portable device, although storage is
limited.

Rob

I just have this thing about software that tries to take over control of
me. I dislike it instantly. I did allow iTunes onto my machine once, but
I don't think it even lasted the day before I had kicked it off again
for being arrogant and rude. For example I have a few audio books in MP3
form, and it wouldn't let me put them in the audio books department -
insisted they were unknown music. I won't put up with that kind of thing.

d

Don Pearce wrote:
Rob wrote:


I'm not interested in genres, playlists etc. It is my music, and I
know what I have. All I need is a simple, logical way to find it. A
directory structure of my own devising is precisely that.


I've now lost track of my digital music - well over 1000 artists.


Are there that many artists? The number I consider listening to doesn't
exceed a few dozen, I think.


Well, I'd imagine the number that count *themselves* as artists probably
runs into millions ;-)

I have quite a few compilations - the Stiff record set is probably 40
artists for example.

I find iTunes a good method of organising, lossless compression and a
Mac Mini a good way of storing/serving, and an iPod Touch a good way
of accessing. The Touch is also a good portable device, although
storage is limited.

Rob

I just have this thing about software that tries to take over control of
me. I dislike it instantly. I did allow iTunes onto my machine once, but
I don't think it even lasted the day before I had kicked it off again
for being arrogant and rude. For example I have a few audio books in MP3
form, and it wouldn't let me put them in the audio books department -
insisted they were unknown music. I won't put up with that kind of thing.


Yes, it does have some highly irritating habits, and I've just had a
look and my audio books are podcasts apparently. But for listening to
music at the end of the day, about now in fact, I think it's great. I
can access anything by name in seconds. The latest update looks good,
and the Genius feature really does work (for me, so far, YMMV etc).

Rob

Rob wrote:
can access anything by name in seconds. The latest update looks good,
and the Genius feature really does work (for me, so far, YMMV etc).

Yup, Genius is pretty cool. But, pray hope it don't continue it's
self-awareness feature and start World War Three as in the movie!

BTW There is a similar program called MusicIP. Haven't had the balls yet
to let *that* loose on SqueezeCenter (the software behind my
Squeezebox), but it does work on other PC MP3 collections for
'intelligent' auto-play.

--
Adrian C

Okay, thanks everyone.

I think what I had in mind was something along the lines of the Arcam,
although I think that 400GB is a little bit mean when you consider that
160GB iPods have been around for a while. Surely if something is that
much physically bigger than an iPod it could be made with much more
storage space.

The Sooloos thing looks a good system, but I wouldn't be happy to invest
in a machine that didn't let me import my own CDs. (Am I reading that
right... you have to buy tailored 'packages' of music from them?) I
would want it to be rip-enabled.

I must admit, I really thought that the type of machine I'm thinking of
would be far more common in the world of hi-fi, especially in the light
of the iPod phenomenon. Surely it can't be too difficult to design a
hi-fi sized box with a CD reader, at least 1TB of storage space, and
some sort of operating system similar to an iPod... can it? How come the
major players aren't churning them out at a rate of knots?

Regards,
Meehan

Meehan Mydog wrote:
Okay, thanks everyone.

I think what I had in mind was something along the lines of the Arcam,
although I think that 400GB is a little bit mean when you consider that
160GB iPods have been around for a while. Surely if something is that
much physically bigger than an iPod it could be made with much more
storage space.

The Sooloos thing looks a good system, but I wouldn't be happy to invest
in a machine that didn't let me import my own CDs. (Am I reading that
right... you have to buy tailored 'packages' of music from them?) I
would want it to be rip-enabled.

I must admit, I really thought that the type of machine I'm thinking of
would be far more common in the world of hi-fi, especially in the light
of the iPod phenomenon. Surely it can't be too difficult to design a
hi-fi sized box with a CD reader, at least 1TB of storage space, and
some sort of operating system similar to an iPod... can it? How come the
major players aren't churning them out at a rate of knots?

Regards,
Meehan

Cambrdige do a music server with CD riping, and there's this:

http://www.3ga.org.uk/shop/

For me it was always a case of difficulty accessing music via the tiny
displays, and I have a growing number of videos, so I use a Mac Mini
connected to the TV and hifi. I find the software fine, although the
alternatives mentioned also look good. The Mini just about perfect
*except* for HD space (same with Brennan) - I can just about squeeze
everything on to a recently installed 250GB (laptop) drive - I can but
would prefer not to daisy chain USB drives. I'll face that hurdle when I
come to it but I'm sold on the Mac thing so that'll limit my options. A
mac Mini with a 1TB external HD would do you (if you can connect it to a
display) and cost £500.

On the PC route a problem is noise. We've just has Dell Optiplexs
installed at work and they seem very quiet, and can be had for not much
more than a Mac Mini and have the advanatge of taking full size drives.

I suspect the Arcam stuff would meet your needs if they'd fit a larger
HD, and Linn could certainly kit you out. I think hifi branded kit of
this kind carries a bonkers price premium.

Rob

Don Pearce writes:

Meehan Mydog wrote:
Apologies if this has been raised before... this is my first visit to
the NG.
snip
which would have all the convenience of the iPod combined with the sound
quality of a genuine hi-fi unit.
Does one exist yet?
Regards,
Meehan


My main wish for an iPod is that it should have no associated pc
software - just appear as a hard drive, so I can do my own managing.

Forget about iPods then.

But there are other makes that do exactly this. I have an iAudio U3
(Korean stuff, several years old) that works like any USB-stick as
far as the computer is concerned (Windows, Linux and quite possibly
MacOS). It plays mp3s, oggs and more.

--
Martin Schöön

"Problems worthy of attack
prove their worth by hitting back"
Piet Hein