Google & Piwik
21
Make: Improve your digital music collection Thaddeus Lipinski
Transcript of Google & Piwik
Make: Improve your digital music collection
Thaddeus Lipinski
Music Quality
Music Quality
CD quality
Higher quality
Streaming
Downloads/ MP3
CD
Ripping CDs
• Rip CDs accurately on your PC/Mac• AccurateRip database• Files are “bit perfect”• Correct tags/metadata• Convert to MP3 for convenience
• DBpoweramp
• Exact Audio Copy
PC Mac
• DBpoweramp
• XLD
Linux (*)
• cdparanoia
• Sound Juicer
Music Formats
• Recommend FLAC files or AIFF (Mac)
• WAV do not support standard tags
• MP3 support limited tags
• Quality tags/metadata important
– mp3tag
– Foobar2000
Music Resolution
CD quality 16/44.1
Higher quality24/96
Streaming
Downloads/ MP3
CD
24/192
Music Resolution
CD quality 16/44.1
Higher quality24/96
Streaming
Downloads/ MP3
CD
24/192
Studio Masters• Usually 24/96• “bit perfect”
• Not converted from lower resolution file
In the News …
Download Sites
• Pono / HDtracks (USA)
• Qobuz (French)– pop, rock, jazz & world
• Linn Records (UK)– standard files plus 24-bit studio masters
• Gubemusic (Norway)– classical, jazz and experimental music
Download Sites
• Society of Sound (UK)– from B&W
• eClassical (Sweden)
• Record Labels– eg EMI, Chesky, BlueNote, Chandos, DG …
• Unsigned artists/community – Bandcamp, SoundCloud
• Bands upload lossless files, you download/stream lossy
http://www.qobuz.com
Streaming Sites
• Qobuz– £20pm / £15pm – 15 day trial
• TIDAL – £20pm– 1 month trial
• Spotify etc (*)• Amazon Cloud/Vox (music you own) $5 pm
• Foobar2000
• JRiver
• Mediamonkey
Allow bit perfect playback
(bit transparency)
Music Playback
PC Mac
• iTunes
• Amarra (with iTunes)
• Audirvana (with iTunes)
• JRiver
iTunes does not do bit transparency
Music Playback
• External Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC)– Small: Dragonfly / Meridian / HRT
– Larger: Cambridge / Rega / Peachtree
• Network an existing DAC– Auralic Aries
• Wireless units– SONOS / Dynaudio Xeo
• Make it yourself!– Raspberry Pi / Hifi Berry
– Larger: Cambridge / Rega / Peachtree
• Network an existing DAC– Auralic Aries
• Wireless units– SONOS / Dynaudio Xeo
Music Playback
Music Storage
• Studio Masters are large– 60MB for 4mins @ 24bit
– 160MB for 4min @ 192bit
• PC/Mac disk
• External hard drive
• Network attached storage (NAS)
• All-in-one units (Brennan JB7 / Olive )
• Cloud based
Digitise Records
Requirements
• A fitted turntable with cable connection
• phono preamplifier
– amplifies low level cartridge signal to line level
• Software
– Audacity
Digitise Records
• Clean record• Defrag PC or laptop• Check for hum• Set Audacity to record high-resolution: 24/92• Find quiet time to work
• Play record fully to find max loudness• Set Audacity input level
– it does not ‘clip’ (go into red)
• Get the correct volume– so doesn’t distort
Digitise Records
• Press Play on Audacity and drop the needle …
– Careful for “thump”
• Record whole side or both sides
• In Audacity
– check recording level was ok
– Click & Noise Removal removes crackles and spikes
– Silence Finder helps split songs
• Embed quality tags/metadata to each file
http://www.discogs.com
