Question about CD albums
 

Hi guys. I would just like to ask something about CD albums because I've never bought one before. So if i buy a CD, would i be able to just drag and drop the mp3 files of it? I'm going to put the mp3 files on my phone. If not, then i would just buy the mp3 files instead, but i really want to buy this album that's why I'm asking.

After you buy the album, you'll have to "rip" the CD to your computer (use a program like iTunes, WMP, RealPlayer, WinAmp, etc.). "Ripping" is basically copying the files over to your computer. You can't just drag and drop, as the CD that you buy is already finalized.

When you "rip" the CD, it will have you choose the option in which you want the songs to ripped (bitrate, format, sample rate, etc).

Format: Most people choose MP3 (as it is the most universally accepted format), but you can also choose other options (WMA, AAC, RP, WAV, etc)

Bitrate: First, you will chose between constant (CBR) and variable (VBR). CBR allots equal data to each part of the songs,allowing for a more consistant volume while listening. VBR allots more data to the louder parts of the music and less to the softer parts. VBR usually takes up less room and let's you hear the music more as it was recorded, but can be annoying because the volume level can vary so much in a single song.

If you choose a CBR, you will usually have the option to pick between 64 kbps - 320 kbps (kilobytes per second). The higher the kbps, the better the sound quality, but the more space the song takes up. If you choose a lower bitrate, you will never be able to convert it to a higher one.

Sample Rate: I would just go with the default option, it us usually something around 44.100 kHz.

My advice is to rip it as an MP3 @ 320 kbps at a CBR.

Ok thanks! :)

What kind of phone are you going to be putting them on? If you're using an iPhone, iTunes will abviously be better to use, but it will not allow you to sync to anything BUT an Apple device. A Zune or WindowsPhone will require Zune Marketplace. Anything else is usually done by WMP or just dragging and dropping from wherever you saved the files to.

I have Samsung Galaxy S phone so yeah just drag and drop.

Anybody else feel really old after reading this?

Yes.

Very much so...

As Paul Westerburg wrote:

How young are you?
How old am I?
Let's count the rings
around my eyes

Amen

Remember when albums used to come on CASSETTES?!

http://foreveratreasure.com/images/g...tte%20Tape.jpg

The kids will think we're crazy.

How about 8-Track tapes?

Ehhhhhh... yeah you have me there :)

I've never even physically seen an 8-track cartridge.

There was a box of them in my basement as a kid. Also a cabinet full of old vinyl, and some boxes (which I should actually have a look through, because for all I know, there are some gems).

Mostly I remember cassettes, and how much of a pain in the ass it was to listen to a specific song on them. Also, I would stand on our pool table and perform to an invisible crowd to them. I thought KD Lang was a man.

Did you use a hair brush as a microphone? lol I think that's what I used. Of course, for me, being more introverted, I became Iggy Pop in my bedroom with the door closed...

You could buy albums brand new on cassette here up until the end of the 90s. I got Oasis' Be Here Now and The Verve's Urban Hymns on cassette when they came out, as well as some other embarrassing stuff. And of course we can't forget taping songs off the radio :D

I believe so. My imaginary festival line-up was KD Lang, Celine Dion, Belinda Carlisle, Ace of Base, and Alison Moyet. If there were men in my show, they were David Bowie. There may also have been a mix tape of Disney classics in there.

My mother was part of a mail-order music club that offered both cassettes and CDs. We switched over early. I remember finagling some terrible stuff out of her over the years.