Best way to listen to music on the road.

[Jimbo]

We have all been there. That Saturday morning run, where there is just nothing to listen to on the radio. All you hear from station to station is a new cure for baldness, or how to make a million dollars a day while you sleep.

When I need to hear music, I like to listen to my CD collection. I know that I can hear my style of music, with no commercials to spoil the mood. Up until 2 years ago, I had a folder with all my CDs in it. They were copies of the discs that I used in the truck. The originals were safely at home, ready to be copied again if the one in the truck got lost or stolen. Soon after that, I found a CD player that played MP3 files. Now, instead of having a whole stack of CDs in the truck, I only had 3 discs. Each disc, while in MP3 format, held 13 hours of music. The radio in my truck had a cassette player in it, and I used one of those adapters that looks like a tape with a wire coming out of it. You pop the tape looking part into the radio, and the wire into the earphone jack of the CD player. The whole setup worked great.

This past Christmas, my girlfriend got me an MP3 player. The exact model I have is a Creative labs MuVo TX with 256 megabytes of storage. There are bigger and better models out there, but this one is good enough for me. It hooks up to the computer by way of a USB port, and is about the size of a cigarette lighter. The way I listen to music will never be the same.

Now, instead of a big, bulky CD player sitting on the dash, I have this tiny Zippo lighter sized box strapped to the front of the dash. The power wire I had before is gone too. No need to run a wire from the 12 volt power to the player, since this unit runs on a single AAA battery. When the music I have on the player gets a little old, I simply pop the player into the USB port of my computer, and put a whole new set of songs into it in about 2 minutes. And the best part is.....NO SKIPS!!. I had a CD player with skip protection, but it still skipped a lot. With an MP3 player, there is no moving part to worry about skipping.

If you care about your music, look into an MP3 player. If you are reading this post, you probably have every other piece of equipment you will need. A computer to create the MP3 files, and a CD rom drive on the computer so you can load you music CDs into the computer, and convert them into MP3s. Once you get set up with an MP3 player, you'll wonder how you ever did without it.

[NIGHTHAWK]

Sounds good I guess I buy me one

[Jimbo]

I promise you will not be sorry. If you need a good price on any MP3 player, give me the exact model and maker, and I'll see what price I can get for you. If I can't save you any money, no harm done, but most times I can save you a few bucks.

[Preacher]

I guess I'm still in denial that they can cram sooo much music into something sooo small!

[ATCO]

I dunno if I'll ever get an MP3, still a little spitful it is associated with those people who steal music through the internet....

However Jimbo, made a valid argument for them... I had just invested in satalite radio. Of course now XM is raising it 3 bucks more a month... kinda pisses me off, thats one reason I went to XM, and not SIRIUS...

I just can't seem to keep the tunes coming, with out paying too much or always having to change a CD (trust me they get old)... Traditional radios can be a joke, in having to keep finding new ones while driving.... Maybe this MP3 is a win...

[Jimbo]

I guess I'm still in denial that they can cram sooo much music into something sooo small!

Preacher, 20 years ago my first computer had a hard drive that was the size of a clock radio, and only held 80 Megabytes of information. That's about one third of what my Ram holds today. The ram chip that is less than the size of a sugar wafer cookie can now leave my first computer in the dust. Heck, even a single CD has 10 times the info as my first computer's hard drive.

Things change. And with the MP3 technology compressing everything, you can fit a ton of info on your CD now.

[Jimbo]

I dunno if I'll ever get an MP3, still a little spitful it is associated with those people who steal music through the internet....

Atco, two points about that:

1- Yes, I did download music from the Internet, but it was mostly A- Music I could not find anywhere else, or B- Music I used to see if I wanted to buy the whole album. When you are looking for music like the theme song from a TV show, and have no idea who created it, it's easy to find under the show's title on the Internet. I spent weeks looking for the theme song from the HBO show "The Sopranos" with no luck, and ended up getting it from the Internet. Also, I have a bunch of CDs in my house that have only one song on them that I really like. If the music industry would stop putting out all of these "One Hit Wonders", people would probably be less disgruntled.

2- You can put music that you purchased in a store on your computer as an MP3 file, so you have a backup of the CD. If you make a copy of a CD you bought in a store, and then use the copy to listen to, you can keep the original safely stored out of harm's way. If I buy a CD for $15 at Best Buy, and it gets scratched, they will not replace it for me. Instead, I make a copy. If the copy gets scratched, I simply throw it out, and make another copy. But the record company still got their money from me for the original sale.

What I do these days is buy a CD, and copy it as an MP3 file onto my computer. If I want to listen to 10 Johnny Cash songs that are on 3 different CDs, I can put them all on 1 CD, not having to carry around the others. And now, with my MP3 player being the sixe of a zippo lighter, I don't need to worry about my CD player getting bounced around the truck.

[Preacher]

Hey Jimbo! I was just kiddin' about the MP3 thing. Shoot, I got my first puter in 1984 and it had 40megs of hard drive, 2-5-1/2" floppys, a green monochrome monitor, a 1200kb modem, and a daisywheel printer. Cost - $1700.00!

I was online way before the web, using bbs on Compuserve at $6 per hour!

In the realm of computers I can honestly say that I don't long for the good ol' days.

[ATCO]

I dunno if I'll ever get an MP3, still a little spitful it is associated with those people who steal music through the internet....

Atco, two points about that:

1- Yes, I did download music from the Internet, but it was mostly A- Music I could not find anywhere else, or B- Music I used to see if I wanted to buy the whole album. When you are looking for music like the theme song from a TV show, and have no idea who created it, it's easy to find under the show's title on the Internet. I spent weeks looking for the theme song from the HBO show "The Sopranos" with no luck, and ended up getting it from the Internet. Also, I have a bunch of CDs in my house that have only one song on them that I really like. If the music industry would stop putting out all of these "One Hit Wonders", people would probably be less disgruntled.

2- You can put music that you purchased in a store on your computer as an MP3 file, so you have a backup of the CD. If you make a copy of a CD you bought in a store, and then use the copy to listen to, you can keep the original safely stored out of harm's way. If I buy a CD for $15 at Best Buy, and it gets scratched, they will not replace it for me. Instead, I make a copy. If the copy gets scratched, I simply throw it out, and make another copy. But the record company still got their money from me for the original sale.

What I do these days is buy a CD, and copy it as an MP3 file onto my computer. If I want to listen to 10 Johnny Cash songs that are on 3 different CDs, I can put them all on 1 CD, not having to carry around the others. And now, with my MP3 player being the sixe of a zippo lighter, I don't need to worry about my CD player getting bounced around the truck.

Jimbo, about your points.

Your number 1, I wouldn't honestly classify what you described as stealing so much as sampling... However there are way too many people who do not follow this intention. They download thousands of songs, with out giving out a dime, or batting an eye. Thats the world we live in. In respect for the songs you have no knowledge about, it is a very useful tool, but a simple database could do the same.

Your number 2, I think this is a wonderful idea... I have to admit it is a far better way to utilize your investment in CD's... I now there are a couple of CD's I sure wished I'd made copies of, but it's too late now... Additionally, I understood, perfectly well you could record a CD into a MP3 file... However, I haven't ever needed to do so, I have no MP3 player. And I do not listien to music on my computer... BTW, It seems Wal-mart has got the best pricing on CD's from what I can see...

[Jimbo]

All right-ee then Atco, me and you seem to be on the same page, more or less. Just remember back in my day, when we taped cassettes off of the radio, and listened to it over and over. I see downloading in the same light, although some people can get carried away with it.

I just wish there was a place that we could go to, and order an MP3 CD of a certain company's songs. Like if you want to go to Jet Records, and check out their database, and order songs for 50 cents a piece or so, that would be great. you could listen to the whole album on the net, and then only pay for the songs you wanted. That would give these record labels more incentive to put out better groups, instead of using one good song to sell a whole album.

[Big_Dave]

We have all been there. That Saturday morning run, where there is just nothing to listen to on the radio. All you hear from station to station is a new cure for baldness, or how to make a million dollars a day while you sleep.
2 words for ya............XM Radio. ;)

While a MP3 player is good, it's just like a tape deck. Same songs over and over.

With the XM I have, I have around 110 channels of music, news, sports, talk and just about whatever else a guy could want to listen to on the road. :cool:

XM = the best thing since hot buttered popcorn and sliced cheese. :cool: ;)

[Hillbilly]

I am just crazy about my XM radio. Its just about the best thing since store-bought bread! (Shoot, that gives away my age, didn't it.) But, I'm still a teenager at heart! But really, you can get just about anything your in the mood to listen to.

[merkurfan]

I guess I have taken the MP3 player to the next level. I have a Kenwood Musickeg. To my radio in the dash it is a cd-changer. but since I just upgraded my laptop hard drive I figured a good place for the old 40 gig was the musickeg. It now holds 38 gig of MP3 files. I quickly copied my complete music collection (the bulk of them came from the original cd's) to it.

Now the truck is scrolling through all the CD's to find the one I want. It is kind of like cable tv. So many choice and still.. Nothing to listen to :)

Best thing I did was to get XM. :cheers:

[Randy]

I'm going to go with Big Dave on this ...XM would be my choice :cool: ...some days I may listen to Country in the morning then on the way home it could be classic rock (Stones, LZ, ZZ). Another reason ...I'm lazy and well won't spend the time down loading songs :zzz: ...but maybe I could talk my son into doing it for his old man :D (it's called pay back).

Randy

[tahoetr]

IPOD!!!
I have over 120 cd's on my ipod, and still got room for a few more mb's

[tahoetr]

Sirius all the way baby, well after i get tired of the iPOD
:D

[Bookworm]

XM is the only way to go

Dave

[BlueAngel]

I just wish there was a place that we could go to, and order an MP3 CD of a certain company's songs. Like if you want to go to Jet Records, and check out their database, and order songs for 50 cents a piece or so, that would be great. you could listen to the whole album on the net, and then only pay for the songs you wanted. That would give these record labels more incentive to put out better groups, instead of using one good song to sell a whole album.

There are a few sites where you pay anywhere from 97 cents to $1 per song you download. I'll admit they don't have every song in the world, but it's better than downloading all those without paying a dime to the artist. You have to be careful which site you use, though. MSN only lets you download in a wav format so it's not compatible with most players. Make sure you read the fine print before downloading. I lost $5 on the MSN thing. :angry:

[tommy]

I will sing to you BA, under the warm moonlight walking on the beach!! :yikes: :D :D


((for a small fee))

[Magnolia]

I just wish there was a place that we could go to, and order an MP3 CD of a certain company's songs. Like if you want to go to Jet Records, and check out their database, and order songs for 50 cents a piece or so, that would be great. you could listen to the whole album on the net, and then only pay for the songs you wanted. That would give these record labels more incentive to put out better groups, instead of using one good song to sell a whole album.

There are a few sites where you pay anywhere from 97 cents to $1 per song you download. I'll admit they don't have every song in the world, but it's better than downloading all those without paying a dime to the artist. You have to be careful which site you use, though. MSN only lets you download in a wav format so it's not compatible with most players. Make sure you read the fine print before downloading. I lost $5 on the MSN thing. :angry:




My son found one that you download songs for like 10 cents per song, don't ask me the name of the site. He put it on my computer but I never used it. Not sure what site he uses now but he does pay a fee for down loading songs to his IPOD!
We have not bought a XM radio yet but have a feeling we will be buying one soon for hubby while on the road.

[BlueAngel]

I will sing to you BA, under the warm moonlight walking on the beach!! :yikes: :D :D


((for a small fee))

Hmmm... And just how much does that cost? :wtf: :harhar:

[BlueAngel]

My son found one that you download songs for like 10 cents per song, don't ask me the name of the site. He put it on my computer but I never used it. Not sure what site he uses now but he does pay a fee for down loading songs to his IPOD!
We have not bought a XM radio yet but have a feeling we will be buying one soon for hubby while on the road.


10 cents a song would be nice. I'd like to know the name of that site if you can find it out. :)

[Magnolia]

My son found one that you download songs for like 10 cents per song, don't ask me the name of the site. He put it on my computer but I never used it. Not sure what site he uses now but he does pay a fee for down loading songs to his IPOD!
We have not bought a XM radio yet but have a feeling we will be buying one soon for hubby while on the road.


10 cents a song would be nice. I'd like to know the name of that site if you can find it out. :)


When my son gets home later this evening I will ask him for the site.
If he still has it, will post it here for you.