Opeth and copy-protected CDs

[AlexGuinness]

I have never had a problem with any of the Dark Tranquillity ones (including the latest one), the last APC album copied fine as well.

One of my friends tried playing one at work that was apparently not designed to be played in PCs and it fucked it royally. Apparently everything had to be reinstalled.

Based on that I did not try to copy my promo of the lates Mortiis CD, although I know the regular retail copy copies fine.

My Dad sent me an e-mail ages ago about some band or label getting hassle for installing anticopy software on the CDs, or something like that. I think it was The Beastie Boys or something...

 

[RjBeals]

It's almost insulting to rip a band's catalogue onto a portable MP3 player, for low-quality mass consumption....I WILL buy it and I'll listen to it on CD, without compressing it and degenerating the quality.

Moonlapse - I'm a huge music fan as you are also. When CD's are ripped to VBR (Variable Bit Rate) MP3's, I personally can't tell a quality difference. I listen to them through my iRiver headphones, on my computer and on my home stereo. I personally think they sound great. Sure, technically, mp3's filter some of the sound waves amplitude, in effect "degenerating" sound quality, but not enough for my ears to notice.

I will also be one who downloads the CD as soon as it's leaked, but also buy it as soon as it's available.

 

[damiomen]

sur MP3 quality is not as good. but when i'm listening MP3 on my iPod, it's on the street, in the subway, not to loud at work (so i can hear people if they talk to me), etc. so it's almost always in situations when i could not appreciate full quality tracks anyway. so it's not a big deal in my life...

 

[deliverance]

if the mp3 is 128kbps and above, i got no issues

agreed

 

[narcoleptic haze]

Personally i've never had a problem with Copyprotected CDs. Everyone I have, I can copy it, or rip it to MP3 without a hastle. (And without some sort of program to crack it).

I use MusicMatch. Rips them everytime.

 

[Ermz]

128kbps quality mp3s are quite easy to spot. Listen for the highs (in a metal context, think cymbals) and try to hear a sort of wish-washy sound as if there's no articulation on that end. That's what mp3 compression does... you lose harmonics in the upper registers, so instead of the CD 'ideal' (I say 'ideal' because harmonic information is lost when signal processing during tracking/mixing/mastering and also downsampling to CD) of 22hz to 22khz, you end up with a greatly reduced frequency response in the upper registers.

It's really easy to spot. It becomes a bit harder when you go into 192kbps and VBR land, but I'm sure with the right gear you could spot that too. These ultra-shit PC speakers I use hardly allow for that anyway.

 

[narcoleptic haze]

128kbps quality mp3s are quite easy to spot. Listen for the highs (in a metal context, think cymbals) and try to hear a sort of wish-washy sound as if there's no articulation on that end. That's what mp3 compression does... you lose harmonics in the upper registers, so instead of the CD 'ideal' (I say 'ideal' because harmonic information is lost when signal processing during tracking/mixing/mastering and also downsampling to CD) of 22hz to 22khz, you end up with a greatly reduced frequency response in the upper registers.

It's really easy to spot. It becomes a bit harder when you go into 192kbps and VBR land, but I'm sure with the right gear you could spot that too. These ultra-shit PC speakers I use hardly allow for that anyway.

Agreed. I never touch anything under 192kbps these days unless it's all I can get.

 

[deliverance]

It's really easy to spot. It becomes a bit harder when you go into 192kbps and VBR land, but I'm sure with the right gear you could spot that too. These ultra-shit PC speakers I use hardly allow for that anyway.

my computer speakers are awesome

the slimness of them looks decieving, but don't let it fool you, they sound incredible

 

[Ermz]

Haha, anything with that much effort placed into aesthetics is trying to compromise for something.

Take a look at these:

Woudn't think that they're some of the most horrid things to ever produce sound, would ya?

But no, really. Anything specifically designed for PC, especially those shitty satellite/subwoofer combos are not that good for music listening. The crossovers on most of them are horrid and you get no mid-range loving whatsoever. Stick to HiFi speakers or studio monitors

 

[Kenneth R.]

i use something similar to what moonlapse posted + sub

 

[AlexGuinness]

I don't even have speakers attached to my PC anymore. As far as music goes on my PC, I use it to back things up and have a library to make compilations from.

If I need to hear something, I have Denon dual CD decks running through Numark mixers and active monitors just to my left...

 

[ginkgothian]

I always hear music on my computer so I want that damn CD to work

 

[Ermz]

I now have a pair of active monitors on my desk, hooked up to the PC, so the listening experience has been improved alot on my end.