Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: oboe on October 24, 2008, 08:53:23 AM
-
Which do you guys think is better for managing digital music libraries, iTunes or Windows Media Player, or Zune software?
I don't own an iPod or Zune, but could see buying a portable player like that in the future. I have used iTunes in the past, and think its convenient and I like purchasing music through the iTunes store- but I really dislike the extra software processes (like iTuneshelper.exe) that iTunes installs.
-
Well if you get an iPod you'll have to use iTunes. If you get a Zune you'll have to use the Zune software (see the pattern here?). It's my personal opinion that you are better off getting a player that allows you to drag and drop you music right into the player. Arrange your music in your "My Music" folder as you see fit. Don't let some application do it for you. It's amazing how many people don't even know where their music is stored on their hard drive...
I use WMP to rip to WMA (192kbps) then arrange the files and folders within "My Music" as I see fit and use Winamp to search and play on the PC. I have a 40gb RCA Lyra and I just drag and drop whatever folders I want into the player. I find iTunes and the Zune software to be very intrusive. Others will strongly disagree.
-
check out MediaMonkey, I've used it for a while, like it much better than iTunes... http://www.mediamonkey.com/
-
iTunes- without question, Especially when you look in terms of ability to netowrk through your house via Apple TV etc :)
-
iTunes- without question, Especially when you look in terms of ability to netowrk through your house via Apple TV etc :)
Are you Jobbs or Wozniac?
-
Well if you get an iPod you'll have to use iTunes. If you get a Zune you'll have to use the Zune software (see the pattern here?). It's my personal opinion that you are better off getting a player that allows you to drag and drop you music right into the player. Arrange your music in your "My Music" folder as you see fit. Don't let some application do it for you. It's amazing how many people don't even know where their music is stored on their hard drive...
I use WMP to rip to WMA (192kbps) then arrange the files and folders within "My Music" as I see fit and use Winamp to search and play on the PC. I have a 40gb RCA Lyra and I just drag and drop whatever folders I want into the player. I find iTunes and the Zune software to be very intrusive. Others will strongly disagree.
I agree completely with everything you said. However recently my wife bought an iPhone and I discovered I would have to start using iTunes to even sync the iPhone. So after years of holding out and organizing my music myself, I downloaded iTunes and let it take over. The way it organizes music is very frustrating. It looks at the file attached to each song that gives all the details, like artist, album, etc. So I had my music organized perfectly and could find anything quickly, but now I have 5 different AC/DC artists in iTunes because there are small errors in that details part.
Since then I have learned that just about every MP3 player works like this. I bought a creative labs MP3 player and even though it acts as an external hd, and you can simply drag and drop music on to it, it does not show up organized in the same way on the player. So if you are planning on loading your music to an MP3 player just be aware that having it organized in windows file system will not mean its organized on the MP3 player.
-
Just as AKHog said, I also amd totally anal about organizing my library of about 6800 songs. I do both windows file system, then manually use winamp to edit the IDv3 data to match spelling and everything. that way it transfers to everything properly.
it is a pain to do at first, but if you are just starting a library it is easy to keep up as you go... get a song, do all the naming and ID before you even play it.
-
Back in the day, I used Winamp, even through their terrible version 3. I then used Winamp 5 for a year or so and within the last 2 years I've crossed over to Windows Media Player. I organize my music in C:\My Music, not in the buried C:\Documents and Settings.... etc one. Each band has their own folder and so does each album. I'm not really nitpicky about file names or ID3 tags. 99% of everything I have is in mp3 format. A few .ogg and .wma stuff.
My first mp3 file I believe was Dangerzone circa 1998.
-
Just as AKHog said, I also amd totally anal about organizing my library of about 6800 songs. I do both windows file system, then manually use winamp to edit the IDv3 data to match spelling and everything. that way it transfers to everything properly.
it is a pain to do at first, but if you are just starting a library it is easy to keep up as you go... get a song, do all the naming and ID before you even play it.
I have 55 gigs of music, about 14,000 songs. A "pain to do at first" is an understatement!
With programs like shazam that listens to music and tells you what song it is, I don't know why iTunes doesn't have an option for it to listen to every song and correct the IDv3 data.
-
I don't know why iTunes doesn't have an option for it to listen to every song and correct the IDv3 data.
media monkey's got that... can grab album art and update id3 tags over the internet, and it's not tied into any brand of player, so it's platform agnostic in that sense. might not be the best if you buy a lot of tracks on the 'net, but as far as organizing your existing library IMO it beats the rest...
-
Well, if you want a professional opinion, try PCDJ. I'm not going to get on a soap box about it, but I have been using it for the past 7 years in my DJ business.
Easy to use.
With 700+ Gigabytes of music and karaoke songs (which it also plays) it needs to be easy.
-
media monkey's got that... can grab album art and update id3 tags over the internet, and it's not tied into any brand of player, so it's platform agnostic in that sense. might not be the best if you buy a lot of tracks on the 'net, but as far as organizing your existing library IMO it beats the rest...
iTunes will grab album art, but I haven't figured out how to get it to update ID3 tags.
-
Good, because anything that tags my music for me, frightens me.
Especially when a bride is paying me $1500 + to play the right song at the right time.
I-tunes gives me the heebie-jeebies.
-
I use both iTunes and Music Media, and I like Music Media better. Maybe it's because I've used it since I was just a wee boy, but I just like it more. The hard part is getting all your songs onto it if you want them all on. I've put about 300 songs on my new computer and aren't even half-way done!
-
iTunes- without question, Especially when you look in terms of ability to netowrk through your house via Apple TV etc :)
LOL, eww apple tv. Mediaportal on a HTPC runs rings around that piece of junk.
+1 for media monkey.
-
Hi Vulcan.. your nick seems familiar... Do you remember me?
-
Hi Vulcan.. your nick seems familiar... Do you remember me?
Umm no? Should I?
-
I have 55 gigs of music, about 14,000 songs. A "pain to do at first" is an understatement!
With programs like shazam that listens to music and tells you what song it is, I don't know why iTunes doesn't have an option for it to listen to every song and correct the IDv3 data.
a bit more than me, I got 42GB right now, but I started the process back when I was around 1000 songs. Like I mentioned how I am, I get angry if the word "the" is capitalized in a song title. I have to change both the file, and tag.
it simply is not an option to have an ALL CAPS name, or something not properly titled.
Someone mentioned album art, winamp does that, you can download and save the art too.
-
Just wait until you get on Vista and it wont let you use your own music the way you want! :furious
-
Just as AKHog said, I also amd totally anal about organizing my library of about 6800 songs. I do both windows file system, then manually use winamp to edit the IDv3 data to match spelling and everything. that way it transfers to everything properly.
it is a pain to do at first, but if you are just starting a library it is easy to keep up as you go... get a song, do all the naming and ID before you even play it.
You guys must have a LOT of extra time on your hands.. I'm just glad if I have time to listen to music let alone start organizing it.
Oh and iTunes is infamous for porking windows installations it can mess up your whole computer royally. Just FYI. Not something I'd ever install on my windows box. Luckily I have a macbook pro if I should ever need iTunes.
-
You guys must have a LOT of extra time on your hands.. I'm just glad if I have time to listen to music let alone start organizing it.
Oh and iTunes is infamous for porking windows installations it can mess up your whole computer royally. Just FYI. Not something I'd ever install on my windows box. Luckily I have a macbook pro if I should ever need iTunes.
Yeah what he said.
Except, as I use music as a tool of the trade, I must make the time to be as anal as Mustaine is.
I can I'll afford to incorrectly tagged mp3's. It would be quite embarrassing at a wedding if I was to play "Unchained Melody" and it turned out to "Sober" by Tool :lol
It would probably not help in my endeavor to book future weddings, either.
-
Just a reminder for many people who like me might be fully content just listening to streamed music. www.deezer.com enables you to search your favourite artist, make permanent playlists and listen to free streamed music whenever you need it.
They have a huge library of music and I've found almost everything I ever hoped from it.
-
No Itunes, No Zune, thats why I bought a 16gb Sansa View, it does allow you to drag and drop and is not "dependent". I use Win Amp or Rhapsody, so far so good.
ps I also store about 4gb of pictures on it, 5 kids and 3 grandchildren requirement hehe
-
You guys must have a LOT of extra time on your hands.. I'm just glad if I have time to listen to music let alone start organizing it.
Oh and iTunes is infamous for porking windows installations it can mess up your whole computer royally. Just FYI. Not something I'd ever install on my windows box. Luckily I have a macbook pro if I should ever need iTunes.
I'm interested in hearing more details about this if you have them - how exactly does it screw up the installation?
-
in use WMP to rip/burn CDs, Foobar2000 for listening, and Itunes gets run every now and again to put stuff on my Ipod.
-
I'm interested in hearing more details about this if you have them - how exactly does it screw up the installation?
Like this: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=536l
-
Don't get me started on Quicksh*t aka Quicktime. I use alternative programs during the rare chance I need to watch a .mov file. I've never met a program that tried to get its way into the startup as much as Quicktime does, other than a virus.
Just one of the many reasons I will forever hate Apple products.
-
I'm interested in hearing more details about this if you have them - how exactly does it screw up the installation?
Quicktime is usually the biggest offender. It's a steaming pile of poo, known to break a lot of windows stuff, especially java installs. I even hear a few mac folk moaning about the lastest version of itunes.