What Music have you bought via download?

Now that a forum member has taken the time and trouble to explain to me how to download..

Free System Projekt (flac)
Sound quality superb

Too many to list, but my latest is a 29/96 lossless download frol 2L

TRONDHEIMSOLISTENE:
DIVERTIMENTI

Roughly 90% of my purchases (pop, rock, jazz) in the past year have been downloads from amazon (256 kbps) or cdbaby.
Happy puppy with all of them.

difficult to get hold of stuff on cd.

I buy the odd single on download to save buying a compilation full of stuff I wouldn't otherwise want.

Fender (Strat)

I have bought Flac downloads from Underworld and Pearl Jam, at their official websites. I have got electronic music downloads at MusicZeit, Free System Projekt and Radio Massacre International, again Flac files.

I also got four Underworld releases and one by Free System Projekt on MP3, which were not available in any other format back in 2005. Other than that, I do not buy MP3s, if there is any lossless option. I do not like the sound of MP3s, 190 Kbps included, and once you get above that bit rate, Flac files are (pretty much) as convenient to download.

In the same vein, I also bought a FM tuner a couple of years ago, as I was unhappy with the radio quality on my Sky digi-box.

For years I have collected free unofficial (bootleg) live/session recordings as Flac, or Shn (older lossless format).

I think it has been mentioned elsewhere, but in case people have not come across the term Flac stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, it allows wav files to be compressed for transfer/download without any loss of information.

All this is dependant on your web connection speed I know, so for some people Flac files are not the best option for download.

Bought?

I've come across LOTS of really cool stuff for free lately. My local Starbux has a basket with all their old "FREE DOWNLOAD" iTunes featured artists promotion cards; you need to get them before they expire.

NIN has had their newest record, http://dl.nin.com/theslip/signup The Slip, for free in all formats for some time. Their 24/96 download sounds amazing! I have all the NIN 12-inch 33 and 45-rpm singles and this download rivals them. I don't like this record as much as the older stuff, but hey, it's free. And through a 24/96 D/A, it's cool hearing the future today.

And, or course, your download collection would not be complete without http://www.humvee.net/src/samples.html SRC; also FREE. After you've played the SRC songs over and over a dozen times and asked yourself how you've never heard of them before, while marveling at the excellent sound quality, email me and I'll tell you my address, so you can send me bottle in thanks.

If you're a fan of http://thehivesbroadcastingservice.com/ The Hives (and let's be honest, who isn't?), you must register for their FREE downloads.

It would take me hours to link to lots of FREE downloads of cool jazz and pop from the 30s and 40s. Many songs copywrites were never renewed and there is so much great FREE music out there; just search for it.

For years, it seems the cool thing to say on the Hi-Fi Corner is, "Don't upgrade from your HiCap to SuperCap [or whatever], enjoy your hi-fi the way it is and spend it on the music."

Can I start a new trend and say, "Download your music for free from authorized sites, see the bands live when they play your town, and buy more Naim." How's that for a win-win economic stimulus plan?

Ron The Mon
Needle-Freak

Jamie,

Re your comments about web connection speeds -

I downloaded FSP 'Protoavis' recently, the album (file) is 75mins and it took about 2 and a half hours to download at approx 35kb/sec. On playing it sounded fine but because it was so slow as an experiment i done it again a few days later, this time at 115kb/sec and i could tell no difference in quality between the two.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Mike7:
Jamie,

Re your comments about web connection speeds -

I downloaded FSP 'Protoavis' recently, the album (file) is 75mins and it took about 2 and a half hours to download at approx 35kb/sec. On playing it sounded fine but because it was so slow as an experiment i done it again a few days later, this time at 115kb/sec and i could tell no difference in quality between the two.

Mike

Hi Mike

Not sure what you mean about the two speeds. Are you comparing Flac files with MP3's?

I must admit that for flowing electronic music like 'FSP', the difference is not as apparent as with vocals, drums, especially the bass drum, and also high cymbals, those I ind MP3 does not cope well with compared to Flac.

No Jamie..both flac files from MusicZeit

I guess it's just the download speed because of the connection!?

Hi Mike

There will be no difference between Flac files, no matter how fast or slow they download.

Sometimes the download server has more than one download happening that slows it down, or at times the web is busier, and so slower.

quote:

Originally posted by JamieL:
Hi Mike

There will be no difference between Flac files, no matter how fast or slow they download.

Sometimes the download server has more than one download happening that slows it down, or at times the web is busier, and so slower.

Aah right..
Thanks...something else i have learnt!

Neil Young--Live at Fillmore East.
Mark Knopfler--Sailing to Philadelphia.

both very cheap ,fine for my ipod and the car cd player.
George

I've just set my first FLAC download going (from Boomkat), "The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid" and not bad for £9.99 when the double CD is almost imposible to get in the UK.