Digital Music or CD's

[AMuse]

I have been buying CD's for a long time but recently it seems that places like iTunes and other online digital outfits are getting music that is not only new and not available readily as CD but older hard to find music is also availble.

Does anyone have an opinion on where the trend is heading with CD's? Should I continue to invest in the CD for music or switch to iPod/iTunes style music collections?

Hi to everyone BTW.

[MiscGenius]

i think that cds will be gone forever soon enough
most of the people i know just drag around ipods or something similar. even my receiver at home now has an ipod port

[Nautilus]

i think that cds will be gone forever soon enough
most of the people i know just drag around ipods or something similar. even my receiver at home now has an ipod port

I am not so sure. There is still a definite quality issue, at least IMO where the CD has an advantage. There is also the artwork factor. A CD is a complete product and presentation from the artist and the artwork and lyrics become integral. Maybe when the iPods get larger displays and also bring up liner notes and images or related content for the material.

[duhb]

i think that the cd wont last. everything just keeps getting smaller and more on the digital side
beside the fact that no one is buying anything and just downloading free crap so the business side of that has to be getting hit hard. kind of like when the vhs tape went away for the dvd the cd will one day just become some digital thing in its place

[Vicky]

Well if the CD does go away, I hope it is replaced with something equally as good. I mean, maybe the digital product of the future will have the lyrics, photos, images, etc., along with music in equal quality that can be easily connected to a home system, car, whatever.

Just a matter of time I suppose.

[AMuse]

CD's won't go away completely. At least not in the short term. Maybe someone will come up with a new format that is superior to the CD and that can also weigh in on how the purely digital stuff gets propagated. Interesting to watch things unfold with all of the technology that is evolving in this arena.

[Vertigo]

i think this technology destroy music's quality
it's not possible to "push the button" at all costs..

if we look at the vinyls... they are the best music's quality way after all...

[AMuse]

i think this technology destroy music's quality
it's not possible to "push the button" at all costs..

if we look at the vinyls... they are the best music's quality way after all...

Funny you should say that. I know one person that swears by their records and turntable and does not have a high opinion of CD's as a sound medium. This is an overly purist approach to me. I think that technically the CD is supposedly far superior to vinyl but it is digital rather than analog if I remember correctly. So this kind of goes to the whole analog versus digital thing. The analog purists will never accept the digital representation of analog. lol

[Nautilus]

Hmm.

I also thought that the CD was a better audio rendition than the record (vinyl) but can not be certain. Anyone know for sure? I'd like to know.

Also, can you even buy a turntable anymore except on like eBay or something.

[MiscGenius]

Hmm.

I also thought that the CD was a better audio rendition than the record (vinyl) but can not be certain. Anyone know for sure? I'd like to know.

Also, can you even buy a turntable anymore except on like eBay or something.

maybe but can you do a scratch with a cd?
any dj here

[marknicholas]

CDs have a much wider audio range - so technically speaking, they're superior. The reason records sound better to a lot of DJs is because of the way music is prepared before records are made. Artists have to master recording in a special way to prepare for vinyl, and the process often makes music sound punchier because, as they strip away the low end range to make the audio spectrum fit, they usually compress it up into a higher range, which makes it "punch" in a different place on sound systems.

Vinyl's advantage? As an archive. If you keep your records prestine, they will theoretically last longer than CDs. CDs live about 25 years. Vinyl can last indefinitely in ideal temperature and humidity settings.

And yes, you can scratch with CDs now using high end CD decks. You can actually even scratch digital files really well now, using a touch interface and software.

Which format is better really boils down to the ears. But most artists will tell you that they prefer that you hear their music on CD because it has the complete audio spectrum they were hearing when they mixed the original recording.

Actually, most artists would prefer that you hear it in 24 bit, (CDs are 16 bit) but that's not gonna happen anytime soon... people are totally content to take an audio quality step backwards for MP3s, so how you could get them excited about DVD audio or any other medium that would support 24 bit is beyond me.

To answer the question of the original post, I myself still prefer CDs for their audio quality and the fact that they're permanent. I've lost more than a few files, ya know? But CDs are harder to lose. And with a CD, as the MP3 quality standards go up (started at 128 kbps when MP3s first got big, now 256 is the standard, and it'll likely keep increasing) you can always re-rip the songs from CD into your iPod or whatever at the higher quality. But if all you have is a 128 MP3 you downloaded and you want it higher, you've gotta buy it all over again, ya know? That said, I do buy a lot of single songs from iTunes 'cause it's cheaper than buying a whole CD for the one song I want.

[Synthpopalooza]

CD's will not go away anytime soon. For one thing, the quality is still better than compressed audio downloads. And for me, there is the idea of holding the artwork in your hands. To me, the CD artwork is as much a part of the finished product as is the music itself, it's an expression of the artist's vision. I have an album on iTunes, but I don't feel my product is truly in it's purest form until it's on a CD, and I get people wanting to know when my CD will be available for purchase.

I am just speaking for myself, I know probably the average Joe on the street only cares about the music, and has no discernment for artistry or Cd quality, they just want the latest Britney track.

There will likely be a better format to come along, but for now, the CD is still top of the food chain in this industry.

[ProAudioX]

Very well put, and many good points.

Most people are not able to tell the difference between the mastered, compressed product that is the 16 Bit CD and say what many artists hear in the studio rolling along at 24 Bits and 44.1 or 48KHz. Some even record at 96KHz and you still need the ears to appreciate that.

But my point here would be that I think this format will still evolve at some point to the 24 Bit realm and in some "you can hold it" media format. It may be a new Super CD or just a whole new thing altogether but consumer lines will catch up somewhat to the "pro audio" view of things just like the whole HD DVD sweep that has taken place in the last year or so.

[Nautilus]

Wow, thanks on the technical breakdown. You guys really know this stuff.

Just think, at least we are not talking about hi-bias, metal, cassettes optimized for Dolby B and C!

Things do progress along.

[Synthpopalooza]

Here's another bit to throw into the mix: 5.1 Surround

Admittedly this would be useless for listening to on your iPod, but possibly useful in a car or some kind of home stereo system. A music format which takes advantage of 5.1 surround, but which still plays ok in an ordinary stereo system, or perhaps is backwards compatible with an ordinary stereo CD player, might well be revolutionary, in the same way as when the first stereo vinyl records came out.

I also seem to remember hearing some rumblings awhile back about something called DVD-audio ... has anybody heard of this?

[Red and Shiny]

Digital for me.
Sure I still have cds but you get used to whatever works for you and if you have a lot of digital devices and are always out and about that sort of takes it you know.

[Dusty Chalk]

I'm a hybrid -- I tend to "sample" music online, so I have a dedicated heaphone setup just for my computer, but if I like it, then I go out and buy the CD or whatever.

[A04]

maybe but can you do a scratch with a cd?
any dj here

The newer CDJs can do all sorts of wonderful things with CDs including a near reproduction of a turntable experience. There's also a device that actually runs on a turntable that controls playback of the CD. I really wish I had more money to buy more toys.


As for the CD/dowload debate, I was a CD purist for a while and although I still haven't purchased any downloads as of yet...I have gotten some really disappointing CDs based on a really strong track and would have been better off buying just the single as a digital download.

Also, digital downloads don't charge shipping and living in Japan, I get hit with some of the highest rates. Some countries don't rely on online shopping because they can't trust the postal service. (Japan Post has never lost a package of mine, but I've heard stories coming out of Europe.)

I miss used CD shopping and finding the random treasure, but online browsing can be just as rewarding.

[Vicky]

I agree, when the artist offers a CD there should be a way to preview the entire disc. Maybe 1 minute samples or something or even better would be whole songs at a low fi, or whatever.

When you hear a single track that you like but put a CD in that for the most parts does not do the same thing for you as that one track it is a bad situation and money wasted, IMO.

[ERIC31]

I'm old school and I actually like CD's, cassettes and vinyl. (Not to mention the fact that there are still many excellent old records/tapes that will never see a CD or digital release!) I like to have something in my hand. If i need/want MP3's for the Ipod I'll make them from the CD. I NEED to have artwork, photos, tracklisting, who, what, where, when, how it was recorded. What instruments did they use? I really like all that information. It's still lots of fun to go to a new/used record/CD store and browse through racks of music looking for something interesting. Looking through a list of MP3's sitting in front of a computer screen just can't compare.

Don't get me wrong, I do download songs off the internet. I order stuff from A Different Drum and Amazon too. But that's for things that I cannot find in a store.

Opinions vary but I'm sure there will still be people that want the full music experience and not just download singles.

[duhb]

i wish that the cd would make it but it just looks like this wont happen. the trend just seems to be overwhelming it into the direction of digital. there will still be products around for a long time tough for those that want that just like vinyl is still available.