cds

CD box sets: It's that time of year again

Downloads and streaming music can't touch physical media for sound quality, or the pleasures associated with truly deluxe packaging.

For a prime example of the state of the art of the box set, check out the extra-thick album sleeves and gorgeous slipcase on Pearl Jam's "vs. & Vitalogy Deluxe Edition" three-disc set. The third disc is a live show from Boston's Orpheum Theatre in 1994. The band is peaking, and it's great to hear this fierce, passionate music sounding this good. To get the full effect, you'll want to play it loud. The … Read more

Rumor Has It, Ep. 8: Google TV is a dead, dead horse (podcast)

The month is almost up, and Karyne is beating Emily by a smidge. With only two shows left, however, it's time to start thinking of embarrassing things for Emily to do when she loses.

On this week's show, we cry over CDs going the way of the dodo; we laugh about Staples selling the PlayBook for $199; Google Music is going to 11, whatever that means, at an event on Wednesday; and according to nobody, the iPad 3 will be able to fly.

Things are heating up in the Twitter wars, too! Stephen, at the time of the … Read more

Will music CDs be dead in 14 months?

There's a new 2012 doomsday prophecy out there. The world might survive the end of the Mayan calendar, but compact discs might not be so lucky.

A report from Side-Line cites a number of anonymous music industry insiders who confirmed to the music magazine that the major labels are planning to stop pressing new CDs by the end of next year, if not sooner.

The issue, the argument goes, is that CDs cost money to create, store, and distribute and shifting to all-digital distribution will free up more resources for marketing and other parts of the business.

There is one problem with the notion of killing the CD, however. Labels are still making money off of them. … Read more

The 404 881: Where we sweat it out (podcast)

CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg (not that one) is back on the show and telling us why iPod docks, Beats Audio, and Spotify are ruining the music industry. Steve also has a few ideas on how to make one last buck off said music industry, and advises us on the rules of listening to music in public.

He still also has a pair of V-Moda earplugs to give away to a few lucky 404 listeners, so be sure to add him on Twitter and mention both of us in a Tweet for a chance to win!

The 404 Digest for Episode 881

Spotify and the search for meaning in music. Steve says: " They should stop making CDs." Do people really care how their gadgets sound? Planet Money podcast: Manufacturing the song of the summer.

Episode 881 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Yourmusic.com CD subscription service calls it quits

If you remember BMG Music Service's 12-for-1 CD subscription service, then I offer up this footnote to that story. Direct Brands shuttered that service in 2008, shuffling over its remaining members to a new site, Yourmusic.com.

The deal with the site was that all single-disc albums were $6.99 with free shipping, you just had to buy one a month. However, Direct Brands is closing Yourmusic.com, ending its run in music sales and reminding us once more that physical media is on its way out.

Yourmusic.com officially shuts down on June 29, but to celebrate its … Read more

Obsolete CD player gets cool retro makeover

You could either junk your obsolete CD player or give it a full makeover like this elaborate project by Russian site Steampunker. The player was stripped down to its innards and transplanted into a custom retro-styled chassis crafted out of wood and brass. Special touches such as analog dials and matching legs were also added.

To complete the audio system, a pair of PC speakers was given a similar overhaul in a vintage-looking cabinet for handling sound reproduction. Instructions for assembling this contraption are available here.

If you need something more rigid and contemporary, there's always the DIY ammo box speaker … Read more

This week in Crave: The mind games edition

We were practically ready for this week to be over on Tuesday, when Verizon (without help from Steve Jobs) announced that it had finally landed the iPhone. It's not that it's not good news for some (or bad for others), we were just tired of writing about the rumors. We never have to again. Now we all just want naps.

But it wasn't all about Verizon's latest and greatest, there was plenty of other good stuff going on this week.

• We're pretty cool here at Crave, but even we don't know what the next PSP will look like. Here's a gallery of possibilities we've put together. What do you think it'll be like?

• Sometimes you game so much that you forget to do things, like pay the heating bill. If so, we've got a roundup of warm tech to help keep your tootsies toasty during your next WoW raid.

• My iPhone has to connect to a server to tell me if it's going to rain, but Motorola's Xoom tablet apparently, has a barometer. Well, OK then.

• One of the drawbacks of 3D PCs is the big glasses. Fujitsu thinks it has the answer: glasses-free 3D PC. Say it out loud for co-worker fun! … Read more

Friday Poll: Do you still buy CDs?

In Sweden, musicians, actors, and other artists get revenue from blank CDs via a copy fee built in to the price consumers pay. This is a fee supported by the Swedish copyright authority, Copyswede, to ensure that home recording doesn't destroy the music industry there, as it contends home recording would.

But as more people stop purchasing discs in favor of online storage and iPods, these artists are seeing income from the discs shrinking. That's why Copyswede is pushing for legislation to extend the reach of its copyright claims to thumbdrives, external hard drives, and even cell phones, … Read more

MoFi remasters, perfects LP sound

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been perfecting the art of remastering audio since 1977. It currently offers a broad catalog of music, from Frank Sinatra and the Pixies to Yes and Little Richard on LP, SACD, and CD.

I recently chatted with Rob LoVerde, one of MoFi's mastering engineers,  about how the company's remasters differ from the original label's product.

First and foremost, he said that every MoFi LP--which was originally recorded to analog--is cut from an analog master tape. That's interesting  because ever since digital came onto the scene, most, probably about 99 percent, of LPs for sale now are cut from digital masters. So unless you're already buying MoFi LPs, you still haven't heard what a pure analog recording sounds like--older LPs, pressed before the 1980s are all-analog.

Second, LoVerde said that  MoFi never uses dynamic range compression.  Virtually every new recording is compressed during recording, mixing and mastering. But MoFi eliminates the last compression stage. He also said that equalization is either avoided completely or used sparingly.

LoVerde came to MoFi from Sony, so I was curious about how the two companies approached mastering. At Sony, LoVerde worked within a team, at MoFi each mastering project he takes on is controlled entirely by him. And at Sony, LoVerde had to work fast and complete one or two projects a day. At MoFi he can take his time and track down the best possible master tape. I was surprised to learn that LoVerde doesn't go out of his way to listen to previous remasters.  Instead, he's trying to transfer as much of the original master's sound to the final product as possible.

The analog master is also used for MoFi's SACDs and CDs. That means MoFi's analog sourced SACDs are totally PCM-free, which is extremely rare.  Most SACDs on the market have at least some PCM digital in them, which means they're not really delivering the format's true potential. MoFi SACDs are the real deal, pure SACD--using Direct Stream Digital DSD coding.

LoVerde said he knows that MoFi customers expect the best possible transfer, so he can't let a "good enough" mastering leave the plant. MoFi has occasionally bailed on a project because the sound wasn't up to its  standards.

I listened to a stack of MoFi vinyl and the sound was awesome. Yes, there's more bass, a near absence of vinyl's old friends--clicks and pops--but it's the clarity improvements that were the most impressive. … Read more