Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: O/T: How do you listen to your collection

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EdisonLite
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Posted: 27 February 2021 at 7:26pm \| IP Logged

This is a 2-part question. We're all so into music that I'm curious to hear people's answers.

1) "Physical" format - Do you primarily listen to music by playing: your CD collection, CD-Rs you've made, vinyl, mp3s on your phone or iTunes, streaming sites like Spotify/SiriusXM/Pandora, letting song files play off your computer/laptop...?

2) Also, do you do anything creatively for your listening experience, i.e. do you make a CD-R for each of your favorite artists? do you make playlists for your phone based on some criteria (i.e. a specific genre, a specific year or decade, a specific theme, etc.?)

I primarily listen to CD-Rs I made (each has its own theme or something that ties the songs all together), though lately I've also been listening to mp3s on my phone quite a bit.

For my phone, I've compiled all sorts of playlists on iTunes. So I'll play something based on my mood. For example, I have playlists for different genres like classic rock, modern rock, country, AC, dance, disco, instrumentals (I even have enough songs for a ragtime genre :); playlists for each year and decade; playlists based on one artist or a favorite songwriter - and a variety of other topics.

Most recently, I've been creating playlists based on Joel Whitburn books. I've put together ones for the rock book, the AC/hot AC book, the disco/dance book; and I'll be doing one for the country book soon.

My AC/hot AC playlist is one based on 2000 until now. (I'll do the older AC charters later). And it kind of reminds me of the SiriusXM stations The Pulse and The Blend (but more expansive, as those 2 stations tend to focus more on recent stuff.)

I find it quite fun to listen to music grouped in so many different ways, because all I could do as a kid was listen to one 45 after the next, or play an LP.

So chime in, everyone. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this!

Edited by EdisonLite on 27 February 2021 at 7:30pm

AdvprosD
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Posted: 27 February 2021 at 7:54pm \| IP Logged

When you come right down to the "Enjoyment" part of listening, I'd have to say I play files off the PC. I also have a few folders of favorites loaded into the
phone, so that I can listen to my favorites over the nearest Bluetooth device. That's answer part 1...

The other answer involves things that I am still working on. That includes a huge number of remixes and 12" singles dating back to the late 70's. There is the
"Perfect Mix" yet to be made and I will be working on that eternally to try and mix together stuff that I know and stuff I am still discovering. I usually cap a
mix at CD length. which is all I have patience for anymore. Gone are the days of hours upon hours of mixing.

Edited by AdvprosD on 27 February 2021 at 7:55pm

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AutumnAarilyn
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Posted: 27 February 2021 at 8:29pm \| IP Logged

I do full length play of a disc and other times run a
clock where I put music tracks into groups based on
style and era. The clock or sequence calls for max
diversity and is reflective in percentage of the
collection. I sometimes do one major hit and one
unearthed or discovery song and go through the
rotation that way. It's really the way radio should be
as there's always a focus in surveys asking how
familiar you are with the song. Who cares as long as
it sounds good!

I categorize using my head but I think software could
be utilized to help people listen through their online
collection or streaming service. The streaming service
would either have to code the music or it could be
left up to the listener. I find it rather odd that
someone would just want to hear highly rated smash
hits. When I first used Pandora many moons ago, you'd
get in a rut. If you requested a channel with a song
in 12/8 time signature, you'd end up with all songs
with that characteristic.

edtop40
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Posted: 27 February 2021 at 8:43pm \| IP Logged

'the perfect mix' changes over time....

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NightAire
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Posted: 27 February 2021 at 8:47pm \| IP Logged

When listening for pleasure, I'm almost 100% using streaming services: TuneIn, Spotify, SiriusXM, Pandora, Accuradio, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Favorite sources are (of course) my own station BlackLight Radio for 80s pop & rock, Electro Swing Revolution Radio, and SiriusXM Chill (Channel #53). I'll use Spotify for obscure albums from my childhood: The Limeliters, Sons Of The Pioneers, Mick Fleetwood, Henry Mancini, Esquivel, Martin Denny, and others.

I listen on my phone, via bluetooth in my car, on my Amazon Echo Dot in the bedroom and in the kitchen, and on my home stereo through apps loaded onto my Roku.

It's funny how I insist that my collection be bit-for-bit perfect... yet am perfectly happy with streaming services who seriously data-compress what they're sending me! :)

(If I'm getting serious about my listening I'll sit down with my blu-ray of Yes's "Close To The Edge" in my home theater, close my eyes, and enjoy the 5.1 mix... but that doesn't happen very often.)

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AutumnAarilyn
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Posted: 27 February 2021 at 9:56pm \| IP Logged

I use youtube when I'm working on other things. It's
really the only site that has most of what I like.

Paul Haney
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 4:40am \| IP Logged

I do most of my listening at the office.

My hard drive has most of the hits from 1950-present. I'll pretty much just pick a year and hit shuffle. For songs I
don't have on my hard drive, I'll usually go to YouTube. This came in especially handy for the 1950s Cash Box regional
research. When not listening to my collection, I'll listen to either a podcast or a radio show such as an old AT40 or Ron's
current Crap From The Past.

An ongoing personal project is the Top 20 from the R&R CHR charts each week on homemade CDs. I have 1973-1992 done and
hope to eventually finish up thru the last R&R chart in 2009. I picked R&R over Billboard, because it more closely
resembles what I remember hearing on the radio at the time. I put one of those in when I'm feeling nostalgic for a
particular week in my past.

I also did homemade CDs for the Top 4000 that I posted on this site last year. I'm currently listening to those in my
car.

Part of my job is to download every new entry on the Hot 100 and Bubbling Under charts each week. I listen to every
single one, but I'm finding less and less to like these days. Not a fan of most of the rap stuff, although some of it is
tolerable. Were it not for this part of my job, I doubt I would keep up with new music much at all.

Edited by Paul Haney on 28 February 2021 at 4:43am

rnell
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 7:09am \| IP Logged

I do my listening everywhere (office, home, travelling).
using different devices (ipad is the #1 at the moment)
.I have uploaded about 40,000 songs to my hard drive
(most of them from my own cds, or eventually from vinyl
and I tunes). Basic playlists are related to the US
charts using RR books (top 40, 41-100, #1 and bubbling
under, all per year starting in the late 50s and
including current charts). Since 2000 playlists are
only for Top 40 and #1 and in the playlists for late 50s
and early 60s only include Top 40 songs. I follow the
BB charts every week to track highest position of a
particular song that enters the Top 40. For the US chart
playlists I have additional ones such as Cashbox (Songs
that made Top 40 in Cashbox, not BB), Cashbox and Record
World #1s and A/C charts year by year.

I have done the same for UK charts (top 40 and #1
playlists) also for charts starting in 1960 including
the current ones (huge work for the UK because there is
nothing like Pop Annual book with highest position of
each song year by year). I have worked to recreate the
same format of the Pop Anual book using weekly charts
information that are now readily available through the
webpage of the "UK chart company" who owns the rights to
chart information for the UK.

I also have playlists with my personal favorites year by
year (which may have charted or not) and even a personal
chart of best songs of the year (Singles and Album
tracks). As I have worked for radio stations during
many years I have purchased different radio-only
services of new music since 1990, so I listen to a lot
of songs (US and European) that never enter any chart.
Another interesting note, I have scanned thousands of
covers from my 7"s to use as the image of all songs
that have been released as singles (with PS or just a
plain company sleeve). The internet (and pages such as
Discogs) is a good source for those I do not have.
Needless to say it has involved a lot of work but it
looks really nice in my ipads.

vanmeter
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 10:55am \| IP Logged

Lately I'm using a combination of Logitech Media Server bridged to Foobar2k in order to use SqrSoft's brilliant crossfade plug-in, then run through actual AM processing software, fed to a stream I listen to anywhere. I love it...I love the compressed, low-fi sound of AM and this is about perfect to me.

BSharp
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 11:13am \| IP Logged

I'm fortunate to be working for a station that plays
what I like (and adds music from my personal collection
as we grow). When I'm in the car, it's alll I listen
to: https://www.big1013.com/

At home, and as part of another project, I recently
hauled my collection of 45s out of storage. As much as I
love the convenience of streaming through my Sonos
system, there's something about handling the physical
media and dropping the needle on some of these songs
that brings new life into them for me. It's almost
therapeutic!

995wlol
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 3:01pm \| IP Logged

Great topic idea!

To answer the first part, my entire collection is digitized, so I listen to all of my CDs, LPs, 45s, and digital downloads on Media Monkey which is connected to my TV and stereo via a PC.

Creatively, I like to simulate the radio stations I grew up listening to using an app I've had for more than a decade called Mix Meister. It gives me an easy way to simulate the sound of song transitions on the radio. I then drop in vintage jingles and liners I have collected every 4 or 5 songs. It can be pretty convincing and has actually fooled people into thinking they were listening to old airchecks.

PopArchivist
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 3:06pm \| IP Logged

I listen using Foobar2000 on my PC on a high end wireless headphone set. My entire top 40 collection is digitized in ALAC for easy transfer to my iphone 512GB.

I agree with Paul Haney though, I collect every top 40 hit, but there is a lot less to like these days from the new stuff thats coming out. These album bombs make every track a hit and accessible to charting, which IMHO deludes the value of the top 40. Not to mention these one off one week availability downloads which come and go (similar to those itunes only downloads from American Idol).

I also collect remixes, which I generally play on CD-R's that I burned. Not all are lossless quality, but many are hard to find and I do get tired of hearing the same played out versions on the radio over and over throughout the years.

Most here would probably conclude that digitizing is the way to go. I do miss playing a 45 here and there, I dont miss the snap crack and pop from that 45 though :)

Edited by PopArchivist on 28 February 2021 at 3:08pm

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995wlol
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 3:14pm \| IP Logged

Brian W.
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 5:36pm \| IP Logged

I put my music on a flash drive and listen in the car
while I'm driving. 95% of my listening I do in the
car. I love driving, especially long drives, and my
car is where I'm alone and no one can bother me. In a
sense, my car is my "man cave."

I would put lossless music on my flash drive, but my
Hyundai Elantra will only play MP3s or lossy WMV
files. I encode with LAME at the V0 setting. You
certainly can't tell the difference in the car (or
probably with headphones, for most of us). Which makes
it kind of hilarious that I always insist on having
lossless copies of everything.

Edited by Brian W. on 28 February 2021 at 5:37pm

torcan
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 9:19pm \| IP Logged

I'm more of a vinyl guy - I especially love 45s and
picture sleeves. I also have hundreds of CDs - mainly
for where there was no vinyl available (some of those
have come out on vinyl LPs in recent years).

Since in 2018, I've been digitizing my collection.
It's now all stored as .wav files and I usually play
them from a laptop. Although most of my collection is
near mint, there are some that have scratches/pops on
them (I guess it's unavoidable). I was able to clean
up most of those thru Audacity, but not quite all of
them.

My wife and I belong to a ballroom dance club (don't
laugh...it's a great way to get exercise as we all get
older). I've also been collecting ballroom music
(cha-cha, tango, rumba, etc.) and have been the DJ at
several of the club's parties in the past couple of
years, using my laptop. (Every once in a while I'll
throw in an old top 40 song you can jive or waltz to!)
I hope to be doing more of this in the future.

Whenever I get the urge, I'll play the vinyl and CDs
instead of the computer. Although I prefer physical
product, I have been getting into downloading in the
past year or so. I guess this is the way things are
going - and if you can't beat 'em, I guess you have to
join them!

crapfromthepast
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Posted: 28 February 2021 at 10:18pm \| IP Logged

When I'm in my home office, I have all my digitized files on an external hard drive that's always on. I can use the search functions in Winamp to call up whatever songs I want to hear. Yes, Winamp, the greatest media player that's ever driven on the information superhighway. (VLC and foobar2000 are both fantastic, but I still resort back to Winamp to handle the gigantic library - about 200,000 tracks in the local library at any given time.) I run the audio through a USB sound card to an old Optimus SA-155 amp, to a set of giant Advent speakers from the early '80s. For A/B comparison stuff, I plug my Sony V6 headphones into the amp.

In our main living room, where our son plays in evenings and weekends, we run audio through a Kindle Fire tablet (1/8-inch audio jack output), through another Optimus SA-155 amp to slightly smaller Advent speakers. The Kindle is really amazing for audio. You can manage the files through a USB port, as if the Fire were an external hard drive. No iTunes for me. And it boots up in seconds. On the Kindle, we listen to Gene's station and a few others through the TuneIn app, NPR talk shows through a Minnesota Public Radio app, and old American Top 40 shows through iHeartMedia's app and appropriately-named Classic American Top 40 channel. VLC is my media player of choice on the Kindle. We have a little directory of songs that my son likes on the Kindle, saved in 320 kbps mp3s, with meticulous tags.

Elsewhere in the house, I listen to radio through my iPhone with the same apps as on the Kindle. I hate iTunes with all my heart, so I don't have a lot of audio content saved locally on the iPhone.

In the car, we do listen to actual radio for short drives around town. Since I play DJ seemingly all the time, when I'm not on the air myself, I like to hear what other people play. For longer drives, I load up a USB drive with mp3s, and the car sound system can play them. I do like that feature a lot.

I haven't played a CD in a CD player in years, probably a decade. For new acquisitions, I'll rip it losslessly to the hard drive and add the tags, then play it through Winamp. Yay, Winamp! Then I'll list the CD for sale on Discogs. (I'm only half-joking about that; I'm in severe downsizing mode. I want to own less stuff as I get older.)

I haven't even set up my Technics 1200 turntable since I moved into my current house in 2012.

When I DJ live or on-the-air, I run my music off a laptop (a lite version of Virtual DJ), with a USB soundcard and a little DJ2GO controller to start/stop and find cue points. Music is saved as 320 kbps mp3 files, with meticulous tags. My station automatically archives its shows at 256 kbps, so there's no point in going lossless for the music. I have my IDs/sweepers on CD-R discs, and I run those from a CD player in the studio. I never use the CD player for music, just the IDs.

I also have a third set of Advents hooked up to the TV as left/right (also with another Optimus SA-155 amp), and a fourth set of Advents that are just waiting for something to do. All four sets of Advents are different sizes.

I have some astounding '90s-era DJ-quality amp (LinearTech) and speakers (Ramsa), but I don't get to use those very often. They're BIG, and too big to be part of a permanent setup in the house.

Edited by crapfromthepast on 28 February 2021 at 10:19pm

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Jody Thornton
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Posted: 01 March 2021 at 7:11am \| IP Logged

So for physical format, or (1)

While my collection is mostly vinyl originated, I play most of it from files on a second PC devoted to being a music playback source. I transmit the sound card over an FM transmitter, and tune in my radio(s) to 87.7 MHz. I also mix it in with podcasts and such. It's nice to listen to a "radio" on the balcony on a day off.

And for creative listening, or (2)

I create separate rotations by decade, and then mix those rotations on radio automation software. Sometimes, I'll sneak in a vintage jingle to give a "radio" feel. I even use mild multi-band processing to give a fuller FM sound. I don't play music on a phone at all, and while I have older MP3 players, they've fallen into disuse.

Sometimes I rotate mostly 70s and 80s, but usually it's the entire library mixed together.

Edited by Jody Thornton on 01 March 2021 at 7:12am

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Jody Thornton
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Posted: 01 March 2021 at 7:14am \| IP Logged

torcan wrote:

My wife and I belong to a ballroom dance club (don't
laugh...it's a great way to get exercise as we all get
older). I've also been collecting ballroom music
(cha-cha, tango, rumba, etc.) and have been the DJ at
several of the club's parties in the past couple of
years, using my laptop. (Every once in a while I'll
throw in an old top 40 song you can jive or waltz to!)
I hope to be doing more of this in the future.

Laugh? That sounds really cool. It's a great way to enjoy each other. I tip my hat to both of you.

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LunarLaugh
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Posted: 01 March 2021 at 10:55am \| IP Logged

At home, I have a very extensive collection of vinyl (LP
and 45 rpm), CDs and cassettes which I have amassed over
the past 2 decades or so. I tend to listen to CDs more
at home or on the go. However, I've ripped a lot of my
CDs to high bit rate mp3 and put them on a micro SD card
which I've inserted into my smart phone. This allows me
to have all my favorite songs from my music collection
in my pocket at all times when I'm not at home and I
don't have to rely on wifi or streaming platforms to
listen to them.

In my years of collecting as well as being a
professional musician myself, I have a big passion for
creating homemade compilations. I started with cassettes
and progressed through MiniDisc and eventually CD-R. For
me, the cassettes are the most satisfying because it
really took some creativity and careful planning to
sequence the tracks and patience was required to get
each song on to tape. Coupled with the nostalgia of
getting a fresh brick of tapes to record upon and
writing on those tiny labels and j-cards, each homemade
tape is like a little time machine.
Of course, I had a lot of fun with the other formats as
well. I have "remastered" a lot of my favorite music
that I felt wasn't properly presented in the digital
format onto CD-R. I made a lot of great comps for
friends using this method, complete with artwork.

Someday, I'd really like to buckle down and start up a
little radio station from home. Since the market I'm in
no longer has an actual oldies format, I'd probably
program it with the kind of oldies music I grew up
listening to... it's strange to think you can now turn
on the radio and go hours, and sometime an entire day,
without hearing The Beatles. Sad, really.

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ChicagoBill
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Posted: 01 March 2021 at 11:03am \| IP Logged

About 20 years ago, I filled up one of those Case Logic CD holders with about a hundred CD-R's of my 2000 favorite songs which I take on trips
of over an hour or so. At home, I am so involved in my 'Project' (restoration and digitization of vinyl recordings that will NEVER see the light
of day on CD), that I don't casually listen to music. Observation: I was just at a car dealer, and was shocked to see that manufacturers don't
normally install CD players in the new cars anymore. Sad. I've had external Hard Drives crash and burn to the point that I only burn music to
CD-R's. I don't listen to Spotify or Sirius because the playlists are not imaginative enough for me. I know, I sound like an old guy who lives
in the past...Wait! I am! -Bill.

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