Re: Off Topic: Computers and Music

[Marvin <physchem...>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 1:18 PM
Subject: Off Topic: Computers and Music


> I hope that Ari permits this off topic technical question from a
> novice on matters of computers and music.  Please send responses
> privately,   unless Ari believes that answers to these questions are
> of general interest.

I can't match Ari's knowledge of music, but i've been a computer user for
about 35 years, and I'm now on my 4th PC, so I think I can help with some
answers.
>
> I'd like to use my computer more for music purposes, for example, to
> listen to music from the internet.  (Last Sunday the lead New York
> Times Arts & Leisure section article cited napster.com as the source
> for listening to specifically identified, otherwise hard-to-find,
> recordings.)  But I have only 220 MB of free space on my 6(?) year old
> IBM Aptiva A40's 2GB Drive C.  What are my best short/long term
> alternatives for getting more space, with cost a significant
> consideration?

Drive space isn't a limitation.  A 6-year-old computer is a limitation.
There are many software and hardware features that a computer that old lack
that are needed for decent music reproduction.  It is a little like adding a
CD player to a radio that lacks the ability to reproduce sounds of the
quality that a CD allows, but it goes beyond the sound reporoduction itself.

>
> 1. Software: Might I be able to free up space by
> compacting/compressing files  (something I already do that with my
> e-mails) with software that I already have loaded (without knowing it,
> as part of my initial package) or should I buy software?  For example,
> I've been told that internet clutter can take up a significant amount
> of room.
> 2. Added hard drive: I understand that I could get a 10GB hard drive
> for under $100.  But it seems that if I want to copy my current hard
> drive onto that new one, I would also need a ("ghost") software
> program that would cost nearly as much.
> 3. Other alternatives?

Don't spend more money to upgrade an old computer.  It is much better to
start over, especially now that desktop computer prices are low.  Make sure
that the new computer has a good sound card, and invest in a better set of
speakers than will be packaged with the computer.  Many packaged computers
come with 64 Mb of memory.  That is barely enough.  If you don't spend the
extra money now for more memory, you'll only have to do it later.  I have 96
Mb in my computer, which is approaching its 2nd birthday, and if I were
buying now I'd go for 128 Mb.

> New computer: Does that make most sense?  And if I eventually decide
> to go that route, what attributes should I look for in a computer to
> pursue musical interests, including
>     a. CD "burning" capacity
>     b. cataloguing
>     c. other?
>
> Bob

At the time that you upgrade, get a faster connection to the Internet than a
phone modem.  Depending on where you are, the choice may be a dsl line,
Internet service by cable, or a satellite dish.  With a phone modem, it
takes too long to download sound files.  Also, there are Web sites where you
can watch (low-resolution just now) videos of the performers on your
computer screen, which adds somehting to the performance.  You absolutely
need a fast connection for that - a minimum of 128 Mbaud, and preferable at
least twice that speed.

CD-write drives are the best choice now for storing files that you download,
including music files.  (Some computer files are listen only - you can
listen to the music, but not save the files.)  The drives make it possible
to copy music CDs, but the operation is tricky; it is notorious for turning
blank CDs into coasters.

The new computer will come with some software, probably including a "suite"
that has spreadsheet software and maybe also database software.  That is all
you need to catalog your recordings.  The discussion that has been going on
here lately on database programs for Jewish music is for those who are going
beyond basic database functions.

You may now be asking if it is worth all the effort.  There are many,
including me, who see the Internet as growing into the medium of choice for
music and videos.  There are already a number of videos that you can only
see via the Internet, and some musicians are experimenting with using it to
distribute their music, as an alternative to being beholden to the big
record labels.


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