Some user questions about iTunes

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
I just got my new Powerbook and I'm about to get an iPod. I'm new to the iTunes Music Store and just had some basic user questions:



1. When you buy a song, how many times can you burn it? What happens if you burn it too much? Don't you own the song after buying it?



2. Does it make sense to download songs at a higher quality than 128 kbps? If I listen to my music on my PB, on my iPod, or on a stereo through a burned CD, will there be a clear difference between 128 kbps and something like a 320 kbps song? Does it make sense to download songs at a higher quality?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    1) http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93016



    You can burn as much as you want, just not in the same configuration (order) everytime.



    2) Most of the time they don't give you quality choices (that I remember). Honestly.. just about anything 128 or over will sound 'perfect'. Unless you are some kind of weird music buff who is wayyyy to concerned about music.



    (you watch..... here is the part where everyone rings in and says 'higher quality=better sound') Just ignore them. 128 or higher is fine...



    Now if you are determining what quality to 'rip' at... the higher the quality, the bigger the file. If you have *TONS* of hard drive space, then by all means rip as high as it goes. But if you are like the rest of us and manage your space wisely.. I never bother going over 192.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    bka77bka77 Posts: 331member
    to 1:

    you are only able to burn playlists with purchased music a certain amount of times (10 if I remember right). There exists no limit for the purchased song itself.



    to 2:

    I assume you are talking of mpeg4 AAC files. Even with the right equipment (in a studio) most people don't hear any difference between 128 kbps and 320 kbps.



    EDIT: I am typing to slow.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    One note about compression: If you intend to use an iPod (except iPod shuffle), the settings with which you rip a CD will affect your iPod's performance. Higher quality song files not only will take up more space on an iPod -- thereby decreasing how many songs you can store -- but the iPod also has to work harder with bigger, less compressed files, using up more battery life.



    But if you don't have an iPod and never intend to, then this isn't an issue for you.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    I call bullshit



    Higher bitrates are VERY easily distinguished from lower when you deal with classical music, acoustic, vocal, and stuff with lots of bass and that varies a lot between higher and lower sounds.



    I encode at 192 AAC by default and stuff like classical music or Led Zeppelin or whatnot at 256kbit.



    I have a really shitty speaker system, and I can make a pretty big distinction.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ZO

    I call bullshit



    Higher bitrates are VERY easily distinguished from lower when you deal with classical music, acoustic, vocal, and stuff with lots of bass and that varies a lot between higher and lower sounds.



    I encode at 192 AAC by default and stuff like classical music or Led Zeppelin or whatnot at 256kbit.



    I have a really shitty speaker system, and I can make a pretty big distinction.




    I don't call bullshit, the only thing I notice about the higher rates are that the volume is a bit louder. If I adjust the volume just a bit, I can't tell the difference.
  • Reply 6 of 8
    sopphodesopphode Posts: 135member
    I call placebo.



    The volume is definitely not affected by the bit-rate
  • Reply 7 of 8
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sopphode

    I call placebo.



    The volume is definitely not affected by the bit-rate




    oooooh, yes it is!!

    you take away "sound" by lossy compression and it will have less "sound".

    the quality deteriorates as you chip away at the signal. But I know that the quality loss at 128 is very small, something that can be fixed with a small twist of the volume knob. BTW the loss of quality is only recognized by those that are "self-proclaimed" audiophiles with a PHD in bullshit they received from their "fave audio rags" hahahahahaa
  • Reply 8 of 8
    sopphodesopphode Posts: 135member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MagicFingers

    oooooh, yes it is!!

    you take away "sound" by lossy compression and it will have less "sound".

    the quality deteriorates as you chip away at the signal. But I know that the quality loss at 128 is very small, something that can be fixed with a small twist of the volume knob.




    I see you know a lot about how psycho acoustic models work \
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