Comments

• Craig Bumgarner Drayden, MarylandVirtuoso Bumgarner S/N 001

  July 2013 Posts: 795

  I use Amazon cloud player for music I buy through Amazon mp3, but not as my "main" storage. I always down load to my PC HD, and select the cloud option also. I use the cloud player on my phone which I currently don't use for song storage. For that I use the iTouch, but mostly out of habit.
  
  Not sure I entirely trust the cloud for music storage, I mean just look at clouds...... Here one day, gone the next. Seriously, I like that warm fuzzy feeling of having my music library on my HD, with backups. 8)

  Bumgarner Guitar Blog
• Passacaglia Madison, WI✭✭✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 1,471

  I hear you, Craig, have always felt the same way. Just wondering if I need to be dragged, if kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. I'm still thinking of the Nexus with an external wireless HD, as it's getting such incredible reviews, and it costs comparably cheap (32 GB onboard HD, $269; refurbished 500 GB wireless, $90).

  -Paul
  
  pas encore, j'erre toujours.
• adrian AmsterdamVirtuoso

  July 2013 Posts: 561

  Just chiming in to say I've had a 160-GB iPod classic for several years, never with any problems. And before that I had a 40-GB iPod (the largest offering at the time), also with no problems. In fact, the 40-GB one is also still in use.
  
  Adrian

  soundslice.com/users/adrian
• Passacaglia Madison, WI✭✭✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 1,471

  Adrian, unbelievable timing...thanks, man! I actually just over the last several days re-read your "setup" interview (I go back several times...a guy can wish, can't he ), and was actually going to ask you if I could get your thoughts...!
  
  If it were only a matter of serious storage of music, based on positive reviews by Pickit, you, others...I'd go with the iPod. I also enjoy watching stuff, and my eyes are getting old...so my little Walkman is growing to be a problem, for that reason as well as the storage issue.
  
  I've read a lot of really glowing things about the Nexus 7, but just read one really bad review....user couldn't get the Nexus to play music in its "play music" app!
  
  I'm becoming aware folks seem to be either really devoted, or really antipathetic, to Apple. Do you happen to have any thoughts on something that would serve as both an eye-saver vid, bright and good reso watching machine, as well as a storage beast for tunes? (Oh, and not a lot of dough. I know, that's probably impossible).
  
  Oh, and I didn't mention this - I'm a little wary of iTunes, probably without reason. I don't have a Mac, I've a PC, and I had some kind of really weird issue that seemed timed to when I installed iTunes on board. So, I've been Apple-phobic sense (again, probably without reason).
  
  Thanks again,
  
  Paul

  -Paul
  
  pas encore, j'erre toujours.
• adrian AmsterdamVirtuoso

  July 2013 Posts: 561

  Passacaglia wrote:

  Do you happen to have any thoughts on something that would serve as both an eye-saver vid, bright and good reso watching machine, as well as a storage beast for tunes? (Oh, and not a lot of dough. I know, that's probably impossible).

  
  I don't know much about specific devices on the market, but if you want nice, big video, how about the iPad mini? It's a big screen, bigger than a smartphone, yet the device is still small enough to fit in a (large) pocket.
  
  Beyond that, I'm happily ignorant of the new world of portable devices. I'm sure there are a bunch of devices on the market that could be a good fit for you. Good luck!
  
  Adrian

  soundslice.com/users/adrian
• Passacaglia Madison, WI✭✭✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 1,471

  Thanks, Adrian. I've seen a lot of head-to-heads between the mini and the Google Nexus (current generation), and it seems most tech writers are fairly giddy on the Google (one article title, "Google catches Apple asleep"), so that was my thinking there...but the 160 gb of the iPod is seriously attractive. It's always tradeoffs, it seems!

  -Paul
  
  pas encore, j'erre toujours.
• KarenAnn Virginia✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 55

  I use apple I cloud storage. Cost $25 a year. Works well for me. I have a pc at home and imported a lot of my cds and the downloads I have from amazon into the itunes. I travel a lot with my job and take an ipad2 with me. I have an Att and wi-fi model. If I want to work on a song, I just download it and move it into the amazing slow downer app. For the most part I like the Apple storage. Esp. the fact I can search by song title. Great for comparing different versions of the same song. I still have it stored on my hard drive at home in case the cloud breaks. Overall I am not an Apple fan. I have an android phone. But Google cloud storage was not as good a deal when I compared it. The biggest difference for me was that you had to upload everything with Google. Apple will scan your I-tunes library and can match what you have already. You don't have to upload anything they already have a version of. Apple matched over 90% of what was in my library. The last 10% took 13 hours to upload. I have over 700 albums in cloud storage. It is also cool to blue tooth my ipad to my car stereo system, while traveling.
  My friend who repairs and build computers, told me that with hard drives, it is not if they will fail but when.
  BTW, does anybody know of a good program to convert an ogg file into a format that Apple will import. I have some of the Django Integrale in that format.
• Passacaglia Madison, WI✭✭✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 1,471

  Wow, thanks, Karen. And apologies ahead of time - I'm really technophobic. So, you have iTunes loaded on your PC at home, and an iPad 2/AT&T; you have iTunes on your PC; and use Apple's I Cloud for accessing most of your tunes remotely. Do I have it right?
  
  If so, I saw many positive reviews for the Nexus 7, with one bad review, that was an issue with the player app. The solution I seemed to see for many with any player issues was just to go to VLC.
  
  The Google Nexus 32GB comes in at $269. Did you ever consider this, when you were comparing cloud storage choices? Just keep leaning to the smaller unit, like the mini or Nexus, as my only need for these portables would be music and vid watching (e.g., late at night, in bed, so I don't drive my wife nuts with the computer monitor on and shining).
  
  Finally, and I'm really unclear on this, but let's say I have a similar number of albums as you (nowhere close - impressive!); but when I go remote, I'd like, say, a batch of 10 gb or so, on the tablet itself...in case of no wi-fi. It seems this is pretty cumbersome with Google (if I understood correctly, a few extra steps - you can't simply drag and drop into the Nexus), and I don't know what the deal is with Apple. Can you just copy and paste something from your PC's iTunes to your iPad, so you can listen to a road-set without wi-fi?
  
  Thanks,
  
  Paul

  -Paul
  
  pas encore, j'erre toujours.
• KarenAnn Virginia✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 55

  You can put I tunes on any computer. I don't have it set up as my default player on my pc. That way I can rip or download anything I want to my regular music library ,but it does not get automatically loaded into I-tunes. I have a lot of work books with cds that I like to store on the computer, but not necessarily upload to I-tunes. I did upload some to practice with while traveling. Like Gonzalo's -How I learned. What I use is called I-tunes match.
  
  The reason for the ipad for me is size. I am 50+ so the phone is too small for reading chord changes. I put the real book songs app on there as well. My Ipad allows me easy e-mail access, gps, Editing my website and ebay store, great music and practice material all on the go.
  
  I do have VLC on my pc as well and can listen to the OGG files. I just haven't figured out how to change them to import them to I-tunes. I would not recommend my phone to anyone. Horrible reception at my house. I will be changing it. My old blackberry never dropped calls. But their technology is so behind everything now. Still looking around for a replacement, but not sure what to do as I have a grandfathered unlimited data Verizon plan...Which means paying full price on the next phone..
• Passacaglia Madison, WI✭✭✭✭

  July 2013 Posts: 1,471

  Hear you on the eyes, Karen, same boat.
  

  The reason for the ipad for me is size. I am 50+ so the phone is too small for reading chord changes. I put the real book songs app on there as well. My Ipad allows me easy e-mail access, gps, Editing my website and ebay store, great music and practice material all on the go.

  
  Sorry, just to clarify - can you easily dump a bunch of tunes from your iTunes directly on to your iPad, or do you have to depend on your Cloud service (and, therefore, being somewhere within wi-fi reach)?
  
  I did see that the iRealbook app has its own GJ section - looks pretty cool!
  
  Thanks for speaking slowly to this luddite!
  
  Paul

  -Paul
  
  pas encore, j'erre toujours.