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Md Trading Is Goofy


anont

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MD is particularly ill-suited for making mixes. If you want to trade a mixtape with people (which is becoming less and less common due to iTunes, bittorrent, and the like) there's no reason to trade a $6 Hi-MD with 1 GB & heavy DRM, when you can trade a $.50 DVD-R with 4.5 GB and no DRM (or a $.10 burnt CD that plays on any CD player, and sounds just as good as the $6 Hi-MD).

The forums might as well be deleted, as obviously they're going to be unused. MD has its definite strengths as a format, but suitability for mixtapes isn't one of them.

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MD has its definite strengths as a format, but suitability for mixtapes isn't one of them.

It is quite suitable for me. I frequently incorporate music into my classroom and students ask me for copies of songs/music they have heard. I give out at least three copies a week on disc between my 17 classes; I usually try for a trade but if not--no problem. It doesn't cost me 6.00 usd because I trade using regular discs rather than hi-discs; why trade something with so much unused space remaining.

I also do trades via the t-board with other members. The swapping of discs and music exposes me to music I may not hear otherwise and builds on-line friendships.

I have little need for music services because I prefer to own hard copy of something I enjoy hearing. I also have a greater latitude in choosing bit-rates by recording from cd than I have if i use an online music service (oms). OMS's give out smaller bit-rates because the majority of customers prefer speed of downloading to higher quality bit-rates, but I'm not part of that majority: and having spent the money for good headphones, low bit-rates sound empty to my ears.

Edited by bland10000
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You don't seem to get what a "Mix" is.

We usually trade compilations we make, that encorprate flow, fade-ins/outs and even non-stop mixes.

Who can make a old fashioned mixtape that spans 4.7 Gb? We aren't here to do mass rip offs of recording companies. Just to share music and have a good time, I still don't see how an archive of music sitting on a stale DVD-r is better than a hand chosen and mixed, with a nice MD that is hand labelled by the trader, with a nice little letter about why they chose each song, and why it means something to them.

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You've been a bit negative lately, anont - if things are not going so well for you in life or something of that sort, please don't take your frustrations out here.

Nonetheless, in the attempt to ridicule the idea of trading discs, you've missed out on one crucial point that bland has described quite well; it's a community thing where you can make friendships and learn about music you may not have ever known. I fail to see how BitTorrent, iTunes and all the rest can foster such relationships. I can understand why you may have said what you did considering the trade forum doesn't have any activity as of late, but sometimes things take a while to grow - just like this forum.

If it really bothers you, just minimize that specific group of forums by clicking on the little minus sign above it.

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For mixes on regular MDs, CD-Rs are cheaper and easier and and more commonplace and sound better than a MD. If you love the MD format enough to use them for mixes regardless, great! I'm just pointing out, for most people MDs are a very poor way to do it. The boards won't be used (and haven't been used). This is a case where saying it the way it is comes off as negative.

DVD-Rs are more useful for trading mass amounts of music. But as I collect old Hawaiian music that has been out of print for quite some time, I enjoy the ease with which one can trade collections. Perhaps that wasn't the best comparison to a mix (and I do have mixes on artofthemix.org, and used to participate in an indie mix swap). I just brought DVD-Rs up because there's a Hi-MD trading forum.

Out of curiosity, Bland, all your students have MD machines? Wouldn't CD-R be much more appropriate and easier for this? I teach music as a side-job/hobby, and burn CDs for students to learn the songs. I can't imagine going through the huge bother of burning MDs instead, and then having to confirm that they have an MD machine (which honestly, probably none of them do).

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bland is in japan. mds are like oxygen there. they float around everywhere...

mds are excellent for a mixtape, they are unbreakable whilst in transit, mdlp will play in every md unit from the last 6 years, the discs themselves are collectable & you can rerecod over them if you don't like it.

blank 80min mds cost me about au$1.30, cdrs are about au$0.30 not bad for a reusable media.

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As a frequent traveler to Tokyo who also loves to make MD recordings of bands (Kazumi Nikaidoh roXors!), I dunnow about the Oxygen comparison. MD is more popular in Japan but it's certainly not to the level that everybody has one, and iPods are much more popular. People will know what MD is, but most likely not have the player to play it. However perhaps it's a good chance to evangelize the format?

CDs are tough to break! I only know because I've deliberately tried a few times. Also I only buy my CDs used, through the Internet. I sell them the same way. Never had a problem. Anybody familiar with the USPS knows that's no small feat.

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perhaps i allowed a little hyperbole to sneak into my point. cds, rw aside are not reusable, nor do they have the niche that helps form bonds & friendships over message boards.

it's beside the point, i like md trading, a majority here would come down on my side but you are welcome to think as you like. it's not like you've been forced to trade mds now is it?

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I still think regardless of price, MD trading is cheap. Since you never lose a disc, you give one and gain one. You come out even, unless you trade a MD2000 with a Maxell.

I find MD trades to be very personal, and extremely convinient if you already have a MD player and recorder. Plus it cuts out a step when you are using an MD portable. No need to dub a MD from a CD someone sent you if they could just do it for you. And if you really want to burn someone a copy of it, or want a lossless version, then you just buy the CD and make up a new one.

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I was just thinking about this...the nature of a "mix", which is ... in essence, a quickly put-together grouping/compilation of songs in which not much thought has been put. Essentially it's like having a mic plugged into your md and just recording cool songs while on the go and then using that...I dunno, I just thought that'd be a cool thing to try out. I'm gonna try it... I wonder if those 'nub' mics are any decent because mine is like a paintball barrel...

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