osmark86 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Epic aren't very popular among gamers so not so sure this is great. Bandcamp always had a nice DIY feel about it, but I doubt Epic will keep it that way. They're more likely to look at how to churn more green figures out of the platform. The Unreal Engine is a powerhouse of rendering though so credit where credit is due. I guess I'm a little cautious about what to think here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrusr Posted March 4, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted March 4, 2022 So I’m finally getting sick of Apple Music for my Mac. It is clear that the software isn’t ever going to be designed/changed for physical media. As such I’ve been looking at other software/hardware and cone across the Brennan 2 CD storage hi fi system which seems to tick a lot of boxes. The cost is steep though but if it does what I want (store electronic versions of CDs with easy access to phone and/or other devices) then don’t mind paying. Does anyone have one and if so are they worth the price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted March 5, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2022 8 hours ago, cyrusr said: So I’m finally getting sick of Apple Music for my Mac. It is clear that the software isn’t ever going to be designed/changed for physical media. As such I’ve been looking at other software/hardware and cone across the Brennan 2 CD storage hi fi system which seems to tick a lot of boxes. The cost is steep though but if it does what I want (store electronic versions of CDs with easy access to phone and/or other devices) then don’t mind paying. Does anyone have one and if so are they worth the price? What’s the problem you’re having with the Mac music app in terms of storing and playing physical media music? It works fine for me. There’s a thread for if you want to try and solve the problem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrusr Posted March 5, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted March 5, 2022 1 hour ago, blandy said: What’s the problem you’re having with the Mac music app in terms of storing and playing physical media music? It works fine for me. There’s a thread for if you want to try and solve the problem The storage isn’t so much a problem, I’ve got an external CD drive which works no problem. It’s more that it keeps crashing on me and it has lost the artwork to fair amount of the music. It also fails to import to iPhone quite often. My issue is more with the software rather than the hardware but I can see Apple Music becoming increasingly more about streaming than downloads and or physical media and I think I’m just done with it more than anything. The idea of having a separate piece of hardware not reliant on the software is quite appealing to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted March 5, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2022 19 minutes ago, cyrusr said: The storage isn’t so much a problem, I’ve got an external CD drive which works no problem. It’s more that it keeps crashing on me and it has lost the artwork to fair amount of the music. It also fails to import to iPhone quite often. My issue is more with the software rather than the hardware but I can see Apple Music becoming increasingly more about streaming than downloads and or physical media and I think I’m just done with it more than anything. The idea of having a separate piece of hardware not reliant on the software is quite appealing to be honest. Ah, ok. I recognise those issues too. Almost nothing is unreliant on software, sadly. I have some AppleScripts to handle finding missing artwork and embedding artwork. Also, obviously there’s the preference in the music software to allow it to automatically find artwork that needs to be set. The syncing to your phone, yep, can be a proper pain sometimes. I had a spell where I’d have to delete all the music from the phone and only once that was done reboot it , then connect to the computer and sync, which took ages. I’ve never found an application and phone combo on Mac, Win, Linux, android, iPhone that always behaved and did all I want for managing music, which includes artwork, lyrics, custom playlists, song rating, storage (not streaming) and a few other foibles. Currently my computer and phone are playing nice together. Big Thief and HMHBs latest synced fine when I added them this last week. I don’t think Apple will bin off the functionality to import cds any time soon from their software, nor to (using wires) sync from computer to iPod/phone. They still support ancient iPods syncing (happily). If you want the scripts and instructions on how to use them to simplify some of the hassles, pm me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrusr Posted March 5, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted March 5, 2022 9 minutes ago, blandy said: Ah, ok. I recognise those issues too. Almost nothing is unreliant on software, sadly. I have some AppleScripts to handle finding missing artwork and embedding artwork. Also, obviously there’s the preference in the music software to allow it to automatically find artwork that needs to be set. The syncing to your phone, yep, can be a proper pain sometimes. I had a spell where I’d have to delete all the music from the phone and only once that was done reboot it , then connect to the computer and sync, which took ages. I’ve never found an application and phone combo on Mac, Win, Linux, android, iPhone that always behaved and did all I want for managing music, which includes artwork, lyrics, custom playlists, song rating, storage (not streaming) and a few other foibles. Currently my computer and phone are playing nice together. Big Thief and HMHBs latest synced fine when I added them this last week. I don’t think Apple will bin off the functionality to import cds any time soon from their software, nor to (using wires) sync from computer to iPod/phone. They still support ancient iPods syncing (happily). If you want the scripts and instructions on how to use them to simplify some of the hassles, pm me. Thanks. I might take you up on that. I think I still quite like the idea on a stand alone system though - have you had any experience with the Brennan 2 (or similar system)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Never seen anything but nice things written about the more powerful Brennan, but that's just from bods that own them on CD forums, not a substantive technical breakdown. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted March 5, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2022 9 minutes ago, cyrusr said: Thanks. I might take you up on that. I think I still quite like the idea on a stand alone system though - have you had any experience with the Brennan 2 (or similar system)? My stand alone system is me getting a CD or LP and putting it in/on a player and playing it. Sometimes I stream from my phone or computer via an old airport device plugged into my amp. I’ve seen Brennan ads in the press and (this was some time ago) it seemed unsuitable for my purposes, but maybe they’ve come on a whole bunch. Never owned or even seen one. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 11, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 11, 2022 On 03/02/2022 at 23:06, chrisp65 said: Tried to buy some Faust today @Xann Went to that Action Records in Preston that had it listed on their website. Well, I couldn’t **** find it due to the car crash combination of ramming so many records in to the racks that they couldn’t be browsed, and there being no obvious filing system. There were bits n bobs of alphabetised racks, but they wouldn’t run through the whole alphabet and would then switch to ‘Metal’ or ‘Indie’, but those sections not in any sort of order. So I gave up and asked the guys behind the counter. They were quite confident they did have some, but they couldn’t find it either. But no matter… I went old school 90’s kid and bought some CD’s I needed to be close to Preston this morning so took a trip to Action Records myself. Couldn't find a sodding thing. The main record section I'd be mainly interested in is labelled "Indie and other", what record was at the very front of the first block of A records... A f***ing dele, Adele, just no, hide it under the counter and put it in a brown paper bag for people brave enough to ask. Why have multiple copies of the same record in the racks? Like you said there are that many records jammed into each block its almost impossible to browse. There's a new releases section, some of the records in there are hardly released in the last couple of weeks The staff were helpful though, I asked if the new Loop album was out (it was listed as today) and Gordon? even rang the distributor to find out why it hadn't come in. 25th now apparently Then there's the random boxes of stuff below the shelves, two boxes of which were labelled "general indie - new and reissue" - I have no idea how this differs to the stuff above and I wasn't about to break my back bending over to rummage through the box And don't get me started on filing solo artists under their first name, Nick Cave is in N for example, I almost expected thee to be a T section that covered the other half of the shop it was that daft. And even though its alphabetical, its only alphabetical for the first letter. If it begins with A, its in there somewhere, possibly, maybe I left without buying anything as I was burtsing fior a piss by this time, I did spot some stuff I'd like but my need not to piss myself took over 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 Well it’s not like they’ve had time over the last 2 years to get themselves organised! Anyway, off to Aylesbury next week. Depending on mood I might give Vicious Squirrel a second chance. Went there about a month ago, went in and he announced he wasn’t open. I mean, he was physically stood there, the lights were on, and I was stood inside his shop. I explained I’d come from away, and wouldn’t be around any other day. He insisted he was closed. Sometimes it feels like everyone except us that’s involved with records is an absolute dick. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 4 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: Well it’s not like they’ve had time over the last 2 years to get themselves organised! Anyway, off to Aylesbury next week. Depending on mood I might give Vicious Squirrel a second chance. Went there about a month ago, went in and he announced he wasn’t open. I mean, he was physically stood there, the lights were on, and I was stood inside his shop. I explained I’d come from away, and wouldn’t be around any other day. He insisted he was closed. Sometimes it feels like everyone except us that’s involved with records is an absolute dick. Next street from me (admittedly it's a long street) there is a record shop, I have lived in this town 17 years, he hasn't been open once. Oh the door is open, but he is never open. Not that I would find anything as he is essentially a hoarder who only hoards vinyl. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 11, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 11, 2022 3 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: Sometimes it feels like everyone except us that’s involved with records is an absolute dick. On my way back from Preston I called into another record shop in Southport, Quicksilver. I bought a few records there, cos you know, I could find them So I'm paying and the man whose shop it is said "The question is, which one will you play first", in a sort of way that sounded like he was talking to a 12 year old boy. I played along though and said it'll probably be the Durutti Column, to which he said "No I think you need to play Goat first", so I said it was unlikely as it's the one record there that I'm already really familiar with but it's filling the gap in the Goat collection. to which he replied "I really don't know much about them." I'd have been quite happy to tell him lots about them if he hadn't been... you know... a bit of a tit 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 2 minutes ago, bickster said: On my way back from Preston I called into another record shop in Southport, Quicksilver. I bought a few records there, cos you know, I could find them So I'm paying and the man whose shop it is said "The question is, which one will you play first", in a sort of way that sounded like he was talking to a 12 year old boy. I played along though and said it'll probably be the Durutti Column, to which he said "No I think you need to play Goat first", so I said it was unlikely as it's the one record there that I'm already really familiar with but it's filling the gap in the Goat collection. to which he replied "I really don't know much about them." I'd have been quite happy to tell him lots about them if he hadn't been... you know... a bit of a tit Kings Lynn: the guy only took cash, and so he gave me directions to the nearest cash point. I get back, the records have come to ‘whatever’, I hand him some notes and he says ‘haven’t you got the right money, I don’t carry change?’ After a brief silent stand off, he blinked first and rounded down. How does he think I’m getting **** pound coins out of a cash machine? Or perhaps I was also supposed to find a corner shop and buy some pez to break a tenner? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 5 minutes ago, bickster said: On my way back from Preston I called into another record shop in Southport, Quicksilver. I bought a few records there, cos you know, I could find them So I'm paying and the man whose shop it is said "The question is, which one will you play first", in a sort of way that sounded like he was talking to a 12 year old boy. I played along though and said it'll probably be the Durutti Column, to which he said "No I think you need to play Goat first", so I said it was unlikely as it's the one record there that I'm already really familiar with but it's filling the gap in the Goat collection. to which he replied "I really don't know much about them." I'd have been quite happy to tell him lots about them if he hadn't been... you know... a bit of a tit I am in Southport next weekend. Does Quicksilver sell music made by men with moustaches and cowboy hats? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 yeeha! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 11, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 11, 2022 1 hour ago, Seat68 said: I am in Southport next weekend. Does Quicksilver sell music made by men with moustaches and cowboy hats? No. Mainly Metal / prog / Classic Rock / Psyche / Indie There's another shop that does though if you've got a spare ten hours, best to go with a list. It's a massive collection, filed in corridors of shelves, alphabetical no genres at all but he has country Go to google maps and search for legacy records southport then look at the photos of inside the shop and you'll see what mean. From my brief encounters there when the missus has gone into M&S or something I've usually left bewildered because I have no idea what I want 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 11, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted March 11, 2022 31 minutes ago, bickster said: the missus has got into S&M or something I've usually left bewildered because I have no idea what I want 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 As suggested by @bickster I went to Legacy Records today in Southport, filled a few Johnny Cash gaps. Almost the perfect record shop for me, a to z by artist, filed with spines out and reasonably priced. Fantastic place, friendly owner as well. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 19, 2022 Moderator Share Posted March 19, 2022 22 minutes ago, Seat68 said: As suggested by @bickster I went to Legacy Records today in Southport, filled a few Johnny Cash gaps. Almost the perfect record shop for me, a to z by artist, filed with spines out and reasonably priced. Fantastic place, friendly owner as well. Are you in that campervan park by the new Lifeboat station? Just so I can drive past later playing Ride at top volume with the windows open Picked a nice day for it! It's a good second hand shop, if you know what you want, if like me you are a browser I find it a bit hard because it's not easy to just browse The shop was started by that lads dad who is no longer with us but it explains the huge stock he has for a relatively young bloke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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