Question of the Week: The Soundtrack
While editing GHOST IN THE VEILS, I’ve been listening to the soundtracks from PICARD SEASON 3 and BALDUR’S GATE III. Which is amusing because I have yet to play BG3, but I did buy the game on GOG just so I could get the soundtrack.
Anyway! This segues neatly into the Question of the Week: what apps do you use to listen to music? No wrong answers.
For myself, I use iTunes for PC, and I prefer to buy MP3 files of music whenever possible. Since I work on my PC most of the day, that’s what I usually use for listening to music. When away from my computer I’ll use an iPod Touch I got in 2021, and when that little device finally dies I’m going to be very disappointed since Apple doesn’t make them any more. I have played with Spotify on my phone a bit, but I still prefer having the actual files.
-JM
On my PC, I’ll generally use YouTube, the Brave browser removes the ads so I don’t have to listen to them.
For when I’m away from my PC, I stuffed a 128GB chip in my phone, and copied my mp3 files over to it. The basic Android Music app handles the music, no problem.
When driving, I’ll sync the stereo to the phone with Bluetooth. It’ll play music, navigate and do hands free calling. I tried connecting it directly, but it seems that I can either connect the sound or the charger. Doing both makes for horrible static.
I like to buy mp3 files or CDs. When buying CDs I try to buy AudioRip CDs on Amazon, else I rip them myself.
All mp3 files are on an USB-Stick, which I use in the Car-Audio.
At home I use my Laptop with an external Soundblaster G6 and Sennheiser headphones.
I use VLC media player on the Laptop.
VLC for local files. I don’t like to use streaming-only services for music so like you, I also purchase the mp3 or digital audio files. By far, my favorite platform for that is Bandcamp. In addition to streaming, it offers downloads in multiple formats including lossless formats like FLAC, ALAC, wav and aiff. If you like soundtracks and instrumental music (the majority of my music is in these categories), it’s one of the best platforms, IMHO.
Otherwise for all others, I’ll use Amazon to purchase the albums, or Steam DLC for some game soundtracks if the other two choices are not available, or if there’s a huge discount on Steam.
For non-local files, or on the go, I’ll use my phone and take advantage of the streaming service offered by purchasing on Bandcamp and Amazon. Their browser interface works just as well as their Android apps.