I need to equip our FOH work boxes with some semi expendable iPod style devices so that we always have a selection of generic walk in music for the show du jour. The Apple brand devices have the best user interface I've seen but are also the most costly and likely to walk away. The fall down simple Google search for "best mp3 player" always lists the Ipods at the top of the list. What are people using in the way of flash memory based mp3 players that are easy to program with playlists and have an easy to navigate user interface?
Ipod or what?
- Thread starter Riley Casey
- Start date
Re: Ipod or what?
I use either my Ipod Touch or Ipod Shuffle. Start it playing with what I want then tuck it into the console road case so its out of sight. All I have owned is Ipods, they last a long time and sound good enough.
I use either my Ipod Touch or Ipod Shuffle. Start it playing with what I want then tuck it into the console road case so its out of sight. All I have owned is Ipods, they last a long time and sound good enough.
Re: Ipod or what?
For $49 and an interface everyone already knows how to use, and a storage system everyone already knows how to use, how can you go wrong? Or get the Nano and twice the battery life, a more obvious interface, and the cable everyone already has as well. Throw it in the rack drawer when you're not using it... I mean, hell, I don't think I've ever seen anyone use anything else for walk in. Kind of obvious if someone takes it during pre-show as well, since there will be a loud pop and the music will stop.
For $49 and an interface everyone already knows how to use, and a storage system everyone already knows how to use, how can you go wrong? Or get the Nano and twice the battery life, a more obvious interface, and the cable everyone already has as well. Throw it in the rack drawer when you're not using it... I mean, hell, I don't think I've ever seen anyone use anything else for walk in. Kind of obvious if someone takes it during pre-show as well, since there will be a loud pop and the music will stop.
Re: Ipod or what?
You could always throw a couple 57's on this portable disco line array. I guarantee you this won't walk off.
You could always throw a couple 57's on this portable disco line array. I guarantee you this won't walk off.
Re: Ipod or what?
SansDisk Sanza Fuze from a couple of years ago are still showing up in small quantities. Great audio quality, simple interface, ability to build a single playlist without connecting it to a computer. It will play almost every audio format. Avoid the current models, they suck.
I'm considering a Samsung Galaxy Player. The 8 GB model is $179 at Best Buy. Android w/wifi, you can buy non-DRM tunes directly from Amazon and most other vendors. No itunes or other resident manager needed.
SansDisk Sanza Fuze from a couple of years ago are still showing up in small quantities. Great audio quality, simple interface, ability to build a single playlist without connecting it to a computer. It will play almost every audio format. Avoid the current models, they suck.
I'm considering a Samsung Galaxy Player. The 8 GB model is $179 at Best Buy. Android w/wifi, you can buy non-DRM tunes directly from Amazon and most other vendors. No itunes or other resident manager needed.
Re: Ipod or what?
hey ed -
when i worked at your competitor up the road it was always understood that it was the engineer's responsibility to have music in their briefcase. which back then was always those big shiny discs. even when i freelanced i always brought a few discs with me just in case...
times are different now, of course, but i suspect that any player you supply has a strong possibility of disappearing. i don't know if you bring a standard 'drive rack' to gigs any more but... i'm still a fan of the old fashioned cd player, albeit one that has mp3 disc capability. you can then burn mp3 discs [100 songs on a disc is pretty easy to do] for the workbox(s) and when they disappear it's no big loss. nice byproduct is that you always have a disc player for when the client hands you some godawful r. kelly cd and asks you to play it...
yeah, it's kinda a luddite option, but there you go...
hey ed -
when i worked at your competitor up the road it was always understood that it was the engineer's responsibility to have music in their briefcase. which back then was always those big shiny discs. even when i freelanced i always brought a few discs with me just in case...
times are different now, of course, but i suspect that any player you supply has a strong possibility of disappearing. i don't know if you bring a standard 'drive rack' to gigs any more but... i'm still a fan of the old fashioned cd player, albeit one that has mp3 disc capability. you can then burn mp3 discs [100 songs on a disc is pretty easy to do] for the workbox(s) and when they disappear it's no big loss. nice byproduct is that you always have a disc player for when the client hands you some godawful r. kelly cd and asks you to play it...
yeah, it's kinda a luddite option, but there you go...
Re: Ipod or what?
I use a laptop running Foobar for walk in and Sport Sound Pro for stingers. I find that clients keep bringing content on cd and usb drives. The laptop allows me to take that and "dump" it onto my pc quickly.
I use a laptop running Foobar for walk in and Sport Sound Pro for stingers. I find that clients keep bringing content on cd and usb drives. The laptop allows me to take that and "dump" it onto my pc quickly.
Re: Ipod or what?
We normally send a laptop to shows loaded with iTunes, Qcart and Qlab and we always have a CD player on site. The goal in stocking an iPod was to have, even with a freelance engineer at the console, a standardized set of walk in playlists that were labeled by the type of music so that our clients got a consistent product right down to the background noise, err music. It seems that a gen-U-wine Apple iPod is the right answer since even the interface of the player has to be a consideration when talking about standardization. Thanks for the suggestions.
We normally send a laptop to shows loaded with iTunes, Qcart and Qlab and we always have a CD player on site. The goal in stocking an iPod was to have, even with a freelance engineer at the console, a standardized set of walk in playlists that were labeled by the type of music so that our clients got a consistent product right down to the background noise, err music. It seems that a gen-U-wine Apple iPod is the right answer since even the interface of the player has to be a consideration when talking about standardization. Thanks for the suggestions.
Re: Ipod or what?
I personally pre-load my 4GB Sansa Fuze with suitable music and tuck it away in the mixer rack for bump/intermission music. On the occasions when I am performing and a guest BE is running the board, they have not had trouble sorting out how to use the Fuze. Newer models seem prone to issues with the 1/8" jack, however.
I do enjoy mixers with the ability to play MP3 files from a flash drive; even on my admittedly MI-grade 16FX, this feature has proven useful for small gigs.
I personally pre-load my 4GB Sansa Fuze with suitable music and tuck it away in the mixer rack for bump/intermission music. On the occasions when I am performing and a guest BE is running the board, they have not had trouble sorting out how to use the Fuze. Newer models seem prone to issues with the 1/8" jack, however.
I do enjoy mixers with the ability to play MP3 files from a flash drive; even on my admittedly MI-grade 16FX, this feature has proven useful for small gigs.