This saved my relationship with music

[@Zadow]

I don’t think people appreciate not just offline music but a whole second device for it No notifications, no apps, no internet It just plays music wothout a distraction which is great

[@EposVox]

Specific use-case tools are very undervalued right now

[@judaspriestforever153]

@@EposVox you should try a service called soulseek its p2p file sharing and theres a ton of music on it its like modern limewire

[@sufferingincorporatedtm1781]

it also helps the battery to last forever - my modded ipod has a 52 hour battery life

[@gossipmime7648]

I like my Astell&Kern Kann Alpha!

[@orangeyellow-me1pz]

​@@gossipmime7648that's an expensive device. I use a music player as well but why don't these people just get something like what we have?

[@jeremyzeeky3024]

I love that this is in 4:3 aspect ratio

[@EposVox]

Of course!

[@sagi_tech_n_stuff]

So annoying and unwatchable.

[@EposVox]

@@sagi_tech_n_stuff Weird, everyone else has no issues watching it. Consider getting your eyes checked!

[@sagi_tech_n_stuff]

@@EposVox Great response, content gone downhill for a long time, now this stupid thing and disrespectful attitude on top. Not really worth anyones time. Shame...

[@GL-Red]

@@sagi_tech_n_stuffshut up and leave?

[@koenignero]

CD Sales are up in the US and I see a lot of people intressted in buying physical media again. We started to buy DVD for children to avoid any Ads served on Streaming Services.

[@Sykxezn]

It’s a amazing feeling when I finally get through all the Christian junk and find some sinful alternative rock at a thrift store

[@alkimia1791]

Dude I wish I could buy CDs, but they just don't sell them near me. I have to order them online which can be pretty expensive. Instead I've been settling for digital music from Bandcamp

[@JohnCiaccio]

Goodwill 10 cds for $3 then loaded up into my 60 cd changer also from goodwill ($30) but I output it digital to a quality DAC. As far as video only Bluerays because at least they are in HD. DVD are in standard or even worse: letterboxed 480p which comes out to like 400p.

[@alkimia1791]

@@JohnCiaccio I wish I lived near a goodwill 😞 I will be moving in a few more months, somewhere with a goodwill nearby at least

[@JohnCiaccio]

@@alkimia1791 you can also use their online auction site. Most good things wind up there. Sometimes you can still get a good deal there but shipping sometimes is too high even if the item is cheap. A friend of mine now lives in Iowa and picks up stuff at garage and estate sales.

[@Shoffty]

Love how physical media is making a comeback. My one car has an SD card in it with all the music from CD's I own and I absolutely love it! Being able to just drive anywhere and not worry about my phone connecting is such a relief and a great change of pace.

[@lonestarseoul]

I can attest to the power of lossless music. One of my all-time favorite k-pop songs is a song called Lovin’ Me by Fifty Fifty. I listened to it on Spotify first and fell in love with it. After buying the physical album, I ripped the CD into an ALAC format and listened to the song again with a pair of nice headphones. I cried. The song hit so much harder and I could hear all the small instrumental details that are lost when streaming music using wireless earbuds. Since then, I have come to appreciate lossless audio a lot more!

[@inkshock]

Absolutely! Instrumental details pop out way better but most impressive for me was experiencing how clear and "real" voices sound compared to compressed audio formats.

[@osbre8110]

whats missing on the kpop scene is sharing (torrenting), everyone has cds but its impossible to find the losless files without having to buy the cds themselves

[@loverlution]

@@osbre8110 there's actually a website called kpopflac specifically for sharing kpop music in flac. But I think they took it from the music service, Genie (which provides lossless) and not from CDs. So far, I've been using Soulseek and there /are/ people who have uploaded quite a number of K-pop albums I need

[@anaghavenkatagiri8928]

I absolutely love Lovin’ Me. It was my top song on Spotify this year. If I heard it lossless it would finish me. I absolutely empathize

[@Crushanator1]

I ripped so many CDs and LPs and cassettes as a teen. The convenience of streaming and digital downloads allured me, but Ive been restoring an iPod 5.5 and getting back into uhhhhhhhhhhhhh backing up my own files. As others have said, if buying isnt owning, then pirating isnt stealing. Honestly, i just feel better buying albums and singles from friends and mutuals on Bandcamp and getting CDs from the library. Being intentional, and rejecting algorithmic sludge is fantastic

[@MaybeTiberius]

so that means i can just go to the movie theater for free right? or take a plane somewhere for free? when i buy a ticket for a movie... do i own the movie? when i buy a planeticket.. does it mean i own the plane? so if buying a plane ticket, doesnt mean owning the plane... does that mean, i should steal a plane?

[@lasher840]

@@MaybeTiberius found the corporate bootlicker

[@quas3728]

I saw a lot of comments "why isn't this on spotify". I don't understand why they don't start achiving their own personal collection...

[@quanticflowers]

probably because there’s a pretty big buy-in for it. you need the money, the physical space in your home, and the means to read discs or records. don’t get me wrong, streaming services are junk nowadays, but the sheer convenience of it all is really hard to do without.

[@JB-fh1bb]

​@@quanticflowersEvery couple minutes someone discovers for the first time that a song they want has been delisted and deleted from their playlists. A crack shows in their trust in Spotify and if they're lucky they will discover a video like this that will eventually lead to them freeing themselves

[@BaileyMagikz]

because most of them are 1. kids 2. don't understand copyright 3. tiktok lazy aka i have to use a downloader (for these youtube unofficial remixes not normal songs) nah thats too long to much energy bla bla (they are lazy and most of them don't care for music like we do thats also a factor if you love music you want to make your own collection etc others don't care and rather pay for Spotify for connivence and laziness due to its ease of use

[@sirkorgo]

not sure how other people do it, but i buy songs on itunes and then backup the m4a files on a disk

[@BaileyMagikz]

@@sirkorgo Itunes (m4a), Bandcamp (multiple formats), obuz (flacs), 7 digital (flacs) are some of the ones i have used before/still use

[@georgestreisel7920]

My 120gb ipod classic lasted me until 2021 when it met an untimely end in the washing machine. The loss of a decade of perfectly crafted playlists from many different moments in my life crushed me. I now use an old galaxy phone with an sd card slot with all the old mp3 files but it isnt the same.

[@inkshock]

Same. I used an old Galaxy Note Edge to replace my iPod Touch. With Hiki-Player it plays FLAC-files. Hiki-Player also supports folder play, so I can just make folders on the SD-card and recreate playlists from iTunes that way easily.

[@peteterry2877]

Surely all your music and playlists were saved in iTunes on your computer? How else could they have got on your iPod?

[@georgestreisel7920]

@peteterry2877 the playlists were made on the ipod and not the laptop so they were not backed up unfortunately.

[@emmanuelkraj8074]

Why dont you try buying another ipod and start all new

[@omrcz]

Unless you shortened something it should be fine.

[@scottdavisonline]

Public Library CD borrowing + burning to FLAC + Roon (1-time-purchase) for playback = musical bliss.

[@georgelucas7430]

this is the way

[@callmetony7143]

Eh, if you're committing piracy anyway you might as well get with the times and use something like Deemix or Lidarr and just download the files directly. Don't misunderstand me. Supporting your local library is very important, but at the same time, not every library is stocked the same

[@DavesArchives]

I listened to the LCD-2 headphones around 11 years ago or so at a vinyl meetup in Houston. A guy had them kitted out to a modded iPod with a portable amp. It was the most surreal dark electronic experience I have ever had. Congrats on the setup!

[@EposVox]

Haha that’s amazing

[@technautic-music]

Great! The concept of owning nothing and digital only media makes me very depressed. It's not just about the "stuff" it's about the journey and experience. Thanks for the video.

[@MaybeTiberius]

i am the opposite. also i am a minimalist. i dont want to own everything. it makes me depressed having all that stuff around my house. anyways, its such a weird mindset to begin with. WHY do i need to own everything. why is it a good thing to own everything besides the fact i own it? i dont need to own stuff, i have access to 24/7 anyways. if i go to the movie cinema. do i own the movie i just watched? nope. i bought a ticket and thats it. if i go to the museum... do i own the art in it? i pay to see, watch, listen to something. i dont need to own the stuff tho.

[@technautic-music]

@MaybeTiberius I hear ya on that point too. It's more the idea of being forced into owning nothing. Take care.

[@nuttylmao]

This was insanely cool to watch! I appreciate the storytelling and detail, and definitely did not pause the video multiple times to stalk your collection :P

[@EposVox]

Bahaha thanks, man. Stoked to finally meet you this weekend!

[@ThatThrowAwayAccount-tz8ly]

Love th 4:3 ratio, first time a video has taken up the entirety of my iPad screen

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

I had a similar thought a few years ago. I always wanted more space on my phone for my emulators and music. I decided that I wanted the "ipod" experience that I remembered from years back. Week long battery life, no ads or commercials to skip, just me and the device. I was on a tight buget so I used a previous android phone I had. Ii wiped it, removed all bloatware I could and set it in Airplane mode. It now lasts for several days on a single charge and has an expandable SD card slot if I ever get close to filling it. It's worked great for the past 2 years.

[@majinvipergaming]

I just wish I could use my iTunes to sync to my android. Yes I know of 3rd party apps but still. Very dope that you did that.

[@CSharpDCS]

What audio player do you use?

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

@@CSharpDCS It's a little wonky, but AIMP is what I have been using. It keeps my place in the playlist even when my car turns off, unlike VLC.

[@naolucillerandom5280]

Well, I know what to do with my broken phone now!

[@murilowippel]

00:14 wow, that frame is a time travel to an incredible period of my life that wont come back again ever

[@Joe-oj2mi]

The fact that I was able to watch this on my old Sony trinitron on its native aspect ratio makes me so happy

[@maverickLIVE]

The iPod classic was my favorite iPod. Loved that thing. Also, love the 4:3 aspect ratio for this video.

[@EposVox]

:D

[@greendayray]

If you’ve been listening to mp3 and streams for a while, going back to a cd is like night and day. If an album is a high quality mix it will sound like you are in the studio with the band. Younger generations also need to understand that just like movies and video games, what’s available on streaming can go away at any time due to licensing. So if you love something, buy it and you’ll have it forever. Either as a physical copy, or a digital copy.

[@Elytrii]

preach

[@ЛентяйЁпта]

Nostalgic nonsense

[@Tougebeat]

Digital copies can go away too.

[@Elytrii]

@Tougebeat drm protected digital copies yes, but not wav, flac, etc downloads, some services allow buying drm free copies and you can always rip/back up a CD, cassette tape, or vinyl recordings

[@Tougebeat]

@ True that

[@davidperry4013]

If buying digital music is not owning than pirating music isn't stealing.

[@Soosheon]

I’d say buying digital music is definitely owning. Subscribing to digital music isn’t. Licensing digital music isn’t.

[@fourfours9928]

doesn't matter what you say. Legally it isn't.

[@Jakub552]

If you don’t own it then it by definition is stealing.

[@LR-tg9kq]

@@fourfours9928Actually it’s illegal 🤓👆

[@acowwithlegs]

@@Soosheon you own it but they can take it away at any second legally, so is it really owning?

[@JUKE179r]

Dude. I still have my iPod classic 80gb black still connected to my wife’s 2014 BMW X5. That thing has lasted for over 17+ years through my many military deployments in the desert and many military assignments, it still holds up and plays amazingly. I want to update to a bigger HD, a clear cover to show the circuitry and newer battery but it still works regardless. Thanks for the memories bro. 😉👍🏽

[@ClayRunions]

This is such great info! Sometimes I don't even bother listening to music because the choice paralysis when you have downloaded everything you like (so many discographies!) and have a streaming subscription. You may have just, literally, changed my life!

[@Sugarshaine94]

After this video I've found new life in not just my Ipod but this tutorial as well as using RockBox has made me want to not just hear music more but hear music differently. I added a bluetooth function to mine as well. The old middle schooler in me would've went crazy had I known what was capable or since we live in a new age of music, how much I would've been thankful for physical media. You've not only earned a sub to this channel but I cannot wait till your next video! Amazing stuff!

[@JohnNoirSmith]

For me, going over to Apple Music where I felt like there was more focus on albums rather than playlist, really made me fall in love with music all over again. Even if it was just as accessible as Spotify, there was just something about it. But I get the appeal of the limitations of an iPod, and I have bought quite a few albums on iTunes (and still got quite a few of my CDs left) so I *could* do this without ripping off the artists

[@EposVox]

I have come to appreciate Apple Music more than the others

[@dankvader420]

Locally storing your music was always the way to go. You can listen to it anytime without obstructions such as the need for an active internet connection. I never got into using Spotify/tidal/apple music for this reason alone, I always stored my music locally and I probably always will. Sure, backing it up (in more than 1 places) is kind of cumbersome but at the end of the day I can just pull out my phone (or open my music folder on my PC if I'm sitting there) and start listening to my collection, whether I'm online or not.

[@MaybeTiberius]

those arguments are kind of stupid tho. you can write this comment here. meaning you have an internet plan you pay for. it doesnt matter if you need an internet connection because you HAVE an internet connection anyways. that goes for streaming only tho. i dont use any data on my phone for example. just hit download on the music you want and you literally download it to your device so you dont need an active internet connection. how many times in the last 5 years, have you not been online? i can pretty much count that on one hand. my router at home is always on, my phone internet is always on. i am literally ALLWAYS online, so it doesnt matter if i can listen to music offline too because im never offline to begin with

[@dankvader420]

@MaybeTiberius Well not everyone is 24/7 online, there are people that turn WiFi/mobile data off when they don't use it, or disconnect their PCs from the internet for the same reason.

[@MaybeTiberius]

@@dankvader420 do you also dismantle your bed when you dont sleep or take out your simcard when you dont call someone? XD

[@MaybeTiberius]

@@mmecharlotte its not that its ''important'' but its just how it is and noone cares about it besides a few. my internet being online is literally the exact same as my ''phone sim card being plugged in'' people dont turn off their phone connections so people cant call them. if a phone is turned on... it functions as a phone. internet is literally exactly that. i think the amount of hours, my devices were not online within the last 10-15 years, i can count on less than one hand.

[@fortunefm]

Loona spotted in the music folder, i knew i could trust you 😌

[@Melodic_Hammond]

I have been rebuilding my music collection in the same way over the last couple months and its been so rewarding. CDs can be cheap to pick up 2nd hand which is nice and EAC is great for burning them to FLAC. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@YellowNotThe]

helped me realize how i kinda let go music despite art being a large part of my life and how i can fix that. hopefully one day i can get an ipod too or just some physical player and i'll def be trying to buy more cd's. thanks man

[@Blackhawk19892]

I got absolutely sick to death of doomscrolling so I bought a cheap mp3 player and its made me appreciate music again. Just picking an album and listening to it on the way to work without constant alerts or the tenptation to check the news has felt so good. Picking up CDs at a charity shop is so easy too. Honestly thinking of getting a dumbphone and just keeping the old one as a camera becuase it's been so liberating.

[@CerberusC23]

I clicked because I saw the album in the thumbnail was by the used and I've been listening to them a lot again lately. Very good video, glad I came across it

[@DammitJeff]

Holycrap Iamsleepless, haven't seen that name in *years.* You're in deep bro!!

[@EposVox]

Used to be THE KZbin theme song lmao

[@mutahmarriagecounselor2272]

Last night for the first time in years, i plugged my headphones into the radio and was at the mercy of whatever stations I could tune in. It was so refreshing i stayed up until two thirty.

[@AggroNoobs]

You have done exactly what I've been returning to for the last couple of years. I've always had *some* physical, even during the digital streaming take over but it was, for a while there, a shadow of the binders and shelves full of stuff. Tbh, I don't want to return to THAT level of collecting as it starts to feel a bit overwhelming and more like collecting for the sake of "number go up". However, I have returned to it in picking and choosing exactly what I want and know I "can't be without", either old favorites or new releases that blow me away. I've been singing the praises of returning to this way of listening for a while now and it makes me so happy to see people within the last few years go from treating Vinyl, CD's and Tapes as novelties for weirdos and the nostalgic, into genuinely enjoying and hunting these things down. Seeing people in Discords talk about and show off hauls from local record shops or gushing over how their favorite metal albums have a new texture when played properly through HIFI cassette set ups. And it's there. It's yours. It's yours to share with friends AND that artist in a way. It doesn't just vanish unless you make it do so (Or something awful happens out of your control) So fuck yeah dude. Enjoy that iPod and don't think twice about how it looks to break it out. You actually look fucking dope to someone like me that ALSO has a Nano or Classic in his bag at that moment.

[@gman102formyspace]

Finally an aspect ratio that fits my Fold 5 inner screen fully! Keep doing these in 4:3 please!

[@tyjuarez]

Your camera footage is considerably darker than screen capture footage. Are you having an issue with color space conversion? If you're using DaVinci you can set your color space settings to "Davinci YRGB Color Managed -> DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate -> Rec. 709" and it should kind of automatically deal with some of those issues. Of course, if your camera doesn't tag the color space of its footage you can select all of the clips from said camera in the media bin, right click, and set the "Input Color Space" to whatever format you shot in.

[@TitusTechTalk]

Man this was awesome! I love the old school offline vibes. I need to do this...

[@EposVox]

You should!

[@mwinchesterjr6862]

I'm impressed you hit a lot of speedbumps in this process. but you still managed to get it working.

[@handlewithnonumbers]

I bought an Android powered DAP. I put music on there as well as movies. A lot could be done on a cheap cell phone, but definitely is good to have specific buttons for music playback. Also helpful to not be tied down to a specific service like you pointed out.

[@BBKDRAGOON]

Gosh what an epic video dude, inspirational.

[@EposVox]

Thank you so much!

[@GL-Red]

2 goats

[@danielcampbell-large6717]

love that you have uploaded in 4:3

[@JamesStevensonPhoto]

Really interesting and informative video! I've started taking an interest in this, I think the algorithm that feeds my retro gaming / tinkering hobby aligned with this and it really got me thinking about reconnecting with music in a way that I've lost in the last couple of decades. Also noticed The Midnight's "Kids" album on your wall! They've been one of my favourite bands of the last few years, seen them live twice now and they put on an amazing show! That album in particular is my favourite, I think as it taps in to all that 80's/90's video game nostalgia. I also started to collect more vinyl again recently and love that I have their albums in a physical format, there really is something special about that. Also I share your interest in game soundtracks. Outer Wilds and Ori and the WIll of the Wisps have been in constant rotation to name just two! Thanks for this video, it really resonated with me. I'll be on the hunt for a 6th gen ipod now... I still have a dead gen 3 white one, and a nano from 2009, but would love something with these modern updates. I have some great Westone IEMs that have been neglected for airpods more recently, but have a wonderful sound - about the limit of what I could justifiably spend and appreciate. We used to have a shop here in Vancouver called the headphone bar which was great! They had alcohol wipes for demo earbuds so you could actually go try them out without just going on reviews - and these beat out all the well-reviewed oned at the same price to my ears! Keep up the great work! New sub. Greets from Canada!

[@BNWilliamGaming]

Fun fact! If you use iTunes to rip CDs you have tho option to rip them in the lossless ALAC format (compatible with the initial iPod operating system)!

[@BaileyMagikz]

fun fact: ALAC is horrible and apple refuses to use FLAC or allow you to use it with itunes cause they are petty little children

[@BNWilliamGaming]

@@BaileyMagikz I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s horrible, definitely second to FLAC (albeit a close second), but It’s better than MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3!

[@KA09]

@@BaileyMagikz How can it be horrible? ALAC is has lossless as a FLAC file and it's open-source (like FLAC). I personally have an iTunes library with ALAC and a Plex server with the same files in FLAC.

[@KA09]

@@BaileyMagikz Apple LOSSLESS Audio Codec (ALAC) and Free LOSSLESS Audio Codec (FLAC). No loss in data, it is LOSSLESS. And you need ALAC for iTunes and iPods/iPhones. Also, do you listen to music with your eyes or your ears. I think you are confusing AAC and ALAC. Also, you don’t need to convert MP3 files, they are natively supported by macOS and iDevices. And why would you convert a lossy 8mb file in a lossless 20mb file? It’s just a loss of space at this point. But my point is LOSSLESS is LOSSLESS. So ALAC is as lossless as a FLAC file. Hope that helps! :)

[@KA09]

@@BaileyMagikz How many times do I have to tell you lossless is lossless and there is not data loss between FLAC and ALAC (ou even APE our WAV)? Ask Audacity to do the difference between both files… There are none. And every audiophile website or forum will tell you ALAC and FLAC are 100% lossless and converting a FLAC to ALAC will result in absolutely no data loss. ALAC is lossless. FLAC is LOSSLESS. APE is LOSSLESS. WAV is LOSSLESS. LOSSLESS IS LOSSLESS. What don’t you understand? Even audiophiles say it! But I get it, you just hate Apple…

[@rtyt2007]

I love how this is in 4:3!

[@AyySorento]

Number #4 of your music code hits hard for me. I have about a dozen playlists depending on the type of music or mood I'm in. I then also made a playlist of my top songs from each playlist that I like to refer to as "No skip". If I want to listen to stuff I haven't heard in a while or just in a mood to refresh my taste, I'll put on a playlist that I feel is right. If I want to have a great listening experience without the need to worry about skipping any songs, I'll put on the no skip playlist and sing along. That way, I have them music I really care about close by without losing any music that I am just "ok" with. I guess that makes me a data/music hoarder, but there are songs I want to keep listing to in the future, even if it's once in a blue moon. I do need to go through and clean up my music libraries though. Could easily cut them by half and still be happy.

[@EposVox]

I love that playlist strategy! I need to work on that

[@fictionalmatcha]

obssessed with your amazing music taste! new subscriber for that and also amazing video quality

[@Taken_Alpha]

Been doing this for months, only differences is I have yet to rebuild my iPod and I am personally using ALAC. Still happy to see people picking up iPods again and re-experiencing music like it is the first time all over again

[@donhonk]

I am also rocking alac cause I don’t want to use rock box, plays through plexamp just fine too

[@Taken_Alpha]

@@donhonk Last I checked with all the research I did, ALAC and FLAC are very comparable. ALAC just happens to be the Lossless type that is supported on all of Apple's devices and systems without the need of third-party software

[@datachu]

I use FLAC since I'm on Android. Samsung's music app supports it natively. Some of the platforms I bought music from give it in either MP3 or WAV only but I use FFMPEG to convert lossless WAV to FLAC. Also I listen to mostly indie stuff so hell half my library is free to download straight from the artist

[@graceeology]

thank you so much for this video i have a large collection of CDs that i would listen to in my car but never really anywhere else i just put my favorite album through the flac thing and this is so incredible, ive only heard it like this live thank you!!!

[@hit0midesuuue]

Hate it when a certain singer, their songs vanished out of thin air just because the license expires or some shady stuff with the record label. When I was in Japan, I picked up a couple of cheap Singles and a Maroon 5 studio album that cost me ¥100 that is so pristine. Japanese people do know how to take care of their stuff. If you ever visited Japan, I would love to suggest anyone to visit a local Book OFF store

[@jureliusjames]

I use Tidal, I buy CD's, I use a Sony Walkman. Being immersed in your favorite artist without pings and notifications is the best way to feel connected with them.

[@rodrigo.amadorr]

Is this how watching tutorials in the 80's would've felt like??? I LOVED this tutorial and your channel! New subscriber. It makes me feel nostalgia for an simpler era that no longer exists.

[@haybale287]

In the 80s...? How so? We're talking about MP3 Players.

[@rodrigo.amadorr]

@@haybale287 I'm talking about the video quality of the tutorial. It feels like it's recorded with an 80's video camera.

[@haybale287]

@@rodrigo.amadorr Oh, I see!

[@TeaOS]

What a cool little project. Good video Addie

[@EposVox]

Thank you!!

[@_longgaming]

Pretty sweet to have this as an option if you really want to go all out. You brought up a lot of great points about the current states of listening to music.

[@TRILLANORTH]

That's why I kept buying music from iTunes and asking my artist friends to send me music over e-mail/facebook since the start of the music streaming era. Music is commercial, but more than that; is a way to live and see stuff around you.

[@trashcangoblin420]

I just buy records from local stores and tapes and mp3s mostly via bandcamp or sometimes boomkat etc other digital stores. it's a fun vibe! You are def. makinig me miss the old school mp3 player, I use streaming apps when I am out and about and I don't like not being able to access my actual library on the go.

[@trashcangoblin420]

my oceans of CDs remain banished in boxes deep in the roof of the garage though - I digitised most of them a long while ago.

[@gkcadadr]

Personally the main reason I am planning to get a separate music gadget is I noticed that I was listening to much, much less music in the last few years and that it was because how awful Spotify is. Frankly I don’t much care for hi-fi or nostalgia of it or perfect album art and liner notes, I just want to enjoy music without Spotify’s (or Deezer’s etc) bugs, interruptions, ads (including all the popups and nonsensical playlists and stuff they push on me despite me being a paying user for decade now), and them randomly removing my fav tracks for god knows why. And also without worrying about phone battery. I hope to be able to move podcasts off the phone as well buy idk how well that would work.

[@jemiho]

Classic documentary, thank you for this!

[@redjrjames]

Great to see, I'm not the only one doing this. XD I started my collection about 2 months ago, but I didn't have my old iPod touch anymore so I bought a cool looking DAP, the Hiby R4. Got a 512gb micro sd card, and started going though my Spotify AND Soundcloud likes I have had for years since 2016. In total I have well over 3000 songs and I'm constantly finding and adding new songs beside the ones I already liked.. So... It's going to be a journey before I can completely switch... 😂😂😂😂

[@famvids9627]

Dig in the greats podcast to this a few months back. Except that he went to using an ipod for an entire month. As a sort of social experiment so that people would give him music recommendations rather than an algorithm telling him what to listen to. He eventually found a way through a different software company to update the software so that if apple ever takes down the software or stops, updating it that he'll still have access to his library. People should go over and check out his channel because it's really good.

[@Game-BeatX14]

I still use my 4th gen iPod Shuffle when I go jogging. Listening to music without the distractions of a phone is a whole different feeling.

[@EposVox]

Yes!

[@DarkenedCyrus]

The nostalgia that this video brought is wild. Also, that Meteora kit that you glanced past is now something I need... Loving the viewing format and the work you're doing by mixing older hardware with new tech! See you at TwitchCon!

[@Zennalathas]

Did I miss the part of the video where the metadata was all fixed up and good quality album art added? The biggest challenge / chore with maintaining a large media collection is grappling with keeping the metadata consistent and accurate. Album art especially is a chore if your taste isn't 100% mainstream.

[@ProfessorProstate-g1d]

wasnt the fre:ac part explaining that?

[@giddycadet]

musicbrainz picard is not perfect but it's pretty damn good for fetching metadata and album covers. i do manually replace any covers that are especially bad but for most albums it'll be fine, especially on a screen like that

[@londondeer]

I usually end up adding mine manually using mp3tag

[@Solitaire001]

The best option for album art is to buy a scanner then scan the album art from your own CDs. That way you can make sure the album art is compatible with your specific player. As as an example, I have a Sony Walkman NW-A55 and the only album art it will display is Baseline .jpg, and it must be embedded in the songs metadata as Cover (Front). No other album art will display on my player.

[@FaithInTheGlitch]

I've been dreaming of getting an iPod and a MNML phone and throwing social media in the trash. This is def getting me excited for your panel at TwitchCon!

[@cannonaire]

Oh man! Dissidia 012 OST! I love it so much. Banger vid, Epos!

[@EposVox]

Thank!

[@karinamuzz]

Your video makes me have faith in humanity again. I was feeling very lonely perfecting and organizing my large collection of music folders.

[@StarDarkAshes]

Could you imagine how many people would buy a new Apple iPod that was just a standalone iPod? If they did it right it could be there next have to have product. They’ve kind of become stagnant lately and I know they probably had big hopes for the Vision Pro but that seems to be floppingfor several reasons. I don’t think the AI thing is gonna do it for them and they gave up on the car project. They could make an extra billion dollars if they made another iPod, but did it right and give it some extra features

[@dirtyfilthystinky]

Literally

[@PeterTucker]

My favorite video of 2024, great job!

[@EposVox]

Wow, thanks!

[@hajilee4539]

With the rise of AI, becoming less and less dependent on the internet has been my goal for a while now. This setup is the dream, congratulations!

[@ambiarock590]

Same here. I've quit doomscrolling and I daily drive iPods for music. Way better this way

[@jclark2019]

Great vid man! this came up when researching ipod classic refurbished. I'm prolly 20 years older and don't understand a lot of the digital formats, but I appreciate you uploading this great info! I can't wait to upgrade mine! I've got 40 years of music everywhere lol

[@RetroPlus]

I never moved on from winamp, still use MP3s even in 2024, my PSP go is my preferred portable music player of choice

[@ambiarock590]

I used to use my 3DS for music in high school. I took that thing to cross country races to listen to music on the bus rides.

[@zookajoetech]

Awesome video! I'm inspired to nearly do the same thing to my music library. I've been 'collecting' my music on my main machine since 2014+ or so but it's turned mostly into low quality KZbin rips or otherwise, and I'd like to start collecting physical media and ripping them to get as good of quality as possible. And now this solidifies my want for an iPod even further!

[@rabarselart]

For me the reason that was slowly killing my taste in music was Spotify.

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

I recently found a backup of all my old music along with the playlist from it. I’ve been debating going off streaming platforms, but i use Apple Music which is lossless quality and i realize if i do everything off of the service like this the artist won’t get paid for the plays which makes me sad for the artist i like. Though i will say for some more problematic artists or those not on Apple Music it’s nifty.

[@mcash2189]

I'm really glad to see more people getting away from streaming services and returning to having offline music collections and while the iPod was good for its time you can do much better today you should consider a modern dap something that can output more power so you can drive better headphones

[@orangeyellow-me1pz]

Exactly my thoughts. He's doing a disservice to those cans.

[@TheRealFormidibleThunder]

Yo man! what an epic video that kept me hooked all the way through! I love how you were kinda telling a story. As a megafan of all sorts of music I envy your physical collection, all excellent choices. I've always wanted a physical collection of my own but unfortunately I don't have enough money ♥♥♥

[@LumbyMcGumby]

My vehicle doesn't have a cd player or auxiliary port it confused the hell out of me when I first realized this. It works with my zune over USB though 😂 go figure

[@KOLBYWAN_KENOBI]

This is awesome, love that passion man. Subscribed

[@EposVox]

Appreciate it, dude!

[@2muchrubik]

MP3 has a major advantage to FLAC which is that of saving disk space and also being easier to stream over the internet. I keep archival copies of my media in FLAC, but for my main listening library, I stream MP3 320kbps with Plex. Seriously listen critically to a high quality FLAC vs that same FLAC converted to MP3 320kbps and tell me you can hear the difference (or even VBR V0 for that matter).

[@halokiller711]

I tested this with people while in college and never did people actually hear a difference, even 196kbps compressed FLAC sound great. It's all relative and most people who like audio stuff in my experience have hearing damage lmao.

[@drstrangelove4925]

0:55 got detention for listening to music?!??!? America man the land of freedom

[@jonahyue4755]

If buying is not owning then pirating is not stealing.

[@EposVox]

Buying physical is still an option and still owning. That statement is very true but only really applies when there’s no reasonable means of purchasing that does result in owning.

[@Tobias-fl3nb]

​@@EposVox I mean, by definition pirating is not stealing. If I steal your car you don't still have your car.

[@blackadder1996]

Yes but it is copyright infringement 😉

[@emandutta4839]

​@@blackadder1996 Not unless you're selling those files, so no.

[@markhaus]

Love the stylistic choice to show nostalgia via a 4:3 aspect ratio

[@lucyinchat]

It’s surprisingly easy getting your own content streaming platforms setup. You just need a low power consumption thing to host the content and serve it over something like Tailscale.

[@gresh1134]

6:40 A man of great taste, I see!

[@TheBlackSkimmer]

Just to let you know, the stable release of rockbox is 4 years old and the peeps just recommend using the daily build. It is annoying and I wish they would update the stable release, but oh well.

[@spoonchucks]

12:05 I saw this "restore your ipod with itunes" trap coming a mile away. This is why I hate Apple. I understand the need to remove obsolete pieces of software to keep development overhead low but completely nuking the software altogether and with it, all ability to use old tech is despicable. Like you, I stopped using Apple Music's nonsense this year. Still listening on my iPhone but using VLC for a bit (which was a low-grade headache) and eventually Doppler (which is PHENOMENAL). I have my entire library super-curated and sitting on my disk and a metadata tag-aware sync script to filter and transfer it to wherever I need/want it.

[@skytheidiott]

Ripping your music is noble and all but majority of people definitely don't have that type of money to throw around lol. I'll be sticking to KZbin to MP3 converters at 320k quality until i can properly pay for my music lol

[@EposVox]

If you can afford a 15-20/month subscription, you can cancel that and afford a new cd or two a month

[@aa65064]

used cds go for next to nothing. especially older ones

[@instrumental]

Check out soulseek

[@jamjox9922]

My music collection grew over the years as I traded with other people. Even if I didn't always share their taste in music, there was usually some gems in there. It was a case of me backing up their music and them backing up mine in case our respective hard drives ever fail (and they will, eventually). Rather than having another hard drive in the same location, it's better to have one at another location with someone you know.

[@startrekmike]

This video has some solid instructions about the technical side of things. I agree that lossless audio is significantly better and having a good set of speakers or a solid set of full headphones is really the best, most immersive way to listen. There is one technical aspect I do have to nitpick. When you started talking about lossless formats, you mentioned vinyl. I get that it is a trendy thing but if you are thinking about raw audio quality (as opposed to the "vibe" or something), it is not even remotely on the same level as a CD (or a wav/flac file). It just seems like a strange thing to mention when you put so much into talking about the value of raw audio quality. Beyond all that, I think there is an underlying element about one's relationship to music that you kinda get into but not nearly as much as you probably should have. One can have an amazing audio setup but if they don't allow themselves to really build a meaningful, personal relationship with an artist's body of work, they are going to miss out on a powerful thing. When I was a teenager, it was still pretty normal to walk around with a portable cassette player or a CD player. Mp3's came into play a bit later in my teens so much of my early relationship to music was built around buying CD's, putting them in a massive binder (that I carried everywhere in my backpack) and listening to one album at a time. Some of my friends made mix tapes/CD's but we tended to focus more on listening to an album as a single, complete piece of work. Part of this was likely due to our love for concept album focused Pink Floyd but even outside of that, we focused on one album at a time. We didn't tend to pick and choose favorite songs and instead just put the album on and learned to embrace whatever songs it contained. After a while, you start to notice that even in situations where it isn't intentional on the artist's part, an album tends to have a specific emotional message. It is a sort of "snapshot" of where that artist is at a specific time. There is value in that. There is value in embracing that snapshot. Perhaps what I am saying here is having the right audio equipment is only a fraction of the equation. One also needs to be able to embrace music as something beyond just background noise, "vibes", or even a large selection of albums that one barely engages with beyond a few songs on each. Music is a emotional conversation between the artist/band and the listener. It is only fair that we pay attention during that conversation and truly listen to what is being said. One last thing. I see a lot of folks complain about being "overwhelmed" in our era of streaming music. I can understand why it happens but I also can't help but notice that much of the issue comes down to people not taking the time to configure their experience more carefully. I use Spotify pretty regularly but I also have it locked down. I make playlists but instead of them just being a random smattering of songs from different artists and albums that I play on shuffle, they are instead just lists for each artist/band and they contain every album in order of release. I don't let Spotify choose anything for me and I don't bother with the whole "playlisting" thing where one can find something like "tunes to cook your sirloin tip roast to" (or obnoxiously specific to that effect). Spotify didn't change how I interact with music simply because I didn't allow it to. I didn't let it push me into the whole "laid back listening" thing.

[@hanes2]

Black flag. Man of culture

[@thiscorrosion3843]

My favorite Hardcore band.

[@shinywave]

I do still have my iPod and I kind of love that it’s a time capsule of the music I had at the time. I feel like it would be hard for me to wipe it’s hard drive and start over but you are tempting me. I don’t make much money but I want to pay artists what they deserve !

[@LupusAdNoctem]

Sourcing, formatting, and managing your own music library is way too much work. It activates the bad OCD part of my brain that drives me crazy.

[@MaybeTiberius]

yea especially since this is basically what lossless streaming services like qobuz or tidal do anyways. they source it, manage it, rip it to flac. why would i want to do that myself if i already have millions of songs in lossless to begin with? million songs that cost me less than 1 cd a month. and the files you stream from them are exactly the same files you would get on cd anyways. open tidal, click a bunch of albums i wanna listen to, click download. done. music available offline on my phone. convenience is awesome... because it means i have more time to actually do fun stuff. ''yeah but cds are cheap used'' yeah... they are but only if all you want to listen to for the rest of your life is 20-40year old music you have listened to a thousand times anyways. NEW releases are NOT cheap. and if you want to explore new music and new album releases and stuff, then what? and those ''but what if all the streaming services and the internet and everything shuts down tomorrow? i ll own nothing then'' argument is stupid because there is like a 0,00000000001% that this will happen. its so highly unlikely that mathematically it makes zero sense. its much more likely that tomorrow a piano will drop out of a plane and hit you while eating a donut so you die. i never understood this mindset of living. ''i do this and spend all that time and money for a situation that will probably never happen anyways'' its kind of a sad and paranoid way of living tbh. if you want to collect a bunch of crap... yeah do that because you like collecting stuff and you are a hoarder. but from a logical standpoint: it makes zero sense

[@SidOKid4SkitsandShorts]

I just recently got the exact model you used to have, 5th gen black iPod video, it works well and I love it. I am also a sophomore and use it pretty much any time I can. Thought that was pretty cool to hear you talk about the exact model I have.

[@Emily182_]

Great video, often think about doing the same but I might not yet, I think the whole streaming thing works great for finding smaller artists although I can also understand that KZbin and Bandcamp exist for a reason. I buy CD's, vinyl and cassettes for numerous reasons but all my CD's are ripped and it's great to just, have the files along with a psychical disc. Also would like to note that apparently just ripping on the highest MP3 settings is just as good as FLAC and takes up a lot less storage, I don't have a crazy setup but I haven't really noticed any different between either

[@SentinelEx]

So glad I stumbled upon your video. What’s funny is I was looking for something to play in the background while I load up my Note 9 with music for offline use. Basically turning my Galaxy Note 9 into a dedicated MP3 player. I’m just tired of paying for subscriptions and having to deal with annoying music app UI. Makes me happy others understand and are going back to offline.

[@astrocat37]

So stoked to see Lies for the Liars on the thumbnail, I love The Used

[@damiengrief]

Just came across this video. Love this. I have a huge FLAC file collection and I do have other DAPs I've bought in the last few years but they all feel the same - like a beefed up Android phone. There was a certain special charm to the iPod Classic form and UI with that click wheel. I miss it so much. I had a 5th gen version just like you, but it's long gone. And I'd love to do what you did here, but buying one on eBay these days seems kinda pricey.

[@8DethTroll8]

I love my little Fiio i bought like 4 years ago. Put a lot of stuff on SD card and if i can't get something i use Spotify on it. And the beauty that a lot of people mentioned here. Listening music without calls, messages and other distractions. AAAND mini jack!

[@ckeilah]

Nice to see that The Midnight album, if only momentarily. 🥰

[@caffeinatedcreditcard]

hi, i saw at 18:47 you showed your goodwill rescues. this is my first time watching your video so im not sure if you already have a video like this (sorry in advance) but could you possibly make a video on how to spot good finds and what to get at goodwill. thank u very much

[@JayEAA]

Get whatever you want! Goodwill has donated books, cds, dvds, tech, clothing.

[@nicky9909]

im in love with music so much that i still have my music that i collected over time now on my android dap called a hiby r5 gen 2. getting music is fun too cause it means you can take it on the go

[@shark_bytezz]

man, this is awesome! ive had an ipod myself but it has some issues that i do not have the money to repair, but I've still stepped away from streaming music by switching entirely to local files for my favorite songs and artists (my favorite players being wacup/winamp on desktop and musicolet on my phone), and I've gotten a better experience with those apps than i have had with spotify/yt music. i only use music streaming when my friends suggest new music to me. while i still listen to music on my phone, i still only use local files there and i always leave my phone in my pocket when listening to music on the go; it helps that my phone's a foldable too so i can have it closed. sometimes it feels weird being one of few people in my circles that doesnt use spotify, but i don't think im missing out much. i hope one day to start a cd collection and to repair my current ipod.

[@PrgSkidmark]

I liked the video. I see how much trouble you went through. I’ve been using the FiiO players for years. Current using the M11 plus. I don’t think I would ever revive old tech. Each new player gets better and better quality. You can always use as a digital transport and plug that into a better desktop DAC.

[@Snaxolotl71]

I just noticed that we both got the same iPod parts - purple face plate and rainbow back plate 😂 great taste, amigo!

[@EposVox]

Hell yeah!