The Next Track

Doug and Kirk discuss iTunes and AppleScript. This was bound to come sooner or later, since Doug is the AppleScript ninja. We look at what AppleScript does, and discuss more than a dozen of the most useful AppleScripts to use to manage your iTunes library. “AppleScript does not run on Windows, and Windows does not run in my house.” Show notes : News: New Pink Floyd box set covers the early years:...

Doug and Kirk welcome back Andy Doe, digital music consultant, to discuss myths and superstitions around audio: cables, breaking in hardware, digital audio, and more. But first we discuss classical music playlists on streaming services. “Hooray, good for you, you have magical bat ears.” Andy Doe. Show notes : Andy Doe Proper Discord Classical music playlists: Here’s What’s Wrong with Classical Mus...

Have you ever wanted to set up your own home media server? Doug and Kirk discuss the pros and cons of doing this, and explain how to set up a Mac mini as a media server. Show notes : Discovering new music: Apple’s Mac mini OS X Server I wish there was an iTunes Server WD My Passport 4 TB portable hard drive Carbon Copy Cloner Change Screen Resolution on Headless OS X Server Sonos Plex The Merchant...

In the latest episode of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn welcome NPR and Rolling Stone music critic Will Hermes. We take a brief stroll down memory lane, then discuss music discovery: how does a music critic, overwhelmed with choice, discover new music. “For me to just become a nostalgia merchant; as a writer, and as a music fan, not interested.” Show notes : Discovering new music: W...

In the latest episode of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn discuss spoken word recordings. How to get them, how to manage them, and how to listen to them. And we discuss how the history of recording started with recordings of spoken word content. “Like a Victorian call center.” Show notes : Spoken word and audiobook recordings: Key dates in the history of audiobooks Walt Whitman readin...

In the latest episode of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn analyze the rumor that Apple is planning to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone, and then discuss how people organize music by genre. “No matter where we steer this thing, we always end up driving down inelegant boulevard.” Show notes : The headphone jack rumor: An iPhone without a headphone jack? No way! On the Recurring...

In the latest episode of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn welcome special guest Chris Connaker who runs the Computer Audiophile website to discuss high-resolution audio. What are the pros? The cons? Is high-res for you? “Is high-resolution worth it? There really is no definitive answer to that…” Show notes : The Computer Audiophile website High-resolution audio: Episode #3 – Everythin...

In the latest episode of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn take a quick look at the new features coming to Apple Music, and then discuss how we listen to music with headphones and speakers. What’s the best kind of headphones? When should you use speakers? Why not use both (not at the same time, of course)? Show notes : News: A Brief Overview of New Features Coming to Apple Music Headph...

In episode #4 of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn welcome special guest Andy Doe, digital music consultant and classical record label head, to discuss some streaming music shenanigans, and audio file metadata, the information that tells you who a track is by, its name, its album, and more. “This is the kind of mass-production of music that Henry Ford would have appreciated.” Andy Doe....

In episode #3 of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn examine the various audio file formats that you may encounter when you listen to music. You’re familiar with MP3, AAC, and, perhaps, Apple Lossless, but do you know your FLAC from your AIFF, or your WAV from your Ogg Vorbis? Show notes : Audio file formats: Here’s a selection of links about audio file formats, working with lossless aud...

In episode #2 of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn take a brief look at the iTunes 12.4 update, and then discuss streaming music versus owning it. Do you want to have access to most of the recorded music available or do you want to own your music, listen to it when you want, even if labels or artists decide they don’t want to play with streaming services? Show notes : News and Updates:...

In episode #1 of The Next Track, Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn introduce the podcast, and explain the topics they plan to cover. They discuss streaming music and downloads, and spend some time looking at the history of music listening, from songs to albums to songs, with some tapes along the way. Then they discuss their next tracks, the music they’re planning to listen to next. Show notes : Introd...