The Next Track

We take a close look at playlists. What they are, where they came from, and what you can do with them. Show notes: This week’s guest: High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby High Fidelity (movie) Elizabethtown Yamaha CD-C600BL 5-Disc CD Changer The True Story of Audion Search Results to Playlist script Join Together app Our next tracks: Kirk: The Clash: Super Black Market Clash Doug: Mogul Thrash: Mogul Thrash If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Andy Doe joins us to talk about EQ. What is it, how does it work, do you need it, and where did it go? This week’s guest: Andy Doe Proper Discord Show notes: This week’s guest: Equalization on Wikipedia The Mysterious Loudness Control: What Does It Do? How to tweak your sound in iTunes and on iOS devices The Next Track, Episode #21 – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Subwoofers Our next tracks: Kirk: Grateful Dead: Morning Dew, 5/8/77, Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Doug: Pink Floyd: The Wall If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Andy Doe.Support The Next Track

Author David Sax talks about his book The Revenge of Analog: why people like vinyl, and why other analog technologies are popular today. This week’s guest: David Sax, The Revenge of Analog: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/revengeofanalog/ Show notes: This week’s guest: My review of The Revenge of Analog The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz Do Vinyl Records Sound Better than CDs? Discogs Our next tracks: Kirk: Harold Budd: Perhaps Doug: Kirsty MacColl: Tropical Brainstorm If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: David Sax.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk discuss storing a media library on a network-attached storage device. We focus on using a NAS with iTunes, but there’s some useful information for those using a NAS with other media software. Show notes: WD MyCloud EX2 Plex Doug’s Launch at Login applet How to map a network drive on Windows Our next tracks: Kirk: John Cale: Fragments of a Rainy Season Doug: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Jukebox Explosion If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Chris Connaker went to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He reports for us on new audio equipment and the MQA music format. This week’s guest: Chris Connaker of the The Computer Audiophile website Show notes: Chris Connaker’s Long Strange Trip Chris’s overview of his visit to the CES Pandora is available in the US, Australia, and New Zealand The Next Track, Episode #6: What Is High-Resolution Audio? Chris’s 2014 article High Resolution Audio Isn’t Coming Soon From Apple Mastered for iTunes (PDF) MQA website, Wikipedia Steve Jobs’ Thoughts on Music, from 2007 Klipsch, The Three The Revenge of Analog, by David Sax AudioQuest Dragonfly Red DAC Our next tracks: Kirk: Genesis – Seconds Out Doug: The Bomboras: It Came From Pier 13! If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Chris Connaker.Support The Next Track

Mac writer Rob Griffiths tells us how to efficiently rip DVDs and Blu-Rays. This week’s guest: Rob Griffiths Show notes: The Committed podcast The Complete West Wing on iTunes (in HD) Revisiting ripping Blu-Ray discs Detailed instructions for installing the transcode-video tools Pioneer Slim External Blu Ray Writer BDR-XD05B MacGo Blu-Ray Player MakeMKV HandBrake 1.0 VLC Media Player transcode-video Installing transcode-video Difference Between Mp4 and M4v Change Videos from Home Movies to Movies, TV Shows or Music Videos in iTunes iFlicks 2 Hamlet, by the Royal Shakespeare Company A deep dive into HandBrake and Video Transcoding WD My Passport 4 TB portable hard drive Our next tracks: Kirk: King Crimson Doug: Public Image Ltd. – Album If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Rob Griffiths.Support The Next Track

Andy Doe returns to discuss how music consumption has changed in this era of fragmented media. “We are the acquisitors.” This week’s guest: Andy Doe Proper Discord Show notes: Chris Anderson: The Long Tail, Free Our next tracks: Kirk: Pink Floyd: Animals Doug: Corey Harris: Greens From the Garden If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Andy Doe.Support The Next Track

Musician and developer Peter Chilvers discusses making apps with Brian Eno, including the new generative music composition Reflection. “Imagine lots and lots of theremins looping back at you…” Show notes: Peter Chilvers’ website Ten years working with Brian Eno Generative Music website with Peter’s apps Scape, Bloom, Trope, and Air Kirk’s review of the Reflection CD and app Kirk’s 2013 review of Four apps for making ambient music on your iOS device Note: Peter Chilvers’ explanation of the Reflection app’s pricing, which comes in around the 23-minute mark, is a brief recording he made after the show because he was unsatisfied with the way he replied to the question during the recording. Our next tracks: Kirk: Brad Mehldau: Blues and Ballads Doug: Homer & Jethro: Country Their Way – 36 All-Time Greatest Hits If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Peter Chilvers.Support The Next Track

We take a look at the pros and cons of syncing music to your portable device versus using the cloud to store your music. Sponsor: Waltr 2: transfer virtually any media files to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, without using iTunes. Safe 15% on Waltr 2 with the discount code THENEXTTRACK. Check out Waltr 2. Show notes: Episode #22 – In Praise of the iPod Classic How Many Matches Does iTunes Match Match, When iTunes Match Does Match Matches? Apple improves iCloud Music Library matching, ditches copy-protected matched files for Apple Music users Here’s How Messed Up Apple Music Metadata Is Macworld: Ask the iTunes Guy Our next tracks: Kirk: Brian Eno: Reflection Doug: David Bowie: Stage If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

In this special, one-hour, year-end episode, we feature clips from some of our more popular episodes. If you’re just discovering The Next Track, this highlight reel will give you an idea of the topics we cover in the show. Alex Ross on classical music Sunny Nam on mastering records Elijah Wald on the blues Timo Andres on composing classical music David Browne on the Grateful Dead Will Hermes on discovering new music Sponsor: Waltr 2: transfer virtually any media files to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, without using iTunes. Safe 15% on Waltr 2 with the discount code THENEXTTRACK. Check out Waltr 2. Show notes: Below are links to for each of the original episodes featuring our guests, other episodes mentioned in the show, and links to their websites, books, and more. Episode 18: Alex Ross on classical music Episode 7: Music and genres Alex Ross’s website, The Rest is Noise Alex Ross’s writings on The New Yorker Alex Ross’s books: The Rest is Noise, Listen to This Episode 15: Sunny Nam or mastering and remastering Sunny Nam’s company Jacob’s Well Mastering Sunny Nam’s recordings on Discogs Episode 20: Elijah Wald on the blues Elijah Wald’s website Elijah Wald’s Songobiography Elijah Wald’s book: Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues Episode 24: Timo Andres on contemporary classical music Timo Andres’s website Timo Andres on Nonesuch Records Episode 23: David Browne on the history of the Grateful Dead David Browne’s website So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead Episode 9: Will Hermes on discovering new music Will Hermes’ website Will Hermes’ writing on Rolling Stone; his reviews on WNYC; All Things Considered Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York that Changed Music Forever If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track