The Next Track

Chris Connaker of the Computer Audiophile website explains what a DAC is, how it works, and a whether you need one. (And how you already have lots of them.) 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: The Computer Audiophile website DACs – digital-analog converters: Digital-to-Analog Convertor, Wikipedia Schiit Audio Explanation of 44.1 kHz CD sampling rate Kirk’s Macworld review of the Cambridge Audio DacMagic (it wasn’t ten years ago, as I thought, but just six years ago) dCS Vivaldi Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface The Next Track, Episode 6: What is High-Resolution Music? AudioQuest Dragonfly Red, AudioQuest Dragonfly Black Kirk’s review of the Yamaha R-N 301 receiver Meridian Explorer USB DAC iFi Micro iDSD USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier Schiit Modi 2 USB Digital/Analog Converter Our next tracks: Kirk: Bob Dylan: Time out of Mind Doug: Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros: Streetcore 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

We welcome Jim Dalrymple of The Loop to discuss his experiences with Apple Music. Sponsor: Waltr 2: transfer virtually any media files to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, without using iTunes. Save 15% on Waltr 2 with a discount code from The Next Track. Check out Waltr 2. This week’s guest: Jim Dalyrmple of The Loop. Show notes: Jim Dalrymple’s article on The Loop: Apple Music hits 20 million subscribers by focusing on Hip-Hop Here’s How Messed Up Apple Music Metadata Is From 2013: New in iTunes: Genius Shuffle Our next tracks: Kirk: Born to Run (audiobook), written and narrated by Bruce Springsteen Doug: The Flamin’ Groovies: Teenage Head If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Jim Dalrymple.Support The Next Track

Why not spread a bit of holiday cheer? Doug and Kirk pick their selections for great Christmas gifts. Sponsor: Drobo, simple to use storage arrays designed to protect your important data forever. Listen to the podcast for a discount code to save 20% on a new Drobo. Visit Drobo.com. Show notes: IsoAcoustics speaker stands Auralex Acoustics MoPAD Monitor Acoustic Isolation Pads The Rolling Stones in Mono In Praise of Mono Recordings NRBQ: High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective András Schiff: Beethoven, The Piano Sonatas Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface Mozart 225 Mozart 225: The Complete Operas Soundgarden: Badmotorfinger (Super Deluxe Edition) Philip Glass and Robert Wilson: Einstein on the Beach Blu-Ray Under-table cable carrier Headphone angle plugs Velcro cable ties Velcro rolls The Last Waltz, 40th Anniversary Edition Drobo on YouTube Our next tracks: This week, we have no next tracks, since much of the show is our next tracks. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk explain everything you need to know about tagging your digital audio files. Sponsor: Drobo, simple to use storage arrays designed to protect your important data forever. Listen to the podcast for a discount code to save 20% on a new Drobo. Visit Drobo.com. Show notes: The ID3 version 2.3.0 specifications Take Control of iTunes 12: The FAQ How to better organize your classical music in iTunes 12.5 (using Work and Movement tags) Smarts, Doug’s app for managing smart playlists Re-Embed Artwork AppleScript Save Artwork as folder.jpg AppleScript Scripts Recommended by Task Our next tracks: Kirk: Johann Sebastian Bach, Complete Cantatas, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner Doug: Lyle Lovett: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Author Peter Robinson joins us to discuss how he uses music in his DCI Banks series of mystery novels. This week’s guest: Peter Robinson Show notes: DCI Banks Girl from the North Country Playlists for Peter Robinson’s novels Martin Carthy Our next tracks: Kirk: Bill Evans: Turn Out the Stars Doug: Leon Russell: Leon Russell And The Shelter People If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Peter Robinson.Support The Next Track

Paul Englishby talks about composing music for stage and screen, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of The Tempest. This week’s guest: Paul Englishby Paul Englishby on IMDB Show notes: The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Company Clips of Paul Englishby’s music for the RSC’s production of The Tempest The Tempest: Music and Speeches Miles Davis improvising the score for Louis Malle’s Ascenseur pour l’echafaud Our next tracks: Kirk: Mozart 225 Doug: Mose Allison: Greatest Hits – The Prestige Collection If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Paul Englishby.Support The Next Track

Andy Doe answers listener questions about audio equipment and technology in our first Ask Andy episode. Sponsor: Drobo, simple to use storage arrays designed to protect your important data forever. Visit Drobo.com. This week’s guest: Andy Doe Proper Discord Show notes: CD Text to CD Info AppleScript Blu-Spec CD MQA Our next tracks: Kirk: Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C, d. 956 Doug: The Firesign Theater: Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers 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

The second and final part of our interview with Timo Andres, discussing his compositions, and the business of classical music. Listen to part one. Sponsor: Drobo, simple to use storage arrays designed to keep your data safe forever. Visit Drobo.com. This week’s guest: Timo Andres’s website Timo Andres on Nonesuch Records Show notes: The Blind Banister, on the Pulitzer Prize website Alex Ross of the New Yorker on Timo Andres and other “student composers” in 2004 Russell Platt of the New Yorker on Timo Andres in 2016 Time Andres and the Britten Sinfonia Boston Symphony Orchestra: World premiere of Timo Andres’s Everything Happens So Much, November 18, 2016 Our next tracks: Kirk: Charles Ives: Concord Sonata, by Donna Coleman Doug: Frank Zappa: Yellow Shark If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Timo Andres.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk welcome Timo Andres, composer and performer of contemporary classical music. This is the first part of a two-part interview. One of the ways that […] any type of musician finds their style is by setting out to imitate something and failing. This week’s guest: Timo Andres’s website Timo Andres on Nonesuch Records Show notes: Alex Ross of the New Yorker on Timo Andres and other “student composers” in 2004 Russell Platt of the New Yorker on Timo Andres in 2016 Timo Andres: Shy and Mighty Timo Andres: Home Stretch Lou Reed: Metal Machine Music Boston Symphony Orchestra: World premiere of Timo Andres’s Everything Happens So Much, November 18, 2016 Our next tracks: Kirk: Steve Reich: Drumming on CD – Drumming on vinyl Doug: Brian Eno: Another Green World If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Timo Andres.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk welcome David Browne, author of So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead to discuss the history of this iconic band. Sponsor: Drobo, simple to use storage arrays designed to keep your data safe forever. Visit Drobo.com. This week’s guest: David Browne’s website So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead Show notes: Kirk’s review of So Many Roads The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound Our next tracks: Kirk: The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack Doug: The Grateful Dead: Terrapin Station If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: David Browne.Support The Next Track