mattyblog

Importing CDs like it's 2003

I recently wrote about how I started using an old refurbished iPod nano. It is such a throwback! I've been loading it up with some digital purchases that I've gotten through bandcamp over the last couple years. I've only got four gigabytes of space on the device, so I'm unable to load up everything I have at once. It's difficult to choose what to sync! I think that the space restriction is sort of a fun dynamic - it's already gotten me to swap out several different albums!

When I used to have an mp3 player years ago I was getting all my music from CDs. I had to plop them into an optical drive, and import them in whatever software I was using to manage my collection. Eventually I moved to digital downloads from places like bandcamp as computers and laptops eventually moved away from coming with any kind of CD drives as the format became more and more obsolete.

Wholly obsolete as they are, I still have all my CDs from back then! I bought a cheap little external CD drive from Asus so I could get them all imported. The first time I used the thing it felt like I was operating the control on a time machine. I hadn't heard the spinning of a CD in a disc drive in such a long time and weirdly enough I found that I sort of missed the sound. A little quirk of using optical media is that the songs are imported into your computer's local file system as they get read one at a time, so you're able to start playing the first few tracks while the rest of them load in. It takes some time!

I loaded in four things from my CD collection to start. The rest of my music is stashed at my parents in a box somewhere. I think I started pretty strong with Björk, The Sugarcubes, Nine Inch Nails, and Broken Social Scene. My little crow figurine oversaw the proceedings.

Picture of an external CD drive and a stack of compact discs next to it. A figurine of a crow is sitting near the stack of CDs watching over the procedure.

Once this stack is done with, I'll sync them up to the iPod, power down my time machine, and take the dog out.

It's been a little while since I started using the iPod in earnest. So far I am mostly using the iPod aroud the house doing chores, and when I'm out walking the dog. I rarely take my phone with me when I'm doing laps around the neighborhood with the dog. I need a break from the screen sometimes. Taking music with me instead has been a real nice thing to have.

Now that winter is coming home to Chicago I might try to get a pair of headphones I can wear under a winter hat.