patrick.net

What a strange coincidence. I was just thinking about something similar to ask here... please don't mind if I piggyback. I was reflecting on richwick's "hobby" of saving media, and I realized that there are some youtube content that I would like to rip to mp3. If those versed in the art have a "safe" method to recommend I would appreciate it.
Sorry Patrick, I have no suggestions to offer for your inquiry... maybe my tactic would help if it were more universal to audio streaming.

Bring back Napster.

I just go to the library and grab CD's to rip. It helps that I listen to older music. You can also use interlibrary loan to get CD's from other places. I use Exact Audio Copy to rip to FLAC, then FreeAC to transcode to MP3 for use in my car. For CD's with scratches that cause EAC to hang when ripping high accuracy (bit-for-bit), I first use a Mr Kleen magic eraser to remove material (radial strokes). Once the scratches are largely removed I use an automotive polishing compound to remove the scuff marks. For badly scratched CD's this takes 30-60 minute. For light or limited (just a few) scratches it's more like 10 minutes.

You can use yt-dlp to download just about any audio file from any site. It was originally written for youtube, but it works for nearly anything:

yt-dlp --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 HTTP_LINK

https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp

https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/wiki/Installation

It's just a python script. You need ffmpeg to use it. Ffmpeg transcodes video and audio files, it's basically the standard of everybody - including youtube which transcodes video files into smaller files. If you're looking for music, youtube have everything. The tool removes commercials of course.

I just use that, and ftp to transfer the files to my device. This may not work if you have an iPhone. The iPhone is extremely hostile when it comes to working with just files, every damned thing is iCloud.

Yeah, what stereotomy said. There are free FLAC and mp3 conversion apps. CDs from the library of music you like, most are not copy coded, download the music files and convert them to mp3. Transfer to your device.

At least it is that easy and free with Mac. With Mac, Itunes or Music will automatically convert to AAC, which is very similar to mp3 and usually plays fine on mp3 players. USB will usually transfer it to your listening device.

Thanks gents. I knew you would be "in the know", and we can figure it out from there.

bittorrent is still a thing. No logins, just need to know a site that index's tracker's. But you will have to install a bittorrent client, and likely a browser plugin.

I used to do all that.
Now, thanks to my teenage daughter’s love for music, I’ve been talked into a $15/month subscription to Apple Music for the whole family.
I find that I like having access to any music at any time. It appears to be good value. And for the price of a CD.
🤷🏻‍♂️

Shaman says

I used to do all that.
Now, thanks to my teenage daughter’s love for music, I’ve been talked into a $15/month subscription to Apple Music for the whole family.
I find that I like having access to any music at any time. It appears to be good value. And for the price of a CD.
🤷🏻‍♂️

Don't you get tired of music? I honestly don't see the appeal of modern music. There is little meaning to the lyrics and it's almost entirely regulated to emotional trickery.

What I'm looking for is podcasts where I can learn something.

Patrick says

What I'm looking for is podcasts where I can learn something.

@Patrick - You might find these guys interesting:

https://rumble.com/c/c-1134193

I regularly turn their presentations into mp3 files for later review and storage, I'll be happy to share them with you.

It can get pretty heady. I got pushed down a rabbit hole looking up Operation Lockstep from one of the callers.

You're running Mac right? I'll be happy to share a script with you that will work on most video sites and turn it to MP3. This process can take a while, but you don't have to nurse it. For me, once I get the MP3 file, I just use FTP to move it to my phone. You might want to consider getting a cheapo brand phone just for music. You can buy a pre-paid phone, and just never activate it. You'll want to immediately test if it's actually usable, some of these phones aren't, they are technically a smart phone, but you can't do anything with them. I had a particularly inexpensive phone that when I turned the screen off when it was playing an MP3, would cut off the MP3 - the memory resources on the phone were so tight, it would use any excuse to free up resources.

You know they do sell just MP3 players...

NuttBoxer says

You know they do sell just MP3 players...

It's actually a close call. A phone is about $50 and so is a player, but the phone usually is entirely touch screen, and the MP3 player at that price point rarely is.

He might be better off with an MP3 player though. There's many "smart phones" that simply are so over-crowded with crap and applications stuffed into them, they are virtually inoperable. MP3 player should certainly operate without trouble, but even so, I'd immediately test it upon reception of the device.

Patrick is technical like I am so that's why I mentioned it as an option. When I replace my phone, my old phone becomes my "MP3 player". By then it's old, generally has some scratches, a cracked screen once, but it worked fine for another few years. Batteries eventually die on the device and it cannot hold a charge anymore.

richwicks says

once I get the MP3 file, I just use FTP to move it to my phone

I was thinking that I'll just put them on my web server, then click on the link in the browser on my phone.

I've done that before and it works pretty well. You can stop and resume even if you're offline because the mp3 is cached in the phone's browser at that point.

Patrick says

richwicks says

once I get the MP3 file, I just use FTP to move it to my phone

I was thinking that I'll just put them on my web server, then click on the link in the browser on my phone.

I've done that before and it works pretty well. You can stop and resume even if you're offline because the mp3 is cached in the phone's browser at that point.

Why not just play the file directly off the net then? If you're looking for podcast content of some sort, you can use video and turn off the screen. Brave allows you to play video and switch off the screen so you can just listen to it. You don't need to download it at all, unless you want to archive it.

richwicks says

Don't you get tired of music? I honestly don't see the appeal of modern music. There is little meaning to the lyrics and it's almost entirely regulated to emotional trickery.

You got to find the right music my man. People that actually write and play instruments. That rarely happens now. Producers write everything on an album. I've worked with them 20 years ago. I said "nah, fuck off, I'm playing the drums this way." That doesn't happen anymore. They're all puppets in the studio and on stage.

I was at this show. Where real music was sang and played. Not back tracks and autotune.
https://youtu.be/mmC1LmDdp5g?si=SreuisNMkdWiw7er

If you don't like this I'm mostly certain you're gay (not an actual dig, being sarcastic). This is when Jefferson was doing the lights too. Best in the business Seen them probably 60-80 times. I think 13 times at Red Rocks. Played at the same festival as them here in IL.

richwicks says

Why not just play the file directly off the net then? If you're looking for podcast content of some sort, you can use video and turn off the screen.

I have done that with the Greece and Rome podcasts, but that's about the only site I found which literally links directly to mp3 files.

Other podcast sites all seem to make you install some app or to register and log in. I looked for like 30 minutes and didn't find any site that just had a list of mp3 files to download and play.

One problem with taking the audio out of videos is that sometimes the videos show and refer to something on screen, and you'd miss that if you just get the audio track.

WookieMan says

If you don't like this I'm mostly certain you're gay (not an actual dig, being sarcastic). This is when Jefferson was doing the lights too. Best in the business Seen them probably 60-80 times. I think 13 times at Red Rocks. Played at the same festival as them here in IL.

Haha, now I probably know your name.

I'd have to know the lyrics to judge it. I listen to music in a weird way, I have to know the lyrics and then ascertain the meaning, and if there is no meaning, doesn't matter what the music sounds like.

I don't particularly like music that is just sound. I used to like classical music, but I grew out of it. I think it's like film for me, I saw a TON of garbage films as a kid, then in my 20's started refining my tastes until I saw basically every great film of the last 100 years, and then I got tired of it all. When I watch a modern film, I see actors speaking lines, I have lost my ability for suspension of disbelief. Music was the same way, I've heard anything I think that was worth hearing, and everything today seems to be a ripoff of what came before, and nothing sounds sincere to me.

I detest Heavy Metal. Incomprehensible and it seems to be designed just to piss off parents - the scam today is that people are "non binary" and "glorifying Satan" - well the glorification of Satan is done and old. I watched fads come and go and when I was a kid, I knew that Heavy Metal was just a fad, like Disco was. I don't think people who generally claimed to like some music, ACTUALLY liked the music. During my childhood was Foreigner, Asia, Quiet Riot, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Def Leopard, etc. Can't say I enjoyed anything any of them produced and it genuinely perplexed me as to if people actually enjoyed it.

Today everything is on demand, so I think the era of fads may be reaching an end. There's going to be some kid that finds Pink Floyd at 12 asking "what is THAT?" and so on. The best will survive, but a lot won't.