HD Tracks (flac downloads)

Wayne1 · « **on:** 30 Apr 2008, 05:56 pm »

Check out HDTracks

They offer high quality music files in your choice of aiff, flac or 320 kps MP3

They have a LOT of high quality labels like Chesky, Reference Recordings, Dorian, DRG, Acoustic Disc, Alligator, etc.

This looks like a great way to get HIGH QUALITY music, with no DRM. You also don't have to worry about smuggling a CD case in past your wife

mgalusha · « **Reply #1 on:** 30 Apr 2008, 07:03 pm »

Nice, looks like they will have 24/96 available soon as well.

mgalusha · « **Reply #2 on:** 30 Apr 2008, 07:15 pm »

Just took a test drive, bought the flac version of Doc & Dawg - Doc Watson and David Grisman. Worked perfectly in firefox. They use a Java download manager, so it should work on most systems. Download speed was excellent. I averaged about 15 MBit/second. It took 2 minutes and 22 seconds to download 289 megs. Obviously I'm at work and have a very fast connection but it bodes well for those with fast cable modems.

At the end of the download it offers to play what you just downloaded. It does this by creating a .m3u playlist and launching your media player. In my case it created the file and kicked off foobar. Worked perfectly.

BTW, the sound on this album is very good.

TomS · « **Reply #3 on:** 30 Apr 2008, 10:52 pm »

Nice find. I've been watching Music Giants and never heard of this one. Lots of good labels there.

Wayne1 · « **Reply #4 on:** 2 May 2008, 06:43 pm »

I bought Dawg's Groove by The David Grisman Quintet.

I did have some trouble with their download manager. The file names were there, but the files were empty. I e-mailed back and forth with them about this problem. They were very polite and worked with me to make sure I received the music I paid for.

I highly recommend HD Tracks. Fantastic customer service.

I am currently listening to Dawg's Groove and it sounds wonderful!

This will become one of my "standard" demo tracks.

mcullinan · « **Reply #5 on:** 2 May 2008, 06:57 pm »

I love the David Grisman Quintet. What kind of HD tracks are they? 24/48?
Mike

Wayne1 · « **Reply #6 on:** 2 May 2008, 08:40 pm »

At this time, HD Tracks offers 16/44.1 FLAC, AIFF and 320 kbps MP3.

The site was founded by the Chesky brothers. They do plan on offering select 24/96 flac downloads at some point in the future.

All the downloads do include album art and liner notes in .pdf

Panelman · « **Reply #7 on:** 2 May 2008, 10:00 pm »

Another good thing about HD Tracks is the number of labels they are offering. I've used them for about two weeks and they have added about five new labels in that time. You can also download, from the Silva Screen label, the theme song from the first Austin Powers movie which slays me every time I hear it Makes me want to put on the old Nehru...

mgalusha · « **Reply #8 on:** 3 May 2008, 12:22 am »

Quote from: Wayne1 on 2 May 2008, 06:43 pm

I am currently listening to Dawg's Groove and it sounds wonderful!

This will become one of my "standard" demo tracks.

Sounds like I need to pick this one up as well. Really like the Doc & Dawg I bought the other day.

yooper · « **Reply #9 on:** 3 May 2008, 01:13 am »

Thanks Wayne, nice find

I have been checking out the site for almost an hour now, writing down what I like. I think I will have a few new albums tonight aa

Mark

mcullinan · « **Reply #10 on:** 3 May 2008, 01:28 am »

I bought a couple albums already.. I would shop at Music Giants too, but that is Mac unfriendly.
Mike

mgalusha · « **Reply #11 on:** 3 May 2008, 01:32 am »

Just a word of advice. I am (finally) downloading from my machine at home. Had some trouble getting it to work. The D/L manager downloaded (Java) and started but kept telling me my internet connection was down. Tried disabling AV and firewall to no avail. Checked my JVM and it was 5.0.04 from 2005. Grabbed the latest 6.0.06 from Sun, removed the 5.x version and updates and installed the 6.0 version. Worked perfectly after that. So the word is make sure you have a current or nearly current version of Java on your machine.

mgalusha · « **Reply #12 on:** 3 May 2008, 01:38 am »

Quote from: mcullinan on 3 May 2008, 01:28 am

I bought a couple albums already.. I would shop at Music Giants too, but that is Mac unfriendly.

And Firefox unfriendly as well. Their requirement of IE and the DRM using WMA files is bad enough but the fact that you have to put in funds in $20 increments means they will almost always have some of your money to use without you receiving product. I've purchased from the a couple of times and have gotten my balance as low as possible but I'm probably done with Music Giants. Even though it's not horrible to have to burn at CD and then rip it, for the cost I'd prefer not to do that. HDTracks eliminates that crap entirely and the FLAC tags were accurate on the one's I've bought so far.

Wayne1 · « **Reply #13 on:** 3 May 2008, 03:24 am »

Mike has nailed it.

I had JAVA 5.5 on my computer. I just updated to the latest version and I am now having no problems...

except for the dwindling balance in my account because there is SO much good music on this site.

Check out The Persuations A Capella Dreams.

I will be bringing this over to Mike's tomorrow

TONEPUB · « **Reply #14 on:** 3 May 2008, 04:33 am »

Quote from: mcullinan on 3 May 2008, 01:28 am

I bought a couple albums already.. I would shop at Music Giants too, but that is Mac unfriendly.
Mike

Just run parallels on your Mac, works just fine....

And they are working on a strictly Mac version.

kyrill · « **Reply #15 on:** 3 May 2008, 01:47 pm »

like Pandora (what a nice radio design) and many other musical services, they only apply to US citizens!!!
The rest of the world can only look and drool...
so also HDtracks is available for US people only...

AliG · « **Reply #16 on:** 3 May 2008, 01:56 pm »

Damned...my squeezebox can only output at sampling rate of 48kHz so 96kHz HD tracks are no use to me:duh:

Perhaps it's time to buy a transporter

Wayne1 · « **Reply #17 on:** 3 May 2008, 02:48 pm »

Quote from: AliG on 3 May 2008, 01:56 pm

Damned...my squeezebox can only output at sampling rate of 48kHz so 96kHz HD tracks are no use to me:duh: Perhaps it's time to buy a transporter

Well Barry,

Right now HD Tracks does not offer any 96/24 downloads. There are VERY few TRUE 96/24 albums available. Linn has maybe 50. I have over 2500 albums right now. I really don't think 50 obscure albums is worth the hardware cost.

I am sure, in time, Logitech will offer a NextGen SB that will allow 96/24 files to be played natively. By then, maybe, there will be more than a handful of tracks to play. For now, for me, it is all about the music, not the specs. Well recorded music in 16/44 flac sounds great.

DSK · « **Reply #18 on:** 3 May 2008, 05:00 pm »

Looked exciting until I read "At the moment HDtracks is only available in the U.S." ..... bugger!

kyrill · « **Reply #19 on:** 3 May 2008, 05:20 pm »

at the moment....
can be a VERY year after year long moment...