Music To Run By

[Deleted User]

After using a MP3 player for the past year it has given up the ghost and I am looking for a replacement.The MP3 player was fantastic as I could download any music that I wanted to run by for free. The only drawback the cost.
At the moment I am using a radio but it is not the same. Am I the only one who finds it a huge help having music to run by. I find I can run faster much faster for further than without. I suppose many of you may finf this sacriligous( I am dyslexic if that is spelled wrong)

cougie

Paul, I prefer to run whilst listening to Radio 4. I get involved in the programmes and then time passes quickly.
In the gym though, I can't do that so end up with MTV or something, and yes - some songs do help you speed up.
What I really really want is something that could download my best progs from the radio, and I can play them back whilst running. Anyone know of any digital beasties that can do this ?

[Deleted User]

With a MP3 player you can download 99.9% of most songs from a website called www.audiogalaxy.com. I should think that would also be possible for radio progrms, all you would need is send the audio file from the radio web site to your MP3 player.

[Deleted User]

Hi Cougie,
I'm sure there are lots of programmes available for recording your radio programmes, but what I recently used is Cool Edit 2000 in combination with my Sound Blaster Live soundcard. There used to be an evaluation version of Cool Edit available on the website: presumably it's still there. You can save the show as mp3 and then upload to mp3 player, or save as a .wav and then convert to mp3.
Good luck - I can't run without music to keep me going :-)
Wee Piglet

[Deleted User]

I have just bought a recordable minidisc player by sony (£160 from amazon) that also somehow also downloads from the web (can you tell i've not got round to reading the instructions yet!!!)

I decided to buy this rather than an mp3 player mainly because i felt i was getting more functions for my money with having the minidisc too... I think i will be able to download radio shows too (from the web) so that could be cool saving my favorite shows for when i'm out running!

Not tried it yet as i'm resting due to lovely shin splints! but i'll report back!!

[Deleted User]

I live in the countryside so find the general countryside noises sufficient. Also, most people drive along the country lanes like absolute lunatics so I need to be able to hear them before they see me, as by then it would often be too late.

[Deleted User]

I can vouch for the fact that Minidisc players are THE thing for music on the run. I was very surprised that there's no audible jarring as you impact the road. You can indeed record onto minidisc from your computer, so anything you can hear on the computer you can put onto disc. I can personally recommend Beethoven's 7th Symphony as uplifting and energising running music. Any other favourite pieces of music to run to?

[Deleted User]

I used to be a (fairly small-time!) sound engineer and still write and produce music, so I can be quite picky about music on the run! I find that CD players are a no-no cos of skipping; cassette Walkmans and MD recorders are a noticeable weight; and MP3 players that stream the music from a hard drive are both too heavy and skip!

IMO, then, and after a lot of experimentation, the best "walkman" for runners is the other type of MP3 player, the type that uses on-board memory (or memory cards) for storage. This kind of player both has hardly any moving parts and is VERY light - by far the heaviest parts on the one I've been using are the two AAA mini-batteries it uses! I find this kind of MP3 player a joy to run with, as it's so light as to be almost un-noticeable (I can even clip it to the band of my shorts and not feel it!)

Of course, a lot of poeple aren't as confident about using computer-based music formats; in which case, the compact Minidisc player is a usable alternative.

However, as Prodigal says, it's sometimes a good idea not to use any music players at all, depending where you run!

[Deleted User]

I have been using the Sony MDMZ-R700PC minidisk for a year or so whilst running and find it absolutely excellent. I am able to download tracks onto disk from either CDs or radio either in wav or mp3 format and have now buildt up quite a varied library. the unit comes with a leather case with belt clip for the waistband of my shorts. The wired remote locates on the outside of the case thus making all track changes, volume etc., a one touch operation. I hate the idea of taking a mobile phone whilst running but if I have to I use my Nokia 8310 that has a built in fm radio...I normally run along the beach and the background sounds of waves and gulls etc., with a smattering of Terry Wogan soon gets me in the mood for long runs.

[Deleted User]

I'm still using a Sony radio fixed on Heart 106.2 FM. That's probably why every run seems the same, irrespective of the route and distance !!

cougie

Has anyone worked out how to download the BBC Radio progs onto an MP3 player or Minidisk ? They come in as streaming, and I can't find a way to save them onto my PC. :-(

I guess I could use a recordable Minidisk and record them as they come in, but that doesn't sound the best solution, as they get gaps and things whilst streaming.

Ta !

[Deleted User]

I always listen to the radio when out running and have been known to cut a run short when the batteries have died out on me! The only problem I find is that I go through about 3 pairs of headphones a year. What headphones does everybody else use?

[Deleted User]

I also use headphones all the time when out but I would have thought three sets to be pretty good going. I always use the 'loop over the ear' type as I find them better. I have tried the cheap and nasty sets but always go back to those manufactured by Sony. I use a either minidisk or radio but usually slip a couple of batteries into my sock if I think they are about to die on me.

[Deleted User]

I went on my first run with a micro-radio today and find it a good, super-light (and cheap!) alternative to other portable music stuff ... so long as you can find a good station of course!

[Deleted User]

Psi (and others) want to get totally wired. There is only one music-on-the-move system worth considering these days and that's the Apple IPod. 4000 tunes on a gadget the size of a pack of cards and no skipping. Once my minidisc gives up the ghost i'll be havinbg one.

[Deleted User]

ED..I have just looked up the spec on that equipment and am blown away by the storage and speed (10secs to record a CD)1,000 - 4,000 songs on the HD...Never got the price but I can not justify buying one until the MD goes on the blink...or I can pass it over to one of the grandchildren for a present !!! Realistically though I think I will have to put up with mp3s on the MD

[Deleted User]

I do like the iPod, large capacity hard-drive and all, but there are two major problems: one, the cost (over £300 - my radio was £8, and the solid-state MP3 player was about £50) and two, it weighs almost ten times as much as the solid-state mp3 player or FM micro-radio I use at the moment (23 and 27g respectively).

However it is IMO the best hard-drive based MP3 jukebox around

cougie

Julie, I use those Phillips in ear phones but the ones that loop over your ear so that they don't fall out ? Very good, very adjustable, and have even survived a spin in the washing machine OK !

[Deleted User]

I've just got a cheapo pair of those "hook over ear" headphones - fantastic!

[Deleted User]

Any ideas as to where I can get a pair of those loop over earphones to fit a Nokia 8310. Not a lover of phones on the run but sometimes I need to take one, This one has the radio, is very tiny but the standard ear pieces are too large for my ears. My normal earphones have a plug slightly larger than the phone socket so will not fit

[Deleted User]

Cougie,

There is a couple of digital radio products on sale (about £100) which will plug into your PC and let you record programs as MP3 files.

http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/products/pcdigitalradio/default.asp

Cheers,
Dave

[Deleted User]

Thanks everybody will stick with my loop earphones and Dune fm!

[Deleted User]

Help! I bought a mini-disc player for running as I was told it would be skip free. It wasn't - this is because it needs to be held tightly against the body other wise it will bob up and down and skip. My problem is I can't find a suitable case/belt/anything combination that I can buy to fulfil this function. Any ideas? By the way, its one of the small square shaped Sony models.

cougie

Thanks Dave - I'll look at that !

Steve - I think I've seen some pouches that you can velcro to your upper arm - I think they are designed for mobile phones etc. but one might be big enough. Have you looked through RW or searched the ads on the runners shops link on the right ?

[Deleted User]

Cougie - the free CD ripping software CDEX also lets you record what your sound card is playing - so set up the BBC radio player, set off CDEX and away you go. It records in wav format which you can then convert to MP3.

http://www.cdex.n3.net

[Deleted User]

steve, about your md player.....what model is it....i've got an sony mzr900 (about a year old and about 200 quid's worth then) and it never skips....i have a nathan md carrier for it, and sometimes run with it in the side pocket of my hydration pack and it's fine....i think you need one of the ones with 40 second anti shock....20 sec not enough...oh and sometimes it messes up if the hold switch isn't on as something gets accidentally pressed....
as for the carrier, my nathan onbe is really good....i got it from sportsshoes unlimited and it was about 20 quid, ...bit of a rip off but it does the job well...
a

cougie

Monkey - thanks for that tip - looks cool.
Can't get it to work though - probably me just being stupid. Hope I can get it to work as the BBC have most of their radio progs available on-line - it's really brilliant !

Thanks again.

[Deleted User]

If it helps I carry my minidisc player (a very old full metal Sony job) in the pocket of a Camelbak and I have no bother with it as long as I wrap it in a teatowel first. Don't ask me why but it does seem to work. Tea towl acts as shock absorber shock horror. Whatever next

[Deleted User]

Thanks to all who responded to my last posting. It sounds a like Nathan mini-disc pouch is what I'm looking for. I've also picked up the tip about hook-over-the-ear headphones and will be after some of those too!

[Deleted User]

Hi Folks,

I've had a Compaq IPAQ mp3 player for months now and love it for running. Works on mulitmedia cards, very light, not had a single problem with it. Belt clip is ultra secure - even if just attached to your shorts (no need for belts/pouches etc).

My pace responds to the tempo of the music - it's a great feeling to have skip free music at any pace.

Recomend it highly and yes, as the nickname suggests, I do sing while I run (slow runs only - I find I pass-out if I try it during speedwork). The thread on running song titles has been very useful.

You can get hook over your head earphones where the speaker bits fit inside your ears - no spongy bits making your ears hot and falling apart with the sweat etc. I prefer these to the ones that clip over your ear and then fit in your ear.

Hope this helps