# Car music



## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

We traveled a lot by car lately. About 2500 km I guess. In Holland and in the Czech Republic we listen to the radio (my wife's taste). But for the long stretches through Germany I prepare an 4Gb USB stick packed with MP3 music. This time we had André Rieu on the menu. I have to admit, that this _Walzerkönig_ is quite good for the car: hardly any dynamics, lots of recognise-the-tune happiness and a real professional treatment of keeping everything light without _ennui_ boring through. Before that we also enjoyed the best of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Russian ballads.

My question: do you prepare music for a long travel?


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

We did about 1200 miles (1932 km) up and to Inverness. We relied on CDs - some Scottish fiddle music, some of Les Witches and some viol music. While we were up there we bought some Scottish dance music which we listened to on the way back. Typically, we do at most 300 miles (480 km) at a stretch so three or four cd's will do as some of the navigation can be a little ... interesting.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

On my last trip, I listened to Meistersinger. It took me from Detroit, Michigan, to Terre Haute, Indiana, to finish the opera. That was the day's drive for me. (Actually, my route went through the "o" of Detroit on the map then down, but close enough.)


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I / we, always playing CD is the car, even if it's just half hour driving.


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

TxllxT said:


> My question: do you prepare music for a long travel?


When I have a long trip ahead of me, preparing music becomes almost more important than packing luggage 

The last time I went to Germany on a bus (24 hours each way) I enjoyed a mix of Rammstein, Schubert's lieder, the German singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey and a guy named Heino who is famous for his renditions of folk songs (he also cooperated with Andre Rieu at one time). These renditions are kitschy as hell (they would probably belong in the "guilty musical secrets" thread), but riding through pouring rain and fog on the Autobahn Berlin-Hamburg while listening to "_Wie schön ist unser Vaterland_" was fun


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

We have a 32GB USB stick with thousands of suitable pop/rock songs for the car (on random play). Used for shorter or longer travels. Classical is for me not suited in the car.


----------



## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

I dont ride anything beside my bicycle but think Wagner is kewl for blasting in the whip...It is enough classical to not distract you and help you concentrate, but enough powerful and wild to not put you into sleep and crash you, which is the case with lots of classical music...


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Cars are perfect environments for old music, stuff recorded before the era of tape, recorded directly to disc. It has more midrange EQ and really cuts through the road noise.

If you thought classical music was not suited for car travel, try some old Schnabel doing Beethoven, old opera singers, The Rachmaninoff Piano recordings on RCA, old Furtwangler, etc.


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

What device do you stick these 32GB USB sticks into, in a car? I thought they were drives for computers. Is your laptop hooked up to car speakers?


----------



## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

A couple times a year my wife and I do a two-day, 20-hour drive. Listening to music for 20 straight hours is difficult, to say the least. So the last few times we packed several CDs of Robert Greenberg’s “Great Courses” on classical music. Greenberg has recorded a number of lecture series on classical music history and the appreciation of classical music. He often relates the musical topics to other areas such as history, politics as well as to other music from different periods. These recordings are expensive so we get them from the local public library. Our library also has history courses on CD, which we use on trips too. Listening to a lecture for an extended period of time is difficult also, so we ping-pong back and forth between music and lectures.


----------



## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I do sometimes. If it's just me and one other person who's semi-interested in classical at least, I may bring some classical CDs. If it's just me by myself in my car, I may put files I want to play on my iPad or iPhone and play them through my car's bluetooth. This is generally for longer drives. For just casual driving around town, I usually just have the radio on or I play electronica or indie rock or something. I only play classical if I'm going to get to hear most of the music without interruptions.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

My SEAT has a CD/DVD drive in it so I can play CDs or mp3 CD or DVD compilation discs made up of multiple albums. Plus I can also plug in a USB or alternative device (iPod, Phone, etc). I always have my own music on in the car because I hate radio. I generally use my 64GB USB stick that's split into the following categories (Classical, post-rock, Buckethead (he's got over 200 albums to his name) and Rock & Metal. If there's other people in the car I usually play something from the Rock & Metal part of the USB. If I'm on my own I play predominantly classical but bits of the others when I've had my fill. All the albums on there have been ripped to mp3. I dont find road noise too intrusive with the classical stuff I play but it's not ideal for stuff like string quartets, quintets or piano music on the motorway. On long drives I'll often play noisier symphonies at near full volume. As I listen to a lot of stuff in the car it's usually got at least 3 full Beethoven cycles on the USB and one of all the other major composers. (Mahler, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Mozart, etc). I find violin concertos are very good at cutting through the road noise too so there's quite a few of those on there too.Very little piano music as it's really hard to hear.

NB. The 'rock & metal' section covers artists as disparate as Tom Waits, The Smiths, Kiss and Five Finger Death Punch. I have very diverse tastes.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

millionrainbows said:


> What device do you stick these 32GB USB sticks into, in a car? I thought they were drives for computers. Is your laptop hooked up to car speakers?


Some car stereos include a USB slot for music. But if all you have is a radio you can buy a little device that plugs into the 12V outlet and you tune it to a frequency on the radio that has nothing on it. Then plug in your MP3 and it plays it through your radio.


----------



## Antiquarian (Apr 29, 2014)

I don't really prepare music for long car trips. 

My first car had a radio, no cassette, no 8-Track. I surfed the bandwidth to find any station that played something remotely listenable. Oldies, or Jazz, or very rarely Pop music. There were a few radio stations that played classical, but with poor reception, and the loudness of the vehicle, listening to the softer passages made it more toil than pleasure.

My second car had a cassette player, and I started making mix tapes of the most robust classical music that could survive the engine's roar. So a lot of the Russians, and Italian composers made the grade. I really stopped listening to the radio at this point.

My third car had a CD player, and I started to play entire CDs that I would copy on writable discs. I found that it was much less traumatic if my car stereo ate a copy and spat it out ruined, than to loose the original. I really didn't make mix "tapes" on CD, partly because of technical incompetence on my part.

Now I have a car that has bluetooth, mp3, and Lord knows what else, but I still play copied cds on it. I tried Sirius, and other satellite services, but dropped them because I don't use them enough to warrant the cost.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Merl said:


> *My SEAT has a CD/DVD drive in it* so I can play CDs or mp3 CD or DVD compilation discs made up of multiple albums....


Huh? I thought they always put the CD player in the dashboard. Is there so much other stuff in the dashboard of modern cars that they had to move the CD player to the seat?


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Normally, I pack a bunch of "security blanket" CDs; compilations and complete works, like the *Nielsen 1st Symphony*, which I find compatible for long trips, *Shostakovich 10th* likewise, Miles Davis' *Kind of Blue*, The Gypsy Kings, interesting works downloaded from radio, but on one trip not long ago the CD player stopped working just before a 2 1/2 hour trip. So my wife, a singer and performer, filled in. She sang *Oklahoma*, all parts and including Judd Fry's "Lonely Room," which is often omitted in productions, and some of *Kismet* before we reached our destination. It was great entertainment and where did the time go, but unfortunately, I can't always bring her with me on my work related trips :kiss: .


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

millionrainbows said:


> What device do you stick these 32GB USB sticks into, in a car? I thought they were drives for computers. Is your laptop hooked up to car speakers?


My car (2011) came with a radio/stereo system that can handle CD's and MP3 CD's, but that also has a slot for USB sticks. Just like most modern sound systems for home can handle USB sticks and memory cards as well.


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Eno's Another Green World is good driving music.


----------



## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)




----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I rarely listen to music while driving. Something related to keeping myself 100% alert. A nasty habit of mine. I am aware.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

hpowders said:


> I rarely listen to music while driving. Something related to keeping myself 100% alert. A nasty habit of mine. I am aware.


I always have music on when I am driving but my listening attention varies per the road situation needing my attention. I do far better with music playing than people talking in the car when I drive.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

People are the worst. How much better the earth would be without them, in or out of the car.


----------



## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

Oh dude, dont get all misanthropic on me!!!


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

If I have to do a 15 hour Tuscany / Eindhoven all-nighter (no, darling, no stops unless it's for fuel) i like to be "wired" with double espresso's and Redbull (disgusting stuff in any other circumstance) and some pumping house on the speakers.
In normal conditions late Vivaldi concertos by Carmignola are nice driving music


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Flamme said:


> Oh dude, dont get all misanthropic on me!!!


I wanted to order "MISANTHOPE" as a vanity license plate, but they told me it had too many letters.

They offered me "MISS" and I said, no thanks!


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

hpowders said:


> I wanted to order "MISANTHOPE" as a vanity license plate, but they told me it had too many letters.
> 
> They offered me "MISS" and I said, no thanks!


How about just "HATER" or "OLD GRUMP"? :lol:

Me, too, I'm somewhat of a misanthrope. I'm sick of zombies, too.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

hpowders said:


> People are the worst. How much better the earth would be without them, in or out of the car.


Oh the human mass-
es, All over the earth.
Oh they are so crass,
from their very birth


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Being a Neanderthal, I rip out whatever player comes in the car and install a cassette player (remember those?). The fidelity is fine for car travel, and I have a monster cassette collection of Rock and Pop favorites I've taped over the decades, and continue to tape even unto now. Play it loud!


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Seeing that we are on different continents, you are probably not one of those dolts I sometimes get to endure, playing their rock and poop... I mean pop music loud  so that the windows shake.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

SiegendesLicht said:


> Seeing that we are on different continents, you are probably not one of those dolts I sometimes get to endure, playing their rock and poop... I mean pop music loud  so that the windows shake.


If you are referring to the Ultra-Heavy Bass crowd, I share your loathing. I play my Rock and Pop loud and proud while out on the open road, offending none as I whirl along. Incidentally, help is available to overcome your aversion to Pop--you'll be a happier person!


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

That's great, StrangeM, still playing mixtapes ! 
I'm pretty frugal when it comes to cars, but even I can't remember my last one with a cassette-player in it.
I can just see you near the speedlimit with "dreamboat Annie" on full blast, or Suzi Quatro with lots of tape hiss


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> How about just "HATER" or "OLD GRUMP"? :lol:
> 
> Me, too, I'm somewhat of a misanthrope. I'm sick of zombies, too.


I'm not looking to embarrass myself. Nobody else on the road would even know what "misanthrope" means. They would probably think I work at a planetarium, looking through the misanscope.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Jos said:


> That's great, StrangeM, still playing mixtapes !
> I'm pretty frugal when it comes to cars, but even I can't remember my last one with a cassette-player in it.
> I can just see you near the speedlimit with "dreamboat Annie" on full blast, or Suzi Quatro with lots of tape hiss


Jos, actually very little tape hiss. I am constantly pleased by how good cassette sound (in a car) is. I have no particular interest in or loyalty to albums by performers; it is individual songs that have appealed to me, so taping "favorites" tapes has always been my way of storing and listening to Rock and Pop while driving.


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I usually listen to rock or pop music in the car. Lately its been a lot of Melvins, Faith No More and PJ Harvey. 

Led Zeppelin and The Doors get a lot of playing time too. In my opinion there is no better music for singing along to than The Doors.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Strange Magic said:


> Being a Neanderthal, I rip out whatever player comes in the car and install a cassette player (remember those?). The fidelity is fine for car travel, and I have a monster cassette collection of Rock and Pop favorites I've taped over the decades, and continue to tape even unto now. Play it loud!


I prefer the wow and flutter of an 8-track tape with a flattened capstan roller, but only if it means I am driving a period correct early 70s muscle car.


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Strange Magic said:


> Jos, actually very little tape hiss. I am constantly pleased by how good cassette sound (in a car) is. I have no particular interest in or loyalty to albums by performers; it is individual songs that have appealed to me, so taping "favorites" tapes has always been my way of storing and listening to Rock and Pop while driving.


I remember our Fiat 127 in the late eighties. It would hiss loudly, even muffling the sound of the rotten exhaust. When it stopped hissing it would eat the tape, but not before completely shredding it. Byebye carefully compiled mixtape, with that splendid combination of rock and disco. (Most of my friends thought these were mutually exclusive).

My next car-audio must have an usb port. (Coining the phrase "mix-stick")


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

As Bizet used to famously say, "only real Car-Men listen to car music these days."


----------



## motoboy (May 19, 2008)

Clapton's "Just One Night"
Dead's "Steal Your Face"
Dolby's "Astronauts and Heretics"
Pretty much any Eagles or SRV
Blues Brothers soundtrack


----------



## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Jos said:


> I remember our Fiat 127 in the late eighties. It would hiss loudly, even muffling the sound of the rotten exhaust. When it stopped hissing it would eat the tape, but not before completely shredding it. Byebye carefully compiled mixtape, with that splendid combination of rock and disco. (Most of my friends thought these were mutually exclusive).
> 
> My next car-audio must have an usb port. (Coining the phrase "mix-stick")


I remember getting such a shredded cassete tape out of the player: kilometers of that stuff!


----------



## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

No, road noise is usually too bad for CM's wide dynamic range. Grunge would be okay.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

My current cassette deck is a Pioneer radio/deck that I installed in my 2004 Subaru within days of buying the car. Still works flawlessly. This followed doing the same thing to my 1992 Ford Escort wagon--12 years of uninterrupted sonic bliss.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Vaneyes said:


> No, road noise is usually too bad for CM's wide dynamic range. Grunge would be okay.


Yes, that's why I rarely listen to CM in the car. 
When my younger son used to borrow my car, he would leave a CD of military band marches in the CD player, just to annoy me.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Pat Fairlea said:


> Yes, that's why I rarely listen to CM in the car.
> When my younger son used to borrow my car, he would leave a CD of military band marches in the CD player, just to annoy me.


So it did work. :lol:


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

My truck has all sorts of rattles and such, so the music has to drown it out. :lol:

But I do still hear the exhaust note and that is fine along with the music.


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

^^
V8 engines make music by themselves. They need a lot of pedal


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Jos said:


> ^^
> V8 engines make music by themselves. They need a lot of pedal


Nothing like the sound of an old Porsche 911 at redline! VROOM!!!


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Jos said:


> ^^
> V8 engines make music by themselves. They need a lot of pedal


True but my little four-popper does not sound bad at all running up to the 5800 rpm rev-limiter, which I do quite often, and I get 25 MPG consistently with my foot into it (another guy with same truck drives like a geriatric and gets 30 mpg). It is a 2.3L DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder and it really gets nice power from about 4000 on up, and decent below that. I put a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler and custom bent piping from the cat back with an outlet in front of the rear tire. No rice at all to the sound. 2.25-inch piping vs the factory spec 2.0-inch piping.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Pugg said:


> So it did work. :lol:


Certainly did. Can't be doing with militaria.


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Ghee, Florestan, I thought trotting about in 4 cylinders was a European thing, but now I learn that Americans do it as well.:lol:


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Jos said:


> Ghee, Florestan, I thought trotting about in 4 cylinders was a European thing, but now I learn that Americans do it as well.:lol:


I never had a hot rod, and only had one V8 in my life. I had 5 six-bangers. This is my first four-banger and I like the fuel mileage and that it is pretty peppy too. Now there are 4 vehicles at my house (son, daughter, wife and mine). All are four-bangers. I am very happy with the 1999 Voyager minivan 2.4L and the 3-speed auto is nice an simple, but do prefer my manual transmission Ranger.


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

I used to travel with cassette tapes of various genres, including the Shostakovich *10th Symphony*, Nilsen *Symphony #1*, *The Gypsy Kings*, Grateful Dead's *Workingman's Dead*, Gliére *Ilya Muromets*, several Harry Nillsen albums, others I forget at the moment, which would last the few hours it took for me to travel to various cities in Ohio where I did photography for clients. On trips with my wife, we either chatted or she would do vocal warmups for her gigs. But our current car has a disc player, so I depend on the car radio. Locally, that's just fine. We have some good FM here.


----------



## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Jos said:


> Ghee, Florestan, I thought trotting about in 4 cylinders was a European thing, but now I learn that Americans do it as well.:lol:


Many, many modern 'Muricans drive 4 cylinder vehicles. I've never owned anything else. All Toyotas or Hondas. Of course, out here in the mountains where I live, pick-up trucks and 4-wheel drive vehicles are everywhere.

I bring a collection of CDs along to torment any hapless passengers.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

My latest cassette is of YouTube live performances, most of which are gleaned from my Strange Magic posts. I use 90-minute cassettes, so this most recent effort has 5 Smiths songs, 5 Fixx, 2 Amy Winehouse, a Dream Syndicate, a Luther Allison, a Stevie Wonder, an African pop selection (Yeke Yeke) courtesy of Casebearer, and 2 Céline Dions. One has to go back to George I on his barge, gliding along listening to Handel's Water Music, to replicate the enjoyment I get playing my tapes as I also glide along....


----------

