Well, the process is still a-kickin'.
The more I do this, the more I see that some digital music is simply not the same as other digital music. Taking it a step further, some digital albums are not the same. This is because of various reasons. For example: the actual recording process, the track order, or the quality of the music from start to finish. Therefore, I am actually rating my music now too as I go. If I see a song or album that was not rated, I am taking the time to rate them accordingly to my opinion of my music. Since they're on my hard drive, (as I have deleted other files I do not need), it is safe to assume that even a "one star" album/song is something that will still be to my liking. I also have about five albums that are personal favorites that simply can't be messed with. And lastly, I have albums or a music collection that is beyond a rating - the Beatles.
Therefore, my rating process will look like this:
1-3 stars @ 256.
4-5 stars @ 320.
Top 5 or 10 albums (to me) @ Apple Lossless.
This method should position me permanently for the future, as compression rates have not changed since the 90s - and they still top out at 320. Anything more than 320 (Apple Lossless or 100% uncompressed) will never change because it's just math at that point. It just can't get any higher than uncompressed.
As far as the re-ripping goes, I'm now up to the 'M's' of my library as I just finished my Mavericks collection.
By the way... not to sound like an Apple fanboy, but iTunes Match is great. I just can not express this enough. So far, I've had no issues with the service - even in areas where my mobile reception is poor. To me, the service still working as well as it does with limited mobile reception is huge. It may be simply a testimony of Verizon's awesomeness, I dunno. I have always received awesome throughput with Verizon at one bar. So at this point, iTunes Match is a huge deal to me.
Taking the time to bump up the quality and updating metadata as I go extends the power of my 83.65GB music library and it makes iTunes Genius that much smarter. To an audiophile like me, it's indispensable. In other words, I now depend on this service.
Yes, it didn't take long for me to do so. That more than anything should speak volumes of iTunes Match. If you have great music, then this is a service worth 25 bucks a year.
This concludes today’s report, but there’s more to come. Stay tuned over the coming days for more of my Music Library Refresh Experience. If you missed the first two parts of the series, have a look at both iTunes Match Part One and iTunes Match Part Two.
