Quote Originally Posted by FormerlyJohnnyBreadhead View Post
If that's literally the only thing you're looking to do, you can probably just use your phone (assuming you have a basic smartphone).

Download the song you want from YouTube using a free ripping website or app (there are hundreds of them, just Google "YouTube music rip android" or similar).

Then download a simple audio editing app to trim the song to 30 seconds. Again, there are hundreds of free ones available (your phone might already have one installed).

If you're just playing the first 30 seconds of the song (rather than a specific section), you don't even have to do that.

Almost all sound systems should have bluetooth or even a wired connection so that you can then play them during the quiz.

Might sound like a faff on the surface but it's far more efficient (and cheaper!) than the "old school" way.
Thanks for the advice, and I understand what you're saying, but that's not for me. I don't use my mobile for music at all.

I have an enormous CD collection which includes a couple of hundred three or five disc various artists compilation albums. A large part of the enjoyment of preparing and recording the quizzes is digging through the collection, finding the tracks, selecting the segments to be recorded, etc.

There will be a way to continue and I'll find it. There are a couple of apparently sturdy BluRay/DVD/CD players and burners available on the market at present costing between £120 and £160. The problem is the reviews are mixed as the machines are geared towards far more complicated operations than I need.

I'm talking a local professional PC expert tomorrow to get his views on the existing machine and any possible solutions going forward.