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How should I rip my CD's to computer Flac wav ect?


merkin

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I got a new computer and I am going to rip my CD's to it. I have a squeeze box that I will play it over my system with. Since I have a terabit I have more than enough disc space to rip them in a lossless format. I also want to be able to transfer them to my Ipod in the same format. I am pretty illiterate about this so all suggestions will be apreciated.

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I got a new computer and I am going to rip my CD's to it. I have a squeeze box that I will play it over my system with. Since I have a terabit I have more than enough disc space to rip them in a lossless format. I also want to be able to transfer them to my Ipod in the same format. I am pretty illiterate about this so all suggestions will be apreciated.

What I would recommend doing is using Apple Lossless. Not only that will save some space on your harddrive vs just .WAV files, I believe the iPod should also be able to play (which model of iPod do you have? What capacity?). The Squeezebox (what one do you have? The "Touch"?) will also be able to play the Apple Lossless. I would've originally suggested just using FLAC, but the iPod does not support FLAC. As a result, you are pretty stuck with Apple Lossless if you also want to use them in the iPod. Now, you can use raw .WAV files, but they take up a huge amount of space. Maybe not such an issue on your PC, but can be for the iPod, especially if you have one of the lower capacity ones, such as a Nano, which only goes up to 16 gigs of storage.

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But the problem with FLAC is that it is not supported by the iPod.

I quote...

I also want to be able to transfer them to my Ipod in the same format.

If he wants to do that, the only real choice he has is either Apple Lossless or a raw .WAV (if the computer is Windows) or .AIFF (if the computer is Mac - the OP did not state exactly what kind/type of computer it was). I would recommend to save a bit of space, especially when it comes to the iPod, to just use Apple Lossless. His Squeezebox player will also support Apple Lossless (at least according to the Logitec website). He would still get the same lossless quality as a .WAV or .AIFF, but also save on space (typically a good half the size of a full uncompressed WAV/AIFF).

Now, I am assuming the "Ipod" in question is an actual Apple iPod (seems these days, people will call just about any personal digital/mp3 player an "ipod", regardless if it is an actual Apple iPod or not).

Would be curious as to just what kind of computer he got as well as what model/capacity of the iPod. If he has one of the newer 160 gig ones, than it may be worth it to use .WAV, otherwise, will need to use one of the more compressed formats if he plans on putting any decent amount of music on the thing.

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I have a PC not a Mac. The Ipod is a 80 gig Ipod. I also have an old dell DJ that I use for my boat that has 40 gig I think. The size on the I pod doesn't concern me that much since I just use it for the car instead of hauling CD's. I don't want much compression since I will be playing it through my squeeze box on my system also. Will the applelossless give CD quality sound? Is Wav better than lossless? Will wav work with the Ipod? Could I rip them in a loessless format then just convert a copy to the apple format for the I tunes. I know that would leave two files for the same song on the computer but I would only convert some to Ipod. I don't use my whole collection on I pod.

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Bottom line is that there are plenty of available lossless formats. All have pros and cons. The good news is that today's software allows for easy conversion from one format to another. I have converted many of my flac files to mp3 and transferred to my iphone. Select the desired format and find the software that best suits that media.

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Guess he should use apple loseless. Problem I see with the IPod is that it doesn't have the highest quality DAC in for when playing through your stereo or even high quality headphones. I do notice subtle differences between playing off my iPod, vs using ipod/external headphone amp combo, and off a dedicated DAC from the computer in my headphones.

If you do go the FLAC route, then EAC(Exact Audio Copy) is a nice ripper.

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Do some searching and you will find free programs that will rip in multiple formats. I'd suggest FLAC for home listening on a good system, 320 MP3 for computer with decent speakers and 128 MP3 for your ipod. You got the space (and it is cheap these days), it is the time that is a killer. Do it once and do it right.

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I have a PC not a Mac. The Ipod is a 80 gig Ipod. I also have an old dell DJ that I use for my boat that has 40 gig I think. The size on the I pod doesn't concern me that much since I just use it for the car instead of hauling CD's.

In that case, for loading into the iPod to just listen to in the car, I'd go with 192kbps MP3 (if you are really anal about the quality, then go ahead and go with the max 320kbps that MP3 format supports, plus I find it virtually indistinquishable from full lossless in most typical listening situations). Plenty good enough for in-car or on-boat listening, since you could also use it on the Dell DJ player as well. I would not go less than 192 kbps personally (192 kbps is at least decent enough to be listenable, about 128 kbps just begins to really irratate me.)

I don't want much compression since I will be playing it through my squeeze box on my system also. Will the applelossless give CD quality sound? Is Wav better than lossless? Will wav work with the Ipod? Could I rip them in a loessless format then just convert a copy to the apple format for the I tunes. I know that would leave two files for the same song on the computer but I would only convert some to Ipod. I don't use my whole collection on I pod.

Apple Lossless, as well as FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) will give full CD quality. That is why it is lossless. As opposed to other compression schemes, such as MP3, which are "lossy". These schemes attempt to make a "best guess" and throw away the trebels and bass (typically in the range above/below normal human hearing) where appropriate in an effort to get the size down, but still try to maintain audio quality. On the flipside, .WAV is the full 44.1khz/16bit uncompressed audio as stored on a typical red-book audio CD. However, there is a definite space vs. quality tradeoff here.

Typical sizes are as follows:

Full .WAV (uncompressed audio) - Approx. 10 megabytes/minute (thus typical 5 minute song will take around 50 megabytes)

FLAC or Apple Lossless (lossless compression) - Approx 5 megs/minute (typical 5 minute song = around 25 megs)

320 Kbps MP3 (best quality lossy compression) - Approx 2 megs/minute (typical 5 min song = 10 megs)

192 Kbps MP3 (decent quality lossy) - Approx 1.5 megs/minute (typical 5 min song - around 7 to 8 megs)

128 Kpbs MPS (acceptable quality lossy) - Approx 1 meg/minut (5 min - 5 megs)

Since you got a 1 terabyte drive, As I have already, and others have as well, is to use the Apple Lossless or FLAC. You could hold around 40,000 tracks in a compressed lossless format such as FLAC on that drive. That is a huge amount of tracks (I got nearly 10,000 in my system and I thought that was a huge amount - and I still got a ton of CDs that I've not even gotten around to ripping in!). Plus, as cheap as storage is now-a-days, if you do manage to fill up it, just go grab an external drive to add to it. Then to put it on your iPod, go ahead and convert to at least 192Kbps MP3 to still at least maintain a decent listening experience out of it, but still be able to put a good selection of music on there.

Experiment with a couple CDs and see what works out best for you - for example, to create Apple Lossless, you could just use iTunes, whereas with FLAC, you'll need to find a another tool - the suggested EAC is a good one (which I've used myself. Might as well take a little time to get familier with the tools as well as find something that is most convenient, but also sounds good, for you, before spending the enormous amount of time it will take to rip all those CDs into your system (not to mention all the tagging, finding album art, and what not that goes alone with it).

BTW, the best way I found to organize my collection is by Genre, then Artist, then Album. Again, spend some time to play around and get familier with it.

PS: Seems, according to your latest post, you pretty much got it figured out, but I wanted to at least address your questions here.

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I have a PC not a Mac. The Ipod is a 80 gig Ipod. I also have an old dell DJ that I use for my boat that has 40 gig I think. The size on the I pod doesn't concern me that much since I just use it for the car instead of hauling CD's. I don't want much compression since I will be playing it through my squeeze box on my system also. Will the applelossless give CD quality sound? Is Wav better than lossless? Will wav work with the Ipod? Could I rip them in a loessless format then just convert a copy to the apple format for the I tunes. I know that would leave two files for the same song on the computer but I would only convert some to Ipod. I don't use my whole collection on I pod.

I too have a PC and a 80 gig Ipod, I used wav files on both of mine no problems.

Jay

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I too have a PC and a 80 gig Ipod, I used wav files on both of mine no problems.

Jay

Oh yeah, using the raw WAV files will certainly work just fine. But why not use one of the lossless compression schemes (which make no difference to the audio quality) and save nearly half the space?

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A problem with WAV files, besides taking up too much HD space, is that tagging is not supported in the format. The other lossless formats mentioned can have embedded tagging information. And as your collection grows you will most likely find tagging very helpful.

I suggest looking at the JRiver player, now Media Center version 14. http://www.jrmediacenter.com/ It is one of the best players for fidelity, has a great organizing system, and can sync to Ipods. Tons of other stuff too! There is a link there to their forum. A bunch of helpful folks, just like here! So if you have any questions before buying, suggest you ask on the forum.

Good luck.

Rod

PS I definitely suggest ripping to FLAC if you are on a PC.

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A problem with WAV files, besides taking up too much HD space, is that tagging is not supported in the format. The other lossless formats mentioned can have embedded tagging information. And as your collection grows you will most likely find tagging very helpful.

That is a good point - did not think about the tagging myself. Like I said, I have nearly 10,000 tracks in my own system, completely tagged with track listings, album art, release date, genre and so forth. Makes finding something so much easier! Can't do that with raw WAV files.

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I think AIFF is the best format for MAC. it's the same as WAV for quality and size. I used to always use WAV, but now I use AIFF. No reason. they both sound great to me. I never use mp3 unless i have size limitations. Your ipod will fill up quickly though.

Hey Bobby, was just noticing your avatar. Is that a reference to CFAS - Grinnin In Your Face, or did that photo come from somewhere else?

Rick

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