Remastering my Digital Music

[admin_exported]

So, i'm not happy with my compressed music, so much so i've only listened to CDs for the last two months.

I'd like to rip some recent high quality CDs i've bought but want to know what is considered the best (practical) standard for ripping and playing.

I currently use WMP10 and rip in 320kbps MP3 for compatability reasons. I dont think quality is good enough.

My music must be read in my car (MP3, WMA, AAC) but potentially I could convert it on the fly using WMP10 anyway (provided WMP can read the master format).

So, what should I choose? WMA lossless? Apple lossless, flac? In the case of flac which players/rippers to people use?

Thanks and sorry if this has been answered before but as you know - nobody uses search on this forum

 

[Anonymous]

If you like WMP then use WMP Lossless.

 

[Binman]

For FLAC I use DBPoweramp to rip. I've used Apple Lossless and FLAC. I liked apple lossless as you could use Itunes to rip and manage the music, but I changed to FLAC as it worked better with my Squeezebox.

Remember - as long as you rip in lossless, you can easily convert from one lossless type to another (which is what I did) using DBPoweramp Batch Converter

 

[fatboyslimfast]

If you are asking what I think you are asking - then it won't work.

Your car stereo is likely to only be able to decode lossy files - lossless formats, whilst they may have a similar name, have totally different decoding algorithms. My Sony head deck decodes the three you mention above, but cannot decode lossless formats.

Personally, I find 256Kbps AAC to be the best of the lossy formats and not that far behind lossless.

 

[Anonymous]

fatboyslimfast:If you are asking what I think you are asking - then it won't work.

Your car stereo is likely to only be able to decode lossy files - lossless formats, whilst they may have a similar name, have totally different decoding algorithms. My Sony head deck decodes the three you mention above, but cannot decode lossless formats.

Personally, I find 256Kbps AAC to be the best of the lossy formats and not that far behind lossless.

Possibly not then

I just mean that I can rip in one format lossless (i.e. WMA) and then allow media player to downsample when I dock my USB and synch (pretty clever huh!)

I dont know about itunes but WMP will do this for mp3/WMA

 

[The_Lhc]

could be worth bearing in mind that a number of people on here have stated that WMP produces the worst sounding rips that they've heard, which might be your original problem.

 

[Alec]

fatboyslimfast:If you are asking what I think you are asking - then it won't work. Your car stereo is likely to only be able to decode lossy files - lossless formats, whilst they may have a similar name, have totally different decoding algorithms. My Sony head deck decodes the three you mention above, but cannot decode lossless formats. Personally, I find 256Kbps AAC to be the best of the lossy formats and not that far behind lossless.

Is 256 as far as AAC goes?

 

[Alec]

the_lhc:could be worth bearing in mind that a number of people on here have stated that WMP produces the worst sounding rips that they've heard, which might be your original problem.

I concur. Im thinking about going back to it for playing/library duties, but would rather take a longer route around ripping, such as EAC, even for MP3s. i would understand why you might stick with t if you're used to it tho. I would if it were a better ripper as i got to know my way around it quite well.

Other very good rippers are available.

Im pretty out of touch with what works in cars. i just listen to the radio in the car nowadays. Last time i made a CD for the car or anywhere else, i used nero 6 i think. unless you tell it specifically to make an mp3 disc it converts while ripping to its own format (nero digital audio i think), which most CDPs can play - ive never had a high spec car or upgraded the standard audio gubbins in it, and that method always worked for me.

I do'nt understand teh technicalities much further, but im sure there are those here who do.

 

[Anonymous]

It goes up to 320

 

[Alec]

Pmaninit:It goes up to 320

Thought so. Curious. Still, I risk raising a back or two which is not my intention so im off.

Mornin' all

 

[Anonymous]

al7478:
the_lhc:could be worth bearing in mind that a number of people on here have stated that WMP produces the worst sounding rips that they've heard, which might be your original problem.

I concur. Im thinking about going back to it for playing/library duties, but would rather take a longer route around ripping, such as EAC, even for MP3s. i would understand why you might stick with t if you're used to it tho. I would if it were a better ripper as i got to know my way around it quite well.

Other very good rippers are available.

Im pretty out of touch with what works in cars. i just listen to the radio in the car nowadays. Last time i made a CD for the car or anywhere else, i used nero 6 i think. unless you tell it specifically to make an mp3 disc it converts while ripping to its own format (nero digital audio i think), which most CDPs can play - ive never had a high spec car or upgraded the standard audio gubbins in it, and that method always worked for me.

I do'nt understand teh technicalities much further, but im sure there are those here who do.

Exactly the sort of feedback I wanted.
If wma is flawed then I will look at AAC/mp3.
The problem AAC produces is that I cant convert on the fly for my in car use (unless someone tells me you can do this with itunes???

For the car the limit is 256kbps and my mini takes a direct USB memory stick which is really handy.

 

[Alec]

ashworth_rich:al7478:

the_lhc:could be worth bearing in mind that a number of people on here have stated that WMP produces the worst sounding rips that they've heard, which might be your original problem.

I concur. Im thinking about going back to it for playing/library duties, but would rather take a longer route around ripping, such as EAC, even for MP3s. i would understand why you might stick with t if you're used to it tho. I would if it were a better ripper as i got to know my way around it quite well.

Other very good rippers are available.

Im pretty out of touch with what works in cars. i just listen to the radio in the car nowadays. Last time i made a CD for the car or anywhere else, i used nero 6 i think. unless you tell it specifically to make an mp3 disc it converts while ripping to its own format (nero digital audio i think), which most CDPs can play - ive never had a high spec car or upgraded the standard audio gubbins in it, and that method always worked for me.

I do'nt understand teh technicalities much further, but im sure there are those here who do.

Exactly the sort of feedback I wanted. If wma is flawed then I will look at AAC/mp3. The problem AAC produces is that I cant convert on the fly for my in car use (unless someone tells me you can do this with itunes??? For the car the limit is 256kbps and my mini takes a direct USB memory stick which is really handy.

The floor with WMP - semi eduacted guess alert - is perhaps that the error correction function is well hidden. I "knew" WMP well before i found this out from a thread on here - ill have a look but if anyone else remembers...i could be miss-remembering too, or the person who said it had error correction could have been mistaken, i guess. Sorry.

As i say i dont really understand the lack of quality with wmp but am sure it is there and im not imagining it. However ive ripped weith winamp, ripstation micro, EAC (and i think others but they escape me) also and most other rippers seem to produce better results imo. In fact, the hassle of EAC may only be worth it if you are really keen to have its extra error correction, as consensus seems to be other ripppers will be OK 99% of the time.

Personally i only just downloaded itunes. ive set it to rip mp3s at 320 so im going to compare it to wmp doing the same.

What formats can you play in the car again?

EDIT

 

[Anonymous]

al7478:ashworth_rich:al7478:

the_lhc:could be worth bearing in mind that a number of people on here have stated that WMP produces the worst sounding rips that they've heard, which might be your original problem.

I concur. Im thinking about going back to it for playing/library duties, but would rather take a longer route around ripping, such as EAC, even for MP3s. i would understand why you might stick with t if you're used to it tho. I would if it were a better ripper as i got to know my way around it quite well.

Other very good rippers are available.

Im pretty out of touch with what works in cars. i just listen to the radio in the car nowadays. Last time i made a CD for the car or anywhere else, i used nero 6 i think. unless you tell it specifically to make an mp3 disc it converts while ripping to its own format (nero digital audio i think), which most CDPs can play - ive never had a high spec car or upgraded the standard audio gubbins in it, and that method always worked for me.

I do'nt understand teh technicalities much further, but im sure there are those here who do.

Exactly the sort of feedback I wanted. If wma is flawed then I will look at AAC/mp3. The problem AAC produces is that I cant convert on the fly for my in car use (unless someone tells me you can do this with itunes??? For the car the limit is 256kbps and my mini takes a direct USB memory stick which is really handy.

The floor with WMP - semi eduacted guess alert - is perhaps that the error correction function is well hidden. I "knew" WMP well before i found this out from a thread on here - ill have a look but if anyone else remembers...i could be miss-remembering too, or the person who said it had error correction could have been mistaken, i guess. Sorry.

As i say i dont really understand the lack of quality with wmp but am sure it is there and im not imagining it. However ive ripped weith winamp, ripstation micro, EAC (and i think others but they escape me) also and most other rippers seem to produce better results imo. In fact, the hassle of EAC may only be worth it if you are really keen to have its extra error correction, as consensus seems to be other ripppers will be OK 99% of the time.

Personally i only just downloaded itunes. ive set it to rip mp3s at 320 so im going to compare it to wmp doing the same.

What formats can you play in the car again?

EDIT

Thanks for the link.

Re. Car its MP3, WMA and AAC with a max bitrate of 256kbps
SQ is of limited importance in the car as its not exactly HiFi to start with...

 

[Alec]

And would that all be via usb, or are you up for making discs too?

 

[Anonymous]

al7478:And would that all be via usb, or are you up for making discs too?

I can play mp3 cds in the car but like the 4gb USB storage on random play...

 

[Alec]

Ah OK.

Sorry, but where are your thought on your course of action so far?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, my current thoughts are to switch to iTunes and convert all my wma's to AAC. Then proceed to rip and possibly re-rip in cases in AppleLossless. Then use itunes or WMP to synch and downsample for the car (something like 192mp3). Does itunes do this?

Any drawbacks?
How does Apple lossless compare to FLAC

 

[Alec]

To me that sounds pretty reasonable, but i dont know much about "sync-ing". Apple lossless and flac should sound the same.

 

[Anonymous]

Great, I may give it a go this evening. Though I dont fancy waiting 24 hours to recode 40gbs of WMA music to AAC

 

[Anonymous]

ashworth_rich:Well, my current thoughts are to switch to iTunes and convert all my wma's to AAC. Then proceed to rip and possibly re-rip in cases in AppleLossless. Then use itunes or WMP to synch and downsample for the car (something like 192mp3). Does itunes do this?

Any drawbacks?
How does Apple lossless compare to FLAC

All the lossless formats are identical sounding, it is only the packaging that changes. It's a bit like having different inkjet cratridges for different printers. The ink is always the same but the container changes.

iTunes AACs don't have DRM any more so most devices will play them now.

Ash

 

[manicm]

Ashley, I'm ripping Apple Lossless on my Vista laptop with error correction on in iTunes - do you think I'm missing anything sonic wise?

I've noticed on some CDs ripping goes quite fast which leads me to doubt iTunes is doing error correction, am I paranoid?