Wow, that's some great information and exactly what i was looking for.
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Well, there are a couple different schools of thought on this subject.
A lot of guys will tell you point blank that FLAC is the best, because of what it is: FREE LOSSLESS AUDIO CODEC.... however, in my experience, Flac is difficult on a practical level because you need weird software to use it.
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Agreed. On my windows desktop and laptop i'm running VLC to listen to my FLAC files. But FLAC still doesn't help me on the ipod, etc. Been waiting to pick up my mac, so just trying to get a handle on what the choices are for mac.
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I just want high end audio I can play in iTunes and iPods, etc... so I use Toast to convert to Alac. Whether it's playable outside of iPods, I couldn't really say, because I've never tried.
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Honestly, i'll probably never run the files outside of ipods, but you never know..was just curious on those limitations.
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But, of course ALAC can always be converted to something else as well, because ALAC is also lossless, so your hi-grade audio will still always be good as long as you keep the lossless copies. And you can burn Alac to CDs if you want, right in iTunes.
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Didn't know you can burn Alac to cd's in itunes...good to know!
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My guess would be that ALAC may cause problems for you if you're looking for use outside of an iPod or iTunes and you'd probably have to convert again to something else. When I run into that situation, I convert them to MP3 for temporary use. My sticking point is, I prefer the ultra high quality of lossless audio, so I stay away from MP3s like the plague. But that's a personal preference.
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Exactly what you said...same deal over here. I love my FLAC files cause the sound is just awesome. I wanted to keep lossless audio at all costs on my ipod...just didn't know how to get FLAC over to the ipod. Sounds like Alac is my solution. And i'm with you 100% on mp3's...i avoid those as much as possible.
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Toast will convert FLAC to ALAC super quick. The trouble is, it doesn't maintain any internal tags, so after conversion, you drag them into iTunes and have to go in and re-enter the info back into the tags. It's a pain, but to me is worth the extra work because my audio collection is a thing of fucking beauty right now. It's flawless.
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See, i would have pulled my hair out for a week trying to figure out where all my tags went! Just that sentence alone probably saved me huge hours trying to figure out the problems with the tags. Much appreciated. And like you, i don't mind the extra work at all with the tags, nor if the situation arises when i need to convert for another player...the quality makes it worth it for sure.
Quick question...I assume when converting from Flac to Alac, the Alac files end up being roughly the same size as the original Flac files? Or does Alac compress more (or even less)? These Flacs are hefty...lol
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When I rip from a new CD, I just pull the raw AIFF files off it now. Not really even "ripping" as we know it, just a copy & paste. Full uncompressed, lossless audio.
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Toast allows you to do that with the AIFF files? Or are you taking the AIFF files through another program, then importing them into Toast?
I appreciate the post Amp...awesome information man. Sounds like Toast is your top pick. Can't wait to get started and have lossless on my ipod.
