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Download and "ripping" questions with a Mac.

Hi all, I am all new to this and i need some help.

How do you rip CD's into Itunes in either WAV or Apple Lossless?
I have rip one CD and looking at the file data it shows 128kbps which is highly compressed. I may have done something wrong or missed something in the process.

Also, Itunes and Itunes+ have highly compressed music files 128kbps and 256kpbs respectively. Is there a way to convert those files into Apple Lossless or WAV. Or are you limited to HDtracks and Music Giants for high resolution music files. Do i need a special software to do all this like dbpoweramp music converter?
I want to play those "digits" on my home hifi with the highest sound quality possible using an Ipod 160GB + Wadia dock + Audio Research DAC 7.

If the answers i am seeking are buried in the archives can you direct me to them.
Thank You.

smoffatt

Showing 3 responses by sammie

sammie
220 posts
 
I think you'll need to re-rip the CD's converted into ACC as they have lost information in the encoding algorithm: they are now "lossy" as opposed to "lossless."

If you have to rip within the Apple Leopard OS, I would recommend you compare rips from Itunes with rips from MAX. IMHO Max rips sound better.

And, FYI, probably the best ripping software is EAC, which only works with MS Windows...
sammie
220 posts
 
Max is easy to use, but the user interface is not as clean as Itunes. #1. Download Max from sbooth.org and install. #2 Run Max and go to preferences. #3 Select Applelosseless or AIFF, which is Apple's version of WAV. Also, make sure error correction stuff is set properly...it is pretty straightforward. Also, there is an Itunes tab...check those settings. #4 Place CD in slot, Max will recognize it and open an encode window. Itunes will recognize it too. Just minimize Itunes. #5 Make sure all tracks are "check marked" and hit encode.

Good luck.
sammie
220 posts
 
Hi Greg,

Yep, I forgot to mention that sometimes, though infrequently, MAX will screw up or not recognize tag info. Even if it recognizes, it sometimes does not carry over to Itunes for some reason. So, you're forced to fill that in later. It's a pain in the a#$ for sure, but I think worth it. If it is happening on every album, in preferences, make sure you have "use Itunes compatibility mode" checked under Itunes tab, and make sure the ripper is cdparanoia, not the "basic ripper" under ripper tab.

Once Macworld reveals the new Apple desktops, I will be springing for one...hopefully an updated Mac Mini. Then, I'd like to try to use EAC with windows on the new Mac, and compare the EAC rips to Max rips.
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