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iTunes idiot needs some help


Hi,

Although I've owned an iPod for quite a while now I'm in need of some help. Up until now I've stored approximately 400 WAV files on my iPod. I recently bought two Western Digital 160gb external hard drives and I'm copying 400 CD's on to the hard drives using iTunes, importing the songs as WAV files (I bought all these CD's BTW).

I'd like to rip all of my music on to my iPod. To fit all this music onto a 20gb iPod will require compression, any recommendations as to which compression format to use would be appreciated. Priority is sound quality (I really hate the sound of MP3's) but by the same token I'll need to fit a lot of music on it. I'm very interested in your opinion and will certainly appreciate any advice.

I want to keep the WAV files on the hard drive(s) as is, allowing me to make compilations or copies of my CD's as required. The thing I can't figure out for the life of me: I have the WAV files on my hard drive and want to use some sort of compression to load them on the iPod while I maintain the original WAV files on the hard drive. There must be a way to grab the WAV files off my hard drive and using iTunes compress the files, store the compressed music in a directory on the drive, and then load my iPod with the compressed files. All the while keeping the original WAV files in WAV format on the drive. I'm running XP with the latest iTunes software. Thanks in advance to any iTunes aficionados who can lend a helping hand. Best Regards, Jeff
jeffloistarca

Showing 4 responses by edesilva

edesilva
768 posts
 
I've just finished ripping 730 CDs into WAV format, and seem to be averaging 450 MB/CD...
edesilva
768 posts
 
You can get LAME, which does various mp3 compression types on a standalone basis, and run those on the files to get mp3 versions. You would end up with both WAV and MP3 versions on the HDD and iTunes would presumably see both. Maybe you could have iTunes filter them in some way?

You should have enough storage to store both WAV and MP3--400 CD @ 450 MB/CD (WAV) + 45 MB/CD (alt preset extreme MP3) = 200 GB total, well below your total 160 GB x 2.
edesilva
768 posts
 
I think I was getting 10:1 compression using the LAME alt preset extreme setting, which, to my ear, sounded far better than similar sized constant bit rate (CBR) mp3s. The extreme setting has been argued by a number of folks to be total overkill, and for an iPod it may well be (I was listening in a home rig). Look at the alt preset standard setting and you may get the compression you need. All of the "alt presets" are variable bit rate schemes with various coding tweaks to maximize sound quality for a given file size.

Think you can also set up LAME to batch process...
edesilva
768 posts
 
I didn't have as good luck with audiograbber as I did with EAC.

Just out of curiousity, why do you want *everything* on the iPod? One of the great things about the iPod is how easy it is to load/delete stuff. A 20 GB iPod will hold... er... about 50 CDs in WAV format--totally uncompressed. Even with a lossless compression scheme, you should get at least 100 or so...

I'm happy with my 20 GB iPod. I keep a core group of full CDs on there and throw in some single tracks to form a "core" iPod load. Then, I'll do a playlist with new CDs I've bought, some random theme stuff, or whatever to fill it out. That keeps me happy for a cross-country airplane ride, and usually quite a bit longer...
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