2. pc-audio
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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 1 response by matt8268

matt8268
92 posts
 
I want to do the exact same thing as you. I want to be able to keep my collection on the computer as (Apple) lossless, and somehow sync a compressed version onto my iPod. This will allow me to Airport the (uncompressed) music to my receiver from my computer, yet still be able to fit my whole collection in my (40G) iPod.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's a way to do it without maintaining two separate libraries. I don't want to do this because I've already changed titles, composers, artwork, etc. to perfection. Just can't consider keeping two versions up to date. Hopefully Apple will make an update, but maybe not, since it's sort of a niche capability for audiophiles.

FYI, my encoded files with 128k AAC sound great through my iPod and Ety ER4P earspeakers. I experimented with higher bitrates, and couldn't hear a difference (not one I could identify consistently). I think 128 AAC is similar to if not better than 192 mp3, but of course this depends on many variables, including which encoder is being used.
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