Transfering CDs to iTunes FLAC. Am I missing....?


I intend to use a Slim Devices Transporter as my new digital source and I want to make sure I'm setting up my digital music files properly. I've started 'importing' all my CDs via iTunes and have the file format import setting set to FLAC and with error correction turned on. Am I on the right track, or am I missing something?

I want to make sure that I'm transferring all my music to my 500gb hard drive in optimal format. I'll likely copy all the files to a second drive as a backup.

I had considered using EAC, but so far this iTunes process of importing is so easy and user-friendly, and iTunes seems like a good interface for organizing too.

Anyways, any advice from folks who've gone down this path is much appreciated. Thanks,
John
outlier

Showing 2 responses by ejresch

John, I have over 1300 albums in FLAC format on a hard drive, and if you've found a way to import to FLAC using iTunes, please share! I'm using iTunes version 7.6 as well and there's no choice for importing to FLAC on my PC. Are you sure you didn't choose Apple Lossless format?

I used EAC to extract from discs and use Foobar 2000 as a player and there were many growing pains learning the programming language to get all the files tagged correctly, but it was worth it. Good choice on the FLAC format for sound quality. My only advice, if you have a large library, is test, test, test before doing the whole shot. Compilation discs, soundtracks, musicals and classical discs can import with some unexpected results for file names, artist/composer names and folder structures. Good luck.
John, don't loose any sleep over the FLAC vs. Apple Lossless format on your files. The sound quality will be excellent with both. If you like the organization and interface of iTunes, it makes sense to use Apple lossless. I personally didn't want to be locked into using iTunes and really like the customization of Foobar. It has many advanced features and plugins that I really wanted to exploit with my home theater PC to feed my audio OCD.

The Transporter is a really slick device and works with the Apple Lossless format, so it sounds like this would be the perfect choice for you. Getting all your music imported is a seriously tedious task, so whatever process and program you choose for ripping should cause you the least amount of grief. You will really enjoy having all your music at your disposal when it's all done. Enjoy!