need help importing cds in itunes
[571 byte] By [bhome83] at [2007-11-11 22:08:12] 
ok, so im just importing a bunch of cd's into itunes but am not sure what are good settings to choose? I'm in the preferences tab and in the 'importing' subtab and it gives me the option of AAC encoder, WAV encoder and a few others? which one do you guys recommend? then for setting i chose 'custom' but then a screen popups and i usually choose 192kbps, but what about sample rate and channels? there is also a place for checking VBR and 'optimize for voice'. what do these things mean and should i check them? Thanks guys!
# 1 Re: need help importing cds in itunes
If you will use iTunes, the AAC encoder is better than the MP3 encoder.192 is a good compromise of quality and space. For basic encoding leave channel and sample rate as auto. The VBR option is a good one to pick, it will allow for the encoder to use higher bitrates for more important parts of the file to give back a more rich sound.
Optimize for voice does what it suggests. It encodes well for spoken word, podcasts, audio books, etc. So unless you are ripping an audiobook, radio show, or comedy CD, no need to check it.
Wav and Applelossless selections don't through away any audio information. Wav is uncompressed, Applelossless has some compression, but does not lose any information. They take up much more space than the lossless AAC or MP3.
For more information browse our audio formats forum.
Good luck.
studogvetmed at 2007-11-15 16:07:25 >
# 2 Re: need help importing cds in itunes
so what exactly is the difference between AAC and Mp3. so if i choose one of those formats that doesnt use compression (WAV) would i be able to tell the difference in sound quality? or do i need some really good speakers and/or headphones? thanks.bhome83 at 2007-11-15 16:08:26 >
# 3 Re: need help importing cds in itunes
Only your ears can tell you if you can tell the difference. In doing so, do a BLIND test.Lossless is over kill for most portable audio applications, it's a waste of space for what you get. Unless you are running the iPod through a High Fi, it's overkill. Though many people like to rip and archive their files in Lossless. They then take the lossless files and convert them to a lossy format for use on their computer and portable devices.
I can't tell you the technical differences in quality of MP3 and AAC. One thing I can state is that the MP3 is the more compatible across different systems. AAC is still gaining popularity and not all players, etc yet support it.
One thing that has been said about AAC is that it's suggested that a 128 AAC is just as good as a 192 MP3. Some audio people say they can stand a 128 AAC, but can't stand a 128 MP3, but your ears will have to tell you this. Again do a BLIND test.
Thats the most information I can give. For further information go to the hydrogen audio forums or see our audio formats forum here.
studogvetmed at 2007-11-15 16:09:25 >
# 4 Re: need help importing cds in itunes
AAC is the better codec to use for quality and file size when compared to mp3. With the large hard drives available these days file size should be the last consideration. I rip everything a 192kbps since I can hear no difference at 320kbps. The best thing to do is sit down and rip the same song at different settings and play them back on a good set of speakers to see whats best to you. I would recommend staying with MP3 for now since it seems to be holding as the standard format. This should future proof your music collection since all portable music players support this format and will for the foreseeable future. Choose AAC if you think you will only ever use an iPod. There are other players that will play AAC now, but for the most part they only support WMA/MP3 (Windows based) or AAC/MP3 (iTunes based players). Even though MP3 is not as efficient as some more modern codecs and an aging format it still seams to be holding as the "industry standard".
Sparkee at 2007-11-15 16:10:30 >
[an error occurred while processing this directive]