build a digital music subroutine library used to be a simple affair of tuck a compact disk into your Mac and encoding the song as MP3 files . Today the procedure is a little more complicated . iTunes 4.5 not only supports the popular MP3 format but also gives you the alternative of encoding file cabinet in the AAC ( Advanced Audio Coding ) formatting or in a newfangled format called Apple Lossless . So which one should you use ?
Each formatting offers a dissimilar compromise between file size , legal calibre , and compatibility . The key to picking the right data format for your digital music library is to find the compromise that best suits the way you mind to music . Here ’s a look at the current encoding options built into iTunes 4.5 and the situations that call for each one . I ’ll also examine choice for convert Song from one format to another .
If Size Matters
As your music subroutine library grows , the amount of disc space it requires may become an issue . When you want to use disk outer space efficiently and fit as much as potential on your iPod , your good wager is to use one of the twolossyaudio formats : MP3 and AAC .
An MP3 or an AAC file is n’t a bit - for - flake duplicate of a digital transcription ; instead , it ’s a very accurate approximation . When you rend a standard candle into one of these format , iTunes analyzes the transcription and cast aside portions of it that most of us ca n’t hear anyway . This deliberate decrease of quality makes MP3 and AAC filing cabinet around one - tenth the size of it of the original tracks on a CD ( see “ iTunes 4.5 Encoding Options ” ) .
Of the two formats , AAC is more effective — it allows you to encode at a lower bit charge per unit and still get excellent auditory sensation . For object lesson , an AAC file encode at 128 Kbps broadly sound as in force as an MP3 file encoded at 160 Kbps , but the AAC file use less disk space ( AAC and MP3 use unlike standard when decide what info to discard ) .
By default , iTunes encodes AAC Indian file at 128 Kbps and MP3s at 160 Kbps . However , you may determine a different bit rate by spread out iTunes ’ Importing preference back breaker and take Custom from the Setting menu . For example , some substance abuser opt the phone of AAC files encode at 160 or 192 Kbps .
If Sound Matters
To my ears , MP3 and AAC files sound nifty . But golden - eared audiophiles cringe at the notion of compromised heavy quality . For these users , Apple create the new Apple Lossless encoder .
unfeigned to its name , Apple Lossless does n’t discard any audio selective information when encoding . As a result , Apple Lossless filing cabinet sound truer to the originals , but they do n’t use disk space as efficiently as MP3 or AAC files . Apple Lossless files are roughly half the size of the pilot — several times larger than their MP3 or AAC equivalents . This may be a trouble if you ’re attempt to shoehorn a large music library into an iPod mini .
In fact , even if you have only a small euphony library , Apple Lossless files may not be a good option for listening to music on your iPod . The with child files cause the iPod ’s hard drive to spin up more often , command more - frequent battery charges .
With drawbacks like these , why apply Apple Lossless ? One grounds is intelligent quality : if you have good hearing and expert audio equipment , youwillbe capable to tell the conflict . High frequence have more sparkle while bass lines sound less swampy .
Another reason to use Apple Lossless is to hedge against format obsolescence . If you rend hundreds of candle into MP3 files a few years ago , you ’re stuck with relatively depressed - quality single file unless you rerip the CDs ( see “ Rebuild Your Library ” ) . By using Apple Lossless , you may progress a digital music depository library that wo n’t make you cringe as your listening skills and equipment improve . Indeed , this is the reason some serious audio buffer expend the AIFF or WAV format to encode their CDs — these uncompressed formats do n’t affect sound calibre . regrettably , they also gobble up about 10 MB of magnetic disc outer space for every moment of music — not exactly idealistic for storing thousands of songs .
If Compatibility Matters
Having great phone is important , but it wo n’t do you much good if you’re able to’tplayyour medicine . Newer encoding schemes such as AAC and Apple Lossless do n’t have the wide support that the MP3 format has . So they may limit you in term of what you’re able to do with your music outside of iTunes and the iPod .
Every iPod can play MP3 and AAC files ( older iPodsneed a software updatefor AAC ) . But Apple Lossless works only on iPod with a loading dock connector . If you use a non - Apple MP3 histrion ( seeReviews , June 2004 ) , you ’re even more limited : they do n’t support AAC or Apple Lossless .
Likewise , many new gondola and household stereo organisation can take on atomic number 48 hold in MP3 filing cabinet , shit this a great way to lay in foresightful music premix for a route trip or a party . But if you burn a play list as an MP3 CD , iTunes skips over AAC and Apple Lossless tracks .
Conversion Strategies
you may detour around some of these compatibility barriers by taking advantage of iTunes ’ power to convince between audio formats .
Unprotected AAC to MP3To make a copy of an AAC single file that you’re able to play on a third - party MP3 participant , open iTunes ’ import preference paneling , and select MP3 Encoder from the Import Using drop - down menu . Because you ’re converting from one lossy formatting to another , use the Higher Quality choice to belittle further exit in calibre .
Next , take the tracks you want to convert and , from iTunes ’ Advanced menu , take Convert Selection To MP3 . iTunes creates MP3 adaptation of the tracks and adds them to your music library .
This process leaves your original AAC data file unchanged , so you ’ll have two version of each song you convert . To deal with the duplicates , corral them into a smart playlist with the criterion Kind Is MPEG Audio File ( see “ Find Those Files ” ) .
protect AAC to MP3Creating MP3s from music you ’ve purchased at the iTunes Music Store is trickier . iTunes wo n’t change over a purchased song — doing so would disinvest the Sung of its transcript protection . To puzzle out around this limitation , cauterize the protected songs to an audio compact disc , and then rive the CD into MP3 .
Conversions to AvoidIncidentally , there ’s no item in converting an MP3 or an AAC file into Apple Lossless data format . You ca n’t create a lossless audio file from a lossy variant any more than you may re - create a utter novel from aReader ’s Digestcondensed book . likewise , there ’s no understanding to convert an MP3 into AAC format . MP3 has the compatibility boundary , and the transonic terms that a changeover would impose would n’t be deserving the slenderly good depot efficiency .
Build a Master Library
If phonograph record space is n’t a major concern for you , and if you have enough patience , you may practice iTunes ’ conversion tools to get the upright of both mankind : maintain a master music library in Apple Lossless formatting , and then create lossy versions of tracks for your iPod .
Start by rend your candela into Apple Lossless formatting . When you want to move some selected tunes to your iPod or other MP3 participant , set up your Importing preference to the correct format and choose Convert Selection from the Advanced menu . Put your iPod in manual - update mood to avoid also channel the Apple Lossless rendering . Then drag the newly converted Indian file onto the iPod icon .
you’re able to delete the born-again files after transferring them , or , if you want to keep them for future purpose , create a sassy play list to serve keep course of them .
To Each Its Own
Although I ’ve focalize on the encryption options built into iTunes 4.5 , there are plenty of other encoders on the market , such as FLAC and Ogg - Vorbis , and they have their own loyal followings ( see “ Digital Music Superguide , ” June 2004 ) . In fact , the encoder showdown feels almost like a replay of the Betamax - versus - VHS wars of the eighties . Thankfully , there ’s almost always a way to convert music from one digital formatting to another .
