Music file format

[av_phile]

<font color='#000000'>I am a little uncomfortable with compressed files as I've read that MP3 and WMP files are not considered audiophile-grade. &nbsp;So i usually rip CDs using WAV format. &nbsp;But recently I also read these are compressed files as well. &nbsp;Is that correct? &nbsp;Aren't WAV files the same as the orignial CD files? &nbsp;

Another quesiton, when one equalizes on the PC using something like the NERO software, is the equalization done in the digital domain? &nbsp;Is there any sonic degradation in the process? &nbsp;

Thanks.</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>As far as I know .wav and .ape are considered lossless compression so there is no quality loss at all.

All eq is done in the digital domain on the .wav format as that is how te PC handles them, analog only comes out of your sound card.</font>

 

[av_phile]

<font color='#000000'>Thanks Yamahaluver. &nbsp;So WAV filkes use lossless compression. &nbsp;Glad to know about that and the other.</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>Dont want anyone to get the wrong impression,but,
Cd Wave type files being 16 bit have already been squashed down from their original 24 bit or higher recording state and possibly/probably at up to 96hz sample rate down to the 44.1hz.This means pre compression and loss before copy processing on a CD rom/burner.No extra compression takes place whilst recording this way but you can still  get some loss of digits. (similair to losses when playing back ia CD player, caused by vibration/lazer scatter/filter etc)...Thats why people are going Hi Rez...  

</font>

 

[av_phile]

<font color='#000000'>I think that may be true, 20-bit to 24-bit recordings or mastering are common these days and they have been downconverted to 16-bit in the CD-format. &nbsp;Although some CDs called High-Definition CD or HDCD with 20-bit bit-depth are now being marketed but playable only in HDCD compatible players. &nbsp; My concern is just to make sure that what I am copying from a 16-bit 44.1 khz encoded commercial CD is precisely what will be encoded on a CD-R copy, nothing less. &nbsp;So a .wav file appears to be the best file format for this purpose.

I am just curous. &nbsp;How is it that I can still extract the .wav files from a copy-protected CD?</font>

 

[rsn]

<font color='#000000'>.wav is not a compression format. .wav will store 96k, 24bit, 48k... it doesn't care. It is the CD burner or other software that changes the sample rate or the bit depth to fit the destination media.

CD is 16bit 44.1kHz. Burner software will allow you to submit 24bit 96k .wav files, but the audio will be changed into the proper format to fit the CD. If you were burning a DVD-A, nothing would happen to the file.

Roger</font>

 

[Audioholics]

<font color='#000080'>As an aside, I have found that Windows Media "lossless" encoding provides a great compromise if you are looking to digitize a ton of CDs into a computer and maximize space.

It definitely compresses (about 40-50% IIRC), but it is very difficult to tell the difference from CD, and is certainly much better than 256k MP3, for example.</font>

 

[espresso]

What lossless format would you recommend for archiving music from CDs?
APE, FLAC or something else maybe?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Correct me if I'm wrong here...

But, I believe the question revolves around conversion from CD audio to a computer format. The first thing to understand is that normal CDs (audio CDs) are already a bit compressed over the master recordings, which is why there is a market for such things as Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio (DVD-A).

So, when making a 1 to 1 copy of a CD there are several ways to do it without losing one speck of detail from the original CD recording and the most common method is using .wav file format. 16 bit, 44.1mhz copies are bit for bit digital copies of the CD with zero loss.

There are also true encoders which can 'zip' that data up a bit tighter without losing any of the quality. It doesn't throw away data, but uses math to find patterns, etc. to simply make the file smaller but during playback recovers 100% of the original data. About 2 to 1 file compression so a 100MB song in .wav format will only take up about 50MB using those compressors.

A good example that I have heard a lot about is the FLAC(?) encoder. I believe it means Free Lossless Audio Codec or something like that.

Anyway - yes, as long as you are creating a .wav file at 44.1mhz 16-bit stereo from the CD then your copy is indeed a perfect match to the CD original.

EDIT: Here's a good quick write up of FLAC... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC

 

[espresso]

yes I knew all that I just needed an advice on which lossless compression i should use.
I can't make up my mind between flac and ape. Which one of them has better community support and brighter future? I believe FLAC cause it's open source.

 

[avnetguy]

What lossless format would you recommend for archiving music from CDs?

If you are just archiving CD audio (PCM) you might want to burn them onto a DVD instead. You'll get a 6 to 1 disc ratio out of that. This way you'll never have a codec or audio quality loss issue.

Steve

 

[espresso]

My intention really was to burn songs onto DVD but wanted to gain a little extra space by compressing them into some lossless format.