Comments on: What are the best settings to import songs into itunes?

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:51:42 +0000

The question I want to ask has partly been answered, but I’m still not totally sure.

Basically, like many others, I am about to import all my CDs again at a higher quality level. Anything above 320Kbps MP3 is not an option because I simply have too much music for anything higher.

My question is this, despite the fact that I like the idea of iTunes-LAME, common sense tells me that a LAME encoder version over 4 years old can’t be as good as the current default iTunes MP3 encoder? But maybe I’m being naive about the quality of Apple “Updates”.

I’ve tried looking into the methods of updating to the newest version of LAME (3.99.4) for iTunes-LAME to utilise, but it seems too complex and time consuming for a (Just above) average Mac user as myself. I can’t even figure out how to install or compile the LAME 3.99.4, let alone get it into iTunes-LAME. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What I really want to know though is, LAME 3.97 (In iTunes-LAME) vs iTunes 10.5.3 (3) encoder for 320kbps MP3? Is one better or are they the same?

Also, I know that a lot of people feel Joint Stereo can never be as good as normal “True” Stereo, but I have read that “Mathematically” Stereo wastes bits on separation while Joint Stereo does not. Therefore Joint Stereo contains more bits dedicated to sound quality than normal Stereo. Again, I’m undecided, so opinions would be welcome.

Thanks a lot for the page and info! Hope to hear from someone soon.

By: Ronald

Ronald — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:47:56 +0000

Compatibility of AAC on non-Apple devices has increased massively over the last few years. Even Windows has native support for AAC. For me I have Androids, Windows Phones, iPods, Blackberries, etc because I love collecting gadgets and from my experience AAC is actually more supported than MP3. To illustrate what I am trying to say. Album artwork and tagging in AAC files is supported by all the devices and is the QuickTime scheme is the de facto standard for most devices because the tagging scheme is the same throughout unlike MP3 which has various ID3 tag versions supported differently which may result in wrong display of data. Another thing to consider is when you are ripping the reason why you raise the bitrate of a given file is to ensure that there is faithful reproduction of the audio as it is on the disc. For the lossy codecs note that the reason why we say that MP3, including LAME, performs worse than AAC is because for it to start being competent with AAC it has to have Joint Stereo enabled and this alters the stereo image. Joint Stereo is not Stereo because of its nature. In the age of better speakers and headsets there will be need to use Stereo for music becuase Joint Stereo will not represent true stereo. A good number of you would like to play their files on Hi Fis but do you consider the technology used for getting the most out of your hardware? Dolby Pro Logic II is a technology that builds 5.1 Channel Surround Sound from stereo. And for it to work the audio must be stereo and not joint stereo. So to avoid going over this again a few years down the line use stereo because soon enough joint stereo’s problems will be exposed the same way 128 kbps artifacts were exposed

By: Erik

Erik — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:49:01 +0000

I was wondering the same thing with Craig, are there any compatibility issues concerning the AAC format?
Also, if i create a custom music cd with songs in AAC format, will I be able to listen to it on all devices just like mp3 music cds?

Thanks for all the info!

By: admin

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:48:32 +0000

I don’t think you can. You’ll need to use the iTunes encoder I think.

By: robert

robert — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:13:06 +0000

…and how to convert aiff to mp3 with lame in iTunes?

By: Srab

Srab — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:54:45 +0000

If you go into the “File” menu on the newest version of iTunes (10.5.2.11, think this is newest update), there is actually a tab that reads, “Display Duplicates”. To delete the duplicates you have to go through an arduous task of selecting the extra copy. iTunes needs to fix this so there are no longer two songs exactly the same, because it is incredibly irritating to have two, three, or sometimes four copies of one song.

By: admin

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:42:11 +0000

I’d go lossless, but do you have a separate HD from your SDD one for media?

By: Many

Many — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:03:59 +0000

Hi , i am getting a new computer with a ssd hard drive with a window 7 , and i like to burn all my favorite cds as original into itunes window to be able to use tthe remote on my iphone to select songs to play it in my hifi true a usb DAC , so for me quality is important , please what will you suggest me the import setting on itunes .?

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:13:44 +0000

Great info. Thanks!

My other question about importing CD’s is not about quality, but about compatibility. If I import CD’s as either AAC or Lossless, and one day I want to stop using iTunes (if some other game-changer music app/device shows up), are there any restrictions about playing AAC files in some other music player? I suppose it depends on the player itself and whether or not its compatible with AAC.

Is that common, or rare, for other music players to support AAC or Lossless?

By: admin

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:19:46 +0000

I think it’s at the lower bitrates that the different encoders make a difference. At the higher bitrates they are all pretty good. But why not go with Apple Lossless, it’s perfect quality and no loss of data, especially if you are looking forward to ‘the next couple of years’. Then just convert to lower bitrate when needed to copy to your iPod.