iTunes import options plentifulOK - I thought I had resolved this issue a long time ago, but apparently my doubts have risen again. What is the best method to use for importing songs into iTunes, off of CDs? The bit rate I understand. But the file encoding is a bit trickier. (I normally import with a bit rate of 192 kbps, for optimal archival quality.) I was once told the AAC format was the way to go. However, what’s the difference between AAC, AIFF, and Apple Lossless Encoder?
I suppose AAC is fine, but I’d like to know what I’m missing (if anything) by importing my songs as one of the other options. I just want to make sure my archived digital music is preserved in the best format possible. I don’t ever want to have to re-import everything again - when the next "portable music craze" comes out - whatever that may be. Comments/Mentions |
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Because it discards certain audio frequencies, AAC uses less space than ALE and AIFF for the same duration of audio. I use AAC at 128 kbps with variable bit rate encoding. My hearing isn't anywhere near perfect (14 years of drumming will do that), so I willingly sacrifice a bit of quality for substantial storage space savings.
The Lossless Encoder is just that - it retains all audio signal data, but throws out the overhead that comes with CD audio. If you want an exact reproduction of the CD audio and to conserve storage space, ALE uses about half the space of AIFF.
AIFF is also lossless, but retains absolutely all audio data and requires significantly more storage space than AAC and ALE. AIFF is mostly used in audio production, I believe.
I suggest listening to a few tracks encoded in all three formats and then considering how much disk space you want to dedicate. Given Apple's strength, I'm sure all three will be fully supported well into the future.