5 ms·

Slightly off topic, but do you use something other than iTunes for this process? I'm looking for a good way to manage a FLAC library.

mark-r 8y ago
I use an older version of Media Monkey on the PC. I would have upgraded to a newer version but they removed the interface to the LAME encoder. This was before the patents expired so I should check them out again, but the old version does everything I need. I quite like it.
lozf 8y ago
On Windows "foobar2000" is fantastic for playback and transcoding, looks pretty basic, but performs well and has lot's of plugins to modify look and feel as well as extra functionality. On Mac, XLD is great for ripping and transcoding, but I'm not sure what's the hot favourite for playback these days.
- nirvdrum 8y ago
  Thanks for the pointer. I'm largely on Linux and my wife largely on Mac, but I'm sure I can spin up a VM somewhere if the software is worth it.
  - lozf 8y ago
    Oh snap! Haven't used Windows or Mac outside of occasional work use for >10 years - all BSD or Linux (mostly Debian since then)... I've heard good reports from people using foobar2000 under Wine, but on Linux there's many fine options depending on your preferences - Audacious or Deadbeef are more like foobar, or there's Quod Libet or Ex Falso if you prefer something "bigger". Personally I haven't used these GUI players for a while as I tend to have a terminal window always open and just point `mpv` to a directory, playlist or file. I use `ffmpeg` (compiled with recent codecs) for transcoding and for ripping there's `RubyRipper` or `abcde`.
AsyncAwait 8y ago
As far as I am aware, iTunes is not even able to play back FLACs, so when I am on a Mac, I use Clementine, (https://www.clementine-player.org https://www.clementine-player.org), or cmus, (https://cmus.github.io https://cmus.github.io). Converting etc. I do exclusively on my Linux desktop, so can't help you there.
- ken 8y ago
  iTunes doesn't support FLAC, but it does support ALAC, whose implementation is also open-source. And it has a neat feature where it can store ALAC on your computer, and automatically transcode to a (much smaller) lossy format when syncing to a mobile device.
  - AsyncAwait 8y ago
    Yeah, I'm aware, I just feel like FLAC is the more popular, more multi-platform friendly/preferred option, definitely seems to have more momentum behind it, it's easier to buy FLAC then ALAC for one.
    - thirdsun 8y ago
      Buying options shouldn‘t be a concern at all as long as they are lossless - you simply convert them to the lossless format of your choice. There won‘t be any quality lost. Lossless to lossless is still lossless. Your format of choice should be dictated by your mobile platform - if you use iOS device or simply like iTunes, go for ALAC. Any decent player will handle FLAC and ALAC, but Apple requires ALAC. If Apple isn‘t a concern for you, there‘s no reason to use anything but FLAC. Personally, I use ALAC since I use iOS. So far there haven‘t been any downsides.
      - AsyncAwait 8y ago
        > Buying options shouldn‘t be a concern at all as long as they are lossless - you simply convert them to the lossless format of your choice. There won‘t be any quality lost. Lossless to lossless is still lossless. Absolutely, but it's an extra step that to me brings little practical benefit, since FLAC is already the source format & is more widely used practically everywhere outside Apple's ecosystem. > Your format of choice should be dictated by your mobile platform - if you use iOS device or simply like iTunes, go for ALAC. Any decent player will handle FLAC and ALAC, but Apple requires ALAC. If Apple isn‘t a concern for you, there‘s no reason to use anything but FLAC. I use iOS as my smartphone platform for now, (waiting for the Librem 5), but Linux on the desktop, so that's why I prefer FLAC. It's worth noting however that iOS itself does support FLACs perfectly well, just iTunes doesn't, (I prefer not to deal with iTunes at all, so not a concern for me), but if you use something like Airsonic, you're set. I do have a set of AirPlay speakers however, since I wanted something wireless, but still lossless, which kind of means AirPlay is the only option & that does transcode my FLACs to ALAC on the fly, so there's definitely an area where I use ALAC, even if indirectly.
rograndom 8y ago
I made comment a little further up before I saw this, but there's lossless format that iTunes and Apple devices support called ALAC. You can convert to and from FLAC files with avconv.

mark-r 8y ago

I use an older version of Media Monkey on the PC. I would have upgraded to a newer version but they removed the interface to the LAME encoder. This was before the patents expired so I should check them out again, but the old version does everything I need. I quite like it.

lozf 8y ago

On Windows "foobar2000" is fantastic for playback and transcoding, looks pretty basic, but performs well and has lot's of plugins to modify look and feel as well as extra functionality. On Mac, XLD is great for ripping and transcoding, but I'm not sure what's the hot favourite for playback these days.

nirvdrum 8y ago
Thanks for the pointer. I'm largely on Linux and my wife largely on Mac, but I'm sure I can spin up a VM somewhere if the software is worth it.
- lozf 8y ago
  Oh snap! Haven't used Windows or Mac outside of occasional work use for >10 years - all BSD or Linux (mostly Debian since then)... I've heard good reports from people using foobar2000 under Wine, but on Linux there's many fine options depending on your preferences - Audacious or Deadbeef are more like foobar, or there's Quod Libet or Ex Falso if you prefer something "bigger". Personally I haven't used these GUI players for a while as I tend to have a terminal window always open and just point `mpv` to a directory, playlist or file. I use `ffmpeg` (compiled with recent codecs) for transcoding and for ripping there's `RubyRipper` or `abcde`.

AsyncAwait 8y ago

As far as I am aware, iTunes is not even able to play back FLACs, so when I am on a Mac, I use Clementine, (https://www.clementine-player.org https://www.clementine-player.org), or cmus, (https://cmus.github.io https://cmus.github.io). Converting etc. I do exclusively on my Linux desktop, so can't help you there.

ken 8y ago
iTunes doesn't support FLAC, but it does support ALAC, whose implementation is also open-source. And it has a neat feature where it can store ALAC on your computer, and automatically transcode to a (much smaller) lossy format when syncing to a mobile device.
- AsyncAwait 8y ago
  Yeah, I'm aware, I just feel like FLAC is the more popular, more multi-platform friendly/preferred option, definitely seems to have more momentum behind it, it's easier to buy FLAC then ALAC for one.
  - thirdsun 8y ago
    Buying options shouldn‘t be a concern at all as long as they are lossless - you simply convert them to the lossless format of your choice. There won‘t be any quality lost. Lossless to lossless is still lossless. Your format of choice should be dictated by your mobile platform - if you use iOS device or simply like iTunes, go for ALAC. Any decent player will handle FLAC and ALAC, but Apple requires ALAC. If Apple isn‘t a concern for you, there‘s no reason to use anything but FLAC. Personally, I use ALAC since I use iOS. So far there haven‘t been any downsides.
    - AsyncAwait 8y ago
      > Buying options shouldn‘t be a concern at all as long as they are lossless - you simply convert them to the lossless format of your choice. There won‘t be any quality lost. Lossless to lossless is still lossless. Absolutely, but it's an extra step that to me brings little practical benefit, since FLAC is already the source format & is more widely used practically everywhere outside Apple's ecosystem. > Your format of choice should be dictated by your mobile platform - if you use iOS device or simply like iTunes, go for ALAC. Any decent player will handle FLAC and ALAC, but Apple requires ALAC. If Apple isn‘t a concern for you, there‘s no reason to use anything but FLAC. I use iOS as my smartphone platform for now, (waiting for the Librem 5), but Linux on the desktop, so that's why I prefer FLAC. It's worth noting however that iOS itself does support FLACs perfectly well, just iTunes doesn't, (I prefer not to deal with iTunes at all, so not a concern for me), but if you use something like Airsonic, you're set. I do have a set of AirPlay speakers however, since I wanted something wireless, but still lossless, which kind of means AirPlay is the only option & that does transcode my FLACs to ALAC on the fly, so there's definitely an area where I use ALAC, even if indirectly.

rograndom 8y ago

I made comment a little further up before I saw this, but there's lossless format that iTunes and Apple devices support called ALAC. You can convert to and from FLAC files with avconv.