Re: Audio file formats, beginner ?s

On 2006-03-13, Norm <NOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
These are beginner, audio 101 type, questions if someone has the time...

1. If I import my CDs to my Mac, I gather I can do so in several
different formats. If I use AAC, which I understand it what is used if
you buy music from iTunes MS, can "most" people tell a difference in
music quality from the original CD?

A few people have mentioned that it depends on the settings. This is
certainly true, but at any given setting, there are two much larger
factors: what kind of system are you listening on, and what kind of
music is it? Music with very wide dynamic range played through a very
high-end system sounds signficiantly worse after aac compression to
pretty much anybody with working ears. Generic pop played through cheap
headphones sounds about the same to most people.


2. I imported a CD to my Mac using AAC. The CD contained 450 MB, the AAC
file 50 MB. I then burned an audio CD from that AAC file. That CD was
453 MB. I assume the new CD is of lower "quality"?i

Yes. Once you throw away information, which is true by definition with
lossy compression, you can never get it back again.


Why is it about the same size?

With the format used on audio cds, size is determined by duration.


3. If I import a CD using Apple Lossless (ALAC) and then burn a CD from
that import will the resulting CD be the same as the original?

It won't be _identical_, bit for bit, but unless the disc does unusual
things with the pretrack gaps, the difference won't be audible. If you
want a truly exact copy of an audio cd, you have to use something like
cdrdao. iTunes will never make an exact copy.
.

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