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[jsjanx]

For Media Center 15, what options do I select under "encoder" to ensure that 100% of the CD is replicated with no errors when ripped and also that the metadata (song titles) etc. are attached?  I don't care about file size or storage requirements,, but will ultimately feed this data through a D/A converter into my stereo and want it to be complete/exact.  If I use "Uncompressed Wave" will it exclude the metadata or do I use FLAC and if so what additional settings do I use for the encoder?

[imugli]

Hi There,

Try APE. It's lossless, so an exact replica of the CD file and it stores metadata.

I was a fan of simply ripping CDs to WAV, but recently converted

[Vocalpoint]

If you want more broad compatibility, pure lossless and the best metadata support - always choose FLAC.

[jsjanx]

I googled/bing'ed FLAC vs. APE and the only differences I could find is that FLAC is open-sourced, but that both are lossless and include metadata.  Is there a practical, application-related reason why one is preferred over the other?  If I ultimately put these files in a SOOLOOS type, touch-screen, database management system, is it easier to transfer FLAC files?

[Mr ChriZ]

The source is available for APE.   Matt Ashland who is a developer for JRiver developed APE.

[jsjanx]

Matt,

So is there any difference between FLAC & APE?

[JimH]

They are two different ways of producing a losslessly compressed file.  They both compress around 2 to 1.  For all practical purposes, in normal use, there is no difference to a user. 

Other lossless formats include Windows Media Audio  Lossless and Alpple Lossless something (ALAC).

All lossless formats will produce identical sound when played on  the same equipment, and this sound will also be identical with the sound from the original CD.

[Vocalpoint]

If I ultimately put these files in a SOOLOOS type, touch-screen, database management system, is it easier to transfer FLAC files?

Checking the Sooloos support material - if you are actually considering a Sooloos (From their website support documents):

"What file formats are supported for import?

Supported formats include WAV, BWAV, FLAC, Apple Lossless, MP3, and AAC. Imported files with any word-length up to 24 bits, and sample rates up to 96kHz are supported."

APE is isn't even an option...so don't commit to a format that cannot be played. FLAC is the way to go here if a Sooloos is the ultimate goal.

Cheers!

VP

[Vincent Kars]

The choice of a lossless format is not very critical as long as it has a good support for tagging.
As it is lossless you can always convert to any other lossless format without loss.

WAV I don’t recommend simply due to a lack of standards for tagging.
FLAC I do think a good choice, it has good tagging facilities  and support for this format is growing.
You will hit some problems when trying it with WMP or iTunes as both MS and Apple don’t support FLAC but promote their own lossless formats.

Most media players Sooloos style (in essence a PC with a RME sound card) support FLAC

[mojave]

In Tools > Options > CD & DVD > CD Ripping make sure that Copy Mode is set to Secure. With this mode, MC will attempt to reread data up 16 time in order to be error free. If there are still errors, you will be able to see it in the report that is available after you rip the CD.

[mschneid]

You will hit some problems when trying it with WMP

You can find patches which allow wmp to play your FLAC collection on a PC.   Not sure if there are patches for portable players. 

[jsjanx]

This is great input!!! Thank you everyone....

So if opt for FLAC, there are 5 options under "encoder settings" and I'm not sure if I use the defaults or not...Could someone explain what these are and optimal settings for exact replication?

   1)  Quality Level--defaulted to 6...choices are 1-8
   2)   Verify Encoding...checkbox...default is unchecked
   3)   Add 4K Padding...checkbox...default is checked
   4)   Add Seek Table...checkbox...default is checked
   5)   Use Ogg as Transport Layer...default unchecked (I'm assuming since this is lossy, it remains unchecked)

[Vocalpoint]

This is great input!!! Thank you everyone....

So if opt for FLAC, there are 5 options under "encoder settings" and I'm not sure if I use the defaults or not...Could someone explain what these are and optimal settings for exact replication?

   1)  Quality Level--defaulted to 6...choices are 1-8
   2)   Verify Encoding...checkbox...default is unchecked
   3)   Add 4K Padding...checkbox...default is checked
   4)   Add Seek Table...checkbox...default is checked
   5)   Use Ogg as Transport Layer...default unchecked (I'm assuming since this is lossy, it remains unchecked)

I leave everything as default - have never had a problem in years.

Cheers!

VP

[Alex B]

I have posted the following reply a couple of times:

The settings explained:

Quality (compression level)

I think the name of this setting is a slight mishap and can be misleading. The same setting in the Monkey's Audio encoder plugin is called "Compression Level". Perhaps JRiver could change the displayed name.

If I recall correctly the default compression level value is 6 and I think it is pretty much optimal for general use. 7 & 8 compress only very slightly more and are slower. If you find the level 6 too slow you can try a smaller number.

The level 0 is very fast but the resulting file size is a lot bigger. I have used it for saving temporary files when I want to convert a bunch of files to an intermediate lossless format before editing them with a wave editor.

Verify

This compares the decoded PCM data and the encoded FLAC file during the encoding process. You can use it, but because it does not redecode the source file it can verify only the latter part of the process. I don't think it is necessary unless you suspect hardware problems.

Add 4 k padding block

Reserves some empty space for the file tags. It is a useful setting. The FLAC tags are stored in the beginning of the file and without adequate padding a tag change can trigger a complete rewrite of the FLAC file. This setting can speed up tagging only when you are storing textual metadata. Cover art files don't usually fit in the reserved padding block.

Add seek table

Makes seeking faster. Keep it enabled unless you have a specific reason to disable it.

Use Ogg as transport layer

This packs the encoded FLAC audio stream in the Ogg container. Use it only if you need to create Ogg-FLAC files for an external application. MC's Ogg decoder supports only the Vorbis format.

... I'm assuming since this is lossy, it remains unchecked

Ogg-FLAC is lossless, but as I said you can't play it with MC.

EDIT

The compression level setting affects only the encoding speed. FLAC is a so called asymmetric format and its decoding speed is practically not affected by the used compression level. It is also one of the fastest formats to decode. This is useful for those who constantly encode lossy files from a lossless media library.

[jolo]

I have posted the following reply a couple of times:


Ogg-FLAC is lossless, but as I said you can't play it with MC.

EDIT

The compression level setting affects only the encoding speed. FLAC is a so called asymmetric format and its decoding speed is practically not affected by the used compression level. It is also one of the fastest formats to decode. This is useful for those who constantly encode lossy files from a lossless media library.

I just have to add that the ONLY audio formats that I play with the hundreds of audio files that I have are FLAC and Ogg Vorbis So superior to any commercial audio codecs.

I have to comment on how great APE is.
I believe the APE and FLAC should sound the same and APE seems to allow for a small superior rate of compression than FLAC.

I started using FLAC more than APE, simply because it seems like it is more accepted on various players and top musical are FINALLY selling their music directly to their customer base and allowing downloading directly in Losless FLAC format !! Jackson Browne, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, etc. 
FLAC can be used commercially, but it cannot be used for a profit and artists, record companies, etc cannot sell the FLAC codec. Since the difference in the file sizes and therefore the download times are longer, purchasing and downloading an artists work from them might cost a $1 or $2 more (the most I've seen), than the mediocre lossy MP3 format.

On my COWON portable media player,which natively supports FLAC and Ogg Vorbis,  I usually play my media in Ogg Vorbis format (Q6 sounds fantastic), and from my PC, I will play FLAC. 

Either way, using APE or FLAC to play or archive audio files are a great way to go. Nothing is lost if converted back to WAV, for burning or other reasons.  APE, FLAC and Ogg Vorbis are open source and are owned really by all of us. None of the Microsoft DRM virus can be included.  I hope people understand that DRM has nothing to do with copy protection and is only there for Microsoft to make a fortune in licensing fees.

Jon

[Vocalpoint]

APE, FLAC and Ogg Vorbis are open source and are owned really by all of us.

Slight correction. APE - even tho "freeware" is not considered open source...from WikiPedia...

"Although Monkey's Audio is distributed as freeware, the source code includes license terms that prevent most Linux distributions and other free software projects from including it."

[JimH]

Slight correction. APE - even tho "freeware" is not considered open source...from WikiPedia...

"Although Monkey's Audio is distributed as freeware, the source code includes license terms that prevent most Linux distributions and other free software projects from including it."

Unless they ask.  I don't think Matt has ever refused anyone.