CD Ripping: Sound Quality Comparisons Between File Playback & Optical Disc Playback

[Kal Rubinson]

Is there a way to batch convert flac files to wave?

Sure, there is. There are many, many programs/apps to do it.

 

[microstrip]

Sure, there is. There are many, many programs/apps to do it.

Can you nominate a few you would recommend?

 

[asiufy]

I use XLD for Macs. You can just drag several folders with FLAC files, and it'll convert to WAV/AIFF, and place the converted files in the same folder or an alternative folder.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Can you nominate a few you would recommend?

I just let JRiver do it but I have used others like dbPowerAmp, X recoder3 and AudioMuxer. There are many free ones but I cannot remember any of them.

 

[sefischer1]

Is there a way to batch convert flac files to wave?

J River will handle this easily.

 

[sefischer1]

For what it's worth, I chose to use AIFF instead of WAV formats because the latter doesn't support the use of tagging, attached to the .wav file, for management of the library. After all the work, time, effort to rip your library, you should consider backing it up to the cloud for protection against data loss, server theft, or fire. I found that AWS offered a secure, fair and economical service called "GLACIER" that can work transparently with your server such as Synology.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

For what it's worth, I chose to use AIFF instead of WAV formats because the latter doesn't support the use of tagging, attached to the .wav file, for management of the library.

For the same reason (and because I am not an Apple user), I chose FLAC.

After all the work, time, effort to rip your library, you should consider backing it up to the cloud for protection against data loss, server theft, or fire. I found that AWS offered a secure, fair and economical service called "GLACIER" that can work transparently with your server such as Synology.

Cost per Tb?

 

[Kingsrule]

I guess I should be more specific:

I have 16,000 cd's on my NAS in several folders. The folders contain files in various formats. I want to convert just the flac files to wave.
1. Can I install a program on my NAS to do the conversion?
2. I don't want to keep both formats of a give cd after conversion, just the wave file. The flac file will have to be automatically deleted by the conversion program. (Yes I have a complete backup) do to space available.

Possible?

 

[sefischer1]

For the same reason (and because I am not an Apple user), I chose FLAC.

Cost per Tb?

I have about 5 TB stored and am currently paying about $22/month. Outfits like Carbonite etc, were talking numbers over a $1000/yr.
They use a sophisticated costing model based on number of objects, retrievals, writes, etc. In other words, it's ideal for backup of music and photo data, as well as the financial and database files. The security level is very high so don't lose the insanely long encryption key.

To minimize costs and redundant file backups, avoid frequent moving/renaming of files and updates of tags. This means organize and complete your tagging before doing your backup.

 

[asiufy]

I guess I should be more specific:

I have 16,000 cd's on my NAS in several folders. The folders contain files in various formats. I want to convert just the flac files to wave.
1. Can I install a program on my NAS to do the conversion?
2. I don't want to keep both formats of a give cd after conversion, just the wave file. The flac file will have to be automatically deleted by the conversion program. (Yes I have a complete backup) do to space available.

Possible?

The only thing XLD won't do is pick the source format. So you'll have to feed it the folders with FLAC files. Other than that, it'll do all the rest, and remove the source files after conversion.

 

[sefischer1]

J River will let you build a complete library from multiple folders and then sort by file type. Select all the types to convert. It has options to replace the original file, etc.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I have about 5 TB stored and am currently paying about $22/month.

OK. I'll stick to my current setup of on-site and off-site physical backups.

1. Can I install a program on my NAS to do the conversion?

You should tell us what NAS it is as the most popular ones, QNAP and Synology, have libraries of applications for many things.

J River will let you build a complete library from multiple folders and then sort by file type. Select all the types to convert. It has options to replace the original file, etc.

Agreed but Kingsrule has not told us what he is using.

 

[sbo6]

And just FYI, it's not the same thing to play a non-lossy compressed file and compare this to an uncompressed CD spinning. This is why I rip and play only .wav files. Your system has to be pretty refined to hear the difference though.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

X2 agree

 

[Ron Resnick]

Why the word “ripping”? One doesn’t rip open an aluminum compact disc; one rips open a teabag, one rips open a bag of potato chips.

Is “ripping” supposed to make audiophiles feel like they’re doing something athletic? Instead of getting ripped abs they can get ripped (computer files) without leaving the couch?

What is being “ripped”? Can audiophiles really rip in half like a sheet of paper a Redbook CD? So nothing is being ripped, agreed?

How about “transferring from CD to hard drive”? In fact nothing is being damaged in any way, let alone ripped.

 

[asiufy]

Ron,
I don't know why, but the term "CD ripping" is fairly old, and has been around for ages, and not necessarily only among audiophiles.
Basically you "rip the bits out of the CD", and store them elsewhere...
I do agree "Transfer" or "Copy" sounds better

 

[spiritofmusic]

And of course, "ripping" in Aussie speak means "super, great" etc.

I'm not sure Ron would ever use the term this way.

 

[Kingsrule]

Update:
So I converted a trial folder from flac to wave located in my NAS using XLD. Approx 15 cd's. I did all this connected to my NAS on my MBP. BTW I use Roon. NAS is 8 bay QNAP.
At first I just converted and had both formats of the cd in it's respective file. Then I checked the delete original format after conversion for several files. What appears to happen is if I delete after conversion sometimes the metadata is lost in Roon on the wave file. I cannot yet figure out why Roon keeps or doesn't the metadata. If I do not delete after conversion and keep both formats in the file, Roon assimilates the metadata data I had in the flac file to the wave file. (Of course after a rescan from Roon). I think this is happens all the time. This way I have to manually delete the flac file. Painful but better than losing the metadata. I still haven't decided to convert my entire library.

 

[asiufy]

I wouldn't use WAV, for the reason Steven outlied earlier. It doesn't natively support embedded metadata, so it makes Roon's job harder, to identify each album.
If you convert to AIFF, the exact same metadata you have in the FLAC files will be carried over, embedded in the AIFF files.
Try it.

 

[Kingsrule]

I guess I'd have to do a wave vs. aiff comparison first......

 

[NorthStar]

I don't know exactly when the term "ripping" started in the audio computer world, perhaps more than twenty years ago?
• https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/ripping-digital-extraction
? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripping

'Digital extraction' sounds more sophisticated, less vulgar, less outlaw, more legal, more judicial, more distinguished, less bum, less poor, more enriching, more precious, less swearing, just more accurate, bit-for-bit, less conversion, less controversial, more modernised, less slang, less conventional, just part of the audio high-end but hardly used when ripping is so much integrated now in our digital audio world (analog too with USB ports on some turntables, or ripping vinyls from computer program software that removes pops and ticks and noise...all that trouble over water).

In general we don't hear analog audiophiles using the term ripping.
But some sure do, the ones who transfer their LPs to their computers.
It's a digital term, it is scary a bit, I admit. It's not very romantic.
There are much worst audio terms in this world though.
And let's be honest; some professional audio reviews are pure poetry to describe the immeasurable music emotions; that too is part of our passion, addiction and affectation.

CD ripping; it's normal digital language, accepted from many years back.
In Audio we are full of it; terms we invent and get used to.
Reinventing high-end audio is what it's all about advancement; better words and better audio parts.

I'm just shooting @ the stars.