It depends on what you want to do with your files. Playback generally requires a widely-supported format, whilst editing will require larger, original files. Since iTunes generally rips CDs for playback, that’s probably what you want to do.
MP3 produces smaller files that are extremely compatible with ubiquitous player devices. However, the format is not best-in-class, and the iTunes encoder is a bit rubbish, so it’s best if possible to use other software to rip your CDs to MP3. Wave and AIFF files are original sound samples. They are very, very large, but they are also compatible. There is no loss in quality, unlike MP3. Wave is generally the more common. AAC is a standard for encoding audio that is largely supported by software and hardware, but is still less compatible than MP3. The encoding is superior to MP3. If you have the choice, use AAC. Apple devices all understand this format, and it is the default format for iTunes. Like MP3, the format is lossy; there is loss of information, in theory to a degree that is not noticeable at a suitable bitrate. The iTunes AAC implementation is superior to the MP3 implementation. Apple Lossless is very specific to Apple. There is no loss of quality, and the file format is designed to save space over wave files, but there is almost no support among devices not Apple. Software implementations do exist, though, so conversion from this format to other formats for other uses is entirely possible. I use this format for playback from my computer to high-quality headphones, but the files are too large for my iPhone, so I use iTunes to convert to 256Kb AAC for listening on the go. Summary: probably you want 256Kb AAC, unless you have hi-fi gear, in which case I recommend Apple Lossless. -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
