How to Rip a Lossless Audio File
For most people, a standard compressed mp3 audio file is good enough. Itunes compress their audio files in AAC format at 128kbps. Other music stores such as Yahoo, Napster, and Rhapsody compress their files at 160kbps-190kbps.
What is the difference? Basically, a lower bit rate like 128kbps takes up less space on a hard drive or mp3 player, but tosses out information from the original CD source. As a result, not all of the sounds are there and this can result in a song that simply doesn’t sound as good as the original.
For those of you with large hard drives and an ear for quality, the lossless format will provide you with a mathematically identical copy of the original data from your CD. Although there is still some compression, the files are nearly 10 times the size of a typical Itunes audio file.
Lossless is a great option for music archivers because it preserves the original quality and data of the song, but also gives you the ability to down-convert to a lower bit rate for transferring the song to your mp3 player. If you have the hard drive space, I recommend this option.
Windows Media Player 11 (WMP 11) gives you the ability to choose a number of options for ripping your music at different bit rates, including WMA lossless. Itunes has its own lossless format as well. You can go into the settings of Itunes or WMP11 and change the bit rate for ripping music at any time. Just make sure you set the appropriate bit rate before you begin ripping your CD’s.
Either of these options have their advantages. Just remember, if you go with Itunes, you are forced into using an Apple iPod for your mp3 player (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
