Audio Archiving Guide: Part 1 - Music Formats

Rob Williams · 09-10-2008, 12:30 AM

The problem with most audio collections out there is that the majority of the population are just not that fussy, so they take the only route they know. But what if you do care about the quality of your music? Don't you want to make sure you are archiving your collection in such a way that you won't ever have to regret your decisions?

Our new series of articles will help take all the hassle out of things. We'll do most of the thinking for you, don't worry.

Have a large music collection just waiting to be archived? We're here to help! In this three-part series, we'll be tackling all there is to know about properly building your collection, from choosing the right codec, to ripping, to archiving. In this first article, we'll take the frustration out of finding the perfect codec - one that fits your style, and needs.

You can read Matt's full article here and discuss it here. Stay tuned as part two will be posted in the coming weeks!

Rob Williams · 09-10-2008, 11:25 AM

This article turned out great, Matt! I'm a FLAC man myself, although I keep a carbon-copy in MP3 320 kbit/s also, for whenever I need my music to be mobile. I am not really sure of the appeal of other lossless formats, though. Apple's I can maybe understand, but Monkey's Audio seems to be an odd one. It lacks support, so I wonder what the real draw is there?

Given I'm obsessive with my personal music collection, I'm excited about the follow-ups!

Tech-Daddy · 09-10-2008, 01:39 PM

excellent article! I am in the process of digitizing my LP collection. I have not decided on the end format yet, I'm just capturing using Audacity. Still have to clean up and add the tags.

Rob Williams · 09-10-2008, 03:23 PM

Wow, that sounds like quite a project! You mean REAL LP's, right? I'd make sure they are ripped to a decent quality, although being an LP, there's likely no real need to use a bitrate that's going to hog disk space. If it doesn't matter, might as well go with 320 kbit/s MP3. Storage is almost free nowadays.

How are you liking Audacity for that purpose?

Tech-Daddy · 09-11-2008, 09:16 PM

yeah, vinyl records, 33 and 45 RPM from my DJ days...

Ao far Audacity has been exceptional! All I have been doing though is saving them to the AU files, I still have not processed them to remove the backround his and pops.

I'll let you know how that goes!

01-03-2009, 07:27 AM

Hi there,
Thanks for a very informative article. When is part 2 being published?
Many thanks.
Peter

01-03-2009, 10:54 AM

As a novice, I found Part 1 very useful and informative. So many thanks to Matt, and like Peter above - I eagerly await Part 2!

I have a current collection of about 450 CD's that I am seeking to archive, and then make available for conversion into a decent quality lossy format for use on portable players. I currently have 3 Windows Vista PC's that I intend to form into a wired network, along with an additional Homeserver/NAS device - so storage space should not be a major issue, although I will want to archive video/recorded TV later.

Any views on the merits of FLAC vs WAV or lossless WMA as the primary archive format?
Is dBpoweramp a useful investment to start the process? Rob's path of keeping a 320 kbit/s MP3 'carbon copy' for mobile use seems a good one - will this work ok with Apple, Sony, iRiver and Archos portables at decent quality? Many Thanks - Malcolm

Matt Serrano · 01-03-2009, 09:52 PM

Part two is on it's way - it's currently in the pipeline. I'm betting it'll finally be posted sometime after our CES coverage.

09-10-2008, 12:30 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	Audio Archiving Guide: Part 1 - Music Formats The problem with most audio collections out there is that the majority of the population are just not that fussy, so they take the only route they know. But what if you do care about the quality of your music? Don't you want to make sure you are archiving your collection in such a way that you won't ever have to regret your decisions? Our new series of articles will help take all the hassle out of things. We'll do most of the thinking for you, don't worry. Have a large music collection just waiting to be archived? We're here to help! In this three-part series, we'll be tackling all there is to know about properly building your collection, from choosing the right codec, to ripping, to archiving. In this first article, we'll take the frustration out of finding the perfect codec - one that fits your style, and needs. You can read Matt's full article here and discuss it here. Stay tuned as part two will be posted in the coming weeks! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

09-10-2008, 11:25 AM	#2
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	This article turned out great, Matt! I'm a FLAC man myself, although I keep a carbon-copy in MP3 320 kbit/s also, for whenever I need my music to be mobile. I am not really sure of the appeal of other lossless formats, though. Apple's I can maybe understand, but Monkey's Audio seems to be an odd one. It lacks support, so I wonder what the real draw is there? Given I'm obsessive with my personal music collection, I'm excited about the follow-ups! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

09-10-2008, 01:39 PM	#3
Tech-Daddy Tech Monkey Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Plano, Texas USA Posts: 663	excellent article! I am in the process of digitizing my LP collection. I have not decided on the end format yet, I'm just capturing using Audacity. Still have to clean up and add the tags. __________________ blingGreen \| Lupine \| BOSS:FX-57 \| DSF (Dallas Stars Foundation) \| Deuce \| DST (Dallas Stars Tribute) Currently working on : Sleeper

09-10-2008, 03:23 PM	#4
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	Wow, that sounds like quite a project! You mean REAL LP's, right? I'd make sure they are ripped to a decent quality, although being an LP, there's likely no real need to use a bitrate that's going to hog disk space. If it doesn't matter, might as well go with 320 kbit/s MP3. Storage is almost free nowadays. How are you liking Audacity for that purpose? __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

09-11-2008, 09:16 PM	#5
Tech-Daddy Tech Monkey Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Plano, Texas USA Posts: 663	yeah, vinyl records, 33 and 45 RPM from my DJ days... Ao far Audacity has been exceptional! All I have been doing though is saving them to the AU files, I still have not processed them to remove the backround his and pops. I'll let you know how that goes! __________________ blingGreen \| Lupine \| BOSS:FX-57 \| DSF (Dallas Stars Foundation) \| Deuce \| DST (Dallas Stars Tribute) Currently working on : Sleeper

01-03-2009, 07:27 AM	#6
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Audio Archiving Guide: Part 2 - When is it published? Hi there, Thanks for a very informative article. When is part 2 being published? Many thanks. Peter

01-03-2009, 10:54 AM	#7
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Audio Archiving Guide - When will Part 2 be available? As a novice, I found Part 1 very useful and informative. So many thanks to Matt, and like Peter above - I eagerly await Part 2! I have a current collection of about 450 CD's that I am seeking to archive, and then make available for conversion into a decent quality lossy format for use on portable players. I currently have 3 Windows Vista PC's that I intend to form into a wired network, along with an additional Homeserver/NAS device - so storage space should not be a major issue, although I will want to archive video/recorded TV later. Any views on the merits of FLAC vs WAV or lossless WMA as the primary archive format? Is dBpoweramp a useful investment to start the process? Rob's path of keeping a 320 kbit/s MP3 'carbon copy' for mobile use seems a good one - will this work ok with Apple, Sony, iRiver and Archos portables at decent quality? Many Thanks - Malcolm

01-03-2009, 09:52 PM	#8
Matt Serrano E.M.I. Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 89	Part two is on it's way - it's currently in the pipeline. I'm betting it'll finally be posted sometime after our CES coverage. __________________ Follow me on Twitter \| flickr profile \| digg profile \| last.fm profile PC - Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit - E6300 @ 3.2GHz - abit IP35 Dark Raider - ASUS 8800GT Macbook - 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo - 2.5GB RAM - OS X 10.5 What I'm up to..

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