General Forum

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

sorenfelden — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:46:20 GMT

Just a quick addition to my comments. If you run an itunes library (for facilitate use of an iPod) in addition to your "master " library in Windows Media Player, make sure the iTunes library is NOT in a sub folder to your Windows Media Player library (which Windows 7 will probably suggest by default!)- otherwise, as Beomaster 5 accesses your Windows Media Player library, it may actually copy the iTunes library as well, thereby creating duplicates (at least with respect to tracks lagging metadata so that it cannot identify it as a duplicate).

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

Alex — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:24:48 GMT

jc:

Why ripping in a compression Codec? Why not just in WAV?

Because it takes up obscene amounts of space.

ALAC or FLAC are much better options - they produce exactly the same audio, but take up less space...

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

Stan — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:29:44 GMT

Thanks for this useful information... unfortunately, the WMA conversion only works on Windows. I think many of the complainers have Macs.

Stan

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

sorenfelden — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:18:38 GMT

Ok, I've researched and think I found a good solution:

1) Rip CDs in "WMA Lossless" through Windows Media Player. Furthermore, if you want to download music, do this using one of the download services available through Windows Media Player to download music you don't have on CD (these are generally less lossy than iTunes' downloads). Make Beomaster 5 access this library only.

2) For those of us who like to use an iPod, import the rips/downloads into iTunes - this website will tell you how to do that http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1347

Thereby, the Windows Media Players acts as the source for both Beomaster5 and iTunes, enabling transfer of lossless CD rips and less lossy downloads.

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

Puncher — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:15:21 GMT

jc:

Why ripping in a compression Codec? Why not just in WAV?

...........because it uses up to twice the disc space of Lossless codecs (flac, wma, Alac etc) and it doesn't handle tag information as well as wma & Alac (flac too suffers in not having the tagging area properly defined for specific tag data).

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

jc — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:42:25 GMT

Why ripping in a compression Codec? Why not just in WAV?

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

tournedos — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:59:32 GMT

Carolpa:

redfresnel:
If you really respect a program you create and you don't make versions for both Windows and OSX, that's currently just simply stupid.

isn't that a long time "problem" with mac's?

It's a problem with every OS. Cross-platform development is far from simple, especially for applications that have a GUI (like a music player) or interface with the hardware (like a music player).

Furthermore, if you want to develop for OSX, you need to have a Mac. Most of the other desktop OSs can be run on a single cheap PC, which will also host the development toolchains and emulators for most mobile platforms (except for Apple, of course).

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

redfresnel — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:48:40 GMT

The problem is that the people who create those programs don't realize how many users are really Mac users and they sometimes explain that it is expensive or too time consuming to do Mac versions of their programs.

An example: Yamaha had their sound mixer control software only for PC and many users told them they need the same program for Mac because the majority of sound engineers use Mac because it's a stable platform to be used with other sound software, for example ProTools. So, Yamaha's official answer was that it would be cheaper for them to buy a PC laptop for everyone who needs Mac version of the software and this they kept telling for some years after which they converted the program to work with Mac. As far as i know during this time they didn't buy anyone a PC laptop.

If you ask me it's a bit of an attitude thing, like it is that i don't want to use PCs anymore but still i claim that making programs work with both PC and Mac would just increase the program's value and credibility.

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

Carolpa — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:02:40 GMT

redfresnel:
If you really respect a program you create and you don't make versions for both Windows and OSX, that's currently just simply stupid.

isn't that a long time "problem" with mac's?

I love my Mac and I use it a lot, but my PC works fine also. On the later I can find a much greater variety of sw (f.e. for ripping and tagging)

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

sorenfelden — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:35:30 GMT

Carolpa, FLAC is fully compatible with BM5 but only to some extend in iTunes - as far as I'm aware it doesn't work on a connected iPod for example.

PhilLondon, interesting idea with the AIFF format. However, is doesn't appear on B&Os list of compatible formats for the BM5...?

I guess a reasonably practical solution to these issues could be to creaty (at least) two folders for the BM5 to scan; One containing iTunes(lossy) downloads and another containing lossless CD rips (necessitating other ripping software, e.g. Windows Media Player). Disadvantage would be that te iPod would not be able to read the lossless rips (unless there is some sort of conversion programme)......

And people say technology makes life easier - I miss the days of oldfashioned CDs... o)

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

redfresnel — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:24:26 GMT

Carolpa:

Foobar is freeware. And there is nothing wrong with it.

(I use both OS and my machines are working fine)

I didn't say there's something wrong with the program. I said the OS it was made to be used on is not good. If you really respect a program you create and you don't make versions for both Windows and OSX, that's currently just simply stupid. And i don't want to use Windows on Mac because of a single program, even though it's possible.

And btw, iTunes is freeware too :)

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

Carolpa — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:45:11 GMT

you can play Flac files with iTunes, but iTunes cannot fill/read the tag of a Flac file (it can display its own info though). With Max I don't know if it fills the TAG of a Flac file, I never used it. If these informations are not stored in the TAG the BS5 doesn't have any information to display.

In my case I use a W7 machine for ripping and adjusting the Tags. There are a lot of tools to rip and tag all kind of formats on a PC, on a Mac its much harder.

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

verzollnix — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:09:19 GMT

I tried to use max on my mac - but without success. I did not work out to get a foulder with music (Flac; 1:1) and meta data that could be dropped to the Beoconnect icon in the dock? I have no idea what went wrong. Do you know where to find a helpful user guide?

Best

Verzollnix

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

Carolpa — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:58:40 GMT

Foobar is freeware. And there is nothing wrong with it.

(I use both OS and my machines are working fine)

Re: Ripping formats for Beosound5

redfresnel — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:55:16 GMT

alenvprekrsku:

redfresnel:

Which player would you recommend instead of iTunes? If there's a better one i'd like to know, or do you just use something else because iTunes is made by Apple?

foobar2000

I am sorry but the program is only for Windows which is made by Microsoft which if you ask me is worse than Apple. They may both be big and bad companies and so on but atleast Apple makes working operating systems. :)