Convert FLAC to Apple Lossless on a Mac

If you want to use iTunes to store your lossless library, your music collection must be in the Apple Lossless format. Since most of the online music stores use the FLAC format, you need to convert the files you download. This process doesn't reduce the quality of the audio, it's simply a switch between compression formats. It's similar to converting a ZIP file to a GZIP archive. Same data, different algorithms.

For this task I've been using XLD for many years. It was first released in 2006 and over the time the developer added audio formats compatibility and features like ripping CDs. Today I'll focus on converting a FLAC to Apple Lossless.

XLD supports the following lossless formats: FLAC, WAV, WAV64, AIFF, PCM, WavPack and Apple Lossless.

First, you need to edit the preferences. In the general tab you must specify Apple Lossless as the output format.

The Apple Lossless format only has one option, the sample rate. The default is "same as original" and this is what I'm using.

I prefer to select an output directory myself to avoid mixing the original files with the converted files. It makes it easier to import into iTunes. Output name format is arbitrary and somewhat irrelevant to the task since iTunes will organize the music directory itself.

The next important tab is batch.

Preserve directory structure is recommended to avoid name collision in the output folder. I choose unlimited directory depth so XLD will crawl and convert every audio files it finds in the input folder(s).

Last tab important for conversion is metadata.

I leave everything to the default values. It can be a hit-or-miss since there is no established standard. For example the cover image is not always included and the image name can obviously change. You will want to adapt the settings to the online music store you most frequently use.

You are now ready to import. I keep the XLD application in the dock so I can simply drag the FLAC folder (or any of the other supported format) to the XLD icon. The conversion immediately begins. If you have a multi-core computer it's possible to decode many files simultaneously. This setting is located in the general tab (maximum # threads). This will speed up the process.

Once the conversion is completed, you drag the output folder to iTunes and voilà. If iTunes manages the music library itself, you can trash the output folder created by XLD.

Merge Records

With the release of the new destroyer album, Kaputt, I should point out that every new Merge records are available to buy in FLAC on the label website.

Oh, and it scored 8.8 on Pitchfork.

Zunior

Zunior is a online music store focused on canadian artists.

Zunior.com is a small team led by Dave Ullrich out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dave is a musician, developer, and music lover that started Zunior.com as a way to sell music directly from artists to their supporters. The site builds on Ullrich's experience as the manager of The Inbreds independent label, PF Records, and on his current experience working as a developer and promoter of open source software.

They offer albums in MP3 or in lossless FLAC. Albums sells for 10.88$ (8.88$ plus 2$ extra for the FLAC edition). This is taxable for Canadian residents;  with the GST the total of the purchase is 11.42$. I was looking for the Montreal band Braids first release, and Zunior has it in their vast catalog.

At checkout you need to log in to your account, or create one if you're a new customer. If it's the case, check your email upon account creation, the welcome message include a coupon code for a dollar off the first purchase.

Payment by credit card or PayPal [I selected PayPal]. Once the payment is completed you are redirected to the website where you can download the music. Zunior has a download manager, but it's also possible to directly download one zip file containing all the FLACs.  I find this option more convenient than having a download manager for every online store!

The download includes the album's cover in JPEG and the booklet in PDF.

I should also note that it's possible to download the purchase later by logging back into your account.

Search digital audio stores

In the comments of my post about HDTracks, a reader mentions a a search tool he created:  the Digital audio store Google search. It's a great idea, from this page you can search all the online music stores at once.

As an example, if I search for the new Braids album, the first result is the release in FLAC at the Zunior store. Exactly what I'm looking for.

Another random example, I search for Sufjan Stevens and once again the first search result points to The Age Of Adz available in FLAC on his Band Camp page.

Unfortunately it's not a "hole in one" for every search. For example, the Jazz side of the moon album, which I bought on HDtracks, doesn't show up in the results. HDTracks is probably not indexed by the custom search.

Finally, what's missing is a friendly URL. http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=014240413029755198024:0lxj6ikvhca makes it impossible to navigate to without a bookmark.

Thanks for the tip, Andrew. It will be very useful for my searches, and hopefully, helpful to others too!

Twitter

You can now follow this blog on Twitter as @losslessstore. Start a discussion, send me tips and feedback!

HDtracks

I've decided to give HDtracks a try. Since I wan't looking for anything in particular, I started with the top 25 best sellers section. In third position is "Jazz side of the moon, the music of Pink Floyd". Sounds cheesy but the critics on Amazon are good and this youtube sample is not bad at all. Intriguing. This will be the first album I buy on HDtracks.

This is an example of an album available at the highest quality: 192khz/24bit. In this case, you have the choice of three levels of quality (and price):

• 192khz/24bit FLAC files for 26.96$, separate tracks for 2.98$
• 96khz/24bit FLAC files for 17.98$, separate tracks for 2.49$
• Regular CD format 44.1khz/16bit AIFF or FLAC files for 11.98$, separate tracks for 1.49$

The checkout process is painless. You can select to pay by credit card or PayPal. [I choose PayPal]

One the payment is completed, the browser redirects to a page where a Download Manager is automatically downloaded on my computer. It uses Java, so I guess it's the only software requirement. Once started, you need to enter your HDtracks user/password before the download can start.

The download manager has a limited interface, there's not a lot of information available. The size of the download don't even shows.

The download was a whooping 2.46GB, every 192khz FLAC file weight about 300MB. That's a lot of data!

In addition to the audio files, HDtracks provide a PDF of the entire CD booklet and a small JPEG of the album cover.

It's now time to listen. In a follow-up post I'll detail how to listen to 192khz on a Mac computer.

Yeasayer - Live at Ancienne Belgique

There's a good critic of the new Yeasayer release on Pitchfork today. The live album is available for download on their website for a "name your price" amount. You can get it for free or you can pay either 0.99$, 2.99$, 4.99$, 7.99$ or 9.99$. You decide. Available in FLAC or Apple Lossless.

Girl Talk - All Day

Today in the New York Times magazine there is an article about Girl Talk. His most recent album, All day, is available for free on his label website, Illegal Art. You can download the 484MB FLAC format here in either one big song or in separate tracks.

Two CD players for your lossless collection

It's 2011, and while nothing really happened on the lossless audio front, I should still make an effort to keep the blog alive. You knows, maybe this year we will be able to buy lossless music on the iTunes store!

In the meantime, here's two great CD players with a nice twist: a digital input. You can use their high-end DAC chip to listen to your lossless music stored on your computer, while still being able to enjoy a CD once in a while with the same device.

NAD C565BEE

As I've always own british music gear (Part of my current setup are a Creek amplifier and a Rega turntable), the NAD C565BEE is certainly on the radar for 2011. It features a Wolfson WM8741 DAC chip compatible with sample rates up to 192khz (/24bit). It has 2 inputs: a optical SPDIF and a USB connector for USB memory sticks. The optical input is more practical in my opinion as you can directly connect a computer (every Macs have an optical output) or an Apple Airport Express wireless router (with Airplay).

The retail price of this CD player is 799$. Spearit sound also sells refurbished units for 599$. The canadian retail price is 1000$.

Marantz SA8004

The SA8004 CD player has just been released and has about the same specifications of the previous SA8003 model. The DAC chip is a Cirrus Logic CS4398, a chip on the same level of performance as the NAD's WM8741. The chip might be about the same, but the Marantz features more input options: an optical SDPIF, a coaxial and 2 USB connectors. The USB connector on the front is used for memory sticks but what's nice is the USB on the back is used to connect the player to a computer.

The retail price is 999$ (Amazon). 1199$ in Canada.

A friend of mine own this CD player and he is very satisfied with the performance of the unit.