music

@bluemallows:
Personally, i never had a problem with iTunes’ sound quality, although i know that many do and many don’t. These days, i try to get away with just using Foobar2000 (or occasionally MediaMonkey). I rip to mp3 format, even though FLAC or Ogg is technically better, because almost any media device can handle them without problems.

Some people have more discerning ears than others, and most beginners rip mp3s at around 128kbps (kilobits-per-second, which is basically how much actual data is stored for every second of content), until they start hearing artifacts. (Artifacting usually sounds kind of bubbly, like the music is underwater. You can usually hear it best on cymbals and pianos and violins and sounds with a wide band of harmonic content frequency-wide.) Then they start using higher bitrates. It’s a bit of an arms race. A lot of people think that around 192 to 256 kbps is the sweet spot, the best ratio of sound quality vs. file size, and i would generally agree with that. Your ears are the best judge, and if you have the disk capacity, i’d say crank it up as high as possible. 320kbps is usually considered CD-quality for mp3 format, though it’s not quite perfect… and if you REALLY have the capacity, then try using FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) for the best possible sound. Keep in mind, though, that media devices may not be able to read different file formats. That’s why mp3 is still a pretty good choice.

Whatever you use for mp3s, make sure it uses LAME (lame.exe) to encode.

Depending on the program you use, options may vary, but when given the choice between true stereo, joint stereo, and auto, always pick true stereo. Joint stereo sometimes makes for smaller file sizes, but you lose fidelity because it chooses bits from the L-R spectrum that are the same and merges them – this theoretically is a great idea, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be in real life, because ultimately it damages the stereo spectrum (thanks to the mesmerizingly-brilliant Mike Brown for that great tip).

In some apps you get the option to choose a faster encoding rate or a slower, more accurate one. Unless you’re in a real hurry, always use a slower rate for a more accurate rip. You don’t have to use the very slowest.

Also 44.1k sample rate is a great choice. Anything less will sound awful, and anything more will take up valuable space.

Lastly, although i personally use variable bitrate (VBR) to reduce file sizes, most people say that constant bitrate (CBR) is the better choice. VBR just uses a lower bitrate setting for sections of content that the encoder decides doesn’t need it, like a quiet section, or one without too much harmonic complexity. CBR treats every second of the content the same, so you don’t have any variations in audio fidelity.

There are other options that might be available too, but those are the ones i find the be the most important.

Lastly, thanks for choosing me to ask. I’m not really an authority on so much as my own ass, so it’s real nice to hear that i’m trusted for something! Also, i don’t own an iPod. I chose the Creative Zen Vision:M for my portable media device, due to its similar price and myriad of great features… as well as for being non-Apple.

Hope this helps!