A Sound Education

This is less of a blog entry, and more of a pass-through to the NY Time article that explains it far better than I could.  As we’ve discussed, the MP3 is a faulty file.  The reality is that, in order to cram so many of them onto limited smartphone/iPod hard drives, you need to be able to compress the audio file.  And, in order to do this to the maximum extent possible, you need to remove a certain amount of data to get that file size to acceptable levels. 

Now, iTunes has always allowed you to rip CDs at varying qualities with the understanding that higher quality files take up more space on your music player.  The settings for this can be found in iTunes, under Preferences, and in the General tab, there’s an Import Settings button where you can change the recording settings.  In addition to changing the quality of the recording, you can also switch from MP3 to AAC or Apples Audio Codec with “codec” being the nomenclature to audio program language…and, as you can infer, AAC’s can only be played back in iTunes or on Apple devices.  There are some presets you can choose from in that Import Settings window, including the inaptly named “High Quality” and “iTunes Plus (which is higher quality than High Quality…explain that)” and a “Custom” setting where you can increase the kbps or kilobits per second to 320, which is substantially more data, more information, higher quality music…again at the sacrifice of having larger files.

This is what audiophiles get nuts about.  Because, the default setting for recordings or purchases direct from iTunes, you’re getting MP3s at 128kbps.  Sometimes you’re getting less…for instance, on a podcast where what is said carries more weight than how what is said sounds.  Some of them are only 92kbps!  Get it?  Good.  And, now, with ever-increasing storage on smartphones and iPods, it almost makes sense to go and crank the settings way up.  However, even at 320kbps, the recording is still not “CD Quality.”

Apple does offer their ALAC import which converts your CDs to Apple Lossless Audio Codec…a truly CD quality file.  Again, in the Import Settings, you can “Import Using:” the Apple Lossless Encoder.  Using the WAV encoder gets you to the same place, but I’ve found that those Microsoft compatible files tend to be huge with zero compression. 

Still, once you have your audio files, you still are left with the on-board digital (read: file) to analog (read: sound) converter.  This is another algorithm that makes it so that you can hear your purchased or ripped music on a stereo or through your headphones.  And this is where I’m going: as you’re already working with sub-CD recordings…you want to get the best sound, more bang for your buck.  A way to do this is profiled in today’s Tech news from the New York Times.  The phrase “There’s an App for that” applies here.  In short, you don’t have to play your music through the Apple app for music.  There are others which have the ability to add a more sophisticated audio equalizer so that the bass hits harder or trebles are lifted, giving a brighter, more ear-pleasing sound.  Check out the full article on the link above.  Please note, this won’t work for those of us using the lightning or 30-pin doc connector to play our music through the car speakers.  Nor will it work for Bluetooth music transmission.  However, if you play your music through the conventional headphone jack, you may see/hear a drastic improvement through one of the recommended apps!  (I was completely wrong about the previous statement: it will work through the lightning connector; it won't work with DRM protected content, which, until a couple of years ago, was all you could buy from the iTunes store.)