How To Convert HDtracks FLAC High Resolution Downloads and Add to iTunes (Video with Commentary)

Hi Leo Pard - Based on your previous posts here you have trouble with Max and XLD but continue to suggest xACT is the best ever. Do you have a vested interest in xACT or something against the other applications? Max and XLD seem to work wonderful for everyone else.

Chris,<br />

<br />

You know a Leo Pard can't change his spots.<br />

<br />

(Sorry, I just couldn't resist.)<br />

<br />

K

Hi Chris:<br />

<br />

I have zero affiliation what so ever with xACT. And if I did, what would I gain, it is free ware.<br />

<br />

For me it is lightning quick, has an incredible amount of useful utilities, and never crashes.<br />

<br />

FYI, I have a 10 month old Mac Mini with all the latest updates and still could not get XLD to function on 5 separate downloads.<br />

<br />

I am open to suggestions.

Hi Chris<br />

As a newcommer with lot of entusiasm but less competance in computers I was happy to discover your excelent video. Even I could understand what to do.<br />

I downloaded Max from sbooth.org, but Max is a Mac program. I have a PC using Windows 7. I cross my fingers and hope that you please could enlighten me what to do? I use MediaMonkey to play the FLAC files. <br />

<br />

Kind regards<br />

Bjorn

It is not only the best or tied with the best cd ripper in PC land, but also converts to any format. In its best package it includes a batch converter that is very easy to use for multiple albums.

Hi Ted<br />

Thanks!<br />

I just converted Layla from FLAC to 16 bit AIFF using DBPoweramp. I worked perfect!

I was thrilled to have found out about Max, but I have had no success so far. <br />

<br />

First, it wouldn't even open the FLAC files that were in the HDTracks free sample download; Max said "The document “5-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Viol.flac” could not be opened. The file does not contain an embedded cue sheet." This was the case for every file.<br />

<br />

I don't know what that means. <br />

<br />

Second, even though I created an account on Musicbrainz, and put the info into Max, no album info was found for the very first CD I tried to rip: Pepe Romero's "La Paloma." It turns out Musicbrainz doesn't have the info. Yet, iTunes has no trouble at all finding the album metadata. Isn't it on the CD anyway? <br />

<br />

Very disappointed.<br />

Save your self the aggravation. Dump MAX. Anything from that download page is crap.<br />

<br />

xACT is an amazing tool. Never crashes and does EVERTHING.

Try dropping the file onto the Max icon. Make sure to set the sample size to 24-bits first.<br />

<br />

You can also try using XLD.<br />

<br />

Stay away from xACT. It's crap.

Leo Pard - I think everyone has had enough of your simple suggestions to "dump MAX" every time you see someone with a MAX issue. You're really not helping anyone without offering reasons why MAX should be "dumped". MAX creator Steven Booth is a frequent contributor to this site and has built very good applications. 99.999% of people here who have used MAX have no problems. <br />

<br />

I don't mind that you really love xACT and profess this love every time you post. From now on please give reasons why xACT will help the specific person posting in his specific circumstance.

Max works great on the Mac. I use it all the time to convert Flac to Aiff and pop the output file into Itunes.<br />

<br />

DbPoweramp works great on Windows.

I have been relentless. I admit it.<br />

<br />

So are you telling me that for some reason that I am among the less than 1% who have had issues MAX crashing while converting FLACs? And how about RIP, which also crashed each and every time?<br />

<br />

I think I also posted about XLD, and how it crashes every time I tried to use it. But of course, you love that too.<br />

<br />

I have a brand new Mac Mini with all the latest updates running perfectly. <br />

<br />

I have asked you to convince why I should try it again, or to offer any fixes or explanation and you chose to not reply on several occasions. <br />

<br />

I will repeat my last, ignored reply...tell me what I am doing wrong what I might be missing.<br />

<br />

LP

Actually, on the advice of someone from HDTracks, I used the 'convert' menu option instead of trying to 'open' the files, and it worked very well. There is also an Applescript available on the Max forums site that will harvest metadata from iTunes. Pretty cool.<br />

<br />

jv<br />

I think you are missing the point. No one is trying to convince you to try Max, XLD, or any other software. What you are using works for you and that's great.<br />

<br />

What we do find annoying is the fact that up until the last post, five of the six post you made to this forum said the same thing: Max sucks, dump it.<br />

<br />

This is not true. Max works for the vast majority of folks who use it. The fact that it didn't work for you doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the software. It just means it didn't work for you for whatever reason although it is strange that XLD, Max, and RIP all failed to work. Perhaps there is something wrong with your operating system or drive.<br />

<br />

KK

Mostly familiar with XLD. So simple, easy to use. Never crashes. So far have converted nearly 700gb of FLAC files with no problems. Because it works so well have not tried Max, nor expect I'll need to. Only thing I couldn't convert with XLD were some wma files but used the Switch program to convert to FLAC and then XLD. Running Snow Leopard 10.6.7 on MacBook Pro.

MAX works for me on my MacBook Air. There are great instructions here already, but here is what I do:<br />

<br />

1. Set Preferences->Output mode<br />

2. Drag and drop the FLAC files into the MAX window.<br />

3. Click Convert.<br />

<br />

It is really slow, but I've never had it crash.<br />

<br />

I use EAC on my Windows machine for ripping, so I can't comment on that.

Well said kumakuma.<br />

<br />

I highly recommend using the newest version if using OS X running all the latest updates. <br />

Here's a link -> http://files.sbooth.org/Max-r1438.tar.bz2<br />

It is appreciated.<br />

<br />

I've been using Auditri with great success:<br />

http://mauriciosantos.net/?page_id=7<br />

<br />

<br />

$3.99 on App Store<br />

i know a step by step guide on how to convert flac to mp3 at http://www.bigasoft.com/articles/how-to-convert-flac-to-mp3.html<br />

then you can easily import the converted flac audio files to itunes<br />

why would you want to convert them to a lossy compressed mp3 format?

Chris,<br />

Some months ago as a beginner with computer audio files, players and music server, your "how to convert Flac to AIFF" video which I discovered at HDtracks when I first started converting my CDs and downloads from the internet into computer audio files was so helpful. Just the kind of handholding I needed to get a sense of the idea of and a way to do it. <br />

My experience with XLD and Max has been extremely positive. Unlike one poster, for me MAX is extremely (as in lightning) fast(er) now on my Mac Mini (2011 with 10.7.1) than it was on my old New Mac Mini (2010) running SL 10.6.8. <br />

Occasionally the XLD stalls or slows down to a crawl or even stops at a particular track. I've learned to wait it out or "X" it and continue with the remainder of the conversion. If a retry fails again, I merely invite iTunes to convert that particular file, which iTunes never fails at even when XLD balks. Both XLD and MAX are excellent. I've also used dbPoweramp based on Ted_B's recommendation and find it a marvelous program. DVDAE performs well most of the time and when tracks are converted with static etc. I have discovered ways of isolating and converting the troublesome tracks or even selecting a different bit rate that for some reason succeeds.<br />

Extremely appreciative of all that you do to help me learn from your own experience. I consider such good counsel a gift.<br />

Best,<br />

Richard

i just find a step by step guide on How to Convert FLAC Files to Apple Lossless ALAC at http://www.bigasoft.com/articles/how-to-convert-flac-to-apple-lossless-audio.html<br />

<br />

it really works for me<br />

<br />

hope it also helps for you<br />

Hi Chris, thanks very much for this helpful video.<br />

<br />

I had a slight 'bug' - it could easily have been my process / set-up but I can't see my error (yet) - I'm using the same Max version, iTunes/Mac etc. I converted my files with ease, and a day or so later I thought I would free up some disc space and delete the desktop folder. <br />

<br />

Then whoops! iTunes couldn't locate anything (all art, files appeared as normal even with file sizes in iTunes), but upon checking (Finder) the actual files weren't saved into iTunes even though I had exactly the same setup as you (around 2.30min & 3 min into the clip). I re-converted and looked at where iTunes was pointing to after converting and it was pointing at the desktop folder (which is different than where your iTunes was pointing to at ~5.45min) <br />

<br />

So in short, for me it seems to only have saved the converted file once. <br />

<br />

I have my iTunes setup as Places/Myname/music - don't know if that could be it. It's not hiding anywhere else in another iTunes folder either on the computer either. <br />

<br />

-> it works fine for me by pointing the Output part of Max to my Places/Myname/music folder and leaving other setting the same as yours. I then just have the file once.<br />

<br />

Thanks again for the video. VERY helpful for a newbie like me.

first XLD is a lot better than MAX in all aspects, rip, convert, etc...<br />

second, why convert to FLAC to AIFF in the video, I think is you have a flac is better convert to a same relative format in this case, ALAC; if you have a master like a CD you can convert to AIFF, but in the video sounds like "hey convert the flac to aiff" and the sound is better.<br />

I really dont know why hdtracks upload the stuff in full uncompressed .wav like mccartney stuff.