Rip to WAV

[sootshe]

Hi,

 

I want to convert my CD collection to WAV format. Can anyone with experience with this tell me how you manage the album data for your music collections?

 

I see WAV doesn't support Metadata, so I understand I won't get any cover art.

 

In my first attempts to do this on my Mac Book pro with XLD, XLD ripped all the tracks as single tracks, even though the metadata was edited correctly. I had to go in & edit the data after the rip to get it to appear in I-Tunes as a complete album.

 

This will obviously be very time consuming to do for 300 odd CD's.

 

Any tips? (Yes, I know I can rip to AIFF & this will make things a whole lot easier for data management.)

[Paul R]

You came to the right place friend! Try starting with this article - Computer Audiophile CD Ripping Strategy and Methodology.

 

A couple quick points - you can certainly have Album art and such with WAV files, though as you will see in the linked article, most folks think that AIFF, FLAC, or ALAC files are advisable because you embed all the metatdata in each file. That means you can recover your database if something happens, just by scanning the music files.

 

Also, XLD will rip to individual files, let you edit the metadata, and even add the files to iTunes if you wish.

 

Not sure if this search link will work, but if not, just type XLD Settings in the search box at the top right corner of this page.

 

XLD Settings

 

-Paul

 

Hi,

 

I want to convert my CD collection to WAV format. Can anyone with experience with this tell me how you manage the album data for your music collections?

 

I see WAV doesn't support Metadata, so I understand I won't get any cover art.

 

In my first attempts to do this on my Mac Book pro with XLD, XLD ripped all the tracks as single tracks, even though the metadata was edited correctly. I had to go in & edit the data after the rip to get it to appear in I-Tunes as a complete album.

 

This will obviously be very time consuming to do for 300 odd CD's.

 

Any tips? (Yes, I know I can rip to AIFF & this will make things a whole lot easier for data management.)

[sootshe]

Thanks Paul,

 

Yes, I've been through that article, but can't find where it explains how you can get album art with the WAV files.

 

I believe my XLD settings are correct. I've been doing a heap of rips to AIFF & they seem to be just fine, so I've just changed the rip setting to WAV.

 

Cheers,

John

[Paul R]

I assume you were ripping to iTunes, in which case, XLD will add the track to iTunes and store the metadata in the iTunes database. Including the album art.

 

I just ripped a CD into WAV format and it seems to have worked. Must be some difference somewhere. Huh. Any particular reason you want to use WAV instead of AIFF? Most folks cannot hear a difference between them, though some can.

 

The other option is you might try ripping using iTunes, though I am not overly fond of that. It will RIP to WAV files just fine though, and also store the metadata in the database.

 

-Paul

[sootshe]

Yes, I'm ripping with XLD to my hard drive & have it set to automatically add the album to my I-Tunes library.

 

When I do this it adds all the tracks as single files & I get no art work at all in I-Tunes.

 

While setting up to do the rip, XLD will actually show the correct art work & all the correct metadata of the track names, etc, but when the rip is complete, none of this shows in I-Tunes library & the files in the directory "Music-ITunes-Itunes Media-Music, show no artwork beside any of the tracks.

 

I have to edit every track so that it groups all the tracks as a single album & artist.

 

To my ears, I think the WAV files sound better.

 

Cheers,

John

[Audio_ELF]

I think Paul is wrong here... I don't think iTunes will read any meta-data (however stored) shown by XLD for WAV.

 

WAV really is a bag of hurt with iTunes. I'm not sure there is any way to achieve what you want other than ripping in iTunes itself.

 

Eloise

[sootshe]

I think Paul is wrong here... I don't think iTunes will read any meta-data (however stored) shown by XLD for WAV.

 

WAV really is a bag of hurt with iTunes. I'm not sure there is any way to achieve what you want other than ripping in iTunes itself.

 

Eloise

 

Thanks Eloise,

 

So is there any other library software that I can use with Amarra that will support the metadata with WAV files?

Thanks,

John

[Paul R]

Maybe so - I did rip a CD I already had in the database, and perhaps iTunes retained the information in some way. You could rip to AIF and use iTunes to convert the files to WAV perhaps. That will not work for high res material.

 

All in all, I do agree with Eloise that WAV is far more trouble than it is worth using iTunes.

 

Paul

 

 

I think Paul is wrong here... I don't think iTunes will read any meta-data (however stored) shown by XLD for WAV.

 

WAV really is a bag of hurt with iTunes. I'm not sure there is any way to achieve what you want other than ripping in iTunes itself.

 

Eloise

[Musicophile]

Thanks Eloise,

 

So is there any other library software that I can use with Amarra that will support the metadata with WAV files?

Thanks,

John

 

I'm with Paul here: Why do you insist on WAV in the first place, on a Mac?

 

I kind of get the concept of not wanting a compressed lossless format like ALAC, although I'm personally not convinced that there is any difference if you use a player with memory play, but then just go for AIFF. Everything else will be a nightmare with Itunes, or even with a Mac-based system in general. AIFF is simply Apple's version of WAV.

[4est]

I'm with Paul here: Why do you insist on WAV in the first place, on a Mac?

 

I kind of get the concept of not wanting a compressed lossless format like ALAC, although I'm personally not convinced that there is any difference if you use a player with memory play, but then just go for AIFF. Everything else will be a nightmare with Itunes, or even with a Mac-based system in general. AIFF is simply Apple's version of WAV.

 

There really is a difference in sound here, and it is unmistakable. I maintain an AIFF library, but let iTunes convert some of my favorites into WAV files and kept a smart playlist of WAV files that I could use in Fidelia. It would maintain the metadata until the file was loaded into memory. Upon restarting the program, it would re read the metadata and hold it until the file was loaded again. I would love it if someone would step forward and describe the process again. I saw it once in a thread, but failed to take proper note of it. I remember Geoff (Silverlight) had a way, but his seemed difficult. Then again, some things just are...

[Jsmith]

I'm with Paul here: Why do you insist on WAV in the first place, on a Mac?

 

I kind of get the concept of not wanting a compressed lossless format like ALAC, although I'm personally not convinced that there is any difference if you use a player with memory play, but then just go for AIFF. Everything else will be a nightmare with Itunes, or even with a Mac-based system in general. AIFF is simply Apple's version of WAV.

 

I am also very interested in this topic. I have searched the web extensively on it and in almost every case the thread turns from "How do I" to "Why would you". I would like to see this thread stay on the topic of, IF and HOW we can make WAV playback work, and avoid the don't use WAV. If you don't like the WAV format for whatever reason, the please move on to the next post.

[Jsmith]

Hi,

I want to convert my CD collection to WAV format. Can anyone with experience with this tell me how you manage the album data for your music collections?

 

Can you help me understand if you need the raw file stored in WAV, or just what is streamed and played?

 

The reason for this is I know some players are more friendly to the WAV format. It appears that in some cases you can store files in other formats (e.g. FLAC) and transcode to WAV on the fly during streaming.

 

Would this type of solution also work for you, or do you need the file stored in the WAV format as well?

[Paul R]

Well, you have one of the better solutions I think, with a Vortexbox. LMS can transcode on the fly for you, and in fact, I transcode to plain old LPCM to stream to Touch and mpd. Works very well indeed.

 

But on a Mac, transcoding is a much tougher sell, unless of course, you run LMS or similar software on the Mac.

 

I hate to say it, but I think the best answer is to wait another month or so until J. River gets their Mac version of JRMC out. I expect it will use the same database format on the Mac as it uses under Windows, which provides a handy and easy way to handle WAV files. Stlll some issues with it, as it is more difficult to rebuild the database should the need arise, but still.

 

It might be worthwhile to hold off making decisions until we all get a good look at the new iTunes as well. Less likely than JRMC to handle this need, but still - it's possible.

 

-Paul

 

 

 

I am also very interested in this topic. I have searched the web extensively on it and in almost every case the thread turns from "How do I" to "Why would you". I would like to see this thread stay on the topic of, IF and HOW we can make WAV playback work, and avoid the don't use WAV. If you don't like the WAV format for whatever reason, the please move on to the next post.

[Jsmith]

Paul,

 

Thanks, I had not considered the LMS for this task. I had been looking into serviio to upgrade the minidlna in the VB because it can transcode on the fly. This should be a pretty easy test I can work on this weekend when I am back in town.

[sootshe]

I am also very interested in this topic. I have searched the web extensively on it and in almost every case the thread turns from "How do I" to "Why would you". I would like to see this thread stay on the topic of, IF and HOW we can make WAV playback work, and avoid the don't use WAV. If you don't like the WAV format for whatever reason, the please move on to the next post.

 

Thanks for your understanding....I wouldn't be doing this unless I could hear a quite noticeable difference. Believe me it would be much easier to just stick with AIFF.

[sootshe]

Can you help me understand if you need the raw file stored in WAV, or just what is streamed and played?

 

The reason for this is I know some players are more friendly to the WAV format. It appears that in some cases you can store files in other formats (e.g. FLAC) and transcode to WAV on the fly during streaming.

 

Would this type of solution also work for you, or do you need the file stored in the WAV format as well?

 

I really appreciate your help, but I'm not quite sure what you mean. Perhaps if I explain my set up you will be able to answer the question for me.

 

My source is a MAC Book pro ....to Stello U3....to Naim DAC....then through to the normal chain of components. (preamp, poweramp, speakers). I just rip the CD to my hard drive, automatically copy to I-Tunes & that's pretty much it.

 

Sorry for the ignorance,

 

John

[sootshe]

I also saw that J River intends to come out with a MAC version & this could be the answer.

 

If I convert all my CD's now & don't have the metadata with it, can I just add that later if I change to J River? Or will I have to rip everything all over again?

 

Thanks,

John

[SteveS1]

I also saw that J River intends to come out with a MAC version & this could be the answer.

 

If I convert all my CD's now & don't have the metadata with it, can I just add that later if I change to J River? Or will I have to rip everything all over again?

 

Thanks,

John

 

Have you tried converting an AIFF CD using ITunes? If I set the iTunes import settings to WAV, select an album then 'create WAV version' I don't lose the metadata, just the artwork. I don't think iTunes will support artwork in WAV. Mind you having extensively compared them I hear no difference with AIFF, unlike ALAC.

[Jsmith]

I really appreciate your help, but I'm not quite sure what you mean. Perhaps if I explain my set up you will be able to answer the question for me.

 

My source is a MAC Book pro ....to Stello U3....to Naim DAC....then through to the normal chain of components. (preamp, poweramp, speakers). I just rip the CD to my hard drive, automatically copy to I-Tunes & that's pretty much it.

 

Sorry for the ignorance,

 

John

 

John,

 

I may be going out on a limb here, but I see you have a Naim DAC in your chain. I also have a Naim streamer and it is my understanding Naim components really prefer the WAV format. This is why I am so interested in it.

 

If my assumption above is correct, you really just want the Naim to see WAV. In this case the file format stored on your hard drive vs. what the DAC sees do not have to be the same. Some applications can transcode from one format to the other on the server. This may provide the benefit of both worlds.

 

Here is what I am trying to accomplish. Store all music on my server as FLAC so I get the tagging and ease of use. When the server sends the music to my Naim streamer, have the server transcode the FLAC to WAV there so the Naim only sees the WAV LPCM signal.

 

If I am wrong in my assumptions I apologize, but hope this will help figure out if we are on the same mission or not.

[Audio_ELF]

I may be going out on a limb here, but I see you have a Naim DAC in your chain. I also have a Naim streamer and it is my understanding Naim components really prefer the WAV format. This is why I am so interested in it.

One the audio stream gets out of the computer, the DAC cannot tell if it is WAV vs FLAC so this isn't really relevant in this case...

 

Eloise

[The Computer Audiophile]

One the audio stream gets out of the computer, the DAC cannot tell if it is WAV vs FLAC so this isn't really relevant in this case...

 

Eloise

 

Hi Eloise - The only time I've found the component cares about format is when using UPnP/ DLNA Ethernet streaming devices. The Musical Fidelity M1CLiC required a certain amount of compression for FLAC files (not too much or to little compression).

 

Direct connect devices don't care as you said. They simply accept a PCM stream removed from the WAV, FLAC, AIFF container.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here is what I am trying to accomplish. Store all music on my server as FLAC so I get the tagging and ease of use. When the server sends the music to my Naim streamer, have the server transcode the FLAC to WAV there so the Naim only sees the WAV LPCM signal.

 

I believe JRiver Media Center can convert to WAV for DLNA streaming devices. Asset UPnP can probably do it as well.

[Jsmith]

One the audio stream gets out of the computer, the DAC cannot tell if it is WAV vs FLAC so this isn't really relevant in this case...

 

Eloise

 

Eloise,

 

To make sure I understand what you are saying. If the device is a streamer / DAC combo like the NDS or ND5 XS then it might matter since the streamer is computer as well as the DAC.

 

This would coincide with Chris's comment about UPnP / DLNA since the receiving device is the computer.

[sootshe]

Have you tried converting an AIFF CD using ITunes? If I set the iTunes import settings to WAV, select an album then 'create WAV version' I don't lose the metadata, just the artwork. I don't think iTunes will support artwork in WAV. Mind you having extensively compared them I hear no difference with AIFF, unlike ALAC.

 

Steve,

 

I haven't tried a comparison between an AIFF file converted to WAV, against simply ripping the original CD to a WAV file.

 

I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that I have ripped the original to my preferred file format, rather than converting it.

 

In my system, the WAV version of the original is by some margin better than the AIFF version. The NAIM DAC seems to perform a lot better with this type of file.

[sootshe]

John,

 

I may be going out on a limb here, but I see you have a Naim DAC in your chain. I also have a Naim streamer and it is my understanding Naim components really prefer the WAV format. This is why I am so interested in it.

 

If my assumption above is correct, you really just want the Naim to see WAV. In this case the file format stored on your hard drive vs. what the DAC sees do not have to be the same. Some applications can transcode from one format to the other on the server. This may provide the benefit of both worlds.

 

Here is what I am trying to accomplish. Store all music on my server as FLAC so I get the tagging and ease of use. When the server sends the music to my Naim streamer, have the server transcode the FLAC to WAV there so the Naim only sees the WAV LPCM signal.

 

If I am wrong in my assumptions I apologize, but hope this will help figure out if we are on the same mission or not.

 

Yes, I'm sure you're right in that the NAIM DAC seems to prefer the WAV format....it really is a step forward.

As for your other suggestions, I'm afraid that's way over my head, but I see that your queries may have been answered.

 

Cheers,

John