Converting FLAC to Apple Lossless

[MMan]

My entire library 25K+ songa are Flac files. I would like to be able to convert them to Apple Lossless for transfer, portability and playback on an ipod. Is there an easy way to do this and on the fly convert the files while syncing with the ipod? Does the AAC/M4A addon that is available for purchase convert back and forth to Apple Lossless? If so, I have downloaded the trial version and I'm not sure what setting to choose for Apple Lossless. Is it M4A? M4B? MP4? I am assuming that if one of these is the choice that the other settings should be set at VBR and 100%. Is that correct?

Alternatively, while sub optimal, is there a way to do it in Quicktime?

[nohitter151]

No, MM can't yet encode to apple lossless. Hopefully in the near future, but not yet.

[MMan]

Nohitter -

Thx for the info. There is a program MAX for Macs which would do the conversion, but then I would have to use itunes for the sync (bad answer). I guess I will have to keep using HQ MP3's until Monkey can handle Apple Lossless.

[raharris]

I think dbPowerAmp can convert AIFF to FLAC.
Perhaps it can also go the other way.
Check their website for info

[MMan]

Thanks Ra harris, I'll check that out. Once again, the problem is that if Monkey can't handle the files, I can't use Monkey to sync with the ipod. I hope that Monkey can handle Apple Lossless in the near future. Or, better yet, Apple would start handling FLAC!

[nohitter151]

Thanks Ra harris, I'll check that out. Once again, the problem is that if Monkey can't handle the files, I can't use Monkey to sync with the ipod. I hope that Monkey can handle Apple Lossless in the near future. Or, better yet, Apple would start handling FLAC!

MM can play and sync apple lossless files, it just can't encode them.

[MMan]

That's good to know, but still a bit of a problem because I would have to keep two sets of the files, one FLAC and one APLC. Syncing the tags would be a pain. I will probably put up with MP3s for now if encoding APLC is in the works. Thanks.

[Lowlander]

See the Advanced Duplicate find & fix for managing tags between different copies.

[oconnellc]

That's good to know, but still a bit of a problem because I would have to keep two sets of the files, one FLAC and one APLC.

Why would you need to keep two different lossless versions of the songs? Not trying to flame, just curious.

[MMan]

Assuming I wanted Monkey to do the syncing with the ipod (and I was going to use Apple Lossless on the ipod) and that I want FLAC to be my main format, I either would have to create an Apple Lossless copy of what I wanted to sync outside of Monkey and then add them to the Library and then sync the added songs to the ipod every time I changed what I had on the ipod or maintain a complete copy of the library in Apple Lossless then sync what I wanted when I wanted. A pain either way. If Apple Lossless was supported by Monkey for on-the-fly encoding during a sync, the FLAC files could be converted during the sync as I do now using HQ MP3s (good but not Lossless).

Given how I use the music on the ipod, the difference in quality isn't worth the effort, but if Monkey could convert on-the-fly to Apple Lossless, I would use that on the Ipod (or any other any other compressed Lossless file format if frikin' Apple would let any others be used on ipods)

[letsgoaz]

Would it be possible to rip to FLAC with MM and then sync to the ipod using WAV?

I've heard that WAV files are sketchy with tagging but if was already a FLAC wouldn't the tags already be there?