Configuration files for converting audio files
Other Considerations
Except for the codecs and options, you can write similar configuration files for MP3s and other audio formats. For a complete – but not necessarily definitive – list, see Andrew Strong's detailed examples [7].
Whichever format you use, setting up configuration files may take time, especially in choosing the options to include. You may even want two configuration files for the same format – for example, one configuration file for Ogg Vorbis files with a low sampling rate, suitable for listening to on the bus, and another for the same files at a higher rate that you can appreciate in your living room.
Consider, too, how you will play the converted files. If you are using a $50 music player, then there is little point in a 32-bit Flac file except to take up space, because you are unlikely to notice the audio quality. By contrast, a small but increasing group of players, such as the Fiio X7 [8], which retails for just under $600, is wasted if used for low-quality MP3s, even though the playback may be better than anticipated.
Such considerations explain why fine-tuning abcde configuration files is worth the effort. You may take several tries to produce the results you want, but if you care enough about music to make a point of using free formats, the time you spend will seem worthwhile.
Infos
- Ogg Vorbis: http://www.vorbis.com/faq/
- Flac: https://xiph.org/flac/
- abcde: http://lly.org/~rcw/abcde/page/
- cdparanoia: https://www.xiph.org/paranoia/index.html
- oggenc codex: http://www.rarewares.org/ogg-oggenc.php
- CDDB: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDDB
- abcde: CLI music CD ripping:http://www.andrews-corner.org/linux/abcde/index.html
- Fiio X7:http://www.fiio.net/en/products/45
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