FLAC Audio Properties Question

[Bespin1138]

I am currently in the early process of re-ripping my audio CD collection with dBpoweramp using the settings recommended by dBpoweramp's manual. The collection will take around a month to re-rip. Out of curiosity (and possibly a cautionary measure to avoid having to re-rip my entire collection again), I have some audio property questions that I would like to ask. I am re-ripping my CDs to FLAC. I want the FLAC files to have the same audio quality as that on the CDs. I am aware that the audio quality and properties of songs on CDs may be different due to factors such as how and when the songs were recorded in the studios and when the CDs were manufactured. Like I said, I am trying to get the same audio quality from the CDs copied into FLAC files. I have looked at the standard properties for audio on CDs. I am also using an audio analyzer called "Fakin' the Funk?" to check if the songs that I have ripped to FLAC so far are real, fake, or corrupted. So far, they all look good. My intention is to have every song recorded to FLAC with a possible copy and conversion process to MP3 after the CDs are ripped and verified. My questions are:

1. Which audio properties in the FLAC Files should be identical?
2. Which audio properties in the FLAC Files should be different?

Here is the information that my audio analyzer has provided of the CDs that I have copied so far:

FLAC Audio Properties
Identical:
• Channel Mode: Stereo
• Bits Per Sample: 16
• Sample Rate: 44100
Differing:
• Bitrate: 451-968
• File Size (Due to track duration and type of song)
• Frequency: 21619-21878 (Some albums have different track frequencies while other albums have track frequencies that are identical)
• ReplayGain (Track): -7.4800 to -6.8500 [with variations of + and – levels on list (Not using ReplayGain Album))]

Thanks

[Spoon]

Re: FLAC Audio Properties Question

FLAC is lossless, so there is nothing to tune, all files are the same representation of the CD.

[garym]

Re: FLAC Audio Properties Question

As noted, flac is lossless. If the rips had either AccurateRip matches or, absent that, a Secure indication, you have best evidence of bitperfect copies of CD. Use dbpa defaults. Trying to convert a cd to 24 bit or higher freq is not a perfect copy. CDs are 16/44.1.

[Bespin1138]

Re: FLAC Audio Properties Question

Thank you guys for your replies. Some of this stuff is new to me. I just want to confirm that I understand your information correctly. When I rip my audio CDs to FLAC, the ripped audio will be identical to the audio from the audio CD no matter what. The only thing that I can change with the settings for FLAC is the compression level setting for the ripping process which only impacts the size of the audio file when stored on my computer. The audio properties for all standard audio CDs that would be identical are Channel Mode (Stereo), Bits Per Sample (16), and Sample Rate (44,100 Hz). The audio CD properties that will differ from track-to-track and/or album-to-album would be Bit Rate, File Size, Frequency, ReplayGain(Track), and, if I choose to use, ReplayGain (Album), due to factors such as track length, the type of musical instruments recorded in the studio, and the recording instruments used in the studio during production.

Is that correct?

Thanks again.

[garym]

Re: FLAC Audio Properties Question

Thank you guys for your replies. Some of this stuff is new to me. I just want to confirm that I understand your information correctly. When I rip my audio CDs to FLAC, the ripped audio will be identical to the audio from the audio CD no matter what. The only thing that I can change with the settings for FLAC is the compression level setting for the ripping process which only impacts the size of the audio file when stored on my computer. The audio properties for all standard audio CDs that would be identical are Channel Mode (Stereo), Bits Per Sample (16), and Sample Rate (44,100 Hz). The audio CD properties that will differ from track-to-track and/or album-to-album would be Bit Rate, File Size, Frequency, ReplayGain(Track), and, if I choose to use, ReplayGain (Album), due to factors such as track length, the type of musical instruments recorded in the studio, and the recording instruments used in the studio during production.

Is that correct?

Thanks again.

All your assumptions are correct. By the way, I suggest you add both Track and Album ReplayGain tags when ripping. The album RG value is just another tag and you might find it useful in the future. My players have an option to use Track RG values when playing a mix of tracks from different albums, but use Album Replay Gain values when playing an entire album (thereby maintaining the intra-album relative track volumes and dynamics). You want to make some decision about artwork as well and set those options. I have the ripper create only a single artwork file (called cover.jpg -- many also use "folder.jpg") for each album rather than embedding the art in each track. I set to be no larger than 1000x1000, any size file.

[Bespin1138]

Re: FLAC Audio Properties Question

All your assumptions are correct. By the way, I suggest you add both Track and Album ReplayGain tags when ripping. The album RG value is just another tag and you might find it useful in the future. My players have an option to use Track RG values when playing a mix of tracks from different albums, but use Album Replay Gain values when playing an entire album (thereby maintaining the intra-album relative track volumes and dynamics). You want to make some decision about artwork as well and set those options. I have the ripper create only a single artwork file (called cover.jpg -- many also use "folder.jpg") for each album rather than embedding the art in each track. I set to be no larger than 1000x1000, any size file.

Thanks for the information. I am sure it will come in handy for me.

[XYZ000]

Re: FLAC Audio Properties Question

To be extra sure that you are getting exactly the same data, then assuming that the source file and the outcome will have the same settings [e.g. a CD turned into stereo / 16-bits / 44.1 kHz WAVs], you can compare them visually with the usage of software like Speck or Spectro or the the spectrum analyzer toll available in the Audacity