Contents : 1/ What are FLAC files? 2/ How to play FLAC files 3/ Decoding/Encoding 4/ Burning ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ What are FLAC files? FLAC files are lossless audio files, similar to mp3's in that they are audio files, but different as they are lossless, as opposed to mp3's lossy compression. A lossless compression technique means that when the FLAC files are decoded back to wavs, they are bit for bit perfect to the original wavs used to create the FLAC files. Mp3's gain higher compression by cutting out sound frequencies that the majority of us cannot hear, and by sampling the audio to further cut chunks out of the audio. Let me add that this is grossly oversimplified. While a high quality mp3 rip done well is almost impossible to distinguish from the original, a generation loss nonetheless occurs, and it might bug some people enough to start releasing FLAC's ;) Our FLAC files can be decoded and burnt to disc using the cue sheet, recreating exactly what is on the original store bought cd. More info: http://flac.sourceforge.net/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2/ How to play FLAC files ? Many software players can play FLAC files. VLC and Foobar are just two of them. If desired, the FLAC's can be decoded to wav files, a format that alot more players can play, but wav files do not have the tags that the FLAC files include. VLC - http://www.videolan.org/ Foobar - http://www.foobar2000.org/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3/ Decoding/Encoding Decoding/Encoding can easily be achieved by using the FLAC frontend. Go here (1) to get the FLAC frontend with FLAC 1.14b. (1) http://downloads.sourceforge.net/flac/flac-1.1.4b.exe?use_mirror=superb-west To decode, open FLAC Frontend, find the FLAC files, drag them into frontend, and press decode. The wavs should be made in the same directory as the FLAC files. Encoding is a similar process, just in reverse. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/ Burning Burrrn Burrrn is freeware and can be found at http://www.burrrn.net/?page_id=4 It can burn using the cue sheet to get the timings right on the cd, and can even burn the flacs directly with the right timings if the cue sheet is edited slightly. It's personal preference really. The first way, you decode the flacs to wav via the FLAC frontend. You then get the cue sheet and place it in the folder that contains the folder with the decoded wavs in. Open burrrn, and drag the cue sheet into it, stick a blank disc in then burn. The second way is to edit the cue sheet. Open the cue sheet with notepad, click on the first line and press [CTRL]+H. In the find field, put ".wav", and in the replace field put ".flac" (no quotes). Click replace all, or replace them one by one to make sure you aren't replacing something you shouldn't. Save the new cue sheet as a seperate file just outside the folder with the flacs in. Open burrrn, and drag the cue into burrrn, insert a blank disc and burn. Nero : Nero 7: This application is popular and widely available. It burns FLACS to CD as it does with mp3's, wav's and many other formats. Once you have your blank CD in your burner, choose CD/Audio/Make Audio CD and then use the locator to choose the FLAC files you wish to burn. Nero 6 is also still popular but requires a plug-in to burn FLAC's without having to decode to the original wav format. The plug-in can be found here http://www.bitburners.com/Software/Download/Audio_Software_and_Encoders/Nero_Audio_Plugins/ Download the plug-in as a zip file and use the installer. Make sure it places the plug-in into the C:/Program Files/Common Files/Ahead/Audio Plugins folder. | Nero supports using cue sheets for burning, and the cue sheets can be edited in the same way as shown above if you do not wish to decode the flacs to wav first.
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