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User profile for user: ljksadflkjjsdfljksfdlkjljksd
ljksadflkjjsdfljksfdlkjljksd Author
User level: Level 1
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Can I copy a CD so it's TOTALLY lossless?

My end goal is to be able to copy from commercial music CDs only the tracks I like, and burn them onto blank CDs. But I don't want ANY loss of quality whatsoever. My questions relate to whether this is possible.


1. If I import a CD into iTunes as AIFF files, and then burn them back onto a blank CD, is my copy absolutely identical to the first CD with utterly and absolutely no loss of data or quality?


2. Could there be other settings, either in iTunes or on the computer that could cause some loss even though I'm copying the exact AIFF file? For example, I see a "Sample Rate" of 44.100 kHz. Is that a variable factor that affects quality, and is this setting something that could cause some loss if I do this copying with Apple instead of some more professional hardware or software that could be more precisely tweaked?


I understand there is software and hardware on the market that one could pay thousands of dollars for, which some people claim would be the only way to capture absolutely everything off a commercial CD and put it all back onto a blank CD. They say Apple can't do that. Any advice or input about this from you experts?


3. Are people still recommending Toast these days? Aside from its extra bells and whistles, is there anything about Toast that could improve sound quality AT ALL over what one can do with any Mac and iTunes?


4. Is anybody out there familiar with Amadeus Pro? Would something like that offer any advantages over Apple/iTunes in terms of retaining every smidgeon of quality when copying?


Many thanks!

iMac, iOS 6.1.4

Posted on Aug 20, 2013 11:23 AM

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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
140,764 points

Posted on Aug 20, 2013 12:01 PM

  1. Yes. AIFF performs no compression so your copy will be bit for bit identical: no loss. It uses a lot of disk space too. Apple Lossless (ALAC) will compress, but also with no loss. Expect file sizes about 50% of the original.
  2. The sample rate of 44.1 KHz is identical to that of every commercially produced audio CDs that I am aware of. There is no benefit in increasing it or attempting to "tweak" its settings.
  3. I used Toast for many years and consider it a well designed product. I have not had any reason to upgrade to more recent versions though. If you copy the CD audio with no loss (AIFF or ALAC), then that obviates any question about sound quality since it will be identical to the original. Toast may be able to alter the sound quality but I don't advocate trying to improve upon what is essentially your only "master" - the audio CD. As I recall Toast had features such as noise reduction. That may be valuable for magnetic tape, but it's not a concern with a CD. Even very good noise reduction alters the original to some extent, and it seems to me that you want an exact duplicate. Any alteration will be contrary to your stated goal of bit-for-bit reproduction.
  4. Don't know about Amadeus Pro.
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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
140,764 points

Aug 20, 2013 12:01 PM in response to ljksadflkjjsdfljksfdlkjljksd

  1. Yes. AIFF performs no compression so your copy will be bit for bit identical: no loss. It uses a lot of disk space too. Apple Lossless (ALAC) will compress, but also with no loss. Expect file sizes about 50% of the original.
  2. The sample rate of 44.1 KHz is identical to that of every commercially produced audio CDs that I am aware of. There is no benefit in increasing it or attempting to "tweak" its settings.
  3. I used Toast for many years and consider it a well designed product. I have not had any reason to upgrade to more recent versions though. If you copy the CD audio with no loss (AIFF or ALAC), then that obviates any question about sound quality since it will be identical to the original. Toast may be able to alter the sound quality but I don't advocate trying to improve upon what is essentially your only "master" - the audio CD. As I recall Toast had features such as noise reduction. That may be valuable for magnetic tape, but it's not a concern with a CD. Even very good noise reduction alters the original to some extent, and it seems to me that you want an exact duplicate. Any alteration will be contrary to your stated goal of bit-for-bit reproduction.
  4. Don't know about Amadeus Pro.
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User profile for user: ed2345
ed2345
User level: Level 9
62,426 points

Aug 20, 2013 4:00 PM in response to ljksadflkjjsdfljksfdlkjljksd

LJKSAD,


Yes there are better ripping tools out there, such as Audiograbber and Exact Audio Copy. Their claim is not that they yield better audio quality (which as John and Chris note is not even possible, since it is limited by the standard 44/16 encoding of the CD), but that they have more powerful error detection/correction. This could make a difference if you are ripping CDs that are in less-than-perfect condition.


If you are demanding with respect to audio quality, you may want to look into better-than-CD quality music downloads. These may be called "hi def" or "studio master." Good sources are hdtracks.com and itrax.com. iTunes 11 has new playback options to help you get the most out of such tracks.

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Can I copy a CD so it's TOTALLY lossless?

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