How do I remove the DRM from my previously purchased songs?
iPod nano
Subscribe to iTunes Match, which will let you download 256k DRM free versions, or burn to CD and rip which is likely to result in an additional loss of fidelity from the 128k DRM versions that you have now.
tt2
Go get the albums on CD and then use Apple Lossless which is the best fidelity
I subscribed to iTunes Match, but how do I now download the DRM free versions of those songs?
Backup the DRM versions. Delete from iTunes and let it send them to the recycle bin, but do not from iTunes in the Cloud. Close iTunes, reopen, go to Music > iTunes Store > Music Quick Links > Purchased > Music > Not in My Library. You should be able to download updated versions there.
See also this thread. I bought iTunes Match. How can I get the DRM-free versions of songs I've already downloaded on my PC?
tt2
Vegan Advocate wrote:
Go get the albums on CD and then use Apple Lossless which is the best fidelity
Re-ripping an audio CD created from 128k sample tracks is never going to be the same quality as the original album ripped as lossless. What has gone, is gone. While such a version might be fractionally better quality than say a 256k rip of the same audio CD the increased file size is unlikely to justify the benefit, assuming it is even perceptible to the user.
tt2
YES!!!! It worked, thank you soooo much!
You're welcome. 🙂
tt2
I think VA was suggesting buy the commercial CD new. 😐
When I installed Windows 10 I quickly changed the default 256kbps AAC to Apple Lossless as I continue to only buy compact disks. MP3 and AAC sound like crap by comparison to lossless
Very much depends on how and where you listen, and what you listen to. I agree that with well-recorded music, played back on a decent system, the difference between lossless and lossy is readily apparent. However, for those whose listening environment is either low-cost headphones or desktop speakers, and/or listen to contemporary popular music that's recorded and mastered to remove all subtlety and most dynamic range, the difference is negligible or even undetectable. The latter also applies to far to many "remasters" of older recordings that just make the music LOUDER.
Vegan Advocate wrote:
... MP3 and AAC sound like crap by comparison to lossless
I don't doubt that, if you have the kit that can show off the difference. However any CD burnt from Apple's DRM Protected 128k AAC (which is the source material the OP had to work with) will not sound the same as the original CD or studio master it was taken from. Ripping that home burnt CD at Apple Lossless is unlikely to be worth the additional bits.
What I forgot to touch on earlier was the quantity of media involved. Using CD-RW to burn and re-rip is almost free, but time consuming. For somebody with say a dozen or more DRM albums to release the cost of iTunes Match seems easily worth it.
tt2
I use uppity earbuds that easily can reveal how bad MP3 and AAC are compared to the much better dynamic range of Lossless
Right now I have Klipsch R6 which are a lot better than 99% of the ones I see out there
How do I remove the DRM from my previously purchased songs?
