Music File Formats
iTunes works with six
audio file formats:
MPEG
-4
AAC
,
MP
3,
CD-DA
,
AIFF
,
WAV
, and Apple Lossless. Using the Import feature, iTunes can encode
CD-DA
files from a
CD
to
MP
3,
AIFF
, or
WAV
files. It can also encode
MP
3,
AIFF
, and
WAV
files to
CD-DA
format when burning a
CD.
Each file format is suited for a specific purpose.
|
To select an encoder when importing files, see page 109
.
|
-
CD-DA
(Compact Disc Digital Audio) is the file format used on all music
CD
s. When you burn a
CD
from a playlist, iTunes by default automatically encodes the files in the playlist as
CD-DA
formatted files so they'll play on
CD
players. In the iTunes preferences window you can set iTunes to burn files in the
MP
3 format, or as a data disc which will retain the original file format of song fileswhatever they happen to bebut the songs may not play in a
CD
player.
-
MP
3 (
MPEG
-3) is a highly efficient compression system that
reduces
music files up to 90 percent, but maintains a very high quality. Highly compressed,
MP
3s are ideal for downloading from the Internet or for storing on your computer.
-
MPEG-4 AAC
(Advanced Audio Coding) format compresses files even smaller than
MP
3 without a noticeable loss of quality. When iTunes imports a song from a
CD
to your computer, by default it encodes the
CD-DA
formatted song to an
AAC
format.
MP
3s and
AAC
s are ideal for storing music on your computer, requiring 80 to 90 percent less disk space than other formats.
|
If you have a version of QuickTime installed that's older than version 6.2, songs are by default imported in the
MP
3 format instead of the
AAC
format.
|
-
Apple Lossless
encodes
CD-DA
files (
CD
music files) into a size that's half the
size
of the original file, without any loss of quality. This format creates files that are larger than the
MP
3 and
AAC
formats, but if you have a discriminating ear for music, the Apple Lossless format provides the best quality possible.
-
AIFF
(Audio Interchange File Format) is sometimes referred to as Apple Interchange File Format. It is a music format used by the Macintosh operating system. Web designers use snippets in the
AIFF
format for sound files that can play in web pages on a Macintosh computer. The file size of the Beatles song "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is 24.3
MB
as an
AIFF
file, compared to 2.7
MB
as an
MP
3 file.
-
WAV
(Windows waveform format) is a music file format used by the Microsoft Windows operating system. Web designers use snippets in the
WAV
format for sound files that can play in web pages on a Windows computer. The file size of the Beatles song "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is 24.3
MB
as a
WAV
file, compared to 2.7
MB
as an
MP
3 file.
|
