FLAC Encoding Guide for mac

Preface

Before we begin, I would like to mention there are two primary FLAC encoders for Mac OSX. One is xACT and the other is Max. This tutorial is going to focus on xAct. The reason behind this is, xAct offers ripped sector reports in its log, where as Max does not (A sector is, for all intensive purposes, a chunk of data on the disc).

While they both use the same underlying software to rip with (cdParanioa) and will effectively do the same job, it is very good to know if the job has been done properly. Max will only give a percent encoded sucessfully, where as xAct will tell you exactly where the problem occoured. They are both as easy as one another to use.

I would also like to add that Max is a tremendously versatile piece of software and an absolute must for all audio conversions to take place on a Mac. Just not ripping for the true perfectionist.

Setting Up

First off, you will need to download and install xACT.

Once the software has been installed, you can start ripping. Insert the CD you want to encode in your mac. Let iTunes get the tracks titles from the internet (so you don't have to rename “Track 01” to the proper name late on), but don't let iTunes play the music while you rip, as xACT needs to have exclusive access to the CD while extracting the music.

Then follow this step by step guide.

Extracting

1. Launch xACT and select the tab “util”
2. Add the tracks from the CD, using the “add” button.
3. Check “CD Extraction” and “WAV”
4. Click “Execute”. xACT will then ask you where you want to extract the files. Create a new folder and use the naming convention “Artist - Album (year) [FLAC]” and save your temporary wav files there.

Save Your Log

Once the extraction is complete, an output log will pop up. Scroll down and verify if the extraction process went well.

Each file should be “recorded successfully”. If not, clean up your disc and try again. Although everybody prefers a perfect rip, “minor errors” are acceptable, you want to look out for sector errors, in the worst cases there will be audible noise from the disc

So if the extraction process went well, copy the output log window's content and paste it to a text file to be named “(album title).log” that you will save in the same folder as the extracted files.

Renaming

To insure better compatibility, higher-ASCII characters (usually characters of a non-English language) must be stripped from the tracks names, along with any of these characters:

\ / : * < > | ?

Now is a good time to do this.

Encoding

So far you've extracted the tracks as wav files, and you've saved the LOG.txt file. Now you need to encode the WAV files as FLAC files. To do so:

1. In xACT, select the tab “encode”
2. Add the wav files you've just extracted using the “add” button
3. Select “FLAC Compression”, set the bar to “8 Smallest” and check “Verify”
4. Click “Encode”. xACT will then ask you where you want to save the flac encoded files. Select the folder you created earlier, containing your wav files and your LOG.txt

Getting rid of the temporary wave files

Once the encoding process is over, your folder should contain the tracks in both wav and flac format. Throw away the wav files, you don't need them anymore.

Fingerprint

It's also a good idea to create a fingerprint of your flac files (don't worry, this step is very fast):

1. in xACT, select the tab “checksum”
2. Add your FLAC files using the “add” button
3. Click “Checksum”
4. A dialog window will then ask you to choose the type of checksum you want to perform. Select “fingerprint” and save the file inside your encoded files folder.

You're done!

See related article on Getting CDDB tags in itunes with Lossless files (without burning).