LAME: What quality do you recommend?

2011-08-10 20:07:40

So I just need some tips when it comes to what quality I should use in CDex. Im gonna re-rip my whole CD collection so I want to get it all right. I want the quality pretty high but not CBR 320 I guess since everyone seems to say its a waste of space and so slightly under in VBR then? Would extreme be the best option then or maybe "very high quality q=0"? And between what bit-rate should I use, 192 - 320? Ive noticed that if I set preset extreme without "fast" it shows that it will be in VBR-Old instead of new, does that make a diffrence? So some tips or what type of quality you use would be nice...

Thanks in advance... your pal the Hydrated Pony

LAME: What quality do you recommend?

Reply #1 – 2011-08-10 20:43:24

Nobody can answer that for you, but here[/u] are some recommendations for various situations.

(I'm not worried about space, so I just use 'V0' and I don't worry about it.)

A lot of people like to create a FLAC archive, and then optionally create MP3 or AAC files for their portable device.  If you have a lossless master FLAC archive, you're not "stuck" with the format you choose when you rip.

LAME: What quality do you recommend?

Reply #2 – 2011-08-10 20:44:25

Just read the Wiki of LAME recommended settings and try some of them, i.e.; encode something and listen to it. If you want good archival quality starting with -V 2 is very good.

As for "getting it right the first time" I do hope you realize with a drive that caches audio and using CDex with it gives no guarantee of "perfect rips." I'd suggest going with Exact Audio Copy or dBPowerAmp which use AccurateRip. In short: Rip it once and know you've got the best possible results available without guessing if CDex did it correct.

LAME: What quality do you recommend?

Reply #3 – 2011-08-11 01:06:08

You should use EAC or dbpoweramp, and LAME -V2 should be more than enough, if not -V0 which is IMHO overkill.