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ALAC From iTunes to iTunes via Apple Music Ends in AAC

S.B.G

S.B.G

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Original poster
Staff member
Sep 8, 2010
26,698
10,483
Detroit
I'm getting more educated on Hi-FI audio lately, but I'm still learning. I'm an Apple Music subscriber and I understand that it uses the lossy AAC version of music. However, I have a few albums that are not available on any streaming service and have purchased the CD's. After I ripped them into iTunes originally a few months ago I hadn't paid attention to what format they were done in. This was before I started looking at HI-FI audio.

Tonight I checked and saw that I ripped them into AAC. No problem as I deleted an album and ripped it again in ALAC on my 2012 cMBP. My primary listening device is a Mac mini with no external ODD available. After ripping the album on the MBP I uploaded it to Apple Music and then downloaded it to iTunes on the Mac mini only to find it in AAC. After searching around it seems that iTunes/Apple Music compresses the ALAC to AAC before uploading to iCloud. Alright fine.

Now I go looking for the files in ALAC on the MBP so I can manually copy them over the network to the Mac mini. Those files, as I learned, are in the m4a container - still lossless ALAC. Next I use my network to copy the files over to the Mac mini. After adding them to the iTunes library and I look at the file info and now I have the ALAC files. Good.

Kind of a small PIA but it worked. But I have to wonder, would I be better off using a different music player to play my lossless stuff?

It'd be nice if Apple would let ALAC flow freely from a local iTunes library to Apple Music/iCloud and back to another iTunes library. I can kind of understand the conversion to AAC to save file size for iDevices and the limited amount of iCloud storage that most people have or are willing to pay for. But the storage sizes on iDevices are pretty large now and should be able to handle a reasonably sized library.

cc: @D.T.
 
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D.T.

D.T.

macrumors G4
Sep 15, 2011
11,050
12,467
Vilano Beach, FL
Quoting a post I made a couple of months ago, re: alternatives to iTunes.

D.T. said:
This is a good starting point:

https://www.howtogeek.com/280304/the-best-itunes-alternatives-for-macos

I've used Clementine and Nightingale, they both support dozens of formats, auto-sync, plugins - the experience is kind of subjective, you'll want to probably just download them (or any of the other options) and give them a few days trial run. I believe most are free as well.
Click to expand...

More later ...
 
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LCC0256

macrumors member
Dec 5, 2017
63
31
Martinez, GA. USA
SandboxGeneral said:
I'm getting more educated on Hi-FI audio lately, but I'm still learning. I'm an Apple Music subscriber and I understand that it uses the lossy AAC version of music. However, I have a few albums that are not available on any streaming service and have purchased the CD's. After I ripped them into iTunes originally a few months ago I hadn't paid attention to what format they were done in. This was before I started looking at HI-FI audio.

Tonight I checked and saw that I ripped them into AAC. No problem as I deleted an album and ripped it again in ALAC on my 2012 cMBP. My primary listening device is a Mac mini with no external ODD available. After ripping the album on the MBP I uploaded it to Apple Music and then downloaded it to iTunes on the Mac mini only to find it in AAC. After searching around it seems that iTunes/Apple Music compresses the ALAC to AAC before uploading to iCloud. Alright fine.

Now I go looking for the files in ALAC on the MBP so I can manually copy them over the network to the Mac mini. Those files, as I learned, are in the m4a container - still lossless ALAC. Next I use my network to copy the files over to the Mac mini. After adding them to the iTunes library and I look at the file info and now I have the ALAC files. Good.

Kind of a small PIA but it worked. But I have to wonder, would I be better off using a different music player to play my lossless stuff?

It'd be nice if Apple would let ALAC flow freely from a local iTunes library to Apple Music/iCloud and back to another iTunes library. I can kind of understand the conversion to AAC to save file size for iDevices and the limited amount of iCloud storage that most people have or are willing to pay for. But the storage sizes on iDevices are pretty large now and should be able to handle a reasonably sized library.

cc: @D.T.
Click to expand...

General I have wanted to do that very thing for many years. I have a 2008 iMac (upgraded with SSD and max out RAM) that I ripped my entire collection of CD's via ALAC on iTunes. That machine is connected via ethernet to every Apple TV and Airport router in the house. Each is subsequently connected (via HDMI or Optical) to some pretty good receivers & speakers I have acquired over the years (including one Altec Lansing Airplay (1) speaker.) I have controlled the iTunes via my iPad or iPhone using the remote app.
I had iTunes sharing before Apple Music came along so all my music library (whether my ripped CD's or music I had purchased from iTunes) was put in AAC form on all my other devices. My mother iMac however retained the ALAC files that had been originally ripped into it. (along with the AAC files that I added over the years) I never had the issue some did with losing my ALAC files when subscribing to iTunes sharing or when I joined Apple Music.
I did wonder why the ALAC files could not be transferred via the iTunes sharing. I realize now it had to do with time expended was far less with the AAC files.

I never wanted to go through the bother of copying the ALAC files to say a usb stick then to my MacBook Pro. And I had no clue how to copy ALAC files into my iPad or iPhone. Realizing that they take up a lot more space - I never figured it was worth it anyway on the phone and pad. (But to hear some audiophiles talk - they cannot even bear the thought of having to listen to a lossy music file) I did several listening tests on the internet with my B&W P3 headphones and could not tell the difference between FLAC ALAC and AAC files. My ignorance is bliss in this case methinks.
Leads me to my question for you. How did you use your network to copy your ALAC files from your MBP to your Mac mini? I would like my MBP to have the ALAC files my iMac has.
 
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S.B.G

S.B.G

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Original poster
Staff member
Sep 8, 2010
26,698
10,483
Detroit
On the business of AAC vs ALAC, I think I'm a bit like you in that I had a difficult time distinguishing a difference between the two formats. I'm not cranked up about the fact that the majority of my library is AAC. My plan going forward is that any new albums I buy I will rip into ALAC. I have no intention of going back through my stuff and re-ripping things - unless they sound awful for some reason. Regardless, I'm happy with the AAC and the ALAC in my current library.
LCC0256 said:
How did you use your network to copy your ALAC files from your MBP to your Mac mini?
Click to expand...
All I did was go to the iTunes library location with Finder, copy the files in the album folder and then browse the LAN for the Mac mini and paste them, say on the Desktop, then in iTunes I used the 'Add to Library...' option from the File menu. I checked the album folder afterward and the ALAC files were present and checking the 'Song Info' on a track also confirmed it.
D.T. said:
Side note: how are the headphones amp/DAC working out?
Click to expand...
Fantastic! I can wear the Sennheiser 650's all day and the top of my head doesn't hurt, nor do my ears hurt or sweat. I've literally worn them for 8 hours straight a few times and had no complaints. The sound is fabulous too.

The Schiit stack of the Magni and Modi multibit are amazing. Adding in the DAC made a HUGE difference in power and sound quality vs. just using the Mac mini as the DAC. Having an external DAC is a must have for certain.

I used the Sony's for a day last week and I had to be careful not to start with the volume up too high because the Schiit stack can easily destroy them (and my ears too I suppose). But keeping the volume at a safe level, the Sony's also sounded pretty darn good.
 
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S.B.G

S.B.G

Moderator
Original poster
Staff member
Sep 8, 2010
26,698
10,483
Detroit
I bought an Apple Super Drive to use with the Mac mini since that is my primary listening device along with the Schiit stack. This makes it easier to rip albums to it rather than do it on the MacBook Pro and transfer the files manually over the network.

I'm ripping just a few albums over again that were done in AAC. They're all Tool albums that cannot be found on any streaming service and then one other compilation that isn't fully on Apple Music.
 
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