How to Batch Convert using MAX or Fix XLD crashing on Bulk Conversion
April 27, 2013 5:47 PM Subscribe
XLD was working fine unless I have too many albums (such as 30 folders/albums apiece). I am not figuring out the interface on MAX for a batch conversion with several subfolders. I basically am using VBR to compress my music to smaller mp3 format. On XLD, there is Preferences-->Preserve directory structure-->subdirectory search depth "0", which makes it work on a small scale, like 10 folders or so, before crashing. So, if anyone can tell me what I am missing on MAX's menu or if they had the problem with XLD and fixed it, I am good to go. I like XLD's interface but it won't process my whole iTunes at a go.
(in detail and perhaps a tanget) - I have made a backup of iTunes so as not to screw up the original higher bit rate collection. I am sort of retro as I still make mp3 cds for my car with around 10 albums. I tend to not fiddle with cds in the player as opposed to my ipod plugged in and they sound decent enough and I don't swerve all over the road. It may be a bit eccentric but I also had my car broken into in different cities so don't care if cds are there vs gadgets forgotten like my phone/ipod, hence making a batch conversion using one of the two softwares, XLD or MAX for cds.
posted by snap_dragon at 6:34 PM on April 27, 2013
posted by snap_dragon at 6:34 PM on April 27, 2013
Please keep your higher bit rate versions around. Lossy to lossy transcoding (e.g. mp3 to mp3 etc.) is generally frowned upon because the process always causes irretrievable deterioration in sound quality due to the way these encoders work... now you may not notice it at first but if at some point in the future you have to re-encode your collection you may start noticing artefacts that hinder your enjoyment of some tunes. Maybe do some tests with a small selection of files to work out what quality / filesize trade-off works for you.
The ability to transcode safely is one of the main advantages of maintaining a lossless collection, but if you must do this, consider using a more modern format that can deliver equivalent quality at a lower bitrate / smaller file size. In the Apple eco-system AAC is probably your best bet and is widely supported.
Sorry I don't have a more specific helpful answer for you. I've never had a problem with XLD, but I use caudec for batch transcoding.
posted by dirm at 6:06 AM on April 28, 2013
The ability to transcode safely is one of the main advantages of maintaining a lossless collection, but if you must do this, consider using a more modern format that can deliver equivalent quality at a lower bitrate / smaller file size. In the Apple eco-system AAC is probably your best bet and is widely supported.
Sorry I don't have a more specific helpful answer for you. I've never had a problem with XLD, but I use caudec for batch transcoding.
posted by dirm at 6:06 AM on April 28, 2013
Response by poster: @dirm - thanks. I know exactly what i am getting into with lossy to lossy...that is why I briefly went into a tangent on making crappy cds for my car (though I didn't go into my lack of care on having lower 160s VBR bit rate as they still sound fine in my car system but I did mention that I kept my original files intact....just the same, thanks for advice. I looked at your link on caudec and it says things to the effect of doing limited file amounts at a time and not a large collection so I guess I will just continue researching myself. Probably some bad file I have causing XLD to quit. Not sure why I am having difficulty finding the batch conversion in MAX, though. Oh well.
posted by chicaboom at 7:39 AM on April 28, 2013
posted by chicaboom at 7:39 AM on April 28, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 5:50 PM on April 27, 2013