Audirvana and iTunes: to proxy or not to proxy?

[New Sensations]

Currently I have a FLAC library that's mirrored across a pair of external HDDs. One feeds Logitech Media Server and one acts as the back-up. All FLACs are fully tagged with cover art (thanks Bliss) and each album is stored in it own folder. I have a whole bunch of FLAC rips burnt to DVDs that I'm slowly re-adding to my library.

Lately I've been playing around with proxy files in Audirvana. They provide a way to access the FLAC library without transcoding across to ALAC.

Three niggles with proxy files:

1) Correcting the few tag errors that exist means only the proxy file gets updated and NOT the original FLAC.

2) Occasionally Audirvana drops its connection to iTunes. Not sure if that's a weakness with proxy files or just my MacMini having a moment.

3) When new FLAC rips get added to the library I then have to add them as proxies to Audirvana. And then I'm back to niggle number 1).

Anyone have a large library in iTunes and run Audirvana as the player? Anyone use proxy files? Should I just bite the bullet and transcode to ALAC?

I'm thinking of having one HDD with FLAC and the other with ALAC transcodes. The latter will form the basis of the iTunes library.

If I go with the ALAC - no more proxy files - I'll need to first add the new FLAC rip to the library, tag it, add cover art and then transcode it to ALAC. Then I'll have to drag it into iTunes. That's quite a few steps.

Anyone have any good workflow tips?

Advice welcome, but please no "get a turntable" (I have one, thank you) or "vinyl's better" (yes, yes, but which vinyl?).

Enjoying my journey...

Edited September 13, 2012 by John Darko

[kdoot]

I wholeheartedly endorse ALAC as the format of choice for any audiophile who wants to use iTunes. Attempting to use FLAC proxies is just begging for a wholly awful experience.

I'd be surprised if you had any FLAC-compatible system that didn't also support ALAC, and as you well know their information content is identical. Do you really need to stick with FLAC at all?

XLD is a great converter on the Mac which will preserve all your FLAC tags and cover art, and can be configured to spit the resulting ALAC file directly into iTunes. So even if you keep your FLAC masters, it's a simple drag-and-drop operation onto XLD to get those into iTunes in native ALAC format.

[DoggieHowser]

I bought some hires music FLAC files from LINN and used Max to convert them to AIFF. I've found sometimes the playback stops midway. Pressing play resumes from where it stopped so I'm not really sure what the problem was.

[SteveC]

On PC I rip CDs using dBPoweramp direct to the "auto add to itunes folder" in ALAC

Then I just open itunes and it imports them with tags and art. No need to drag or move anything.

You could probably convert to the same folder on a Mac?

That proxy thing sounds like a nightmare.

Plus we are all still arguing debating discussing whether compressed lossless vs uncompressed lossless is better and that proxy appears to be adding another conversion step on the fly.

I figure that if I ever need to go away from ALAC one day then I will sit down and do a bulk conversion.

[GraemeB]

I download as much of my music as possible in FLAC format (lower download impost) which I then use XLD to convert to AIFF format for use via iTunes library, played through Audirvana Plus (beta). I save ALL the FLAC downloads onto HDD and various backups too, just in case iTunes has a spaz attack and deletes any of those AIFF transfers.

I'm sure there are more elegant ways of doing all of this, so I'm open to experimenting with whatever others are doing around here.

Latest Audirvana 1.3.9.9 beta working very well so far. Hope I haven't now jinxed it!!

Edited September 13, 2012 by GraemeB

[Once was an audiophile]

Anyone have any good workflow tips?

Enjoying my journey...

Get a cd94 modded with zen clock and put away the computer toy which lack so much imho

oh and ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY

[lebowski]

ALAC/ FLAC is the new MP3

AIFF or WAV is the way to go John

enjoy your journey

EDIT - I use XLD for any high res download conversion to AIFF or if it's a CD I just copy it as AIFF using iTunes. My music collection is small though, just 650 albums and run the iTunes library from an external HD, backed up on additional 2 portable HD's.

Edited September 13, 2012 by lebowski

[New Sensations]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty well-versed in the ways of XLD and Max so transcoding is a snap. I guess I'm just caving in to ALAC having resisted for so darn long. Before I take the (big) Apple Lossless plunge I wanted to see if anyone was using Adirvana proxy files with a large-ish library. It seems no-one is.

[New Sensations]

I wholeheartedly endorse ALAC as the format of choice for any audiophile who wants to use iTunes. Attempting to use FLAC proxies is just begging for a wholly awful experience.

I'd be surprised if you had any FLAC-compatible system that didn't also support ALAC, and as you well know their information content is identical. Do you really need to stick with FLAC at all?

XLD is a great converter on the Mac which will preserve all your FLAC tags and cover art, and can be configured to spit the resulting ALAC file directly into iTunes. So even if you keep your FLAC masters, it's a simple drag-and-drop operation onto XLD to get those into iTunes in native ALAC format.

I was hoping you'd post kdoot. You're definitely the goto guy when it comes to Apple advice. I didn't know that XLD could transcode to ALAC and auto-import into iTunes. That could be the clincher.

[kdoot]

I didn't know that XLD could transcode to ALAC and auto-import into iTunes. That could be the clincher.

There are two ways to do it.

1. Tell XLD to use iTunes' "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder as its destination for converted files. Advantage: iTunes moves, rather than copies, the transcoded file.

2. Enable XLD's preference to "Add encoded files to iTunes if possible". Advantage: if you want the transcoded files to live in a particular place, instead of in the iTunes folder, this is the way to go.

[DoggieHowser]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty well-versed in the ways of XLD and Max so transcoding is a snap. I guess I'm just caving in to ALAC having resisted for so darn long. Before I take the (big) Apple Lossless plunge I wanted to see if anyone was using Adirvana proxy files with a large-ish library. It seems no-one is.

Not Audirvana per se but Pure Music had a meta ALAC format that they used to allow iTunes to play back FLAC. It worked well enough but the files couldn't be played back on my iPod. I didn't think it was worth the hassle. Plus the meta files wouldn't work with other plug ins like Bitperfect and Amarra.

[New Sensations]

There are two ways to do it.

1. Tell XLD to use iTunes' "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder as its destination for converted files. Advantage: iTunes moves, rather than copies, the transcoded file.

2. Enable XLD's preference to "Add encoded files to iTunes if possible". Advantage: if you want the transcoded files to live in a particular place, instead of in the iTunes folder, this is the way to go.

Option 2 is what I'm after - thanks kdoot. iTunes can s*ck a f*ck when it comes to folder 'organisation'.

[New Sensations]

.....and the transcoding begins with the letter A.......