- Meta is exactly what I was looking for: the app is a modern Mac utility that supports all popular audio formats (from standard MP3 and MP4 to FLAC, DSF, and AIFF) and can write metadata formats such as ID3v1, ID3v2, MP4, and APE tags. Unlike other cross-platform or open-source tag editors, Meta’s feature set is focused on one area – editing.
- Quality: FLAC 16 bit / 44.1 kHz (Tracks) Artist: Fleetwood Mac Title: 1969-1974 Box Set Released: 2020 Style: Rock RAR Size: 2.73 Gb.
I've migrated to a MAC running High Sierra (latest version) and want to rip some of my CDs to its hard disk in FLAC format (and also an MP3 copy). I can do this with MAX but for some reason cannot get it to download track and album data - it just copies / converts files which I then need to manually enter all the metadata, artwork etc. Bigasoft FLAC Converter for Mac is the most professional FLAC File Converter to convert FLAC files on Mac OS X. It can convert FLAC to broad audio formats: convert FLAC to MP3, convert FLAC to WAV.
FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, which is a kind of lossless audio format. Compared with MP3 and other audio formats, although it has relatively high audio quality but is less compatible. Along with APE, ALAC, WavPack and WMA Lossless, this format is praised among music fans. Despite its advantages, FLAC is annoying for some users because it isn’t compatible with all kinds of Apple devices like iPhone, iPad or iPod. That’s why you need a FLAC to MP3 Converter for Mac to do the conversion job to transfer FLAC to a more compatible format.
Why Don’t You Choose FLAC?
Although FLAC is superior to its lossy rivals when it comes to audio quality, ripping a CD to FLAC means the file will be 10 times larger. FLAC can compress music files without any quality loss, but its available players are limited. It can’t be recognized by quite a few programs like iTunes, iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc. Moreover, few burning programs can burn an audio CD from FLAC files.
The Needs to Convert FLAC to MP3
When it comes to popularity, MP3 is the most preferred format to listen to music anywhere you want and nearly all audio devices and multimedia players support MP3 playback. The solution is to convert the FLAC to MP3 format, which will save you space and make your music playable in more places.
Thankfully, there are a myriad of ways you can convert FLAC to MP3 and it is a necessity to make use of a competent tool. You have dropped in the right place as we will recommend to use a professional audio converter like All2MP3 for Mac to convert FLAC filesintoMP3 on Mac with ease. It can be the most efficient tool for any kind of requirement. What you need to do is just wait for your FLAC files to be played on many devices, media players or other platforms.
All2MP3 for Mac, this better-than-average audio converter software, aims to convert FLAC and 50+ other audio formats to MP3 on Mac just as the reviewer from download.cnet.com said. It has an ultra-intuitive layout, and it only takes a click of the mouse to change the output quality. The process for making the conversion couldn’t be simpler that you are allowed to input the audio files by a drag & drop. As a bonus, you can pull audio straight from a video file and convert it to the wanted format.
What Sets All2MP3 for Mac Apart from Other Audio Converters?
If you’ve checked out various audio converter programs, why not try a universal audio converter which can convert pretty much everything? All2MP3 for Mac has the ability to convert pretty much every audio file like WMA, WAV, OGG, AAC, M4A, FLAC, AIFF, APE, WV and 50+ other audio formats as well as a plethora of video files.
Audio quality is paramount for audio conversion software, but the program should also run at a faster speed. A fast program can save you valuable time in the long run especially when you have many large files to convert. Thanks for the special technology used, All2MP3 for Mac makes the conversion process super fast and there is no need to wait anymore!
Convenience may be nothing more than great features, but for some beginners or users without any technical skills, ease of use is the most important thing to consider. All2MP3 for Mac always keeps things simple from converting a handle of audio files to adjusting the quality presets that just a few clicks will be needed.
How to Convert FLAC to MP3 on Mac with FLAC to MP3 Converter for Mac?
If you need to convert FLAC to MP3 in Mac OS X for free, just grab All2MP3 for Mac – the best free FLAC to MP3 Converter for Mac, and follow the below tutorial and you will have converted your FLAC files in no time with total simplicity. First of all, download All2MP3 for Mac.
Step 1. Input FLAC Files
Click “Add” and in the activated window choose the FLAC files you want to convert and then click “Choose”.
Step 2. Adjust Quality Presets
Drag the slider bar below “Quality” and choose the output quality level. Then click the red button in front of “Change all Paths” to choose an output folder.
Step 3. Start FLAC to MP3 Conversion
Click “Convert” to start audio conversion. The converted files will be converted into MP3 and saved in the output folder with the name of “xxx.mp3”.
That’s how the best FLAC to MP3 Converter for Mac works. It also supports a ton of other audio and video formats as input.
Conclusion
Do you work with FLAC files frequently? If so, the above easy tool we’ve shared must be helpful to you. Especially when you need to convert large number of files, a desktop converter like All2MP3 for Mac can be the top option. Now you don’t have to figure out a way to use the FLAC files which get you stuck with!
Differences Between ALAC & FLAC
If you are an audio fan who’s crazy about lossless High-Definition audio and always chasing better quality, you must be wondering if ALAC better than FLAC or the other way round. Now let’s use a form to see how different they are.
Open source | Compression | Encoding Rate | Decoding Rate | Presets | Tagging | Error Handling | Hybrid/Lossy | RIFF chunks | Multichannel | Streaming | Hardware Support | Software Support | OS Support | Developed by |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FLAC | 57.0% | Very Fast | Very Fast | 9 | Vorbis Tags | LossyWAV | Good | Good | All | Xiph.org | ||||
ALAC | 57.8% | Fast | Fast | 2 | iTunes | Good | Good | All | Apple Inc. |
The truth is, regarding audio quality these two formats are not that different – they are almost identical especially when the audio is compressed form the same original recording. So basically, human ears can’t even hear the difference. Apple fans usually prefer ALAC while iTunes does not support FLAC. Choosing which format depends on your personal preferences and devices you use. ALAC is suggested is you have tight relations with iOS-based devices & iTunes.
How to Convert FLAC to ALAC
on Mac using iTunes
FLAC is not natively supported in iTunes. We’ve offered an efficient way to convert FLAC to MP3 for easier playback using All2MP3 for Mac. However, if for some reason, you have to convert FLAC to ALAC or you insist using lossless formats, you can convert FLAC to ALAC using iTunes on Mac.
How to Convert WAV to ALAC
![Mac flac player Mac flac player](/uploads/1/3/4/7/134729395/270237840.png)
on Mac using iTunes
Sometimes you don’t get a high-quality FLAC file to turn into ALAC, instead, you may have a uncompressed WAV which is very large in size. You can convert WAV to ALAC on Mac using iTunes.
ALC VS. FLAC / MP3 / WAV
I know you all are doing the “conversion” thing from time to time but do you really understand the differences between these popular formats? DO you really need to convert them between each other? Let’s figure this out in this video.
Sometimes you may need to convert FLAC to MP3 immediately but you don’t want to install any application on your Mac. What you can do is put your faith in an online FLAC to MP3 converter. Online converter can be very convenient when you have a stable and fast network connection. All you need to do is upload your FLAC file, choose the output format and quality, convert FLAC to MP3, and download the resulting file.
Online-Audio-Converter is one of the easiest and fastest audio converter to convert FLAC to MP3. It can also convert WAV, M4A, M4R, AMR & MP2 formats.
1. Upload FLAC.
When you open the homepage, click “Open files” to add your FLAC file or drag and drop it here. You are allowed to add multiple files at once. It supports importing audio from Google Drive and Dropbox.
Then, wait until the uploading is finished (when the blue processing bar reaches the end).
2. Choose the output format as MP3 & set quality.
Click the “mp3” tab and drag the slider below to select the output quality from Economy, Standard, Good & Best. If these simple presets can’t meet your needs, click the “Advanced settings” button on the right to unfold the quality adjustment section, where you can change the Bitrate, Sample rate, Channels and apply some audio effects including Fade in, Fade out, Fast mode, remove voice & reverse. If you need to edit tag info, click “Edit track info” (tag editing is available for a single-file task; the button will turn unclickable if there are multiple files in the task list).
3. Convert FLAC to MP3.
When you are done with all the settings, click “Convert” to start FLAC to MP3 conversion and wait until the process is complete.
4. Download MP3.
Click “Download” button to download the resulting MP3 file to your hard drive. You can also save it to Google Drive or Dropbox. Click “Convert more files” if you have more audio files to process.
If you own a Mac, you already have a high-resolution media file server at your disposal, with very little tweaking required to pass high-quality audio to your audio gear. I recently decided to set up my Mac in this way, to deliver hi-res throughout the signal chain--from my music library, to the player, to the DAC, to my preamp, amp, and loudspeakers (or preamp to headphones). Here is how I did it.
Building Your Hi-Res Music Library
The process starts with ripping or downloading music files directly to either your Mac's internal hard drive or an external drive, or designating a cloud site for your file storage (more on this in a minute). I store my music library on a 3TB Seagate external drive. Many people prefer to use an external drive because loading up your main hard drive with music files can potentially slow your computer's overall performance, especially when you get to the end of your drive's storage limits.
The process starts with ripping or downloading music files directly to either your Mac's internal hard drive or an external drive, or designating a cloud site for your file storage (more on this in a minute). I store my music library on a 3TB Seagate external drive. Many people prefer to use an external drive because loading up your main hard drive with music files can potentially slow your computer's overall performance, especially when you get to the end of your drive's storage limits.
Opinions will vary on what constitutes hi-res audio, but I set my sights on resolutions equal to or better than 24-bit/96-kHz. We all know that your system is only as good as its weakest link, so I started with either 24/192 or 24/96 FLAC files. Hi-res files may be offered in the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) or AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) format, as well as DSD (Direct Stream Digital) and MQA (Master Quality Authenticated). DSD is the Philips/Sony system used to create the SACD (Super Audio Compact Disk) format, while MQA is a very clever codec that compresses the relatively little energy in the higher frequency bands to make the files smaller while retaining a hi-res result (it's also a good format for streaming services). To get the highest quality, you will want to avoid lossy formats like MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3), AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), and OGG (Ogg Vorbis, the name Ogg derives from the jargon word ogging) that sacrifice audio quality for file size. This was important when storage was expensive, but now storage is plentiful and cheap.
Hi-res music files are available for download from a number of websites, including: HDTracks.com,
primephonic, HiRes Download, iTrax.com, B&W's Society of Sound, Acoustic Sounds, Chandos, and�Blue Coast Records. If you're looking for suggestions on high-quality audio recordings, check out the reviews on our sister site, AudiophileReview.com. Here are a few great-sounding albums (all available as hi-res downloads) that I'd put on my list of desert island discs:
primephonic, HiRes Download, iTrax.com, B&W's Society of Sound, Acoustic Sounds, Chandos, and�Blue Coast Records. If you're looking for suggestions on high-quality audio recordings, check out the reviews on our sister site, AudiophileReview.com. Here are a few great-sounding albums (all available as hi-res downloads) that I'd put on my list of desert island discs:
Santana: Abraxas
Mozart: Great Mass in C minor
Thelonious Monk Orchestra: At Town Hall
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
Bob Marley: Legend (you are on a desert island, after all)
Steely Dan: Aja
Jethro Tull: Aqualung
Mozart: Great Mass in C minor
Thelonious Monk Orchestra: At Town Hall
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
Bob Marley: Legend (you are on a desert island, after all)
Steely Dan: Aja
Jethro Tull: Aqualung
Cloud Backup
About a year ago, I grew concerned that my entire life's savings of music--some of which is irreplaceable original music from the various bands I've been in--was all in one place, so I looked to the cloud for a backup/disaster recovery solution. My current total storage need is approximately 2.4 TB. Apple's iCloud offers five gigabytes of free storage, which isn't nearly enough for my music files, so I opted for the 2TB plan that costs $20 per month. I had to leave some of my more esoteric albums off the iCloud drive to fit under the 2TB size limit.
About a year ago, I grew concerned that my entire life's savings of music--some of which is irreplaceable original music from the various bands I've been in--was all in one place, so I looked to the cloud for a backup/disaster recovery solution. My current total storage need is approximately 2.4 TB. Apple's iCloud offers five gigabytes of free storage, which isn't nearly enough for my music files, so I opted for the 2TB plan that costs $20 per month. I had to leave some of my more esoteric albums off the iCloud drive to fit under the 2TB size limit.
Another cloud option is Google Drive, which offers 15 GB for free or one terabyte for $9.99/month; then it jumps to 10 TB for $99.99 monthly. Microsoft looks at storage a bit differently, tying its One Drive storage to the MS Office suite. When you purchase MS Office 365, you get 1 TB of storage. All your Excel spreadsheets, Word docs, and PowerPoint presentations are automatically stored there and are available for collaboration between users. There isn't anything preventing you from storing your music library there, but access is via Microsoft's Groove Music Pass, which is $9.99 per month in addition to the $99 annual cost of MS Office 365.
Amazon's Drive allows you to upload up to 250 songs for free. Subscribe to Amazon Prime ($99 annually) and get 5 GB of storage; for another $59.99 per year, you get unlimited storage. I currently use Apple's iCloud because I've been deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem from the first-generation iPod, but Amazon's value proposition is compelling. I am strongly considering making the switch. (If anyone out there has made the switch, I'd love to hear about your experience in the Comments section.)
Playback Software
Once you have begun to build your hi-res audio library, how do you play the files in a way that maintains their high bit and sample rate? I chose to download the VLC media player to my Mac (it's free) because it's capable of 24/96 and 24/192 native hi-res output. The VLC player can be downloaded here.
Once you have begun to build your hi-res audio library, how do you play the files in a way that maintains their high bit and sample rate? I chose to download the VLC media player to my Mac (it's free) because it's capable of 24/96 and 24/192 native hi-res output. The VLC player can be downloaded here.
As an alternative to VLC, you might consider the VOX Music player, which is also free and can be downloaded here.
Why not just use iTunes? The iTunes Store only sells music in the compressed AAC format, and the iTunes player doesn't support the most widely sold lossless format: FLAC. Some hi-res file formats like AIFF may be played by iTunes but will not be at their native hi-res rates. Beware: If you convert a 24/96 FLAC file to ALAC, for example, you will not get the original file's full resolution.
Connections
There are three ways to get hi-res audio out of your Mac: 1) through an optical Toslink cable connected to the headphone output; 2) through a USB cable; and 3) through a standard stereo eighth-inch mini-jack connected to the headphone out--which will use the Mac's excellent internal DAC that supports up to 24-bit/192-kHz.
There are three ways to get hi-res audio out of your Mac: 1) through an optical Toslink cable connected to the headphone output; 2) through a USB cable; and 3) through a standard stereo eighth-inch mini-jack connected to the headphone out--which will use the Mac's excellent internal DAC that supports up to 24-bit/192-kHz.
I suppose you could also count Bluetooth as the fourth way, but I'm not convinced that, even with A2DP negotiating between the transmitter and receiver the best CODEC available, you aren't losing audible quality in the wireless transmission.
Any of the above three connections ensures output of your audio files at the full resolution. Options one and two are still in the digital domain, so you will need to convert the signal to analog before sending it along its path that ultimately leads to your analog ears. The HTR archive is full of reviews that will steer you to a great digital-to-analog converter (DAC) at any price point. Just remember to make certain that the DAC supports the highest quality files in your catalog.
The next component in line is either your preamp or integrated amp. My setup includes a tube preamp that has both a headphone output and individual right and left line-level RCA outputs, which then feed either my tube or solid-state amplifier (I have one of each). Either amp then leads to my loudspeakers. If I'm listening through headphones, they are fed directly from my preamp.
My Results
I am enjoying incredible results using my Mac as a hi-res server. When comparing hi-res FLAC files via VLC to music coming from my iTunes library at 16/44.1, the difference is truly amazing in terms of imaging, dynamic range, extended high and low frequencies, clear and detailed mids, and the all-important warmth, air, and intimacy. When listening to the same song, switching only the file resolution, the iTunes files sounded flat and one-dimensional. Don't believe me? I recently read an excellent open-access paper on our ability to hear differences with high-resolution audio that can be found here.
I am enjoying incredible results using my Mac as a hi-res server. When comparing hi-res FLAC files via VLC to music coming from my iTunes library at 16/44.1, the difference is truly amazing in terms of imaging, dynamic range, extended high and low frequencies, clear and detailed mids, and the all-important warmth, air, and intimacy. When listening to the same song, switching only the file resolution, the iTunes files sounded flat and one-dimensional. Don't believe me? I recently read an excellent open-access paper on our ability to hear differences with high-resolution audio that can be found here.
You Can Take It With You
Want to enjoy your higher-quality audio on the go? That's become a lot easier, too--thank to players like Astell & Kern's AK240, Sony's NW-ZX2, Onkyo's DP-X1, Questyle's QP1R, and HiFiMAN's HM802s and HM901s. Do these players offer an improvement over a basic standard-res player? Yes, but remember that your environment and choice of headphones will impact your ability to hear all the differences.
Want to enjoy your higher-quality audio on the go? That's become a lot easier, too--thank to players like Astell & Kern's AK240, Sony's NW-ZX2, Onkyo's DP-X1, Questyle's QP1R, and HiFiMAN's HM802s and HM901s. Do these players offer an improvement over a basic standard-res player? Yes, but remember that your environment and choice of headphones will impact your ability to hear all the differences.
Final Thoughts
Of course, there are a lot of excellent hi-res digital audio players on the market that would make a great addition to your gear rack, if you prefer a dedicated component. But if you're looking for high quality on a budget and you already own a Mac, then why not work with what you already have right in front of you? My results were outstanding.
Of course, there are a lot of excellent hi-res digital audio players on the market that would make a great addition to your gear rack, if you prefer a dedicated component. But if you're looking for high quality on a budget and you already own a Mac, then why not work with what you already have right in front of you? My results were outstanding.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the importance of how the music came to exist in the first place. The composition, the quality of the musicianship, the groove (or the tempo in classical pieces), the production, the mix, and the mastering process ... all of these have great impact and ultimately contribute to what resonates with you. I've heard amazing music that was recorded in the 50s and really poor-sounding music that was recorded mere months ago ... so technology is one thing, passion another.
Max For Mac Flac Files
Additional Resources
� Chasing the Holy Grail of Audio at HomeTheaterReview.com.
� Examining My Love/Hate Relationship with Video Discs at HomeTheaterReview.com.
� What's the Ideal Speaker Driver Configuration? at HometheaterReview.com.
� Chasing the Holy Grail of Audio at HomeTheaterReview.com.
� Examining My Love/Hate Relationship with Video Discs at HomeTheaterReview.com.
� What's the Ideal Speaker Driver Configuration? at HometheaterReview.com.