.flac Question

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I downloaded an Explosions In The Sky concert in .flac format, and I am in the process of downloading another one right now. I've read up on lossless recording and such, but I'm not sure if it would be better for me to find some lossy concerts. These take a while to download, and they are pretty big files. Is there any risk downloading these (besides the source, which I trust - the band has linked to them) that I will blow up my hard drive? Everything seemed to work with the first concert, it imported onto my iPod fine, but I'm worried this will take up a lot of space.

Thanks,
Freak

Edit - Okay, the first one read as an MPEG audio file on iTunes, but I can't import the most recent concert download to iTunes. 

Edited by Freak - December 09 2006 at 12:29

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Freak Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: July 12 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 304	Topic: .flac Question Posted: December 09 2006 at 12:21
	I downloaded an Explosions In The Sky concert in .flac format, and I am in the process of downloading another one right now. I've read up on lossless recording and such, but I'm not sure if it would be better for me to find some lossy concerts. These take a while to download, and they are pretty big files. Is there any risk downloading these (besides the source, which I trust - the band has linked to them) that I will blow up my hard drive? Everything seemed to work with the first concert, it imported onto my iPod fine, but I'm worried this will take up a lot of space. Thanks, Freak Edit - Okay, the first one read as an MPEG audio file on iTunes, but I can't import the most recent concert download to iTunes. Edited by Freak - December 09 2006 at 12:29


chopper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 19943	Posted: December 09 2006 at 13:04
	You can't blow up a hard drive by downloading a large file onto it. If it's too big, it won't fit, simple as that.

Philéas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 14 2006 Status: Offline Points: 6419	Posted: December 09 2006 at 13:52
	Personally, I try to find as much as I can in lossless formats. The difference between lossless and lossy is noticeable (in most cases, depending on the source and the format, audio ripped to lossy formats can sound very good aswell) and can reduce the enjoyment of a certain album. For example, I didn't realise the true greatness of KC's Red until I bought it on vinyl, my mp3 copy sounded very plain and boring in comparison (I later downloaded a copy of Red in FLAC to see if it sounded better, and it was almost on par with the original vinyl). If you don't want to use lossless formats because of the large filesize (which I admit is a pretty big disadvantage), I recommend the Musepack (.mpc, .mpp or .mp+) format. High bitrate (192-320 kbps) mp3 is usually good aswell.

rileydog22 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 24 2005 Location: New Jersey Status: Offline Points: 8844	Posted: December 10 2006 at 01:48
	Use software (I use MediaCoder) to convert the files to iPod-friendly, space-efficient mp3's, then delete the original flac's. The bitrate you use is up to you; 128 is fine for me, but some people think 192 sounds bad. Experiment and see what you like.