Technology Metro

Working with flac files can be a frustrating and even confusing thing for people, especially ones that are not necessarily computer savvy nor good with computers. Yet surprisingly, ripping flac files for a windows systems is not only simpler than it may sound, but this is something that you and anyone else can do if they have the “know how”. You can rip flac files in only a few short and easy steps that will not take you long at all if you have the information to get this simple task done.

What are flac files anyway? These are Free Lossless Audio Codec files, and are much like the popular MP3 files which millions of people know more than enough about, except that flac files do not loose their sound quality. With a FLAC file, you can also play them on a CD player or in a car as well - which is one reason why so many people are catching on to this alternative to MP3, which can give anyone the flexibility to use these files as they need to.

Here are the steps that you can use to rip flac files (Windows OS):

• Install FLAC Codec to your PC. You can download FLAC Codec here
• Find the program that you want to use in order to rip the files. (WinAmp Full Version or EAC works well)
• Since instructions will differ based on the ripping program that you plan on implementing, read the FLAC Documentation for exact details. Here, you will find the appropriate instructions for your chosen program. With the simple instructions, getting set up should be a breeze.

If you run into any trouble or problems, visit your ripping program’s “Help” page or desk area. There are also forums online that will offer support with tasks like ripping FLAC files.

Here is the 101 on FLAC files. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. FLAC is an audio format similar to MP3 but defers in one huge way, there is no loss in the quality of the audio file when compressed using FLAC, unlike MP3. The compression method FLAC uses is similar to how zip works but because FLAC is specifically designed for audio, it has much better compression than zip.

So, how do you play a FLAC file in a Windows OS? Well, if you want to use the native music player of Windows operating system, Windows Media Player, you will need to download and install a DirectShow filter. Download the madFLAC DirectShow decoder filter and your Windows Media Player (WMP) will play any FLAC files.

You can use other softwares like Winamp, MediaMonkey which will play FLAC files out of the box. If you want to encode FLAC files, download a FULL version of Winamp.

If you use dbPowerAMP Audio Player, you will need to install this FLAC Plugin.
If you use Media Center / Media Jukebox, you will need to install this FLAC Plugin.

Now you can play FLAC files in any of your favorite audio player. If you want to know How to Rip CD’s to FLAC, I will be writing a post on it soon.