How to Get the Best Quality Audio for 

Your Music Collection

Over the years, I have tried to learn the best way to format the audio files in my collection - FLAC vs. WAV, MP3 vs. AAC, 256 vs. 320, 16b vs. 24b, etc. I have redone the files in my collection many times, and wish I would have known better, sooner.

This article aims to help get your music files in order, using the best quality possible while conserving disk space. It applies to files saved on your hard drive, not Spotify or other services.

The goal is to be able to play the best quality files through a phone or tablet, and a Bluetooth speaker or earbuds; I will also provide notes on other methods of playback.

This is not a quick process, as you will need to be familiar with each program before getting the conversion and transfer right. It is worth it if you value high-quality digital audio.

This is a Windows-centric article, but you can apply the same theory using Apple programs.

1. Apps you will need

Soulseek. This program will let you find FLAC files of many artists, including unreleased and bootleg recordings. It works better than batch torrents through torrent sites. http://www.slsknet.org/

iTunes. You will need this to convert FLAC files later. https://www.apple.com/itunes/

Foobar2000 + Encoder Pack. Download both of these to convert the FLAC files to the best quality AAC. https://www.foobar2000.org/

Musicbee (on your computer, Windows users only). Considered the Windows version of iTunes, this program will let you adjust the volume ceiling on your files, enabling all tracks to play back at a similar volume. https://getmusicbee.com/

Musicolet (on your phone, Windows users only). Considered the Android version of iTunes, this will let you sync Musicbee to your Android phone. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.krosbits.musicolet&hl=en_US

Download and install all these programs before going to the next step.

2. Soulseek

Set aside an hour to get familiar with using Soulseek. Try to place some files you are comfortable sharing for free (like live bootlegs) in the Soulseek folder. Users expect you will share in order to download.

Search for the music you want, and try to find a 16b/44.1kHz FLAC version of each file, unless you are looking for something that was only released as vinyl. In that case, look for 24b/96kHz, which is the standard for ripping vinyl files from a vinyl player.

FLAC offers lossless compression when ripping the file from the source, like a CD. This means the file will be the best quality digital version of the source material.

16b/44.1kHz is the industry standard for CDs, and many digital releases also use this ratio. Digital releases can be 24b/96kHz (also known as hi-res), but it will not make much difference when converting to AAC, so I recommend 16b/44.1kHz to save space. If space is not an issue and you believe 24b/96kHz will make a difference, use that ratio.

If you have a hi-fidelity/audiophile player, you can use the FLAC files instead of AAC.

3. Foobar2000

Load the FLAC files into Foobar2000. Highlight the files and right click, then Convert, then the ellipses (...) at the bottom of the list. Click Output Format on the right.

Select AAC (Apple) and click edit. Change the parameters to VBR Q 109 at 256kbps. Click Back, then Save, then name the setting as AAC 256 or something similar.

Apple AAC VBR at 256kbps is considered the standard for digital files. It preserves dynamics while also conserving space in the size of the file.

Convert all the files to the setting you just created.

4. Musicbee

Place the AAC files into the Musicbee folder. When you open Musicbee, it should load the files into the player. You can also use a scan for new files option in one of the tabs.

Set up Musicbee to have playlists of genres. Edit the tags in the files for each genre.

Highlight the new files, then click Tools, Analyze Volume. Uncheck the "on track basis" box, and set the replaygain values to -6dB. Then click Proceed.

This will set all the tracks to a similar volume, while preserving the volume differences within the context of an album. Otherwise, there will be a lot of volume variance during playback, especially among different genres like Rock and Classical.

Plug your phone into your computer. Enable the transfer files option using your phone.

Go to Edit, Preferences, Devices, select your device, then click Configure.

Check Synchronize Playlists, All Playlists option. For large batch transfers, I recommend adjusting the settings to do one genre at a time.

Click File, then synchronize to your phone. If the sync fails, try synchronizing again. Usually mine fails the first time and succeeds the second time.

5. Musicolet

In the Musicolet app, click the ellipses in the lower right corner. Find the Scan for new files option. It should load the files.

If you are playing with the options, leave enable gapless playback unchecked, and make sure to use the Musicolet's codec to decode the files when using Bluetooth. There is debate on whether this makes a difference, and it will depend on your smartphone.