FLAC Playing Guide

Many people are unfamiliar with FLAC files, probably just because they never heard of it! Using flac is very easy tough, this guide is created to show you how to play FLAC files in a few steps! Because everyone plays their audio in their own way, I included several methods to get you set up. You do not need them all offcourse! Just chose the method that fits you best.

Contents

1. Introduction to FLAC

So what is FLAC anyway? First of all, FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. This means flac is just an audio format, like the populair format MP3. There is an huge diffrence between the two tough. Mp3 is called a "lossy audio format", while flac is a "lossless audio format". Simpely said: Mp3 cuts back on the audio quality, while flac does not. The main disadvantage over lossless audio is obviously the filesize. flac can only cut the filesize back to roughly of 60% of the original file (based on wav or cdimages as input). However, if you want to get the best out of your audio, lossless is the way to go! (Thats also why Sakura choses to release lossless!)

2.0 Playing FLAC

Below I will describe five ways that enable you to play your flac files on your computer.
It is also possible to burn your flac files on CD and listen to them in a CDPlayer, I will describe that further below.
If you don't have an audio player, I recommend you follow way one, because its easy to set up and foobar2000 is my player of choice.
If you would like ot use your own audio player, and it supports DirectShow (like Windows Media Player) i recommend you follow way two.
Both ways are easy and fast to set up.

1. Using foobar2000 (When you don't have foobar2000 yet)
2. Using CoreFLAC DirectShow decoder
3. Using a plugin for foobar2000 (You allready have foobar2000)
4. Using a plugin for Winamp (You allready have Winamp)
5. Using FLAC frontend to decode your files to .wav (wave)

2.1.1 Using Foobar2000

There allready is a version of foobar2000 available that plays flac, so setting it up is simple!

1. Download Foobar2000 Special (Click here to download v.0.8.3)
2. Install Foobar2000
3. Open, play and enjoy flac files

What, thats it? Yes, it's that simple :)

2.1.2 Using CoreFLAC Decoder

CoreFLAC is a DirectShow-decoder for flac files, the main advantage of this is once installed, you can play flac files in many audio players (like Windows Media Player).
Installing it is also very simple!

1. Download the CoreFLAC Decoder (Click here to download v0.4)
2. Run the installer
3. Open, play and enjoy flac files in your favorite audioplayer.

NOTE: Newer Matroska packs also come with support for playing flac, alternatively you can download Matroska pack instead of the CoreFLAC Decoder alone.
(Click here to download Matroska Pack Full v1.1.2, which has CoreFLAC included)

2.1.3 Using a plugin for Foobar2000

If you allready have Foobar 2000 installed, but yours doesn't play flac files, you can download the decoder DLL seperately.

1. Download the Foobar2000 FLAC Plugin (Click here to download)
2. Locate your Foobar2000 "components" folder (most likely "C:\Program Files\foobar2000\components").
3. Unzip the file "foo_flac.dll" in the components folder
4. Restart foobar2000
5. Open, play and enjoy flac files

2.1.4 Using a plugin for Winamp

Winamp doesn't play flac files by default, but it's easy to make it do so.
If you do not allready have Winamp, click here to download my recommended version (5.07).

1. Download the Winamp FLAC PLugin (Click here to download)
2. Locate your Winamp "Plugins" folder (most likely "C:\Program Files\Winamp\Plugins").
3. Unrar the file "in_flac.dll" in the Plugins foler.
4. Restart Winamp
5. Open, play and enjoy flac files

Playing FLAC in Winamp is easy.

2.1.5 Using FLAC Frontend to decode flacs

A way of playing your flac audio files on your system is just by decoding them to WAV.
The advantage of this is that many programs can handle wave files, so you can use this to play it in many hardware and software, or burn it to CD.
The obvious disadvantage of this is that you will end up with a file much bigger in size.

FlAC frontend is a simple GUI for encoding and decoding FLAC

1. Download and install FLAC Fronted. (Click here to download v1.1.2)
2. In FLAC Frontend, click "Add Files" and search for the flac files you want to decode.
3. Click "Decode".
4. Find the decoded .wav files in the same folder as your flac files.

2.2.1 Burning an audio CD and playing from a CDPlayer

A good reason to use flac is because you want to burn them on CD. On an audio CD, you can only burn a limited time of audio (eg. 70 minutes). However, this does not depend on the filesize! This means that that you can burn the same time of audio on a CD, no matter if you use mp3, flac or anything else source. But mp3 was a lossy audio format! meaning that the quality of your burned CD is much lower than if you would have burned it with flac. It is basically impossible to tell the diffrence between a CD burned with flac as source and the original CD (Thats also the reason many people keep their CD collection backed up as flac files).

1. Decoding to .wav and burn
2. Make Nero regonize FLAC files with the FLAC Plugin
3. Use your Audio player to burn.

2.2.2 Decoding to .wav and burn

This is the easiest way of burning your files to CD, since every CDBurning software that can burn AudioCDs regonizes wave files.

1. Download and install FLAC Fronted. (Click here to download v1.1.2)
2. In FLAC Frontend, click "Add Files" and search for the flac files you want to decode.
3. Click "Decode".
4. Find the decoded .wav files in the same folder as your flac files.
5. Burn them on CD with your favorite burning sofware

2.2.3 Using a Nero Burning ROM Plugin

You can make Nero Burning ROM regonize your flac files as audio files, all you have to do after installing the plugin is dragging your flac files to your AudioCD in Nero.

3. Restart Nero, it should now regonize flac files

2.2.4 Use your Audio player to burn

Every player that can decode flac and has burning features can burn them on CD.
You can use Foobar2000 for example. There are a lot of players who can burn CDs, and for many of them who don't play flac by default plugins have been made.
I can not explain everything here for every audio player, refer to the help of your player for this and do some Googleing :P

3. Error Checking FLAC Files

Another advantage of flac files is that it has a built in CRC to check if your files went corrupt.
A simple tool called FLAC Tester is available to check your files for errors.

1. Download FLAC Tester (Click here to download FLAC Tester 1.3)
2. Add the files or folder you want to check.
3. Click start to check your files

4. Usefull links

If you want to know more about FLAC or the programs I used in this guide, these links might be helpfull to you.

The FLAC Homepage
The CoreFLAC project page
Foobar2000 Homepage
Winamp Homepage
Bitburners Nero Audio Plugins
FLAC Tester homepage
Hydrogenaudio (Audio discussion forums)

5. About this guide

I made this guide because i noticed some people have no clue what a FLAC file is or how to use it (Quote: "My WinRAR can't decompress it!").
It's basically written for people that have flac files but can't play them, I try to offer various way to bring a solution.
I hope so much options didn't confuse you to much :)
You are free to link to this guide, or quote parts from it (Some credit is appreciated).
Comments or anything else to help improve this guide is appreciated. Please notify me about outdated program version if you see them!

Author: Buba
Email: sakurastorm@gmail.com
IRC: #Sakura @ Rizon
Made for: http://sakura.yosh-digital.com/
Last Modification Date: 5-10-2008 (fixes, ads ;x)

©2008 Sakura. All rights Reserved.