I bought an album from Itunes on my office computer, burned it to CD, and now want to import it into my main library. Iused Apple lossless to avoid compressing the compression, but ended up with a BIG file size comparatively. What's the best way to do this, not overcompress, but maintain that initial burn's quality?? I'm sure this is a common question, but didn't know what the subject would be. Should this answer be a sticky?

What happens when you import it back to iTunes in your home (?) library? Do you see it getting compressed?

gk17, that's what I don't understand. If I have my import settings set to Itunes plus (AAC 256kbpsVBR), won't anything I import becompressed to that level? Does that include an Itunes plus download from the store, or is it recognized and treated without further compression? Help topics don't touch this one!
Don't want to compress the compression!

It's not really clear to me what you are doing....

The import settings you discuss are for ripping audio CDs.

If you just want to bring a compatible audio file into your home iTunes (like an mp3, acc, or apple lossless file) via the menu File > Add File/Folder to Library, it just adds the file to the library, it doesn't do any conversion/compression/etc.

When you say you burned the downloaded album to CD at your work computer, do you mean you burned an audio CD or a data CD (just a disc with the audio files)? If you are doing the latter, you would just put the songs files as downloaded from ITMS on a CD - you wouldn't need/want to convert to Apple Lossless prior to this. Maybe more detail about just what you are trying.....

1. Purchased album "The Church: Starfish" from Itunes at my office.
2. Burned CD of it to bring home as download unavailable on my home computer. (Is this possible?)
3. Took the CD burned at office and imported into my ITunes library at home

Isn't that CD a compressed 256kbps AAC type file? Maybe this is where I get lost, or is it a lossless burn that I just import normally?

Just use a USB memory stick to transfer the native file, no need to burn and rip.

OK makes sense. Question I need answered though is if the file I downloaded is AAC 256kbps, what is the burned CD? The same or is it convertedback or to another type? Guess this is my core question, this will help me understand "How Things Work"

Well, again, it depends what you mean by "burning a CD". Are you making an audio CD or a data CD (the data CD is just a portable form of disc storage - won't play in an audio player, just stores files).

If you are taking the 256kbs ACC file and burning an audio CD, it is using the 256kbs source and in some sense "converting" it to a full up PCM WAV CD format. However, this in no sense "improves" the audio quality - you cannot get anything 'better" than 256kbs from the source you have. If you then re-rip the audio CD back into a digital computer file, no matter what import settings you have, the quality can be no better (and may be worse) than your original source.

Isee what you're asking. I thought it obvious that seen as it was an "album" it would naturally be an audio CD, which is what i did. Based on it being an Audio CD that is essentially a 256kbps AAC source of info, what is the best seting to import it into a library?
To avoid this in future, how do I direct all purchases to be downloaded by my "primary" computer, regardless of where they are purchased? I have 3 authorized computers, but want all prurchaes to download to this one computer.

Not obvious - you can put a whole album (or many albums) on a data CD. In your situation, I would not burn an audio CD. Do like kornchild suggests - just copy the album worth of ACC files to a USB memory stick & take them home. If you have to use a CD (I'm not allowed USB memory sticks in my work environment - long stupid story), make a data CD & just import the files off of it into your home iTunes. This insures no loss of quality in the AAC->audio CD->AAC conversion.

If you are stuck at this point ripping the songs off the audio CD, I'd just set the import for 256kbs AAC (same as the source) and rip it. I think you may lose a little quality, but my 50+ ears wouldn't hear it.

In answer to your last question - I don't think it is possible to direct all purchases to go to one of your three computers. When you purchase from iTunes (or Amazon, etc. for that matter) the downloaded songs only go to the computer you are using to buy them. You'll have to transfer them yourself - and if you can use a USB memory stick, it's very easy & no burning/ripping required.

Thanks a bunch!! Never did understand difference between audio and data, thought it was differenttype of info, not different file type. I have some new Transcend sticks for my office backup to use. Will try that now. And your lilttle flow chart "AAC->audio CD->AAC conversion." said my scenario far more eloquently than my verbage!!! Thanks again. I now get it.

Worked great! Now I get it!!!