Lossless / M4A manual setup

Set up CW-ALAC 1.0.1.0 in Exact Audio Copy.

Manual Apple Lossless setup with direct M4A metadata and EAC return-code checking.

Download & install Use the automatic installer

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Get CW-ALAC 1.0.1.0

Choose x64 for normal 64-bit Windows; x86 remains available for 32-bit systems.

64-bit Windows

x64 build

Recommended for normal modern Windows installations.

Download x64 ZIP

32-bit Windows

x86 build

Use this only when you need the 32-bit Windows build.

Download x86 ZIP

Step by step

Manual installation

The example uses EAC's conventional Encoders directory. Use your actual installation path if it differs.

Extract the download

Open the downloaded archive and locate the files for CW-ALAC.

Place the encoder in EAC's Encoders folder

Extract cw-alac.exe to EAC's Encoders folder. Keep libFLAC.dll beside it if you also use CW-ALAC with FLAC input outside EAC.

Example executable pathC:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Encoders\cw-alac.exe

Open EAC's external compression settings

Open EAC → Compression Options → External Compression. Enable the external program, select User Defined Encoder, set the extension to .m4a, and browse to cw-alac.exe.

Example configuration

What the CW-ALAC settings look like in EAC

This is a static example using the usual EAC installation path.

Compression options

Use external program for compression

Parameter passing scheme : Use file extension : Program, including path, used for compression

Additional command-line options : Bit rate :

Delete WAV after compression Use CRC check Add ID3 tag Check for external programs return code

High quality Low quality

Example path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Encoders\cw-alac.exe.

Enter the verified command line

--title "%title%" --artist "%artist%" --band "%albumartist%" --album "%albumtitle%" --genre "%genre%" --date "%year%" --track "%tracknr%/%numtracks%" -o %dest% %source%

CW-ALAC writes the M4A metadata directly. Add ID3 tag is disabled and EAC return-code checking is enabled.

Open the compact EAC reference →

Test one track

Verify that the M4A decodes losslessly and that the expected metadata is present.

Troubleshooting

Common CW-ALAC setup issues

EAC reports encoder failure

Make sure external-program return-code checking is enabled and that %dest% remains in the command line.

Tags are missing

Keep Add ID3 tag disabled; CW-ALAC writes M4A metadata itself.

Encoder path is rejected

Browse to the executable again from EAC instead of typing an assumed path. The example path may differ from your installation.

Prefer automatic installation?

The EAC Codecs installer places the selected components in the detected EAC encoder directory automatically.

Download EAC Codecs →

Continue through the manual library.

Set up another codec or return to the compact settings reference.

Browse manual codecs Open EAC guides