Community Newsletter: Q&A: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection
- 1/18/08 4:08 PM
I used the Sony 200-disc changer for ripping all my CDs
by rniesen - 1/11/08 6:54 PM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I used the Sony VGP-XL1B2 Media Changer for ripping my entire collection of 1,500+ CDs. You can find some information about it here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ENU79C
I bought it from Amazom, but it's not available from them anymore. It allows you to load it up with 200 discs at a time. It goes out and finds all the album information such as artist, album name, album art, names of songs, etc. You can then kick it off to rip the CDs. It actually uses Windows Media Player (and your settings for ripping CDs in it) as the software for doing this, but you are actually running everything from within the Windows Media Center software. I ripped all my CDs as MP3s at 192 Kbps to insure compatibility on any MP3 player. I chose this bit rate because it seems to be a good compromise between file size and sound quality. It took a little less than a day to rip all 200 discs in the changer. It took me about 2 weeks to get my entire collection ripped.
I did this on a PC running Windows Media Center Edition 2005, and my understanding is that this device also runs on Windows Vista machines. It does not run on Windows XP or earlier operating systems. It hooks up to your PC via a Firewire port.
It worked really well for me since it would have taken me forever to get my entire CD collection ripped to MP3s otherwise if I'd had to do it one disk at a time. Once I got all my CDs ripped, I actually don't really have a lot of use for it now; however, it was well worth the investment just to get it done so quickly and easily. I really need to try to sell it.
I have 1,600+ CDs rippend now (around 20,000 songs), and it takes up about 121GB of space.
any more info on that Sony 200-disc changer?
by zarko - 1/18/08 8:45 PM In reply to: I used the Sony 200-disc changer for ripping all my CDs by rniesenIs that changer completely tied to Windows Media Player? As in there's not way you could use either AudioGrabber or at least the lame.dll encoder and it's command line version? Does it come with some command line util that would say allow moving to the next CD in say E: drive? On the ripping quality side, did you have an option to rip to VBR (MP3 of course) or were you limited to WMA's formats and just bare bones MP3?
CD Changers are Analog, not Digital
by Preymantas - 1/22/08 10:38 PM In reply to: I used the Sony 200-disc changer for ripping all my CDs by rniesenHi!
I couldn't help but see this and say to myself what? 
"I used the Sony VGP-XL1B2 Media Changer for ripping my entire collection of 1,500+ Cd's. You can find some information about it here:"
I have to laugh and please excuse me for doing that, but you remind me of my father-in-law. He doesn't understand that when he records off of his CD changer that he's getting an ANALOG signal that's been processed and transferred via wiring to his sound card.
This is a step backwards in the audio/video quality hierarchy. That's akin to recording a song back in the day using a phonograph and a microphone.
Cut out the destructive infrastructure and rip direct and purely digitally. I know it's easier to load up the box, but 1. how do you separate the tracks? Manually? And 2. why on earth would you want to degrade the audio even more? MP3 is already LOSSY and you are compounding the audio degradation even further by by going through an amplifier, other circuitry and wiring.
I know it is laborious feeding the CD or DVDROM player on your computer, but it's like the difference between cable and DirecTV or albums and Cd's!(running & ducking)
Cheers!
Prey
Reread my post
by rniesen - 1/25/08 10:50 PM In reply to: CD Changers are Analog, not Digital by PreymantasThis is not just an ordinary CD changer. Did you not see in my posting where I stated "It hooks up to your PC via a Firewire port." It's not just an ordinary stereo CD changer, but is made specifically for use with a PC running Windows Media Center Edition or Vista. It is not connected to the sound card. Everything is done digitally, and no you don't have to separate the tracks manually. It ties in with Windows Media Player and is basically just like using it to rip your CDs except it does it in batch mode. All the album information (artist, songs, album art, etc.) is automatically downloaded.
Make sure you have your facts straight before belittling someone.
Didn't read your post, sorry...
by Preymantas - 1/26/08 3:03 AM In reply to: Reread my post by rniesenHi rniesen!
My apologies, you're correct, I didn't see your post and was unaware that your changer was a new digital changer and it wasn't my intention to belittle. I assumed and you know what they say about that. Please forgive the mistake.
It sounds like a very nice piece of equipment and I'm thinking you might want to leverage it, get a business license and make it earn its keep.
Cheers!
Prey
CD Changers are Analog..................
by mountaineer - 1/26/08 7:14 AM In reply to: Reread my post by rniesenHi rneisen: Loved your reply. There are many incidents where an individual attempts to give the impression that he/she are qualified experts(?)on a subject: even go so faras toenforce their opinion(s) with funny(?) post-its. But the last laugh is or will be on them.
This appears to be just such a case. I suppose individuals meeting this description feel that their readers are fat, dumb and happy! The joke is really on them. Hope they realize it. Not all of the readers are stupid. Have a great day...........
Sony 300 CD Players
by mxthoma - 2/9/08 8:28 AM In reply to: I used the Sony 200-disc changer for ripping all my CDs by rniesenI have one of these monsters and hide it under a table in family room and run jacks to the Reciever... It's awesome for sticking the CD collection in when you want to hear all your favorites in their original CD form... No patience for records anymore...
high frequency notes - audible or not?
by logcabiny - 1/11/08 7:38 PM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I can't begin to answer your question in any global manner, but I can address one small aspect of it that is practical and easy. mp3 ripping cuts out all frequencies above 15KHz though most humans can hear up to 20KHz. iTunes AAC ripping cuts out all frequencies above 20KHz. Depending on your situation financially, I would suggest considering having your hearing tested for frequencies above 15KHz. If you can't hear above 15KHz then maybe mp3 is the way to save memory on the computer and get more songs per GB on your device.
Not Really...
by jaysound - 1/11/08 9:01 PM In reply to: high frequency notes - audible or not? by logcabinyActually, most people cannot hear audio much past 15k, and it is generally women who can. As we get older, our frequency response drops off and can be as low as 12k without seemingly apparent deafness.
LOUD Rock'nRoll, whether live or thru headphones such as from an iPod, can also damage your ears to the extent that you may lose some of your high-frequency response after multiple listenings. There's a whole generation of us that have probably damaged our hearing because "back-in-the-day", in the 1970s, if you went to a concert and it didn't make your ears "bleed", it wasn't loud enough! I can remember many concerts where my buddies and I couldn't carry on a conversation in the car, on the way home, because we couldn't hear each other. A "Deep Purple" concert comes to mind as being one of the loudest man-made events that I'd ever experienced.
The figure "20-20K" when referring to human frequency response is the "ideal" figure that we are theoretically capable of hearing, but the percentage of folks that can actually hear that range of frequencies is very small.
RIPPING CD'S
by BickRates - 1/18/08 6:25 PM In reply to: Not Really... by jaysoundIs it legal...As the music industry is getting so anal anymore these days, this would be my first question.
CD recordings
by angeljeanne - 1/18/08 7:45 PM In reply to: RIPPING CD'S by BickRatesI am assuming that these are bought and all were purchsed by you. Yes I know that taking songs for free or borrowing the songs is a no no however when you have a BIG stack of CD's yes I would love to load them into one are my self. So I am all ears. And thanks ahead of time for the information to this question. take care all,,Jeanne
Answer to Jeane
by stahu - 1/20/08 10:49 AM In reply to: CD recordings by angeljeanneJeane, they're not going to know if you do it for yourself! Where you get in trouble is downloading from P2P (pere to pere) internet sites. When you do that, they (the RIAA) can monitor you. I recently read an article in our newspaper, where they just contacted Central Michigan University about students in their dorm rooms downloading from P2P sites and forced the school to identify these students thru ISP I.D.'s. Then they sent these students letters accusing them of pirating music. They gave them the ultimatum! Each student has to pay the RIAA $3500 minimum (some higher depending on how many songs they had) OR they would prosecute! They could get jailtime or a much larger fine.
reply
by n1bgg - 1/19/08 6:52 AM In reply to: RIPPING CD'S by BickRatesit is legal to rip for yourself..not to share with others...
The Music Industry
by GregoryOrme - 1/19/08 8:38 AM In reply to: Is it truly legal? by BangX3The music industry, or what's left of it, doesn't make the laws. They just try to intimidate. The concept of making copies of paid-for media for personal use was established by real law years ago.
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