Community Newsletter: Q&A: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection
- 1/18/08 4:08 PM
Audoigrabber Question
by angelvoice1 - 1/23/08 3:02 AM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi, All! 
I juse AG and I LOVE it!! But I need help and hope someone knows the answer...
I have a few CDs I've grabbed that have cd markers (tiny splits) in the audio after they are grabbed. I want to link these tracks together from the beginning of each song to the end, but cannot figure out a way to do this. There are spaces between each song, as expected, which is OK, but I don't want these millisecond spaces (more like a "hiccup") in the middle of each track. The CDs are not defective - they are rehearsal markers for choirs to practice with.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
- AV 0:-)
C-Dex
by davolente - 1/23/08 4:41 AM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
David - December 29, 2007 @ 3:02 pm
I`ve just done a rip of approx. 300 compilation CD`s myself and it`s a soul-destroying job if you try and immerse yourself into that to the exclusion of all other things. I used CDex
http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/
and with my comparatively lowly specified machine, it takes approx. 30 seconds per track, ripping to 128 kbps, although I feel that I could have used a higher rate, to advantage, as I can just hear the subtle difference (I am 58!) between that and higher rates. To save the mind from becoming too numb, I just did a few every evening, and I got there in the end!
CDex also has access to the CDDB database, which, theoretically saves a lot of typing, but, with compilations, where identical tracks may be duplicated on several discs, it`s none too brilliant, because of the somewhat “creative” way the database has been compiled I ended up with several entries for the same track and had to manually weed out the superfluous entries. There is no consistency, probably because (I have since found out) there is an awful lot of input from the public. Differences abound in the way the data is presented from different discs. Errors are: blatant spelling mistakes, e.g. Gerry (Jerry) and (&) the Pacemakers (Peacemakers - and worse!), upper case, lower case, artist and title reversals, separated by a dash or slash, “creative spelling”. i.e. words ending in “ing” spelt “in`” (Very American, that!), “&” or “and”, odd gaps, first letters not capitalised, first name/last name reversals, odd apostrophes thrown in, or not where they should be - the list just goes on and on! It`s taken me months of scrutiny and, even now, sometimes an error just hits me between the eyes where I haven`t noticed it before. Probably works OK for single-artist albums, but compilations are not the strong point!
Unfortunately, there is no quick way of ripping. It`s not as if you can go away and leave the PC to its own devices. Discs still have to be changed! Who`s going to invent a dedicated CD ripper auto-changer for the PC, like the old radiogram or record-player vinyl days? Mind you, where would it go? Have to be a free-standing unit.
EAC
by bsateeshbsnl - 1/23/08 4:43 AM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using Exact Audio Copy (EAC). Yes it has a lot of features, and therefore a lot of settings to setup, initially. However, once set up . . .
I use it with both Monkey Audio (APE) for lossless and LAME 3.97 for good Lossy MP3. Some folks prefer Ogg Vorbis for a good lossless format.
Why a lossless format as well as Mp3?
After ripping, WAV files take up a lot of space.
And if any loss or corruption, or hard disk failure occurs, you would have to repeat the whole process.
So it's best to store all of your work, and keep a back-up. I know - I had to do it once. So I keep the lossless Monkey Audio (APE) format on my hard drive and also on a second, external hard drive.
The lossless format such s Monkey Audio or Ogg Vorbis saves space over WAV files while retaining all of the original encoding information.
On the larger, external, hard drive, I also keep a copy of the MP3 format.
Using EAC, You can RIP and compress with EAC at the same time. I have the Monkey Audio DLL in the EAC directory structure. I rip off of the CD with EAC into APE, saving the WAV file (temporarily). Then I use Monkey Audio with LAME codec in it's directory structure to create the MP3.
I also have LAME in EAC, so, I can aso rip directly to mp3 for CD's that I may not be interested in storing.
With EAC you can have several profiles. I have three. One with APE for lossless. And two with LAME: One profile at a highr quality (VBR) ~ 192 - 224 kbs for my music, and another at a lower quality for my wife likes Audio books.
I also mentioned that I save the WAV file while compressing to lossless format. (EAC also gives you the option of deleting the WAV file upon completion.) Then I use a burning program to create a back-up CD for use in my car, that way I can file the original CD away and keep it in pristine condition.
I also have a Light-Scribe enabled CD/DVD drive. That way I can quickly (using Draft mode) label the copied CDs with the Auuthor and Title. Light-Scribe CD's are a tad more expensive than regular writeables. But looks much nicer than a Sharpie marker, and a lot more efficient than labels.
I haven't used or looked at AudioGrabber. So I can't comment on it's ripping quality vs. EAC. However, with over 1,000 CD's, it might be worth looking into a ripping service as an earlier poster suggested. Then set up the software for ripp[ing on your computer for future work. Much easier to rip a few CDs at a time, as you purchase them.
Media Monkey
by davolente - 1/23/08 4:58 AM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Forgot to add to previous post.
If you need a free media manager, there`s none better (in my opinion) than Media Monkey. www.mediamonkey.com
This is supposed to be feature-limited in the free version but it`s a cracker as it stands. An excellent program. I`ve been using it for a long time and I would say it`s outstanding. It works at lightning speed, especially the search facility. I find it especially useful as I`m involved with the public address system at a charity classic car show every year here in the UK. (blatant plug here: www.darlingbudsclassiccarshow.co.uk) and I have a large collection of nostalgic sound clips (old ads; themes, etc) that I play out from a laptop to add to the atmosphere. I have found that I can also drag and drop the tracks from Media Monkey into the DJ program I use (which surprised me, as I thought it was purely an index) which is really useful. I don`t touch the original audio folder at all, as Media Monkey makes Windows Explorer`s handling of it seem positively pedestrian. The developer is also very quick to answer queries. An all-round goodie.
MediaMonkey
by barrie85 - 1/23/08 1:59 PM In reply to: Media Monkey by davolenteHi everyone;
I used EAC to rip my collection which I was very pleased with; 192 VBR was just fine and once on the PC my whole collection was available to play through the Hi-Fi with just a couple of clicks.
To manage my music MediaMonkey 3 is proving to be a fantastic choice; the previous versions I found to be flawed in a number of areas but these have all been addressed. It really is a Rolls Royce of a program and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I like AAC as a format (though I ripped my collection in MP3) but I found iTunes to be a real pig of a program which was the devil itself to uninstall. Real Player is very capable but not as good as MM.
WMP I have found to be unnecessarily complex while being hamstrung by it's kow towing to DRM.
After using Winamp for many years I do think that MM is everything anyone could want for a fully featured digital music manager
Ripping large CD collection with no loss of quality.
by johncarini - 1/23/08 4:17 PM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I too have a very large CD collection, (several thousand), and have been working my way through ripping them with itunes, and apple's lossless encoder, because it claims to be "lossless". Storage space is not an issue because I am setting up a whole house network with a 1-terabyte HD. I will only be ripping about 2/3 of the CD's that I actually listen to, and also will be deleting tracks that I don't care for. So I did a rough calculation of 700MB per FULL CD, then figuring that most are about half full and that works out to about 1400 CD's that will fit FULLY, (and realistically probably more).
MY PROBLEM IS THAT IF SPACE IS NO ISSUE, HOW DO I GET A TRULY LOSSLESS FORMAT?? I didn't spend a fortune on my A/V system, including multiple 400 disc changers, 7.1 surround DVD-Audio and SACD to listen to most of my CD's at FM radio qiality. (Note: I am not going to try and rip DVD-Audio or SACD discs, the surround sound would definintely be lost).
I now hear that Apple Lossless ISN'T lossless. Can I use WAVE files, and if so, what program would I use to play them back. Not only is space not a problem, neither is portability. I will make different arrangements for the tracks on my ipod.
Any ideas? Thanks. John
Experienced Cd Ripper
by eviltodd - 1/24/08 7:56 PM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I put my collection, over 2000 cd's, on my computer last year. I found that Musicmatch was the best program to use. It was quick, had a lot of control, and the album information community library is massive (I only had to manually type in information for about 20 albums out of 2000). The Musicmatch tag editor works really well too.
For album art, I don't recall the exact name of the program. It was something like Album Art Downloader or Album Cover Art Downloader.
I don't suggest using Musicmatch or Windows to playback a library that large. Some programs have trouble with excessive libraries. I used to use Winamp but have now switched to Media Monkey, it works flawlessly and has some nice options.
Good Luck
MusicMatch limitations
by Craig Kirkwood - 1/24/08 9:03 PM In reply to: Experienced Cd Ripper by eviltoddWhich version of MM are you using? I have about four versions on-hand, and from the previous posts I could not clearly pickout which works/does not work with XP SP2 +/- IE7. I remain on XP and have about 1000 CDs to tackle, too. Thanks.
MusicMatch version
by ikofig - 1/26/08 10:53 PM In reply to: MusicMatch limitations by Craig KirkwoodI use version 8.20.0130 and it works fine on my HP notebook running XP Home SP2.
Illegal
by audiowize - 1/25/08 9:06 AM In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Technically, according to the RIAA, ripping songs onto your HD is illegal.
Check this link:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2006/02/riaa-says-ripping-cds-your-ipod-not-fair-use
Legalites
by rbsjrx - 1/25/08 9:07 AM In reply to: Illegal by audiowizeThat particular bit of grandstanding preposterousness could be the straw that breaks the camel's back in the courts and the legislatures. I'll be interested to see how it plays out. Too many people sat out the debate when DVDs were involved, but it the RIAA tries to push this for audio recordings, they'll have a full-scale revolt on their hands.
RIAA Policy direct from their website
by nealmiller1 - 1/30/08 12:12 PM In reply to: Illegal by audiowizeI didn't believe that the industry would go after what most would consider legitimate customers who don't open any files up to public sharing, so here's their policy from the RIAA website as of 1/30/2008:
---------------------------------------------------
http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php?content_selector=piracy_online_the_law
When It Comes to Copying Music, What’s Okay … And What’s Not:
Technology has made digital copying easier than ever. But just because advances in technology make it possible to copy music doesn’t mean it’s legal to do so. Here are tips from some record labels on how to enjoy the music while respecting rights of others in the digital world. Stick with these, and you’ll be doing right by the people who created the music.
Internet Copying
It’s okay to download music from sites authorized by the owners of the copyrighted music, whether or not such sites charge a fee. For a list of some authorized sites, click here.
It’s never okay to download unauthorized music from pirate sites (web or FTP) or peer-to-peer systems. Examples of peer-to-peer systems making unauthorized music available for download include: Kazaa, Grokster, WinMX, LimeWire, Bearshare, Aimster, Morpheus, and Gnutella.
It’s never okay to make unauthorized copies of music available to others (that is, uploading music) on peer-to-peer systems.
Copying CDs
It’s okay to copy music onto an analog cassette, but not for commercial purposes.
It’s also okay to copy music onto special Audio CD-R’s, mini-discs, and digital tapes (because royalties have been paid on them) – but, again, not for commercial purposes.
Beyond that, there’s no legal "right" to copy the copyrighted music on a CD onto a CD-R. However, burning a copy of CD onto a CD-R, or transferring a copy onto your computer hard drive or your portable music player, won’t usually raise concerns so long as:
The copy is made from an authorized original CD that you legitimately own
The copy is just for your personal use. It’s not a personal use – in fact, it’s illegal – to give away the copy or lend it to others for copying.
The owners of copyrighted music have the right to use protection technology to allow or prevent copying.
Remember, it’s never okay to sell or make commercial use of a copy that you make.
---------------------------------------------------
Thanks Lee and everyone who submitted their answer
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 1/25/08 9:35 AM
In reply to: Advice needed for ripping a huge music CD collection by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
subj: Thank the editors
name: Dan M********
comments: Thanks Lee and everyone who submitted their answer to my Question of the Week.
(Ripping a huge collection of music CDs)
As I expected when I posed the question, the answers were varied and mostly personal preferences. I have read many of the responses and plan on reading many more before tackling this project. I have come to the same conclusion that Lee mentioned in his own response. That only through my own testing of the many available programs and each ones vaiable settings will I find what I am looking for, because what works and sounds good to me may not to someone else. At least the suggestions submitted gives me a good place to start. After I finally settle on 1, 2, or 3 programs I will share my findings with you and the community. Now I need to make the time to do this, and that could be the biggest challenge of all! Of course that was the reason I submitted my question in the first place. Hoping there was an easy way out of this time consuming undertaking. Although I did like the suggestion of taking it off of my plate and pay a service to do it for me, I'd rather not spend the money if I can do it myself.
Thanks Again to Everyone!
Sincerely,
Dan M.
Summary of 19 pages of how to digitize rip CDs
by spinella - 1/26/08 1:02 AM In reply to: Thanks Lee and everyone who submitted their answer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
1) you can most easily rip CDs using itunes, Windows Media Player, and Real Player, since you probably already have and use one or more of these to play your music. Most mentioned alternative players that also rip: MediaMonkey, WinAmp
2a) Settings you must choose determine the format and quality of your output files. The most common choice is 128K mp3 which works on almost any digital player. For higher quality mp3's use 256K (available even in WinMediaPlayer) or, if you have access to it, 192K variable bit rate. A not yet as widespread alternative to mp3 is mp4, or a version of it from apple "aac".
2b) But for no loss of detail at all use a lossless setting, the most commonly recommended of which is "flac". For size comparison: 1411=wav/11, 700=flac/5, 256/2, 192/1.5, 128/1. Some people say size doesn't matter because storage is becoming so cheap. Some say that you don't want to go to the work of digitizing your cd's more than once, so you should use a lossless setting. Most people use option 2a.
3) EAC www.exactaudiocopy.de is the most widely recommended tool (and it's free) by those who "want more." There are various (similar) guides for how to set it up, including http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/mydeneaclame.cfm by Chris Myden.
Honorable mentions for ripping: audiograbber, dbPowerAmp
4) Helpful utilities that people recommend include a) mp3gain (to standardize average volume without damaging sound) and b) mp3tag (to edit file tags and rename digital files/tracks using these tags for all the common formats as well as import tag information from online databases).
update to link for EAC: Exact Audio Copy instructions
by spinella - 1/27/08 4:43 AM In reply to: Summary of 19 pages of how to digitize rip CDs by spinellahttp://jiggafellz.isa-geek.net/eac/ may be helpful. The Chris Myden link was out of date--my bad. The .cfg files he provides are not compatible with the current version of eac.
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