Digitising CD's - Codecs, formats and the software needed

What is your format of choice? (Multiple Choice)

  • Wav

    Votes: 38 10.0%
  • Flac

    Votes: 262 69.1%
  • Apple Lossless

    Votes: 63 16.6%
  • WMA Lossless

    Votes: 11 2.9%
  • MP3

    Votes: 109 28.8%
  • WMA

    Votes: 6 1.6%
  • AAC

    Votes: 17 4.5%
  • Ogg Vorbis

    Votes: 5 1.3%
  • Online Music Store Subscription or downloads

    Votes: 8 2.1%
  • Other format (post below!)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    379
can't answer that, not sure if I have a CD with hidden tracks. However, I must say that once you figure it out dbpoweramp is easy to use and very customisable. I have one CD that keeps coming up with inaccurate rips so it must be dirty or scratched. I haven't done any serious listening tests but I wonder how many of those inaccurate rips are actually discernible? It would be nice if it had a feature like the itunes match whereby it would download a good copy for you. Can't see any potential copyright issues as you have to have the CD in the first place to do the rip.
 
Apparently EAC can rip hidden tracks

EAC Ripping Guide

Sorry I didn't word that very well. I know EAC can rip hidden tracks but as you can see from the instructions its not exactly straight forward. I was hoping someone could tell me how dbpoweramp handles them. I was hoping it would be without any user input that delays the ripping process.
 

Thanks for that so it looks like it does do it automatically. I would have downloaded the trial version and tested it but I already used that quite some time ago! I really don't understand why bands have to release CDs with hidden tracks its pointless. Listening to the alt J CD the other day and it has a hidden track almost 4 minutes after the final track on the CD!
 
It's a marketing ploy - it gets the fans talking about it so free viral marketing
 
Can anyone recommend a duplicate music file finder?

What problem are you trying to solve, and what format files?
 
Mainly MP3. I have an old external HDD where I stored 100gb or so of MP3's years ago and thought I would try to sort them out and add them to my server but there are quite a few duplicate tracks that I would like to get rid of.
 
Are they duplicate on the HDD or duplicate between the HDD and server?
 
I've used dBPoweramp for a while now and I think it's great, but that's been on a Windows laptop.
Now I've got a MacBook Pro, apparantly I can't use it. So can anyone recommend a good CD Ripper for a Mac ?

Cheers
 
After much research, I bought a "Vortexbox Appliance" (a fanless PC specifically for ripping and sharing music on a home Wireless Network) and it is simplicity itself. This is as easy as it gets, if you don't want to bow down to iTunes. Simply insert the CD into the PC, let it do its stuff (ripping to flac format typically takes about 7-11 mins depending on content), and you're virtually there.

It is a 'headless' device, i.e. no keyboard or monitor - you login via another computer/tablet/smart phone's browser which is on the same wi-fi network. Can be bought off Amazon or eBay; or if you have a spare PC/are adept with building PCs/similar, the SW is free to download (didn't have the spare kit to do this, nor the experience in building PCs!). There is plenty of online info on the latter option.

Need to have mp3tag software (free download) to correct any tagging errors via my Macbook, (I have a fair few dance complication CDs that are on multiple disks, so this is essential to make sure that all the separate CDs that make an album are sorted correctly). Use the bliss software that comes with the VB appliance for cover art and checking file structure.

You then use the VB Appliance as a NAS that can be picked up by any DLNA kit, including the likes of high-end manufacturers like Linn and Naim.

Once all OK (i.e. cover art, tags), use the inbuilt "flac mirror" tool to make mp3 copies of the flac rips (which you can then use on your iDevice/similar, and the cover art is embedded, too) and then back-up to an external USB expansion drive.

I have also gone down the Logitech Squeezebox (SB) road, and have picked up a couple of SB radios (direct from Logitech in recent online sales) and a SB Touch (from eBay - yes I probably paid over the odds... ) to connect to my Denon AV receiver (using optical digital out), so use the included Logitech Media Server SW. (Sonos SW is also included, but haven't used this option). This SB stuff is fantastic kit: i know i have bought kit which is being discontinued - but based it on opinions on these forums and very many other online sources. I have to concur with them on what fantastic kit it is, and cannot understand why Logitech are moving away from this. It plays gapless too! :smashin:

Yes, there are cheaper roads (including following the above but making your own Vortexbox solution from free downloads, etc), and in my opinion you really do need to read the VB support forums to help with initial set-up - they have some excellent FAQ/'How to' guides - but once I bit the bullet, this was actually a lot simpler than I thought it would be.

Bottom line is that both my Panasonic Smart TV and older Denon s52 portable unit pick up the flac music files over the wi-fi, the SB radios work throughout the house (cover art, internet radio, et al - but they do seem more wi-fi placement sensitive), the SB Touch is an amazing piece of kit and i get mp3 copies also to use in my iDevices and in my car (via copies on a USB stick): once the initial set-up is done, this is as close to 'insert and play' as I have seen...

Apologies for the long post: but I took so long thinking and worrying about which path to follow, I cannot contain my excitement that It Just Works... I truly believe this is one of the simplest routes to ripping your CDs. Yes, you still have to do a bit of work via a laptop, etc, in the early set-up, but then it is child's play.
 
I've used dBPoweramp for a while now and I think it's great, but that's been on a Windows laptop.
Now I've got a MacBook Pro, apparantly I can't use it. So can anyone recommend a good CD Ripper for a Mac ?

Cheers

XLD gets a lot of mentions from what I can see: meant to be quote good on the tagging front also, according to feedback on other forums.
 
Lots of good info on this site.
One thing, don't understand why you should buy ripping software when
E.A.C is free.
Also, no mention of the war against FLAC by virtually everybody,
mainly because of the fact that there is no DRM.
But this is changing, slowly but surely.
My new phone, a Samsung Galaxy, plays FLAC, with a 32 gig
SD card I can fit a few files on it.
Also, there are codecs that allow windows media player to play FLAC.
also, the XMBC player is free and quite nice.
Finally, Pioneer has a nice new receiver with D amps and a flac decoder,
So once again the free market is pulling, kicking and screaming maybe,
but being moved, neverthless towards a way of bringing better sound
to the masses.
As to the differrence in sound, well, sometimes you don't realize quite what you are missing,
DD and DTS were hailed as a real advance, and they were, but given a choice, do you really think that they are as good as the new lossless
codecs?
lossy was something I put up with, but it shakes me to my audiophile
soul, a nessesary evil due to limits in the tech.
But in an age where my phone has a 1.5 gig dual core processor
and I stream HD vid off of the net, should we really have to put up with it?
Really?:cool:
 

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