| Author |
Message |
Magnusfarce
Guest
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 Posted:
Sat Dec 04, 2004 6:21 am Post subject:
Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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I have a large (~2500) CD collection and want to begin digitizing it so that
I can incorporate it into the new home theater system I'm getting soon. I
probably won't digitize more than 50 or 75 percent of my collection (like
everyone else, I've got some stuff wished I'd never bought). I plan to rip
to wav. files, and figure I can put my collection onto several large hard
drives and use that as my source. I will keep the original collection and
might still use the original disks for "fine" listening. Ripping these will
be a multi-year project, and that effort combined with the $20 to $30
thousand dollars I spent collecting means this isn't something I'll be
sharing to any extent.
At this point, my main questions are:
Does the ripping software matter much? (I've got current Nero, but will
something like EAC do a significantly better job? My discs are pretty much
in mint condition, so I don't know how much the error correction
capabilities of something like EAC would be worth.)
Should I be thinking of ripping albums as opposed to individual tracks?
Is there software available to catalog my collection? I don't know how to
organize it and name the files. Obviously, this is something I need to get
control of at the beginning.
I'm going to get an MP3 player and so will need to rip a small fraction of
my stuff into that format. Will I need to rip those tracks separately or
can I convert from wav. to mp3?
I don't expect you folks to teach me all this, but rather, would appreciate
some direction to sites or other sources where I can learn more. Thanks in
advance.
- Magnusfarce
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Arny Krueger
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Dec 04, 2004 6:21 am Post subject:
Re: Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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"Magnusfarce" <magnusfarce@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:nradneMpK6ptgizcRVn-hA@adelphia.com
| Quote: | At this point, my main questions are:
Does the ripping software matter much? (I've got current Nero, but
will something like EAC do a significantly better job? My discs are
pretty much in mint condition, so I don't know how much the error
correction capabilities of something like EAC would be worth.)
|
The thing about EAC is that not only is it excellent, it's free.
| Quote: | Should I be thinking of ripping albums as opposed to individual
tracks?
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Only if you have albums of live performances where the tracks run together.
| Quote: | Is there software available to catalog my collection?
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Umm, EAC and CDEX will catalog your collection
| Quote: | I don't know how to organize it and name the files.
|
They do it for you automatically, with extensive features for customization.
There is a facility CDDB where the software accesses a web-based database
that returns extensive text information about albums, genres, artists...
| Quote: | I'm going to get an MP3 player and so will need to rip a small
fraction of my stuff into that format. Will I need to rip those
tracks separately or can I convert from wav. to mp3?
|
Wav => MP3 encoders such as Lame are available for free. |
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Mark D. Zacharias
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:05 pm Post subject:
Re: Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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"Magnusfarce" <magnusfarce@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:nradneMpK6ptgizcRVn-hA@adelphia.com...
| Quote: |
At this point, my main questions are:
|
<snip>
| Quote: | Does the ripping software matter much?
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Not for WAV files. MP3's are another matter.
| Quote: | Should I be thinking of ripping albums as opposed to individual tracks?
|
Only if any player you might use, like Winamp, "hiccups" transitioning from
one track to the next. There is a plug-in or "patch" for this for Winamp.
(You haven't actually described your system for us, but I assume that
multiple hard drives means it's computer-based.)
| Quote: | I'm going to get an MP3 player and so will need to rip a small fraction of
my stuff into that format. Will I need to rip those tracks separately or
can I convert from wav. to mp3?
|
Either way. I like Audiograbber, which is free now, queries online CDDB for
track titles etc, generates playlists, and has a number of other features,
like timer recording. You can rip single tracks, combine only certain
tracks, rip directly to MP3 or WAV. And there's an active forum at their
website where gurus will answer your questions. Audiograbber uses the
well-regarded LAME encoder, but you must download that separately and place
the encoder within the Audiograbber directory.
http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/
Mark Z. |
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Dimitrios Tzortzakakis
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:22 am Post subject:
Re: Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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AFAIK, the largest hard drive is the hitachi 400 GB, enough for precisely
615 cds.Four are enough,beware though, hard drives and computers are not for
ever.The average life of a good system can sometimes reach seven years, with
the usual life-span being 5 years.Mine (hitachi deskstar 80 GB) costed 83
euro, including costs.Larger drives however are meant for rich and demanding
users, so they are outrageous expensive.
--
Tzortzakakis Dimitriïs
major in electrical engineering, freelance electrician
FH von Iraklion-Kreta, freiberuflicher Elektriker
dimtzort AT otenet DOT gr
Ï "Magnusfarce" <magnusfarce@adelphia.net> Ýãñáøå óôï ìÞíõìá
news:nradneMpK6ptgizcRVn-hA@adelphia.com...
| Quote: | I have a large (~2500) CD collection and want to begin digitizing it so
that
I can incorporate it into the new home theater system I'm getting soon. I
probably won't digitize more than 50 or 75 percent of my collection (like
everyone else, I've got some stuff wished I'd never bought). I plan to
rip
to wav. files, and figure I can put my collection onto several large hard
drives and use that as my source. I will keep the original collection and
might still use the original disks for "fine" listening. Ripping these
will
be a multi-year project, and that effort combined with the $20 to $30
thousand dollars I spent collecting means this isn't something I'll be
sharing to any extent.
At this point, my main questions are:
Does the ripping software matter much? (I've got current Nero, but will
something like EAC do a significantly better job? My discs are pretty
much
in mint condition, so I don't know how much the error correction
capabilities of something like EAC would be worth.)
Should I be thinking of ripping albums as opposed to individual tracks?
Is there software available to catalog my collection? I don't know how to
organize it and name the files. Obviously, this is something I need to
get
control of at the beginning.
I'm going to get an MP3 player and so will need to rip a small fraction of
my stuff into that format. Will I need to rip those tracks separately or
can I convert from wav. to mp3?
I don't expect you folks to teach me all this, but rather, would
appreciate
some direction to sites or other sources where I can learn more. Thanks
in
advance.
- Magnusfarce
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B. Peg
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:14 am Post subject:
Re: Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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I've been experimenting with most all rippers and have found something
interesting. Sometimes when the CD extraction to a WAV file is done (with
CDex and EAC), there is noticeable clipping as observed in SoundForge 7.0
and listening closely on some "good" phones (forget speakers here). If I
lower the volume to where it doesn't show clipping, then the new waveform
shows lower volume "flat-top" portions still in places as it is in the
original. Clipping (with audible distortion), although lower level, is
still there. Puzzling?
If a rip is done into a Mp3 file, the flat-topped clips remain and will be
noticeable as distortion. If the WAV file is poor, so will anything else
that comes from it. Add to that, if the WAV file is 100% volume, then the
new rip from that always seems to gain volume (with Lame v3.96) and
SoundForge will show the new rip clipped beyond belief. Even shows up in
Mp3Gain as being clipped and lowering Mp3Gain to around 93 will alleviate
the volume clips, but the distortion clip is still present.
Lowering the percentage of the WAV rip will also lower the peaks overall so
the flat-top's remain. It's almost like you need to draw in a smooth curve
with SoundForge's pencil tool to correct the primary WAV rip which can get
rather tedious.
Haven't got a hold onto as why this is happening but it may have something
to do with the original CD being extracted at 100% which might mean it was
originally mastered or digitally "expanded" to a point where the master is
clipped too.
I am really getting sick of drawing in waveforms. Anyone got an easier way
of smoothing out a clipping master's WAV?
B~ |
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Arny Krueger
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:06 pm Post subject:
Re: Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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"B. Peg" <bent_peg@att.nett> wrote in message
news:FqRsd.1039015$Gx4.847684@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net
| Quote: | I've been experimenting with most all rippers and have found something
interesting. Sometimes when the CD extraction to a WAV file is done
(with CDex and EAC), there is noticeable clipping as observed in
SoundForge 7.0 and listening closely on some "good" phones (forget
speakers here). If I lower the volume to where it doesn't show
clipping, then the new waveform shows lower volume "flat-top"
portions still in places as it is in the original. Clipping (with
audible distortion), although lower level, is still there. Puzzling?
|
Not puzzling at all. The origional digital source material the CD was
mastered with, was clipped.
| Quote: | If a rip is done into a Mp3 file, the flat-topped clips remain and
will be noticeable as distortion. If the WAV file is poor, so will
anything else that comes from it. Add to that, if the WAV file is
100% volume, then the new rip from that always seems to gain volume
(with Lame v3.96) and SoundForge will show the new rip clipped beyond
belief. Even shows up in Mp3Gain as being clipped and lowering
Mp3Gain to around 93 will alleviate the volume clips, but the
distortion clip is still present.
Lowering the percentage of the WAV rip will also lower the peaks
overall so the flat-top's remain. It's almost like you need to draw
in a smooth curve with SoundForge's pencil tool to correct the
primary WAV rip which can get rather tedious.
Haven't got a hold onto as why this is happening but it may have
something to do with the original CD being extracted at 100% which
might mean it was originally mastered or digitally "expanded" to a
point where the master is clipped too.
I am really getting sick of drawing in waveforms. Anyone got an
easier way of smoothing out a clipping master's WAV?
|
Adobe Audition has an unclipping feature that provides an automated means
for drawing in the clipped parts of waveforms. |
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The Open Sourceror's Appr
Guest
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 18, 2005 3:15 am Post subject:
Re: Audio Ripping 101 - Where Do I Begin ? |
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"Magnusfarce" <magnusfarce@adelphia.net> wrote in
news:nradneMpK6ptgizcRVn-hA@adelphia.com:
| Quote: | I have a large (~2500) CD collection and want to begin digitizing it ...
At this point, my main questions are:
Does the ripping software matter much?
|
AudioGrabber combined with LAME will make it a whole lot easier. Trust me,
I have both AudioGrammber and Nero's most expensive package.
| Quote: | Should I be thinking of ripping albums as opposed to individual tracks?
|
Definitely. Adn set AudioGrabber to create folders by artist name and album
name, and number the tracks 01, 02, etc.). You'll be glad you did later. I
have about 12,000 tracks ripped from my CD collection, but I can only find
about half of them quickly - the half I did this way.
| Quote: | Is there software available to catalog my collection? I don't know how
to organize it and name the files. Obviously, this is something I need
to get control of at the beginning.
|
Naming mentioned above. BlueVade Jukebox will create a searchable databse
for you, and give you an easy-to-use interface for playback, too.
| Quote: | I'm going to get an MP3 player and so will need to rip a small fraction
of my stuff into that format. Will I need to rip those tracks
separately or can I convert from wav. to mp3?
|
Honestly, rip to MP3 or Ogg to start with. WAV files are not audibly better
than 320 kbps MP3s for anyone over 30.
| Quote: | I don't expect you folks to teach me all this, but rather, would
appreciate some direction to sites or other sources where I can learn
more. Thanks in advance.
|
HTH
--
Tired of spam in your mailbox?
Come to http://www.spamblocked.com
Who is Brad Jesness? http://www.wilhelp.com/bj_faq/
To the spammers, my motto: FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC. |
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