Ripping Guide

[Alex_UK]

Just wanted to thank John (Welder) for his great advice on this thread. Cheers matey - I've ignored a lot of it () but it has been very helpful to consider the options before embarking on it. Well, I say embarking on it - repeating it really - if only data storage had been as cheap when I went through the whole exercise 7 or 8 years ago I would have just ripped the lot to FLAC then... Still, I have decided to only re-do my top albums, so only 5-600...

[StanleyB]

For tagging WAV files, use Tag&Rename . The tags are recognised by all the multimedia playback programs that I use.
For the best ripping accuracy on my laptop I have found that enabling ReadyBoost on a SD card makes a noticeable difference.

[Welder]

Hi Alex.

I was surprised to see this again. I thought it long buried and forgotten.
I’m glad it was of some help despite doing it different the first time around
It’s hard to believe I have a CD collection of over 1200 now and music on file equivalent to almost 2000.
Prolly best if we don’t delve into the exact source but what else are music loving friends and the internet for

[Tim]

Prolly best if we don’t delve into the exact source but what else are music loving friends and the internet for

File based audio can tempt you, but I reckon the artists would have no issue with folk like us ...... I have bought more CD's in the last 6 months, than I have probably bought in the last 6 years, due to being able to hear them first and play them instantly at high quality.

I must admit when I read the first post I thought your collection was modest, not now though Nice of Alex to revive it, made for an interesting read.

[Welder]

Still a big problem for me Tim is I have an enormous amount of very high quality recordings on reel to reel tape and the only satisfactory way I’ve found of transferring them to file is with my mates metric halo and its such a slow process.

I must admit, very few of my CD purchases are new. Its hard to resist second hand CD's at one or two pounds when you know they'll rip just fine even if some wont play in a CD player.

[JohnG]

I've browsed through some of the information in this thread, and am wondering if there are any worthwhile, up to date, Rip options to be considered in 2018.
I've just set up my first stand alone DAC, and have the option to carry on with the Cambridge Azur 540 CD Player as the replay device, purchase a dedicated CD Transport, or Rip CD,s and Store FLAC File Downloads on a Stand alone Storage Set Up and replay direct from this device.
Is there a method of creating a replay direct from a Stand alone storage Device that can equal a CD Players Sound Quality ?
I have began my investigations into streaming, and for the sake of keeping the initial costs down, I will start with the Laptop and work my way on from this set up.
I am a novice at this type of tech talk, so will require time to process any replies.

[Alex_UK]

Well, after 3 weeks of hard graft, I am now nearly 1,000 albums done in FLAC. Using EAC on a reasonably speedy laptop is not too bad, and using MP3tag to tidy up any errors I missed at the ripping stage. I have to say, I am now convinced File Based Audio is the way forward, and am playing a lot more variety of stuff than ever - so much easier to find, and even with an old IBM laptop as a server, I am convinced the sound quality is better than my disk spinner. (Still not quite ready to sell it though! Plus I still have some SACDs which simply cannot be ripped.)

However, good though EAC is, I have a mounting list of CDs where one or two tracks just simply won't rip, even after the T-Cut treatment. Rather than replace the CD, what I would like to do, is find the specific tracks on torrent sites... Now - I know nothing about torrents, have never downloaded anything from them, and am only now looking to do so for tracks that I already legally own. I have no intention of this becoming a public discussion, so PLEASE do not suggest any sites on the forum, but I would be very obliged if anyone "in the know" could drop me a PM with a suggestion where to go to look for FLAC rips that I can safely download - obviously a major concern being malware etc., so I am not too happy just googling and trusting to luck.

If anyone can help I would very much appreciate it.

[Stratmangler]

However, good though EAC is, I have a mounting list of CDs where one or two tracks just simply won't rip, even after the T-Cut treatment.

Sometimes it's the drive being used - have you tried installing EAC on another machine and ripping the CDs ?

I have both a DVDRW and CDRW in my machine, and occasionally have trouble with a disc not ripping securely in one drive, but for some reason the other will.
I'd almost put money on the discs not complying to red book standard, hence the issue.

[Themis]

Sometimes it's the drive being used - have you tried installing EAC on another machine and ripping the CDs ?

I have both a DVDRW and CDRW in my machine, and occasionally have trouble with a disc not ripping securely in one drive, but for some reason the other will.

+1

All CD/DVD drives have errors, mostly benign (recoverable).

Try another drive. Lower rip speed (I use x4 or x8 when there are too many errors). If the number of defective sectors is <20, try another software. You'll probably won't notice the difference, moreover published internet files have the same "uncertainty factor" (you rarely know how they were ripped) as your own disks.

[Alex_UK]

Thanks chaps, I have tried two drives, but have another I could use as well, so I may well give that a go.