Automate The Ripping Process For MP3's - PDF AVAILABLE - NEW Fresh Scent!

[DrewKaree]

* This guide has been created using MaximumPC's awesome write-up, and after some further investigation on my part, some fine-tuning & tweaking *

How To Rip CD-Quality MP3's

The secret lies in three components:

• A ripper that won't let bad extractions through
• An encoder that delivers sparkling audio @ reasonable file sizes
• A process that isn't a chore to complete

     This process automatically (if you're connected to the internet) looks up your CD info on freedb.org after you insert the CD, and with a single click will rip the contents, compress the music, tag the tracks, name & number the files, create folders for your ripped files, and put each file into the folders you set up. 

     If you want spectacular rips from your CD's without having to worry about reviewing every track for flaws, Exact Audio Copy is the answer to the ripper you're looking for.  EAC double-checks every bit for accuracy against the original; if it finds discrepancies, it reads the data again, and yet again if necessary.  As a result, it's slower than other rippers, but with the automated process you're going to learn, you just *Ron Popeil voice* SET IT, AND FORGET IT!

     First, let's assemble the programs you are going to need.

     The currently recommended version of EAC is "Exact Audio Copy 0.9 beta 4" (pre-beta versions 0.95pb4 and so on are unstable, have important features removed (for "legal reasons") and have known bugs involving the tags, therefore SHOULD be avoided).  EAC does not have THAT version on their website, so Google the phrase I put in bold quotes, and download it.

*edit*
I've been alerted to the fact that finding that version of EAC is kinda hard :-\ and a lot of other versions similar to this come up.  To tidy this up, and to point you to a stellar place for info, head on over to www DOT ubernet DOT org.  While you're there, look around, see what's going on over there....those guys are SERIOUS!  The EAC version you're looking for is available there, and they have an even MORE idetailed writeup for achieving this if you're willing to invest the time.

     For Windows 2000 & XP users, download the Nero ASPI Layer DLL Driver.  You must place this DLL file in the directory you will be installing EAC (Usually C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy). Windows 95/98/ME already has an ASPI layer built in.  You can find it at http://www.nero.com/en/ASPI_Driver.html

     You'll also need to download the LAME encoder.  The best current version to use is "LAME v3.90.3"  Again, Google the phrase I put in bold quotes, and download it (currently can be found at www.rarewares.org, but may disappear.  (download the "LAME 3.90.3 stable bundle version).

     Unzip & install EAC, LAME & (if needed) ASPI layer into the same directory.

     After all the software is installed, EAC needs to be configured.  Put an audio CD in your CD-ROM drive BEFORE you open EAC.  Launch EAC.  EAC will perform an initial drive test.  When asked, select Optimization for "accurate results".  If you have more than one CD drive, EAC will default to what it considers the best drive.  You can change this in the Options menu to the drive you wish.  EAC also offers to configure LAME for you.  When it starts to search your drive for the LAME .exe, CANCEL the search and point EAC to it yourself to save time.  When asked, select the "standard" LAME setting option for now (we will change this later)  Last, choose the Expert interface option. 

Now, Some Fine Tuning

     From the EAC -->EAC Options menu, select the General tab and check "On unknown CD's", then click the "Automatically access online freedb database" button.

     Now select the Filename tab, and under Naming scheme type
%A\%C\%N - %T (including the space after the %N and before the %T tag).  This will result in your directory structure being set up as follows (this example is simply one of the more common ones, you may set YOURS up however you wish using the naming options):

Folder (Artist Name)
     |_Subfolder (Album Name)
          |_Number - Name.mp3 (song file) 

     Next you need to specify where all your ripped CD's will be sent to.  Select the Directories tab, and choose "Use this directory".  Pick where you want EAC to put all your music folders/CD's.

     Go to EAC -->Drive Options menu.  The box marked "Drive is capable of retrieving C2 error information" might already be checked.  If so, UNCHECK it.  Inevitably it will be the one thing that causes you headaches. 

DO NOT UNCHECK SECURE MODE!  The whole point of using EAC is its secure mode!  Using Burst Mode is POINTLESS if you wish to ensure your rips are flawless!

[/size]

     Go to the EAC -->Compression Options menu.  Select the External Compression tab and make sure the LAME MP3 Encoder is displayed in the "Parameter passing scheme" pulldown box.  If it isn't, choose it.  You will be unable to change anything else if it ISN'T, so this step is vital. 

     You now have a choice to make.  You can save your music in either constant (CBR) or variable (VBR) bit rate form.  If you choose any of the VBR rates, your songs MAY be unplayable in certain cases, but the chance is slim, and further investigation on my part leads to telling you VBR is the preferred bit rate form.  Why?  LAME will vary the bit rate for each section of the track, i.e. silence wll be encoded at 64kbps and very complex parts may even reach 320kbps.  A track encoded using a constant bit rate of 192kbps (for example) will sound far worse than a VBR file with an overall bit rate in the same region.

     By not wasting space encoding simple parts of a track at a high rate the LAME VBR setting lets more complex parts of a track be recorded in more detail, giving you a smaller file size without loss of quality.  There is some disccusion over the various VBR setting that LAME has, but when it comes to VBR vs CBR there is no contest, unless you want to encode all your files with a CBR of 320.  This would give you files with the same quality as VBR files but will be three times the size, so you might not even want to bother.

     Whatever your choice, either select 320 as the Bit Rate from the the "Bit Rate" pulldown menu if you wish to use CBR, or select 192 if you wish to use VBR (selecting 320 using VBR causes a known bug). 

     If you are using VBR, in the box next to "Additional command line options", CUT AND PASTE to enter the following:  --alt-preset standard

     This command line option is much better than normal VBR modes, specially optimized in the program code and produces a higher quality file.

     Go to the EAC -->freedb Options menu.  Make sure your e-mail address is correct and click the "Get active freedb server list" button.  This will probably take a while.  After you have the list, the default will probably be the http://freedb.freedb.de:80/~cddb/cddb.cgi server.  From the drop down menu, select a server close to you - hint - check the server name for an idea of where it's located.

     Now, remove the CD from your drive and double check all your settings are correct.

Ready, Set, Test!

     Now that EAC is ready, let's rip a CD!  This first rip will be a test of your configuration.  Insert a CD into your drive.  EAC should  automatically check the freedb server for track data.  If it seems like it is NOT, press Alt-G to do so.

     Highlight some tracks and hit the MP3 button.  EAC will now start extracting the audio from your CD.  Once the first track is complete, a black DOS window should open (that's your MP3 being created).  Don't close it, it will do that automatically once it's done.  When you're all done, check the folder you ripped to in order to ensure LAME is finished.  If so, you should have a folder full of mp3 files ONLY.  If you have .wav files or .tmp files, wait a bit until LAME is done.

     Pat yourself on the back!  You've just automated your CD ripping, enhanced the accuracy of the final product, and are now creating the highest quality MP3's possible!

Normalizing Your Files

     If you wish to normalize the volume levels from track to track (NOT recommended, unless making a "mix CD") do NOT use regular normalizing software, and DO NOT normalize the original file.  Create a copy of the file(s) you wish to normalize and make any changes to the copy.  To normalize files that will be burnt to CD, use MP3Gain (download at www.geocities.com/mp3gain).  Do NOT use MP3Gain for any other use.

Possible Problems?

     While ripping may go quickly, please keep in mind that EAC is NOT designed to be a fast worker, it's meant to be a CAREFUL one instead.  Depending on the condition of the CD (scratches and whatnot) and the accuracy of your drive, ripping could take a while.  When the test run is finished, review your tracks.  If they are blank or there are any errors, check the settings above once again.  If everything checks out, PM me with questions and I'll see if I can help you out.  If the settings look good, doulbe check to make sure (if you have Windows 2000 / XP) you have the ASPI layer installed in the EAC folder.  Your PC can't rip music without an ASPI layer, and 99% of errors are solved by using the correct ASPI layer - again, if you are using Windows 98SE or lower, the ASPI layer will already be present, Windows 2000/XP REQUIRE that ASPI layer. 

     Also, if your CD's are scratched TOO badly, EAC can't always correct them.  After a number of tries, EAC will give up its attempts to correct the error and report a Read Error or Sync Error on the log after it has finished ripping.  What are some options to remove the scratches?  Commercial scratch removers, such as the Skip Doctor line of products (careful, the discs used remove different amounts of material, stick with Skip Dr) work well, or you may wish to give something you may have lying around the house a go, such as Brasso or toothpaste (stick with the "old skool" versions or the "whitening" versions).

     A CD consists of a reflective silver layer 'sandwiched' between 2 protective layers: one on top (the label side, often decorated with text and colour) and one below (the clear side: thick transparent plastic through which you can see the reflective silver layer). The label side is thin, if a scratch on it reaches and damages the delicate reflective layer (typical is that you can locally look through the CD), the CD is broke and cannot be repaired. The clear side is so thick that scratches on it most likely will not reach the reflective layer. In the worst case they diffract laser light so that it doesn't reflect properly on the reflective layer, causing read trouble.  This is what we try to fix with the methods listed above.  These methods will generally only work for pressed CD's (the ones you buy in a store).

     First, try to determine which of the (many) scratches is causing the trouble.  Look for concentric scratches.  These do more harm than radial scratches (concentric = parallel with the outer edge of the CD, radial = from center to outer edge). On the CD each track circles around the previous one. So, if EAC reports an error on the last track, your scratch must be near the outer edge of the CD.

     Rub the scratch with Brasso.  Put some brasso on the clear side, where the scratch is.  Rub with a cloth at medium pressure, preferably in radial direction (you know why).  If you need to remove a deep scratch, rub in a direction crossing the scratch even if it isn't radial (because that works fastest), but take care to finish radially (preferably with fresh brasso).  As you rub, the fine grit present in the brasso pressed between your fingers and the CD, will wear away some of the plastic layer together with its scratches. You may rub firmly to make the work advance, but hold on long enough to make sure the scratch gets removed.  As the brasso gets thicker due to the worn away plastic it will get less grinding, so you might need to use fresh Brasso.  Complete removal of a scratch is often not needed to make the scratch harmless.

     If you think you've done enough, clean the CD with water. Be careful when you wipe off the water (this causes new scratces). A radial direction is again a good idea.
The whole process is a matter of a few minutes. You might feel a little unsure the first time you try it, but don't worry, it is something easy to learn.  It also may be your last resort, so what do you have to lose?  ;D

*edit*
     Do you want to print this out to have on hand for whatever reason?  Care to send this on to others?  Download the PDF to print out for yourself or others now!

[JackTucky]

This is an awesome write up DrewKaree.  I appreciate it alot.  I never actually ripped any CD, and I'm off and running now doing it.

Art

[DrewKaree]

This is an awesome write up DrewKaree.  I appreciate it alot.  I never actually ripped any CD, and I'm off and running now doing it.

Art

I remember the first CD I ripped...do you have that "this would be PERFECT to put on a mix cd with this song...and this song..."?

There are times computers just make you feel so in control of what you want to do!

[RetroBorg]

How to rip CD-quality MP3's

Go to the "Bit Rate" pulldown menu and select the Bit Rate you wish to have all your CD's ripped at.  192 or higher is recommended, but you're free to choose whatever you wish.  

DrewKaree,

Many thanks for the detailed instructions, you suggest "192 or higher is recommended" you didn't mention whether it should be constant or variable bit rate, what are your recommendations on these options and why?

Retro

[DrewKaree]

   *edit*

/|\

^|

Now addressed (opinion changed after further in-depth investigation) in there!

[JackTucky]

This program is working for me to get album cover art for free from amazon.com.  

You have to sign up for a free web services account from amazon.

It's all freeware.

I use EAC to copy the CD and create the directory, then go into album art downloader, click search, and 9 out of 10, it gets the right cover art.  If it doesn't, I remove the title of the album and search by artist, and then  I can usually find what I need, or something generic enough.

Check it out.

http://louhi.kempele.fi/~skyostil/projects/albumart/

Art

[RetroBorg]

  *edit*
thanks for the question...I added/modified to answer that question now...but for a bit more detail:

I'd go with "Constant".  Why?  There's always the SLIGHT possibility that wherever you may take your songs to may not deal well with VBR, whereas constant can be decoded with any boombox-type mp3 player.  If they'll always stay on the same computer as they were encoded on, VBR is a space saver, that's all, and you MAY lose some information...so I'd say constant is the best all-around.

Thanks for your reply DrewKaree, after I asked you the question on variable or constant I found this on the web:

What is the difference between Varaible and Constant Bit Rates?
Some audio passages are more difficult to encode than others. To maintain Constant Bit Rate (CBR) during encoding, difficult passages (where you need more bits for the complexity) and easy passages (that conceivably need less bits) encode at the same fixed bit rate. By maintaining a constant bit rate, you force the quality of the CBR operation to vary according to the complexity of the audio file.

However, with that same difficult audio passage, the Variable Bit Rate (VBR) operation forces the quality level and allows bit rate to vary instead. Difficult passages encoded using VBR allows a higher than average bit rate and during easy passages VBR allows a lower than average bit rate. The net result is that VBR produces an overall higher, more consistent quality level compared to CBR at similar bit rates.

In other words, if you set your files to encode with CBR and the files need more or less bits to vary with the complexity of the piece

[DrewKaree]

Thanks for your reply DrewKaree, after I asked you the question on variable or constant I found this on the web:  

Code: [Select]

removed for brevityAfter reading this I'm leaning towards variable but I understand the likelyhood of the MP3's running on other hardware is decreased. I have an old DVD player and I know it won't play variable but it also won't play burnt DVD's on any sort so I intend to update this anyway.

DVD's are a whole different beast - you MAY be able to play burned DVD's on it, but you may have it in the wrong format to be compatible with most set-top units....I believe there are 3+ (I think there's actually ~5 right now) formats under which to burn DVD's, and only ONE will work with almost anything you have, including old players!
  All of the rest are proprietary in some fashion or another.

[RetroBorg]

Yeah my DVD player is really old and only reads DVD Ram discs, I found this out when I first bought my DVD burner when I burnt on every blank DVD format available, I then looked up my player on the net and found out what I had already discovered and that was it is DVD Ram only.

[kortney]

I sent my CD collection (215 CDs) to a company called "Get Digital" (http://www.get-digital.net).  They ripped all of my CDs onto DVDs for $2/CD and they came back quickly and perfectly.  They can rip CDs in any CODEC and any Bitrate.  The coolest thing is the album that they send along with the DVDs.  It shows the cover art and all the tracks next to each album.  Pretty cool stuff and they make the process effortless.

[DrewKaree]

You're not understanding the reason for this thread.  People are ripping their CD's to make a jukebox, or to put them on ONE computer and not have to worry about "where'd I put that CD).

Your service puts them on DVD.  Great for archival use, which is their niche.  Now, how do we use them from the DVD?  Same way as the CD's we originally had.  Therefore, the process will still be needed.....rip them to a computer.

[JackTucky]

You're not understanding the reason for this thread.  People are ripping their CD's to make a jukebox, or to put them on ONE computer and not have to worry about "where'd I put that CD).

Your service puts them on DVD.  Great for archival use, which is their niche.  Now, how do we use them from the DVD?  Same way as the CD's we originally had.  Therefore, the process will still be needed.....rip them to a computer.

Betcha kortney is from get digitial, but whatever, if they were all on DVD's, then you could just insert one DVD at a time and copy to your hard drive.  probably faster than you could Rip them yourself.

I'm up to CD 100 out of 300 Ripping myself, while I work.  If that DOS box wouldn't pop up for LAME, it would be even easier.

Art

[DrewKaree]

Betcha kortney is from get digitial, but whatever, if they were all on DVD's, then you could just insert one DVD at a time and copy to your hard drive.  probably faster than you could Rip them yourself.

I'm up to CD 100 out of 300 Ripping myself, while I work.  If that DOS box wouldn't pop up for LAME, it would be even easier.

Art

yeah, it would, but her service charges between 1-2 bucks PER CD...at that price, I'd have paid over $500 for my collection, and you'd have paid $600, and we'd STILL need to put the DVDs in to rip!

I bet she's from GetDigital myself...they prolly have people who's job is to troll the 'net and do stuff like this...it made ME look 'em up!  

Tell ya what, Jack, send all your CD's to ME....wrapped in your Chexx hockey, and I'LL rip all your CD's to your drive, burn you DVD copies, make you an album for all the DVD's, AND wrap your drive in a new case with all the fixin's....that sounds fair to ME, anyway....no charge, a new comp for you, heck, I'll even pay to ship you the new stuff.....all for your Hockey machine    

[JackTucky]

Sounds like a deal DrewKaree!  I used to be unbeatable amongst my friends at Chexx, now I am mostly unwinnable.

Art

[geomartin]

Excellent tutorial!  My game room is completely full, but I've decided to make room for that mame jukebox.  This site has been such an inspiration!

Thanks,
geo

[DrewKaree]

Excellent tutorial!.....This site has been such an inspiration!

Actually, this came (mostly) from Maximum PC.  That magazine has been an inspiration to me, as has this board, and if you liked the tutorial, you can thank them.  I had posted in another thread that I was going to post this if I had time to retype it, so here it is in THIS thread 

If you can't find Maximum PC on your local newstand, speak to who does the ordering, or go subscribe to their magazine!  I give it a "Kick --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules--" award 

[javeryh]

Can someone post a link or email me the Nero ASPI Layer DLL Driver?  I am having a very hard time ripping my CDs using this method since I don't have the driver - the link is dead!

THANKS!!!

[Lave Laar]

Here you go ftp://ftp6.nero.com/wnaspi32.dll

[javeryh]

Thanks.  I'm having a hard time setting this up I guess.  I'm getting around a 50% failure rate trying to rip my CDs and some of them take an hour or more (and still fail).  This doesn't seem right.  At the pace I'm going (4CDs a night) it is going to take years to finish all of them!

[DrewKaree]

Thanks.  I'm having a hard time setting this up I guess.  I'm getting around a 50% failure rate trying to rip my CDs and some of them take an hour or more (and still fail).  This doesn't seem right.  At the pace I'm going (4CDs a night) it is going to take years to finish all of them!

Sorry, haven't been around as often as in the past and I missed this.

Just how bad are your CD's?  Are they newer, and perhaps have some sort of copy protection on them that is hindering your efforts?  What parts, exactly, are you finding difficult to set up?  Maybe I can help with that.

This very well may be an outdated tutorial, but it's the way I still rip the CD's I purchase.  This wasn't designed to be fast, so if you were expecting quick results, this method most likely isn't for you.  The goal (and purpose) is to get accurate rips. 

I had 2 CD's that wouldn't read whatsoever.  They did take several hours, because the program, when set up as laid out, is designed to try to get that information, and I was asking it to do something extremely difficult, which takes time.  Of the 2, when I tried to simply pull the info off quickly, since it wasn't going to rip them accurately, 1 wouldn't rip at all, and I ended up ripping my friend's copy of the disc.

I also found that when I tried to use 2 drives at once, they competed for resources and it took longer than if I had simply used 1 drive and done them all separately.  Again, it was due to the nature of the process and the quality of my materials.

[javeryh]

Thanks.  I'm having a hard time setting this up I guess.  I'm getting around a 50% failure rate trying to rip my CDs and some of them take an hour or more (and still fail).  This doesn't seem right.  At the pace I'm going (4CDs a night) it is going to take years to finish all of them!

Sorry, haven't been around as often as in the past and I missed this.

Just how bad are your CD's?  Are they newer, and perhaps have some sort of copy protection on them that is hindering your efforts?  What parts, exactly, are you finding difficult to set up?  Maybe I can help with that.

This very well may be an outdated tutorial, but it's the way I still rip the CD's I purchase.  This wasn't designed to be fast, so if you were expecting quick results, this method most likely isn't for you.  The goal (and purpose) is to get accurate rips. 

I had 2 CD's that wouldn't read whatsoever.  They did take several hours, because the program, when set up as laid out, is designed to try to get that information, and I was asking it to do something extremely difficult, which takes time.  Of the 2, when I tried to simply pull the info off quickly, since it wasn't going to rip them accurately, 1 wouldn't rip at all, and I ended up ripping my friend's copy of the disc.

I also found that when I tried to use 2 drives at once, they competed for resources and it took longer than if I had simply used 1 drive and done them all separately.  Again, it was due to the nature of the process and the quality of my materials.

Thanks for the response.  I'm not worried about the time it takes to rip - I am going through my whole collection and I am more concerned with the accuracy of everything.  It seems like on about 50% of the CDs I rip I am getting "read errors" and "sync errors" and then when the process is finished I get a "suspicious position" in the report.  I don't care that the reader is spinning at .1X or whatever - I just want an accurate rip.  The CDs do not appear to be scratched or scuffed [I keep them all in a large CD book (not their cases)]. 

Maybe I should give the "suspicious position" .mp3s a listen and see if there are any sound problems...

Your guide is awesome by the way - I set all this up in 15 minutes.   

[DrewKaree]

I dunno if there might be a problem with your drive, but I do know when I first started ripping my CD's, I had ordered 2 new Plextor drives and was impatient while I waited for them to hit my doorstep, so I started with the drives I had (IIRC, I had an Aopen and another generic drive that I was replacing).  I got a bunch of sync errors with that combo, but once I got the new drives in, those same discs were read perfectly fine by the new Plextor's. 

Perhaps you can test the discs in another drive or PC.  In theory, that'd tell you if it's the drive or the discs (or at least hopefully point you to possible problems). 

One other thing you might want to try for those discs is to drop the speed it rips at.  It automatically does this when it's trying to pull off the info, but sometimes it just needs a nice easy transition into some sketchy parts of a disc, instead of running at top speed and then having the software throttle the drive speed down in a hurry when it gets to those parts. 

FWIW, one of those Plextor's went bad on me too, so the brand name doesn't necessarily mean jack squat.  I had a brand new straight-out-of-the-box NEC drive that was useless for ripping - it even gave me problems with a just-unwrapped disc that I threw at it

[richms]

I just use burst mode and accurate rip now - only change it to secure if I get non matching CRC's with most other people.