Ripping my CD collection

[Diapason]

I'm thinking that as a winter project, it's time I ripped my CDs. It's partly with an eye to the future, and partly to ensure that I rip them before little hands rip them apart (there have been a few casualties already...)

My ripping efforts thus far fall into 2 categories:
1. Let iTunes do it, ensuing files are for iPod use only.
2. Uber-anal EAC efforts, with me being not entirely clear what I'm doing.

Option 1 is out, but option 2 seems to take 20 or 25 minutes per disc, and ain't nobody got time fo dat.

What's the best way of getting this done? What format should I rip to? Is there a way of doing it quickly but bit-perfectly? Finally is there anything else I should know before I embark on this task, because I don't want to have to do it a second time!!

[DaveF]

I tried the EAC way last winter. Very enthusiastic at first but soon got bored after just a couple of nights. Sorting out the metadata for classical was a complete pain in the ass.
Still though, I havent given up so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

[mick]

dBpoweramp is the best one I have found. You do have to pay for it though.
Rips to most formats, ie aiff,flac,wav. It is bit perfect and metadata is fairly accurate. You can edit the metadata before ripping so that is a help.
I will be doing the same over the winter.

[DaveF]

Thinly veiled thread on needing to convince the other half on a Devialet if there ever was one!

[tony]

Did the eac way I did while doing other things at the pc or if having a music session just incorporate it. As a chore by itself possibly life shortening. I would think for classical guru's eac doesn't cut the mustard. Me I don't care about artwork etc and metadata to me sounds like some kind of panadol tablet.Assume it is the info.

[tony]

Thinly veiled thread on needing to convince the other half on a Devialet if there ever was one!

I thought it was bought and installed already! But the devialet doesn't solve the ripping issue does it?

[Fran]

1. Rip to wav, not flac, aiff or anything else.
2. Have a backup solution in place - mad the number of people with all their music/photos on drives that are guaranteed to fail at some point.
3. Decide on a library system eg artist, album, song. Or genre, artist, album. Or split the library into classical and non-classical and name each separately. Spend some time on this as it completely determines your ability to find stuff later. Decide on how you will handle compilations, magazine freebies etc.
4. Rip slowly over time and take the time to label up the tracks that the online databases don't auto fill for you.
5. Remove last strands of hair still remaining....


Fran

[tony]

Just one thing to add to Fran's list make sure if using Eac you check after copying a few cd's that they are turning out as you hoped. I went mad one night copying lots and then found that the setting had somehow changed and the track order wasn't carried across. To this day that particular batch still need to be numbered.

[fergus]

Best of luck with that project Simon....methinks that the organ practice will be considerably easier!!!

[Diapason]

This thread is going the way I feared it would!

(Dave, the Devialet idea has gone by the wayside, but the streaming idea lingers on. The solution I desire won't be for the mancave, but I'll be asking about that in due course.)

Thanks for the advice, everybody. I'll let you know how I get on...