MrBillM
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MP3
My wife's birthday wish was for an MP3 player so I went out and bought one.
My question is: Does anyone have any software they recommend for ripping CD tracks to MP3 ? I tried Windows Media Player, but it takes a LONG time
to copy. I have Sonic CD Burner Software, but the MP3 is an extra cost upgrade and they want $49.95 for the upgrade. Right now I'm trying a
shareware (123 Audio CD Ripper) which seems OK and the registration price is $29.95. Any others that are recommended ?
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bahiamia
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I have had very good results using Apple's iTunes. It's free and works great. Once installed, open the program, insert the music CD you want to rip
tracks from, and iTunes will display the tracks and an "Import" feature. You check or uncheck the boxes next to the tunes you want and these will be
added to your music library. Sometimes, depending on the CD, you will have to enter the track info manually.
Here is the download link:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
In one case, I was able to rip a track from a CD that no other program could handle for me for some reason. I kept getting repeated errors. iTunes
did it successfully on the first attempt.
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bahiamia
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P.S.
Acoustica makes a nice CD burning/ripping program that I also have used. It works very well and has a nice, easy interface. You will have to pay for
the software, though.
You can check it out here:
http://www.acoustica.com/
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MrBillM
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Thanks for the info
I don't mind paying for software. I just don't like to over-pay. The problem with sorting through the Shareware software on the various sites is
that you've got a multitude of choices and each one has to be downloaded, installed and tested. I usually stop at the first one I am satisfied with,
possibly missing out on a better choice.
BTW, I just encountered a slight problem that I'm unsure can be fixed. After ripping tracks from various albums and loading them on the player, I
find that there is a significant difference in volume level from one CD to the next. Any thoughts ?
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bahiamia
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Acoustica...
For the volume equalization, perhaps the Acoustica Software offers the best choice for that. I originally ordered their program about 3 years ago,
and I was really happy with it. Since then, they have added many features and I still feel they are a solid choice. I use iTunes mainly because I
purchase music from them often, but I believe Acoustica now offers iTunes format integration .
You can read more about the features of their burning/ripping program; as you will see they do have a volume control tool:
http://www.acoustica.com/mp3-cd-burner/
Hope this is of help to you.
-Mia
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rob
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HOTBURN
I use IOMEGA Hotburn to burn CDs, both .WAV for my elderly CD player, and MP3s for the computer (came with CD-RW burner).
Reliable and fast.
They also have GREAT online support.
My main problems have been flaky MP3 to WAV converters (yeah freeware ... .) finally anteed up and got a decent converter.
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bahiamia
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Just wondering why convert from .mp3 to .wav, especially because of the file sizes and compression factors involved. What application are you using
that uses .wav but not .mp3?
If your CD player can read and play regular audio CD's, it should read and play those that are burned using any standard audio CD burning software.
When ripping tracks from an existing audio CD, (or downloading music for that matter), the files are generally saved on your computer in the .mp3
format. Your computer can then read and play those with no problem because it is merely "opening a file", so to speak.
You would need a special type of CD player if you wanted put those .mp3 files onto a disc and play them "as is", (you'd need a player marked MP3
compatible) but by using a CD burning program, the files are put onto the disc in a format that can be read by pratically any standard player, and
thus are no longer in the .mp3 format.
[Edited on 9-11-2005 by bahiamia]
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MrBillM
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Velly Interesting.
As Charlie Chan would say.
I appreciate all of the responses. More info to digest. Although I've been involved in Computer and Communications technology most of my life, I
typically don't get into a particular technology until I have a practical reason. Up until two days ago, my cerebral database on MP3 was simply
knowing how it was used, but my learning curve is going up quickly. My initial impressions are that my Wife is going to have a ball and I'm going to
swear and sweat a lot to give her that. She's worth it, though.
Up until now, I have primarily used CD burning to make data disks or create my own Music CDs. One thing I realized immediately is that I don't want
to download MP3s from a dialup. The player I bought included (10) free songs from Walmart.com and it took about 1 1/2 hours to download. If I
download anymore, it will be from Baja on my DirecWay. On the other hand, this might be the final push to connect via DSL in the U.S. The price is
ALMOST down to what I'm paying for dialup.
The second thing I encountered was that (2) of the (10) songs would not transfer to MP3 (or any other format) because the license info was incorrect
or expired. Has anyone ran into that glitch ? I haven't yet contacted Walmart.com to complain.
[Edited on 9-11-2005 by MrBillM]
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bahiamia
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Se?or Bill...
Yeah, I hear what you are saying on the slow download speeds with dial-up. I'm not sure how the DSL rates are in your area, but I would go for it if
I were you. My Dad pays $29.95 a month I believe it is, through Verizon and it works great; a huge improvement and the speed is just fine. It's even
alot faster than my Starband, I can tell you that.
But for the MP3 player, you are going to be adding music to your library often I would imagine, so you either have to rip it off CD's that you already
have or download it. The reason they use the .mp3 format for these players is because these types of files can be greatly compressed and take up far
less space than those of .wav or other formats. That's why in some cases you can put 200+ songs in .mp3 format onto a CD-R or CD-RW and even more on
a DVD disc I believe it's up to 1,000 now...!
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Fang
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Nero
Try Nero software, use with Limewire. Both free!
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
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Verizon DSL
Thanks, I just took a look at the current pricing for Verizon DSL and they have two classes offered with a 12-month committment.
786K / 128K for $14.95 monthly (first month free) + Free Modem with self-install kit provided.
3.0M / 786K First month free, months 2-3 $19.95 and months 4-12 $29.95 (modem free).
Since I'm paying $12.95 for dialup, stepping up to DSL would be only $2.00 monthly. Doesn't make sense not to.
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