The Clockwork Mansion

The Grand Hallway => The Outer Fortress => Topic started by: Amber Williams on November 30, 2006, 07:14:00 PM

Title: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Amber Williams on November 30, 2006, 07:14:00 PM
Ok...here's the situation peeps.

As everyone knows I lost my old MP3 collection in the hard drive crash.  So I came up with the brilliant idea to rip some of my cd collection onto the computer.  Thing is, the only program I have on this comp is Windows Media Player...and if you try to rip cds, you get this wierd Media Player only format. And I want MP3 format.

So the question I have, does anyone know of a good program that lets me rip my cds into delicious MP3 format so I dont have to rely on Window Media Player for my musical goodness?

Thanks.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on November 30, 2006, 07:14:56 PM
CDex?

http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/index.html
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 30, 2006, 07:23:37 PM
Ah...

Personally, I use abcde, but that's a perl script, and on windows, that'll need a whole bunch of other things.

Back when I was using windows, I'd use bladeenc. I think Aridas is about right with his option, though. Whatever works, really, and CDex will almost certainly work easily.

If you have a farm handy, like, say, a few other people's desktops on the local network that they're not using overly much, you can farm out the compression, and rip as fast as your cd drive can spin.

Mind you, given *your* desktop, you can probably do that anyway :-)
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on November 30, 2006, 07:23:51 PM
Tools > Options
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/xHaZxMaTx/Magic.png)

Magic.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 30, 2006, 07:29:50 PM
That's a nice option.

I still think WMP sucks and blows, but I think that might be the easiest option for Amber... :-)
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on November 30, 2006, 07:32:43 PM
That's why I posted it.  She didn't ask what the best or fanciest way to do it was, she just wants to rip her music as .mp3's.  She only has WMP, so I told her how to do it in WMP. :P
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Kasarn on November 30, 2006, 07:39:22 PM
Exact Audio Copy (http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/) with LAME 3.97 (http://www.rarewares.org/mp3.html)

Well, it's pretty straightforward once you've set it up at least once :mwaha
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 30, 2006, 08:30:11 PM
Quote from: HaZ×MaT on November 30, 2006, 07:32:43 PM
That's why I posted it.  She didn't ask what the best or fanciest way to do it was, she just wants to rip her music as .mp3's.  She only has WMP, so I told her how to do it in WMP. :P

I wasn't aware it was -possible- - last time I looked at WMP, it wasn't able to play anything but windows media files. And it wasn't very good at that, either. So dire, in fact, that I haven't used it since 6.4 or so...

Or, at least, not if I can help it... :-)
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on November 30, 2006, 08:32:52 PM
Well, it works better than Creative Media Player, which decided that one out of every 15 of my .mp3's wasn't a playable file. :sweatdrop
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Jack McSlay on November 30, 2006, 08:56:10 PM
doesn't windows media player do that already?
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Supercheese on November 30, 2006, 09:14:32 PM
Quote from: HaZ×MaT on November 30, 2006, 08:32:52 PM
Well, it works better than Creative Media Player, which decided that one out of every 15 of my .mp3's wasn't a playable file. :sweatdrop

Seems to work fine for me.

Granted I use it once every other month or so...
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on November 30, 2006, 09:52:48 PM
iTunes can rip to MP3, AAC, and other formats quite nicely and easily. Just set your preferences in the preferences menu.

WMP can also do it, but I recommend downloading the WMP11 Beta.  It's leaps and bounds better than WMP10.  It's available on Microsoft's website. Again, set to MP3 format in preferences.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Kasarn on November 30, 2006, 10:03:01 PM
Quote from: Cvstos on November 30, 2006, 09:52:48 PM
iTunes can rip to MP3, AAC, and other formats quite nicely and easily. Just set your preferences in the preferences menu.

WMP can also do it, but I recommend downloading the WMP11 Beta.  It's leaps and bounds better than WMP10.  It's available on Microsoft's website. Again, set to MP3 format in preferences.

Beta? WiMP 11 final has been out for a month.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on November 30, 2006, 10:08:36 PM
Really?  I guess I didn't notice since I'm running Vista.   >:3 :D
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Zorro on November 30, 2006, 10:10:40 PM
dBpowerAMP Music Converter (dMC)

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: DigitalMan on November 30, 2006, 10:41:54 PM
Would that be legally, or not? WinAmp can do it if you have the keygen to make it pro. Or if you legitimately buy it, of course.

Personally, I don't bother with that; it's easier to go on eMule and download a zip/rar/ace file that contains the entire album I'm looking for. And it's legal if you actually own the album, right?
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: thegayhare on December 01, 2006, 12:16:51 AM
Quote from: HaZ×MaT on November 30, 2006, 07:23:51 PM
Tools > Options
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/xHaZxMaTx/Magic.png)

Magic.
my copy of wmp doesn't seem t have a rip tab
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on December 01, 2006, 12:31:54 AM
Well that's WMP 10, what are you using?
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Vidar on December 01, 2006, 04:47:36 AM

result = Google ("cd mp3 rip");
print (result);


http://www.mgshareware.com/frmmain.shtml

Is this an option?
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Kasarn on December 01, 2006, 05:02:50 AM
For anybody who wants WiMP 11 you can get it from
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/AllDownloads.aspx
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on December 01, 2006, 05:45:02 AM
I *highly* recommend WMP11 over WMP10.  It's a vast, incredible improvement.

Now, I personally prefer iTunes 7 (download here (http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/)), especially when their online stores are considered.  I think it's even better than WMP11!  But, you could certainly do a hell of a lot worse than WMP11 and if you're a WMP person, upgrade right now.  Trust me on that.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Wildy on December 01, 2006, 05:59:05 AM
iTunes rips as MP3s. Its free (as far as I know) and you can download it.

I know a few windows users who use iTunes. Its not just for macs.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: LionHeart on December 01, 2006, 06:03:43 AM
I mostly just use RealPlayer to rip CDs. It works for me.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Kasarn on December 01, 2006, 06:15:08 AM
Since all the other media players on Windows have been mentioned...

foobar2k (http://www.foobar2000.org/) works as well but you'll still need to get LAME seperately (easily done from the previously mentioned Rarewares (http://www.rarewares.org))
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on December 01, 2006, 07:28:31 AM
Talk about overkill. I'd have thought the first 3 options out the door were good enough. >.>

Y'know, especially since someone even said how to rip mp3s on WMP.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Vidar on December 01, 2006, 10:21:00 AM
Quote from: LionHeart on December 01, 2006, 06:03:43 AM
I mostly just use RealPlayer to rip CDs. It works for me.

:eek

Realplayer is of teh Devil. OF TEH DEVIL, I SAY!
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: thegayhare on December 01, 2006, 10:30:00 AM
Quote from: AmberMab Wants MP3s!

and Mars Wants Cheerleaders
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on December 01, 2006, 12:53:07 PM
I can't upgrade to WMP11 for... certain reasons. :paranoid
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on December 01, 2006, 12:54:30 PM
Quote from: HaZ×MaT on December 01, 2006, 12:53:07 PM
I can't upgrade to WMP11 for... certain reasons. :paranoid
Does the reason start with "teh" and end with "illegulz"?
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Stygian on December 01, 2006, 01:00:36 PM
Never ever give money to Microsoft or Macintosh, is what I say. That's why I use the Creative Media Player. It works like a fine-tuned instrument.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Supercheese on December 01, 2006, 01:10:52 PM
Quote from: Aridas Soulfire on December 01, 2006, 12:54:30 PM
Quote from: HaZ×MaT on December 01, 2006, 12:53:07 PM
I can't upgrade to WMP11 for... certain reasons. :paranoid
Does the reason start with "teh" and end with "illegulz"?

It does for me...  :sweatdrop
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: thegayhare on December 01, 2006, 01:28:16 PM
It's odd my copy is legetimate but half the time Microsoft says it isn't and half the time they say Oh sure your fine

*shrugs*
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: DigitalMan on December 01, 2006, 01:35:00 PM
D: Cripes, even I have a legitimate copy of Windows. It's about the only thing used after a reformat that's not labelled "CD-R" >.>
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on December 01, 2006, 01:38:18 PM
Quote from: thegayhare on December 01, 2006, 01:28:16 PM
It's odd my copy is legetimate but half the time Microsoft says it isn't and half the time they say Oh sure your fine

*shrugs*
There could be a bug in it somewhere. Never heard of that in my life though. It could just be random false alarms on the test they run... You'd have to ask Microsoft about that. Not that I'd know who would know either >.>
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on December 01, 2006, 03:31:25 PM
Quote from: Stygian on December 01, 2006, 01:00:36 PM
Never ever give money to Microsoft or Macintosh, is what I say. That's why I use the Creative Media Player. It works like a fine-tuned instrument.

I've never had a good experience with Creative Labs' software, and I've used Soundblasters since the AWE64.  Their hardware is great, but the software is... ugh.  Best to just get their cards and install the drivers only.  Great sound, no bloat.

That being said, iTunes and WMP11 are both free, in fact it costs them money to have you download it at no cost to you.  :P
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: bill on December 01, 2006, 03:34:50 PM
WMP works perfectly fine for my purposes, since I rarely rip/burn music. Store-bought albums FTW.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on December 01, 2006, 03:37:02 PM
I buy all my music (CD's, not online), aswell, but I like to be able to just go in my library and pick out a song instead of having to go get the CD and whatnot.  Plus you have the added benefits of playlists with multiple albums. ;)
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: bill on December 01, 2006, 03:45:44 PM
But changing the CDs is fun...  :<
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on December 01, 2006, 03:52:41 PM
Quote from: BillBuckner on December 01, 2006, 03:45:44 PM
But changing the CDs is fun...  :<

That's a lie and you know it! :P

Stupid 6-CD games still coming on CDs.  They made DVDs for a reason people!  And there's no excuse for not having a DVD drive in your computer when it's $25-$30 for a DUAL LAYER BURNER on NewEgg!

Seriously, I like having my enire library in one place.  Open iTunes, find song, play it, no CDs required.

Also, ripping your CDs to your computer is free, even with iTunes, WMP11, etc.  Anyone who charges for that has no real business model (I'm looking in your direction, WinAMP).  It's the songs you buy from their stores that cost money, and those are always optional.  If you want the super-high quality and don't mind taking up some space, you can up the bitrate of the MP3s, or use Apple Lossless or Windows Media Lossless.  Both are mathematically, well, lossless from their CD counter parts.  100% the quality of CDs, usually about 60% the space requirements.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: bill on December 01, 2006, 03:53:55 PM
Quote from: Cvstos on December 01, 2006, 03:52:41 PM
Quote from: BillBuckner on December 01, 2006, 03:45:44 PM
But changing the CDs is fun...  :<

That's a lie and you know it! :P

Stupid 6-CD games still coming on CDs.  They made DVDs for a reason people!  And there's no excuse for not having a DVD drive in your computer when it's $25-$30 for a DUAL LAYER BURNER on NewEgg!

Seriously, I like having my enire library in one place.  Open iTunes, find song, play it, no CDs required.

Also, ripping your CDs to your computer is free, even with iTunes, WMP11, etc.  Anyone who charges for that has no real business model (I'm looking in your direction, WinAMP).  It's the songs you buy from their stores that cost money, and those are always optional.  If you want the super-high quality and don't mind taking up some space, you can up the bitrate of the MP3s, or use Apple Lossless or Windows Media Lossless.  Both are mathematically, well, lossless from their CD counter parts.  100% the quality of CDs, usually about about 60% the space requirements.
But ripping individual songs from an album ruins the spirit of an album, to be a single cohesive piece of musical work. If you're ripping favorites, you might as well only buy "Best-Ofs".  :<
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on December 01, 2006, 03:55:28 PM
Bill: You DO realize you can rip the whole album, right?  iTunes even has gapless playback (with still-seperate files) for such albums.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: bill on December 01, 2006, 03:57:45 PM
Yeah, I do, but that's also what I don't like about the download stores. They encourage the purchase of individual songs, rather than an album.


By the way, let me refine my statement. Changing audio CDs is fun. :P
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on December 01, 2006, 04:04:55 PM
That's why you rip the entire album. :P  And WMP10 has gapless playback aswell.  You're not losing anything from ripping you're music, Bill, you're just stubborn. :lol
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Cvstos on December 01, 2006, 04:07:31 PM
Personally, I like to buy the physical CDs, and I'll usually listen to them whole the first few times, and then pick and choose my favorite songs for my playlists.  I'll almost always rip the whole album at about ~192kbps MP3 (VBR).

As for the download stores... for CDs that are worth buying, people actually do buy the whole albums.  In fact, I remember a statistic from a while back that a very substantial (upwards of 60%) quantity of music purchased from the iTMS was in album format.  

Now, for CDs that have one or two good songs and the rest is fluff... why spend the money on the fluff?  
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on December 01, 2006, 04:16:11 PM
Because I have OCD.  If I don't have the entire album, I feel like I'm missing something.  Like when you go a day without your watch.  It just feels weird, like you're naked or something. :/
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on December 01, 2006, 04:26:18 PM
Well, if it's any comfort, your current avatar is naked, Haz.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on December 01, 2006, 04:40:01 PM
*Beats Aridas over the head with more large heavy objects.*
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: bill on December 01, 2006, 04:41:24 PM
*desperately attempts to divert back on-topic*

Haz is right. Not having the whole album is wrong on so many levels. Music sounds better "in context".
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on December 01, 2006, 04:50:39 PM
4:33 sounds better in context?
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Jim Halisstrad on December 01, 2006, 04:52:09 PM
I'm in the Ripping camp, sort of.
Here I have Mindless Self Indulgence's Frankenstein Girls.  And while there is a lot of win on this they have a couple of songs that just don't appeal to me in the least.  Golden I  comes screaming to my mind.
Personally I love to buy the CD (I HAVE TO HAVE THE CD COVER.  IT'S MY ONLY DRUG!!!) and make mix Cd's featuring a conglomeration of bands.

But there are bands like the Killers and Orgy who have a perfect collection of songs that make me just want to veg out listening to them :3
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: bill on December 01, 2006, 04:52:57 PM
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on December 01, 2006, 04:50:39 PM
4:33 sounds better in context?
No, that sounds better on repeat.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: LionHeart on December 02, 2006, 04:47:52 AM
Quote from: BillBuckner on December 01, 2006, 04:41:24 PM
*desperately attempts to divert back on-topic*

Haz is right. Not having the whole album is wrong on so many levels. Music sounds better "in context".

What context???

The only "context" is that they want you to pay for the whole damn album, whether you like it or not, and whether you want any of the other songs or not.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Tapewolf on December 02, 2006, 05:22:04 AM
Quote from: LionHeart on December 02, 2006, 04:47:52 AM
What context???
The only "context" is that they want you to pay for the whole damn album, whether you like it or not, and whether you want any of the other songs or not.

Leaving aside concept albums such as The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Snow, Tommy, S.F. Sorrow and so forth, there are a number of albums which self-reference.

'Octavarium' by Dream Theater is perhaps a bad example given than most of the songs on it are crap, but you need to have at least the first and last track.  Likewise, 'A Trick of the Tail' by Genesis makes a lot more sense if you have it all, since the last track references at least two of the others.

Then we have stuff like 'Wind and Wuthering', 'Dark Side of the Moon' or Hawkwind's 'Live Chronicles' where each track flows into the next and it sounds god-awful if you don't have gapless playback, let alone try to play just one song.  ("The tale that men call.. THE CHRONICLE OF THE BLACK SW" - - - - - "ORD!")

Finally, the most important reason to buy the whole album is to find stuff you don't know you like.  I've done this over and over.  I bought 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' to get 'Jane Seymour' and decided I liked some of the other tracks better.  Same with Iron Butterfly, Threshold's "Psychedelicatessen" (came for 'He Is I Am', fell in love with 'Devoted', 'Into the Light', 'Tension of Souls' etc), Bal Sagoth and so on...
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on December 02, 2006, 06:17:48 AM
Quote from: Tapewolf on December 02, 2006, 05:22:04 AM
Then we have stuff like 'Wind and Wuthering', 'Dark Side of the Moon' or Hawkwind's 'Live Chronicles' where each track flows into the next and it sounds god-awful if you don't have gapless playback, let alone try to play just one song.  ("The tale that men call.. THE CHRONICLE OF THE BLACK SW" - - - - - "ORD!")
Whatever happened to records, anyway? Those worked pretty good, except maybe for the part about them being big and fragile >.>
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Tapewolf on December 02, 2006, 06:25:00 AM
Quote from: Aridas Soulfire on December 02, 2006, 06:17:48 AM
Whatever happened to records, anyway? Those worked pretty good, except maybe for the part about them being big and fragile >.>
It's very difficult to play them at work, while jogging, or in the car.  They also deteriorate with each use.  I'd still like to have vinyl copies of 'A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria' and 'K', but they've extremely rare and expensive.  I do have Tarkus on vinyl too, but that's mostly for the cover art.
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Aridas on December 02, 2006, 06:30:04 AM
Well, I already made those points >.>

But at least you didn't have to worry about things like "gapless playback", right? right? D:
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: Tapewolf on December 02, 2006, 06:43:16 AM
Quote from: Aridas Soulfire on December 02, 2006, 06:30:04 AM
But at least you didn't have to worry about things like "gapless playback", right? right? D:

You did on 'Brain Salad Surgery' - 'Karn Evil 9 - First Impression' was too long and wouldn't all fit on one side - it had to be split in two.  Then there's The Planets by Gustav Holst - one of the first composers to live long enough to see his work recorded on 78RPM shellac.  Unfortunately it wouldn't fit so he compromised the recording by conducting it at a higher tempo, which caused confusion about what it was supposed to sound like for the next 80 odd years  >:3

Even cheap and tacky early 1990s CD players are gapless - the problem as we have it is mainly a result of the streamed nature of the compression formats we use from what I've heard.  It can be corrected in the playback software, but most players don't do this.

It might be nice to go back to the whole-album-vs-buying-individual-tracks debate though :P
Title: Re: Mab Wants MP3s!
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on December 02, 2006, 10:34:34 AM
What I'd like to know is what Amber ends up using, purely so we know if we solved the issue or not.


.. but then, I'm nosey like that. :-)