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How-To: Rip Archival-Quality MP3s from Audio CDs

Alex Castle — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:30:20 -0600

There was a time when ripping a CD was a time-intensive, error-prone process. But these days, with programs like iTunes turning the task into a one-click affair, CD ripping has become fast, easy, and reliable enough that backing up your music library is more simple than programming a VCR. However, using a program called Exact Audio Copy, you can achieve even better-quality rips than you can with generic music library managers.

EAC is an “audio grabber,” or ripping program, that’s beloved by the digital music world. It has earned this adoration by providing the tools needed to make the most accurate rips possible, with the fewest errors, and giving you complete control over how your MP3s are tagged and organized. And although getting EAC set up is a little more complicated than, say, iTunes, we’ll walk you through the process, and show you that it’s not that hard to make top-quality audio rips.

Step 1: Install LAME

Before we install EAC, we have to install LAME. LAME, short for Lame Ain’t an MP3 Encoder, is in fact an MP3 encoder. It allows EAC to take the raw .wav files ripped from the CD and compress them into more useful high-bitrate MP3s.

The LAME homepage provides information about the encoder and offers its source code, but you can download pre-compiled executables of the LAME code at RareWares. If you download the zipped binaries from RareWares, there’s no installation to speak of—you just unzip the files, including LAME.exe, into a folder and you’re good to go. We recommend putting them in a subdirectory of Program Files.

Step 2: Install and Configure EAC

Next, you’ll need to visit the EAC website and download the latest version of the software. Run the executable, and install it wherever you like. Pay attention during the installation, as EAC will try and slip an eBay button onto your system, unless you uncheck the box when it asks which features you want installed.

Once the installer is finished with its work, EAC will launch and the configuration wizard will start. Here, it will attempt to locate the drive you’ll be using to rip CDs; confirm that it has found the correct drive, or select the one you wish to use. When the wizard asks if you want to focus on speed or ripping accuracy, select ripping accuracy.

Now, EAC will run diagnostics on your CD drive. You’ll be asked to insert a clean music CD, so pick an unscratched disc from your collection, pop it in, and press Next.

Assuming there were no problems with your CD drive, you’ll be able to click through a few more install screens, until it asks you what sort of compression you want to use. Select the MP3 option. It will then inform you that you need an MP3 encoder, which you’ve already downloaded, so browse to the folder holding the LAME.exe file when EAC starts searching for it.
Now, you’ll be asked to enter an email address, which is required for you to access the freeDB online ID3 tags database. Finish off the configuration wizard by selecting a file naming scheme for your rips from the huge selection in the dropdown. When prompted, choose to run EAC in expert mode.

Now that the configuration wizard is done, there are still a few more options to change to get the most out of EAC. First, go to EAC > Drive Options, and dismiss the warning box that pops up. Now, insert a scratched CD into your drive, and click the Examine C2 Feature button. If EAC tells you that your drive is capable of finding C2 error information, check the box next to “Drive is capable of retrieving C2 error information.” This will noticeably increase the speed of your rips.

Next, we’ll configure the MP3 bitrate, so click to EAC > Compression Options. LAME can encode MP3s in all sorts of different bitrates, but we’re not living in 2003 here—storage is dirt-cheap and everyone’s an audiophile, so we’re going to set EAC to use LAME’s V0 profile, the highest variable bitrate setting. To do this, change the field labeled “Additional command-line options” to %l-V 5%l%h-V 0%h --vbr-new %s %d. (Note that the number in the middle has changed from a 2 to a 0.) With these command-line options, as long as the “High quality” radial button is selected, LAME will use the V0 profile, regardless of what is selected in the bitrate dropdown menu.

To automate your rips, change these options: In the General tab, check the box marked “On unknown CDs” and click the radial button next to “Automatically access online freedb database.” Also, check “Eject CD after extraction finished” for faster ripping of multiple discs.

In the Directories tab, click the “Use this directory” radial button, and select a folder to store your newly encoded MP3s.

Step 3: Rip a Disc

Finally, it’s time to rip a disc to your hard drive. Insert a music CD into your drive and EAC will display a list of tracks. If you selected the “Automatically access online freedb database” option, as instructed, EAC should automatically download track names and other ID3 tags for the CD. Give the tags a quick once-over, to make sure they’re correct.

Click Action > Test & Copy Selected Tracks > Compressed to kick off the burning process. From here on out, it’s hands-off—just give EAC time to do its thing. It will take considerably longer to rip the MP3s with EAC than it would with iTunes, but the MP3s created will be as close to error-free as you can get.

Study Finds CD Sales Still Strong in the Face of Digital Downloads

Paul Lilly — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:11:02 -0500

Apple's iTunes and other online music services might be all the rage, but don't go putting CDs into the same category as 8-track tapes. According to a new survey by The Music Ally Speakerbox, CDs are still the preferred medium.

The survey polled 1,000 people and found that a whopping 73 percent, or nearly three-quarters, preferred purchasing CDs rather than downloading their groovy tunes. And these aren't just older folk resisting change, either. The survey found that 66 percent of respondents between the age of 14 and 18 would rather buy a CD than shell out for an MP3 online.

"Music fans have spoken and digital is evidently not the clear cut replacement to the physical CD," said Tim Walker, chief executive of The Leading Question, the research division of music consultancy Musy Ally responsible for carrying out the survey.

Surprised by the results? Hit the jump and tell us which medium you prefer.

Image Credit: throwinghammers.blogspot.com

The Top Freeware Apps Chosen by Maximum PC Readers!

David Murphy — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:00:00 -0500

One of the most rewarding parts of doing these weekly freeware roundups for Maximum PC is the sheer wealth of software that I get to play with each month -- applications that I not only use myself, but ones that I feel compelled to tell you about as well. But coming in a close second are the responses that you, the readers, leave in these posts. For as much as I scour the Internet to find awesome new programs for you to check out, you, too, have become my eyes and ears for finding the latest in amazing free software.

You might guess where this one's going. I'm jumping in the pool of Maximum PC users this week and highlighting programs that you, yourselves, have recommended in the various comments you've posted to these articles. For a number of you have left links and suggestions of compelling alternatives or hidden gems that relate to the programs I've posted. Although I'm featuring your best answers this week, don't let that stop you from joining the discussion. If a certain freeware application has really caught your eye, jump in the thread and say something! Or hit me up on Twitter and let me know when you've found something great!

Rocketdock

What it does: Feel like mimicking the dock in Apple's OSX? Turn over to the dark side with Rocketdock, an neat little application that lets you create a pretty floating toolbar on top the edge of your desktop. According to MPC user AntiHero, "Rocketdock is probably one of my top 5 favorite desktop enhancers." And it's easy to see why -- dragging and dropping the programs you use on a fairly frequent basis onto this auto-expanding launcher is a lot more fun (and eye-catching) then the boring ol' Windows Quick Launch section.

Download it here!

Fences

What it does: MPC users SEALBoy and SirBC love StarDock's Fences. I don't blame them. This desktop enhancement application is not only free (+10 points), but it's a great way to organize the icons on your desktop into moveable, resizable groupings. Stardock calls these chunks of programs "fences." To create one, you just have to draw a box around the icons you want to group. Create a "fence" of these grouped icons, or self-contained box that keeps said icons within a defined space. You can alter the size of the box, move the box around, or even use Fences to lay your boxes out using predefined templates. Take that, cluttered desktops.

Download it here!

Battle for Wesnoth

What it does: You might have heard of the Battle for Wesnoth, but I'm willing to bet that you're unfamiliar with the size and scope of this popular freeware turn-based strategy game. I haven't profiled it yet as part of these weekly freeware wrap-ups, and MPC user Loud let me know that fact. He thinks you can sink a lot of time into the Battle for Wesnoth, and I agree: the free game features both single- and multi-player modes, and the graphics are pretty good given its community-driven origins. As you progress through the game's many scenarios, you carry your hardened veterans through successive battles -- that's right, you can't (and shouldn't) just launch a ton of red-shirts (or zergs) at the computer, you have to think strategically

Download it here!

DriverMax

What it does: I've profiled programs that scan your system and tell you when the applications you've installed have updates that you should download. MPC commenter Nekollx was kind enough to point me in the direction of DriverMax, an application that performs the identical task for all of the hardware that's connected to your PC. While you could always rely on, say, Windows Update to tell you that new soundcard or videocard drivers are ready... don't. Windows' in-house upgrading tool is slow at best, quiet at worst. DriverMax tells you when it's time to install the latest updates for your hardware, and it's a must-have addition to any serious PC user's operating system... unless you really like scanning for and installing drivers manually. I don't.

Download it here!

Folding CD Generator

What it does: Want to contribute to the Folding@Home distributed computing experiment with some older hardware, but don't want to go through the hassle of installing operating systems (or hard drives)? MPC user kc7wbq has the answer: the hybrid Folding CD Generator online application / Live CD. That's a mouthful to say, but you'll be surprised at the simplicity of this crafty tool. When you hit up the Website, you'll be given a series of prompts that will ask you about your particular Folding@Home habits (as well as your user name and passkey for the service; important if you want to join the MPC team for the Chimp Challenge!). Fill out the questions, and the site will auto-create a customized ISO file for your information. Burn the ISO to a CD, boot off this CD when you go to run a computer, and you'll be doing your part to help cure diseases in no time!

"Download" it here!

RipNAS Launches SSD-Based NAS with Built-In CD Ripping

Paul Lilly — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:32:53 -0500

RipNAS this week announced two new storage devices, the Statement SSD and Statement HDD. Both come capable of ripping CDs, leading the company to claim the former as the "world's first Solid State Drive Ripping NAS." And as far as we know, they're right.

The aptly named Statement series also challenges traditional NAS design in aesthetics. Instead of a bulky box, RipNAS chose a svelte silver enclosure that would fit right in with a home theater setup. Combined with its media streaming capabilities and dead silent operation (SSD version), RipNAS might be on to something.

On the hardware front, both boxes come an Intel Atom dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and four USB 2.0 ports. The SSD version will come configured with 500GB (2x250GB), and 3TB (2x1.5TB) of storage in the HDD version.

No word yet on pricing or availability.

Rumor: Asustek to Launch ODD-toting Netbook in April

Pulkit Chandna — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:01:03 -0500

Asustek is now busy sprucing up its Eee PC range. The wafer-thin Fold/Unfold notebook, the dual touchscreen Flipbook and voice-controlled Eee PCs are some of the most innovative products on its release calender.

An optical disk drive (ODD) may be pale in comparison to all the scintillating stuff just mentioned, but it is still a big deal for netbooks to have one.

Taiwanese website Digitimes is reporting that the ODD-equipped Eee PC E1004Dn netbook will become available in mid-April. The website also claims to have learnt from its sources that Asus will be releasing the 1080HA, which is fashioned like the MacBook Air, in the month of May.

The E1004DN was showcased at CES 2009. It happens to be the first Eee netbook equipped with an ODD. Apart from the DVD drive, it will feature a 10” display, an Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB RAM and a 120GB HDD.

Image Credit: Ferra

Five Ultimate Freeware Apps for CD/DVD Ripping/Burning/Futzing

David Murphy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0500

I just picked up a new netbook the other day. And you know what that netbook had? A lot of things, but "optical drive" wasn't on the list. So there I sat, staring at a stack of CDs all full of my most critical applications, games, and movies. Then I had a brainstorm: Rather than run down to the local electronics store to buy a lame external optical drive, I figured I would convert all of my optical media and slap it onto one of the external hard drives I have sitting around.

To do that, I turned to a suite of applications to rip, burn, encode, convert, and create all sorts of image files. It was a daunting task at first, but it sure beat shelling out for more hardware. Based on my troubles, I've come up with a list of five of the must-have applications for your CD manipulation needs. And these aren't just a list of applications for new netbook enthusiasts. These free apps have a universal appeal for anyone who's ever had to interact with their optical drive at any point. I would assume that this would make up 99% of all computer users--the one percent being anyone who just bought a new netbook without any kind of secondary system in their house. Whoops!

One caveat before I get started. How you use these applications is up to you. I'm not going to tell you how to break copy protection for your games or movies. I'm just going to assume that anything you do with these powerful tools is fully on the up-and-up--like ripping home movies of you as a child, or copying over the contents of. Um. A game. You created yourself. Right-o.

Handbrake

What it does: Why does Handbrake continue to rock? Because it's an all-in-one tool that takes you from DVD ripping to file encoding without forcing you to muck around with external programs, complicated settings, or a treasure trove of codecs. If you've never taken the time and effort to convert ripped DVD files to playable media before... don't bother. Unless you're a complete audio/video snob, Handbrake should be sufficient for all of your needs. The only downfall? Well, if your movies happen to have some kind of copy protection, you'll need a little more elbow grease before you can commence the conversion.

Download it here!

DVDFab HD

What it does: Okay. We've long talked about how AnyDVD is the end-all be-all of decryption mechanisms for DVDs and Blu-ray titles. No questions about that; it's an awesome program. It also costs you money. If you want to take a cheaper, possibly less functional route, then give DVDFab HD a try. This application (ideally) strips the copy protection out of your DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray titles before ripping the contents of the CD right to your hard drive. You can then take that file and convert it to your heart's content. Of course, we're not sure why you put copy protection on your home movies to begin with, but, well, there it is.

Download it here!

Free ISO Creator

What it does: The name is pretty self-explanatory, but we'll throw out a description anyway. If you have a ton of files you're looking to smash onto a CD or DVD, then Free ISO Creator is your ticket. If you're new to the CD- or DVD-creation game, here's what this means. An ISO file is a giant archive of data that CD burning applications use to read and write a disc. When you create an ISO file, it's like you're mashing all of the files--and the directory structure--into a single file. You can normally do this through the CD burning program itself. This is just an easier way to create archives you know you'll always want to keep on-hand and possibly even use to make multiple discs. Maybe you want to create an Ultimate Application CD of your very own, or make copies of your high school photography album for all of your friends. Create an ISO once; burn it forever. And no, we did not steal that line from any infomercials.

Download it here:

ImgBurn

What it does: Once you've finished creating your ISO file--or assuming that you have a wide variety of burnable disc images on-hand--you'll want to turn to ImgBurn to pull these files from the digital world into physical reality. This program is a slim, easy-to-use disc burning application that packs a lot of functionality under its small roof. Best of all, it supports video disc burning as well. It doesn't hog your system resources or install 35 other programs like other applications we've use. That, plus its price, makes ImgBurn one of the must-have PC applications, period.

Download it here!

QuickPar

What it does: It's not directly tied to the disc-creation process, but QuickPar can be an integral part of protecting the contents of your media from age-based corruption. Here's how it works. When you want to burn files to a CD or DVD, calculate how much space that's going to take up and use QuickPar to generate parity files that fill the rest of the free space. A parity file verifies and, in some cases, can help you recover the information from a file or group of files. If you scratch or otherwise screw up your disc, you can try to dump the disc's readable contents to your hard drive. If you're in luck, you'll catch enough parity files to be able to recreate the contents of your original files. Lifehacker has the complete how-to if you're interested. We recommend you check it out, as there's nothing more frustrating than losing your critical data to a scratch-filled disc.

Download it here!

LiveCD Lockdown: Five of our Favorite, Installation-free Collections!

David Murphy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:30:00 -0500

The beauty of a Live CD is that it gives you a chance to access your computer or a batch of alternate applications without actually having to load up your operating system. You only need to pop the CD into your optical drive and boot it up from your BIOS -- this self-contained environment runs independent of anything that's located on your drive partitions, even though you can still perform a variety of tasks that manipulate the data on your drives.

For example, you can test our new Linux distributions using a Live CD, saving you the time and hassle of blanking an entire partition just to see if it's the right distribution for you. You can also manipulate the partitions of your drives using a Live CD, expanding and creating volumes to create alternate locations for new operating systems, files, or whatever it is you'd use a separate volume for. Live CDs are great for troubleshooting your system (or saving your data) when your primary operating system won't boot, and they can also be used to break into Windows installations that you've lost the password for.

USB Disk Storage Format (and friends)

What it does: We'll start our Live CD list with a fun utility. USB Disk Storage Format isn't a Live CD, but it does allow you to transform a boring ol' USB key into a bootable environment. It's a great match for those who don't have an optical drive (?!) or want the added convenience not having to burn a new disc every time you need to run, say, BIOS updates.

Once you've downloaded USB Disk Storage Format, pick up a batch of DOS files named "HPUSBFW_BOOTFILES.zip." We've linked them here, but in case the link goes away, you should be able to Google search for these. Run USB Disk Storage Format and select a FAT32 filesystem for the format, then check the "Create a DOS bootable disc" box. Select the folder containing the files from the aforementioned archive, then run the program! You now have a bootable USB that you can use to do things like flash your BIOS or, depending on the instructions of particular Live CDs, transform these discs into USB-based tools.

Download it here!

Backtrack

What it does: This Live CD is geared toward extreme vulnerability testing. It's a Linux distribution that comes packed with a variety of security-themed applications and utilities. You can use the included tools to brute-force your way past stubborn passwords, including those of the Windows operating system itself. You can also spoof a wireless access point and force nearby Windows machines to connect to you instead of the real wireless provider. Or if you're feeling a bit more white hat, you can use the included applications to scan and detect a wide variety of nearby wireless networks. But that's just a small sampling of the functionality available in Backtrack -- with more than 300 security-themed utilities to choose from, odds are good that you'll find just what you're looking for.

Download it here!

Memtest86+

What it does: Is your computer acting strangely lately? Try running this Live CD; it performs a comprehensive series of stability tests on your computer memory. You'll never know if one of your sticks has officially gone bad unless you put it through the ringers, after all! This Live CD is easy to use and quite comprehensive in its ability to run both standard and advanced RAM tests.

Download it here!

Live.linuX-gamers.net

What it does: So you don't think Linux is a gaming platform, eh? This Live CD is going to try and prove you wrong, as it contains thirteen different Linux-based games for you to try out. Here's a short list of what you'll be checking out:

Glest -- real-time strategy
Nexuiz -- first-person shooter
Teeworlds -- side-scrolling shooter
Warzone2100 -- real-time strategy
World of Padman -- comic-style first-person shooter

Download it here!

Ophcrack

What it does: Unlike Backtrack, which gives you a wealth of security-themed applications, Ophcrack is a Live CD that's designed for one purpose: breaking through Windows passwords. We're going to assume you'll be using this to get into your own password-locked system that you forgot the code to. Ophcrack works on either XP or Vista installations, and even offers pretty real-time graphs to show the progress of its tables-based, brute-force cracking method.

Download it here!

Super-bonus: GParted

What it does: Ok, we know we usually dish out five free applications for these weekly roundups, but we just couldn't let GParted stay off our list. It's that good. This Live CD is the ideal tool for manipulating your drive's partitions. It's faster, easier to use, and offers more functionality than any partitioning utility you'll find as part of the Windows operating system. Create, shrink, expand, merge, and otherwise futz with your hard drives in more ways than you ever thought possible. This Live CD is the perfect opening step toward creating a dual- or triple-boot setup for your PC. We can't recommend it enough!

Download it here:

CD Sales Still Shrinking; Digital Distribution Still Growing

Andy Salisbury — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:31:09 -0600

As digital music stores become more common and convenient, the age of the compact disc as the preferred medium is coming to a close. In fact, according to year-end sales figures released by The Nielsen Co., sales of CDs are down a whopping 20 percent.

The sales of physical discs have dropped from 450.5 million in 2007 to only 362.6 million in 2008. And during this time, digital album sales made a gigantic jump of 32 percent over their previous year’s sales.

Apple’s iTunes music store has been particularly successful, having broken the 1 billion song mark with 1.07 billion sold. Along with this, their sales went up 27 percent over the previous year.

Image Credit: Apple, Inc.