Best MP3 ripping software?

[Rubber Bullets]

What is the best, and free-est, CD>mp3 software?

I know Scooba told me this ages ago but I can't find the thread and I can't find the program on any of my backup discs

s

 

[Moving Target]

I use CDex

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Exact Audio Copy and Lame with the --alt-preset extreme extension will give you really quite delicious results.

 

[dysfunction]

Kazaa works well...

not for ripping but for getting the MP3 backups

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Clearly a big lie, Kazaa works well at getting hideously mangled mp3s.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

That was the one Scooba, I remember now.

What is the alt-preset extreme extension though?

I did use this program before when you suggested it, I got good results except the bit rates were a bit bizarre. Each track I ripped appeared to have a different bitrate, all between 300 and 500, and the track length appeared much shorter than it should be. The files played fine, the time bar on the player just got to the time it thought it lasted for and stopped even though the music went on playing.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks MT as well, I am testing that proggy as I type

s

 

[DApea!]

AudioCatalyst, pwn.

 

[mank!]

CDex with lame encoder, VBR -r3mix

quite nice tbh

 

[Summo]

Originally posted by Scooba Da Bass
Exact Audio Copy and Lame with the --alt-preset extreme extension will give you really quite delicious results.

I use what he said. Never question Scoobs when it comes to music.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

lame = fucking win

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by schadenfreude

What is the alt-preset extreme extension though?

All the alt presets are basically pre determined encoding options to save you having to use all intricate switches. Extreme will give you an average bitrate of 256 kbps, joint stereo, whilst maintaining decent stereo seperation and top end.

If you aren't playing them back on anything special then the --alt-preset standard will serve your needs, but with the cost of HDs as they stand, it's not really worth the lost sound quality for the gained size benefits.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Thanks Scooba,

I'm ripping them to be played on a car mp3 player, off CD so standard is probably the setting to go for.

s

 

[Testin da Cable]

cdparanoia

edit: oh duh, in my altered state I make with the booboo. cdp is the ripper. blade and lame are the encoders. sorry

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Blade smells

 

[Testin da Cable]

yeah tbh. I usually use a script that looks up the cd on the cddb server, then uses cdparanoia to rip it and pipe the output into lame. that's about it.

 

[lovedaddy]

ogg

ogg is a MUCH better file format than MP3. Really, it is, www.vorbis.com.
It has the 1.0 DLL included with CDex (possibly the best ripping & encoding software about!).

ogg really does wipe the floor with mp3 at lower bitrates, theres a sample of 64kbit ogg and 64kbit mp3, anyone with ears would have to agree the ogg sounds much better.

Please all try it, love it and accept it. Then we can look forward to the ipods with ogg playback =)

 

[FatBusinessman]

Originally posted by Moving Target
I use CDex

What he said.

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Re: ogg

Originally posted by lovedaddy
ogg is a MUCH better file format than MP3. Really, it is, www.vorbis.com.
It has the 1.0 DLL included with CDex (possibly the best ripping & encoding software about!).

ogg really does wipe the floor with mp3 at lower bitrates, theres a sample of 64kbit ogg and 64kbit mp3, anyone with ears would have to agree the ogg sounds much better.

Please all try it, love it and accept it. Then we can look forward to the ipods with ogg playback =)

Who rips at 64kbit?

Don't get me wrong, Ogg is admittably great at lower levels, but higher up the difference between mp3 and ogg stops being noticable.

 

[lovedaddy]

Nah, use some good hi-fi equipment and its noticable upto about Q5 on ogg (about 200ish kbit).
96 ogg is roughly the same as 128 mp3 (probably better most of the time) - who doesn't want better sound for less storage =)

Please people, give it a blast!

 

[Testin da Cable]

there once was a time where I had both mp3 and ogg on my system. how I pine for my lost youth :/

 

[Sharma]

Get like one of the big name ones and find a crack or something :/

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

BUT EAC AND LAME ARE LIEK FREE AND THE BEST

 

[Clowneh!]

HAY YU TYEP LIKE I AM GLEN?!!

i use music match cuz im a poor bastard

 

[kameleon]

I use dbpoweramp its fast and free and gives good results.

 

[Lester]

What's an MP3:?????

 

[dysfunction]

Originally posted by Lester
What's an MP3:?????

Its a chocolate.

No wait its a plant.

No wait...hang on...I'll get the answer in a minute

 

[bodhi]

I have both AudioCatalyst and EAC with LAME on my PC. EAC does provide *slightly* better quality but is nowhere near as easy to use and seems to have more problems with scratched CD's in my experience.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Aye, I found EAC nothing but a pain in the arse tbh.

Audiograbber + Lame 3.91 set to VBR1 is damned good enough for me. EACs sound quality is a tad better than this, certainly not by much. At least, not with my current sound setup :]

 

[Sar]

CDex does the job for me quite admirably.