CD copy protection that really works!

nathanm · « **on:** 7 Jan 2006, 06:06 am »

I've finally found the solution to music piracy! Here's what you do:

1. Get a Mac with OSX
2. Try to create gapless copies of CDs (legal or illegally gotten) for playback on a Squeezebox or similar device.

I guarantee after you attempt this futile task you will never even think of putting another CD into a computer drive bay. Go ahead, go and download the dozens of utilities claiming to make gapless OGGs, FLACs, WAVs, AIFFs, Cue sheets, whatever you've got. Won't work. Sure, you could just stick the disc in a regular old fashioned CD player and listen to perfect seamless audio with the ability to switch tracks at will, but where's the fun in that? Isn't it much better to spend hours and hours simply attempting to get "Breathe" and "On The Run" to flow together whilst still being separate tracks playable over one 'o them new fangled computer whatsits!? I mean, a wasteful futile adventure like that must really build a person's character!

Folsom · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 10:33 am »

Well I think I will just stick with my non-OSX that works flawlessly with every thing I ever wanted

.

You should always expect compatibility and short lists of options when buying an Apple. Monopolizing Steve got your balls!

Joules · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 12:27 pm »

That's an interesting point !!!

Carlman · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 02:27 pm »

I thought creating loads of crappy music no one wanted was the solution to piracy. It kills sales but so what, it kills piracy!

Watson · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 03:54 pm »

Are you sure your Squeezebox is configured correctly? As long as you rip to a lossless format, even iTunes generates files that are suitable for gapless playback. You can see this by ripping to ALAC in iTunes and then selecting all the tracks and choosing "Join Tracks." Listen. The joins are clean.

nathanm · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 06:46 pm »

Watson, I don't have iTunes installed anymore, (which I am glad about at least) I'm using a bunch of other stuff. Let's see, I've tried Xact, MARS, Audion, OggDrop, and MacFlac. MARS appears to do exactly what I want, it looks up the CD on the internet, retrieves the metadata and generates OGGs or FLACs, but these are either A) screwed up track start times B) unopenable by Squeezebox (Problem: can't find file for:) I understand that the MP3 format is actually inserting bits of silence into the waveform but I was under the impression that OGG or FLAC did not. Well, when I do up Floyd in FLAC the transitions are still hosed, it sounds just like a scratched record skip, only it just does it once. Here's what you get:

http://home.wi.rr.com/saruman/IMAGES/TheFloydGap.mp3

But you are right, I can certainly create a single 400-600MB file using one or more of those utilities, however the catch is that it's still treated as a single file (no skipping) and there's also no metadata\ID3 tags etc. XAct appears to do all sorts of stuff, but the software is so cryptic and impossible to figure out. Plus when I DO tell it to uh, "do something" it just spins the CD indefinitely, no progress indication, just wastes your time and I have to Force Quit. Clearly created by UNIX geeks for UNIX geeks.

Makes me really wish my PC was in working condition. I'd be using EAC in a heartbeat. Clearly the Mac side of CD ripping is not up to snuff at this time.

nathanm · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 07:09 pm »

Quote from: Destroyer of Smiles.

Well I think I will just stick with my non-OSX that works flawlessly with every thing I ever wanted .

You should always expect compatibility and short lists of options when buying an Apple. Monopolizing Steve got your balls!

I wasn't trying to rip on Apple

and there's no monopolies in the computer biz. I was just ripping on how difficult it is to get a gapless file. In a way it sort of negates the coolness of the Squeezebox since you can't get proper gapless playback if you buy digital files online OR if you copy CDs you already own. You can get gapless, anonymous audio tracks that won't be addressable by Artist\Genre\Year etc. though. So like I said, I do think this is great copy protection, even if success was still under 'Fair Use'. heh!

Watson · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 07:40 pm »

Quote from: nathanm

Clearly the Mac side of CD ripping is not up to snuff at this time.

I don't really understand your perspective. Apple gives you a perfectly good tool right out of the box with iTunes. Why not just use it instead of chasing down all sorts of weird third-party tools? You're needlessly complicating your life and then complaining that your life is needlessly complicated.

You don't have to use iTunes for music playback if you hate it, just to rip the files. You also don't have to join the files into one big file. I was just telling you to do that so you can see that the transition is seamless and the individual files are suitable for gapless.

Anyway, if you're dead set against iTunes or want EAC-style "paranoia" ripping, here's how to use xAct:
1) start xAct
2) click the "util" tab
3) drag the CD tracks you want to rip from Finder to the xAct window (or onto the xAct icon)
4) click "CD extraction"
5) click "execute"
6) choose the directory where you want to put the extracted files
7) wait; xAct opens a window to show when it's done.

Let me know if that works for you.

nathanm · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 09:31 pm »

I don't like iTunes because it's Clevver. iTunes wants to micro-manage my files and commandeer file types. It buries files deep within a nest of folders of it's own choosing (just like iPhoto) and screws up my mental model of where files are on the hard drive. That's the needless complication IMO.

I just wanted a standalone MP3 playing app which is why I ditched iTunes for Audion because with that the user is in control of the file and folder structure, it just plays the files. The purpose of the using the SB is as a glorified remote control and allowing for acoustic isolation from the host computer's fans.

Anyway...So you're saying that if I rip a CD in iTunes resulting in separate files for each track they will nevertheless playback seamlessly on...just in iTunes or in any player? Or just if I Join them? I haven't heard a true gapless transition in Audion nor the Squeezebox. The glitchy Floyd tune transition was from MARS-generated FLACs as shown in the MP3 I posted. OGGs have the same result. The closest I got on the Squeezebox to a gapless transition was a zero-time "crossfade". Joining isn't really the issue, it's joining whilst retaining track selection and metadata which as far as I can see, remains within the realm of EAC's Flac+Cuesheet system on Windows.

I will try it, though. I'll install iTunes on my backup drive and see if it works.

kenscott30 · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 10:10 pm »

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61659

Best of luck.

Ken

csero · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 10:20 pm »

Quote from: nathanm

I've finally found the solution to music piracy! Here's what you do:

1. Get a Mac with OSX
2. Try to create gapless copies of CDs (legal or illegally gotten) for playback on a Squeezebox or similar device.

I guarantee after you attempt this futile task you will never even think of putting another CD into a computer drive bay. Go ahead, go and download the dozens of utilities claiming to make gapless OGGs, FLACs, WAVs, AIFFs, Cue sheets, whatever you've got. Won't work. Sure, you could just stick ...

That's one big reason I gave up computers long ago - PC or Mac. It is just unsuitable for classical music or opera.

nathanm · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 Jan 2006, 10:42 pm »

I re-installed iTunes. Watson is 100% correct and it does work as described. You put the CD in, select however many tracks from it you want and hit the Join CD Tracks command. It then becomes one song, with one title. I joined the entire disc and it became "Dark Side Of the Moon", if I selected tracks 1 and 2 (Speak To Me\Breathe and On The Run) and joined them the result was "Speak To Me/Breathe".

Okay, this technically works, it's just not what I want. The digital system isn't working as the conventional hardware system is working, at least for OSX as far as I can tell. It seems like with EAC you can merge all the CD tracks into one single file but then the cue sheet text file or something tells the player where the track markers are so the file is still addressable by the Squeezebox etc.. I wish I knew how it worked exactly.

I did read something else about markers pertaining to Podcasts or something, I will have to investigate further.

So the compromise is that yes you CAN have gapless playback, you just have to listen to the whole album. Minor complaint, yeah I suppose, but... Indeed, it is very unsuitable for opera. Singers getting chopped into mid-note and such.

Charles D. · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 Jan 2006, 04:23 pm »

iTunes will let you join tracks before you rip them.

You can also select joined tracks, get info, go to the options tab, and enable "Remember playback position". This is not real indexing, but it helps.

I do not know of a way to add indexing to an Apple Lossless file, but it is possible to do that with Podcasts--perhaps one of the Podcast utilities will help. It sure would be nice to have the iTunes join command automatically add index points to mark the file transitions.

If you use a Mac and have ripped a CD into Apple Lossless, you can convert the tracks to WAV if you want to join. On the Mac you can pick up Amadeus II for free and use the "Join WAV" command. Then drag the WAV bag onto the iTunes icon and convert to Apple Lossless if you like.

It's probably just as easy to re-rip with the Join tracks feature.