iTunes CD Ripping...

kyyuan · « **on:** 26 Jan 2011, 10:18 pm »

To all the iTunes/Mac Masters,

I am just starting the process of putting together a Mac Mini based music server. I have read that when ripping CDs, the "error correction" needs to be checked. I just ripped about 40 CDs without checking the "error correction" box. Should I re-ripp the CDs? Do you notice any sound quality difference.

Going forward, I will ripp the CDs with the box checked. Any input is appreciated.

srb · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 Jan 2011, 10:27 pm »

Good question. Historically the option was there (and still is) to use error correction or not, based on the extra time it takes to rip. However, with fast modern processors the extra ripping time is negligible.

I would re-rip some test tracks, adding something like "-EC" at the end of the track name before ripping so that you can differentiate them. If you can't hear a difference or aren't sure, then it probably isn't worth the trouble and just go forward from here with error correction enabled.

Steve

borism · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 Jan 2011, 10:50 pm »

Eric Heider from DB Audio Labs helped me set up my itunes library after I got the Tranquility DAC. He seemed very knowledgeable and he recommended that I re-import the 100 or so albums with error correction since I missed it originally. Of course, the right thing to do would be comparing with/without as Steve suggests but I just followed Eric's advice.
Boris

skunark · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Jan 2011, 03:55 am »

It's always a good idea to turn on the error checking as this will also attempt to error correct scratches on the physical medium. If you are super paranoid, you might check out RIP (sbooth.org) as it will also perform a checksum and compare that with an online database. You can configure RIP to place any confirmed file under "~/Music/iTunes/Automatically Add to iTunes" folder.

kyyuan · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Jan 2011, 05:42 am »

Thanks, All.

Robert57 · « **Reply #5 on:** 30 Jan 2011, 12:29 am »

Many Mac users, like me, who always wished they had a better ripping software have been very pleased with XLD. It is considerably slower than iTunes to rip a typical CD (15 -20 min., depending on disk condition) but has far more thorough error correction--using latest cd paranoia and a data base comparison to ensure as perfect a rip as possible. Even with error correction turned on, iTunes still will give some pops and glitches in rips. To me it's well worth the extra few minutes per rip to get the peace of mind XLD gives. The developer gives frequent updates too.

Rob

avta · « **Reply #6 on:** 30 Jan 2011, 01:50 am »

+1 for XLD http://tmkk.pv.land.to/xld/index_e.html

kyyuan · « **Reply #7 on:** 30 Jan 2011, 05:18 am »

Robert57 & avta...thanks for the heads-up on XLD. Does XLD rip and imports directly into itunes? Y'all have to excuse my basic questions as I'm still pretty new at this. Thanks.

avta · « **Reply #8 on:** 30 Jan 2011, 05:24 am »

I believe so although I don't use that to store files. If you go to Preferences > General
I think there is a check box to output to iTunes.

Robert57 · « **Reply #9 on:** 30 Jan 2011, 03:09 pm »

Yes, XLD works very nicely with iTunes organization--I still use iTunes for all my organization. There is a simple option in XLD preferences to copy all rips into iTunes, and XLD uses very the adequate Music Brainz, and FreeDB databases for album tagging info. I find XLD the ripping perfect complement to iTunes' good organization features. The only downside is sometimes I encounter a track (or rarely an entire CD) with some weird aliasing issue, even for a seemingly immaculate CD, that brings XLD rips to a painful crawl (hours for one track). Rarely I am forced to resort back to iTunes rips (with error correction) for a particularly difficult CD (XLD is practically brought to a halt after hours), but I am still wary of occasional glitches in iTunes rips. XLD is slow because it is so uncompromising in capturing a perfect rip. Overall I am very happy with XLD.

kyyuan · « **Reply #10 on:** 1 Feb 2011, 12:41 am »

Thanks again, guys.

kyyuan · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 Feb 2011, 10:38 pm »

Robert57,

I just tried ripping a few CDs using XLD. Does XLD create sub-folders (by artist) as iTunes does? I noticed all the songs I ripped using XLD are just in the main folder as individual songs. How do I re-organize them? Thanks much.

Quote from: Robert57 on 30 Jan 2011, 03:09 pm

Yes, XLD works very nicely with iTunes organization--I still use iTunes for all my organization. There is a simple option in XLD preferences to copy all rips into iTunes, and XLD uses very the adequate Music Brainz, and FreeDB databases for album tagging info. I find XLD the ripping perfect complement to iTunes' good organization features. The only downside is sometimes I encounter a track (or rarely an entire CD) with some weird aliasing issue, even for a seemingly immaculate CD, that brings XLD rips to a painful crawl (hours for one track). Rarely I am forced to resort back to iTunes rips (with error correction) for a particularly difficult CD (XLD is practically brought to a halt after hours), but I am still wary of occasional glitches in iTunes rips. XLD is slow because it is so uncompromising in capturing a perfect rip. Overall I am very happy with XLD.

Robert57 · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Feb 2011, 11:24 pm »

There is a preference option in the XLD lossless ripping app. to copy all the songs ripped in XLD to iTunes, so iTunes will automatically do the organizing as you'd expect. I periodically delete the original individual tracks that XLD saves to a separate folder after I am satisfied the tracks copied over to iTunes.

Rob

Johnny2Bad · « **Reply #13 on:** 28 Feb 2011, 10:29 pm »

I've tried XLD but find it a bit too unstable for my liking. Worse, when it crashes, it somehow loses all the preferences you've set and reverts to the default ... strange, since I've never known an OSX app to do that, and I'm not sure how it even manages to do that, since the preferences are in a text file that is normally only read once on launch.

It must use some non-standard method rather than writing them to ~/Library/Preferences
… and leaving them alone unless the user changes them.

I've had much better luck with Max; it's far more stable and doesn't arbitrarily change preferences (and it hasn't crashed on me in years; it did a bit with a PPC Mac on OSX 10.4x). You are limited to the CDParanoia engine with Max but that's not a huge limitation. Also, when Max saves it's files in the backup directory you choose (it will also add them to the iTunes library at the same time), it saves them in an appropriately named folder, not just the raw file scattered in the directory.

Mike Nomad · « **Reply #14 on:** 28 Feb 2011, 10:51 pm »

Quote from: Johnny2Bad on 28 Feb 2011, 10:29 pm

I've had much better luck with Max; it's far more stable and doesn't arbitrarily change preferences (and it hasn't crashed on me in years; it did a bit with a PPC Mac on OSX 10.4x). You are limited to the CDParanoia engine with Max but that's not a huge limitation. Also, when Max saves it's files in the backup directory you choose (it will also add them to the iTunes library at the same time), it saves them in an appropriately named folder, not just the raw file scattered in the directory.

+1 on Max. I've never had a problem (but I never ran it on a PPC box).

newzooreview · « **Reply #15 on:** 1 Mar 2011, 12:20 am »

Max is no longer maintained or updated, and it uses an old ripping engine.

XLD is updated about once a month, and it uses the best ripping engines available (take your ) pick).

It's never crashed on me, and it compares rips to the AccurateRip database so you have some external validation that the rip is good. It also automatically corrects for offset (Max does not).

I suggest getting an external CD/DVD drive since the drives built into Macs are pretty bad. I've owned Macs for 20 years, but for good results ripping, an external drive is more reliable. Try a Plextor or an OWC drive ( http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MRF82SD22LS/ )

YMMV

Mike Nomad · « **Reply #16 on:** 1 Mar 2011, 04:18 am »

Quote from: newzooreview on 1 Mar 2011, 12:20 am

Max is no longer maintained or updated, and it uses an old ripping engine.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the word.

UPDATE:

Just went to the site. The stable release hasn't moved in about 18 months. The latest unstable is about 5 weeks old. Going to give it a try to see if things get better (or worse).

Johnny2Bad · « **Reply #17 on:** 1 Mar 2011, 04:30 am »

Yeah, the "old" engine is the CDParanoia engine, the same one that is included with XLD. There is a new engine in XLD but, as they say, it's in beta. However in at least the latest build (20110228) it's selected by default. That might be the source of the instability I'm seeing. In any case, the latest (old) version of Max works flawlessly in Snow Leopard and all the other OS versions I've used it with.

I did notice (while re-setting preferences after the last XLD crash, since my last post) that if you check "Preserve Directory Structures" under the "Batch" tab, XLD does enclose your backup files inside a folder. No idea why it's in the "batch" setting, since to me this is not a batch operation (which you would normally set up to do a specific, repetitive task, not just manually rip a disk) but there it is. Might help someone.

Now, if I could only get it to write to the log file. By the way, the crash is not repeatable (it will rip the same file it choked on after a re-launch and a re-set of preferences) which to me is a bigger problem than a simple repeatable bug.

There's nothing particularly "bad" about the drives included with Macs, however there are a very few specific models of external or replacement full-size internal drives that can work with certain options available in some ripping engines. If you don't enable those options, and use those specific drives, there's no difference.

As for error correction, if you are using pristine CDs there should not be an issue, but scratched disks can benefit. Despite all it's flaws, the Compact Disk Redbook Standard employs very robust error correction … data is written multiple times to multiple areas of the disk. When a player encounters an error due to a flaw or scratch, it can access these areas to attempt to recover a correct value. There are three levels of error in a CD read, and the first two are completely recoverable with error correction enabled. If the disk contains the level 3 error, there is nothing that can be done and in that case data will be interpolated, or if that fails, missing altogether.

Daedalus Audio · « **Reply #18 on:** 1 Mar 2011, 05:09 am »

fwiw, I always use an external drive for ripping. I have had occasional errors with internal drives but the LaCie drives I use are always solid.
http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11171

skunark · « **Reply #19 on:** 1 Mar 2011, 05:24 am »

Quote from: Daedalus Audio on 1 Mar 2011, 05:09 am

fwiw, I always use an external drive for ripping. I have had occasional errors with internal drives but the LaCie drives I use are always solid.
http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11171

FYI, Lacie uses those same internal drives in their external exclosures. I gave up on Lacie a few years back because I had power supply after power supply die. ...not a fan of wallwarts or power bricks..