Rip (verb): digitally extract audio from an Audio CD to computer.

dMC Audio CD Input is used to Rip, found in Start >> Programs >> dBpowerAMP Music Converter:

Before inserting an Audio CD, connect to the Internet and the track titles will be auto-completed from freedb's database upon disc insertion (privacy watch: no information other than Audio CD identifier is sent to freedb). If your Audio CD input is stuck on Insert Audio CD check trouble shooting.

Tracks with Tick Marks will be ripped upon pressing Rip, a quick way to uncheck all, check all or to invert the ticks is to right click on one of the tracks and choose said option from the menu. Whilst looking at this right click menu, there is an option to Copy Track Listing to Clipboard, a text list of track names can be pasted into another program. Next to Rip is a menu:

The top two options start the Ripping process, the only difference being the Rip with Options gives the choice of verifying the options to be used. Pressing the Rip button is the same as selecting Rip Audio From CD.   Rip To selects the audio compression format to be used (as well as Install New Codec to add WMA, Ogg Vorbis or Mp4). To change the compression settings for the chosen format click Compression Settings and bitrates, etc can be set. Each installed Codec tends to have help detailing the Compression settings available, look in Start >> Programs >> dBpowerAMP Music Converter >> Help >> Codecs.

Power Pack Additions  Each track has an Artist entry, this allows dMC to handle compilation (multi-artist) CDs. The Artist can be entered by selecting one track and typing into the Artist box at the top. Upon retrieving freedb details, dMC is smart enough to spot a multi artist CD and automatically press Compilation to split out the separate artists. Press Compilation to manually split or swap the Artist and Track fields. The menu next to Compilation allows a track number offset to be specified for a 2nd disc in a multi disc album. Preview Toolbar The above mini toolbar appears if the [Power Pack] is installed, allows for the previewing of an Audio CD (enhanced keyboard owners with play, skip etc can control playback from the keyboard).  Rip as One Sometimes tracks might need to be combined into one big track, even the whole disc ripped as one audio file, or parts chopped off an track, Rip as One allows this, press the button and select the Ripping Start position on the Red scale with the left mouse button and the Ripping End position with the right button. Previewing the track might help determine if the correct start and end positions are set before ripping. Track Name and Track Number are used in the ID tag. Power Button Starting with the best option first Rip to RAM and Rip & Encode at Same Time these two options should be checked to speed up CD ripping (ripping not compressing), by ripping in one continuous stream to the computers memory (very efficient instead of start cd, stop cd, compress, start cd...) and encode it on a 2nd thread running concurrently. m3u or pls playlists can be written for each disk Ripped, playlists are named based upon Playlist Creation. No Jitter Correction can be used if your CD drive supports accurate positioning (most modern drives do). Ripping will proceed quicker, although if Rip to RAM is used there is no point in using this option. Auto Rip On Disk Insert can be used to speed up ripping lots and lots of discs, Ripping will commence after freedb has been contacted. Never Show freedb Messages can be used to create an unattended ripping station, any errors pertaining to freedb are not shown, and should a disc bring back multiple Album choices the first one is auto-selected, of most use with Auto Rip on Disk insert.

 

Rip to Folder: location ripped tracks are stored, combined with File Creation to determine the final filenames. File Creation can be set to store audio files in a layout of your choice - want each album in separate folders? really easy, just click Set. The audio format used is specified with Rip To, same as set with Rip >> Rip To menu earlier. Write ID Tags if checked stores tracks details, such as Artist and Album within the audio file (not all audio formats support ID Tags). 

Now my favorite option ( a designer can be proud :) ), if [dBpowerAMP Audio Player] is installed Add to MMC can be ticked, all tracks Ripped will be added straight into dBpowerAMPs Music Collection and better still, see the blue highlight lines on Audio CD Input above? these tracks are highlighted because they already exist in your Music Collection, saving duplicates from being ripped.

Disk Title Online Database
Each time a new CD is inserted dMC will contact the Internet freedb database to obtain track names, this automatic action can be switched off by unchecking Retrieve Titles. Each time titles are retrieved you are reliant on the person who submitted that information, one group of people might type a track name as 'the way i am', or even 'THE WAY I AM', Smart Formatting tries to correct the previous two to a more palatable 'The Way I Am'. Setting the freedb server, offline database, auto dialing, delayed freedb options, or submitting your own additions are covered in freedb Settings & Submissions.

Accurate Rip
A revolutionary way of determining if a CD ripped was without error (caused by scratches, etc) - each time a CD is ripped it is compared against CDs ripped by other people from all over the world. Visit www.accuraterip.com for details on how to install and configure AccurateRip.

Drive Options
Eject After Rip to auto eject the CD after ripping, Ripping Speed can be set to slow down the ripping (the slower the disc spins the less likely of a Read Error). Some CD drives will not rip correctly until the drive is spinning at maximum speed, the option Spin up for (sec) will sort such problems out if they arise. If you have an old CD drive it might suffer from an excessive jitter (audible clicking in the audio), only with such should Slow Ripping be enabled, for 99.999% of modern drives it is not required.

The Option button also has a small menu:

Copy Protected Audio CDs

Standard CD Player Emulation: many 'Copy Protected' audio CDs (I call  them damaged CDs) exploit a weakness of a computer system as being different to a normal audio CD player. If Table of Contents Detection is checked then the disc contents are read using sub-codes, this will almost certainly enable the reading of the correct track lengths should they appear wrong. All being well such a disc can be ripped, but it depends mostly on your CD drive, which needs to be able to rip outside the false first disc contents table (not all will), if this is the case then take a black marker pen (don't use a permanent pen!) and draw around the outside tracks (search the internet for Copy Protected Audio CD black marker pen, for more details). Finally a new breed of nasty audio protection has just been released, the Audio CD contains a nasty program that installs on your computer (with out permission) and will take control of your CD drive to block it, in many ways like a virus might. I recommend that when ANY copy protected Audio CD is inserted into your computer hold the LEFT SHIFT key before, during and 10 seconds after inserting, this stops the nasty program from running. Remember it is the music company that is treating you like a criminal, taking away your fair use rights with such measures, complain and they might abandon their silly ideas.

Audio CD Parameters allows the track times to be set as well as the starting time, use this if the above option fails to read the correct CD track lengths.

Character Replacement
Certain characters cannot be used for filenames, but they might appear in Artist and Track names which are used to create the filename (File Creation above). These bad characters can be auto-changed into similar allowed ones, the default values do a pretty good job.

AccurateRip Results displays the last results for a Ripped disc, and Submit AccurateRip Results does just that, submits your ripped results to the central database. Submissions only need to be made once every so often, when many many discs have been ripped.

CD Text - if you have a CD Text compatible drive and your Audio CDs contain CD text (certain Sony CDs) then CD Text can be enabled on Options >> Select CD Drive and Advanced. If using freedb there is no real need for CD Text.

 

Trouble Shooting

Q. No audio tracks are listed?
A. Try Options and make sure the correct CD Drive is selected. Still no go? for Windows NT / 2000 or XP select Advanced (next to CD Drive) and change Communications to NT/2000 Built-in (Limited). Other Windows versions see  [Audio CD Input FAQ].

Q. My CD drive does not Rip at full speed?
A. So you have a 52x Speed CD drive?, yet it seems to take 3 Minutes to Rip a 3 Minute track...well firstly to test your Ripping speed convert one track to Test Conversion (if converting to mp3 most of the time will be taken up compressing!). If the extraction speed is obviously too slow (I have a 52x speed CD and it rips at 15x for track 1, and 28x for the last track, this is normal) try this [Audio CD Input FAQ]. 

Q. It Rips, but sometimes there are clicks and jumps?
A. Just as your glasses need a clean, so might your CD discs, clean with a soft lint free cloth. Finally try reducing your Ripping Speed in Options.

 

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