XLD ?

I have treid it but one of very few reasons to use a PC is that EAC sounds better. No big differences but absolutely worth doing.
I installed Parallels for that.

/Erik

If you want to rip on a Mac there is no better way.

You can rip to FLAC if you so desire. It produces logs, and cue sheets. etc....

EAC for Mac basically.

Hmm - i've been ripping with XLD and comparing to iTunes. Jury is still out at the moment.

James

James,

I am not sure you will hear a difference in rips. But I think you will appreciate the log file. If there are any errors in the rips, the log will tell you exactly where they happen. If uncorrectable with a subsequent rip, you can go to the track, and time indicated on the log to find out if the error is audible and/or acceptable.

Also, if you want to rip to FLAC I dont think there is another worthwhile option at this point.

The cue file will give you the ultimate backup. Using EAC you can load the cue file and create an exact copy of the CD in case the original is lost or damaged.

XLD also allows for disabling the cache (essential), drive offset correction (important), Test and Copy (any good ripper does this), and many other EAC-like features which iTunes simply doesn't address.

Then I would use Songbird for playback.... iPhone/Touch app is pretty nice.

The only aspects that XLD does not handle that EAC does is a write off-set correctable burner. And it does not yet have Accurate Rip abilities although I believe it is coming in the next release.

-p

Thanks Patrick - i've got iTunes and Amarra so thats playback sorted. XLD is pretty good so far although i've got an issue with it running fully automatically as i'd like it to do what iTunes does and just rip the CD and eject without any intervention from me. At the mo in this mode it doesnt get the track names and so adds a load of blank tracks.

James

James,

I have not used it extensively. I only helped a friend who is a Mactard and wanted to burn to FLAC.

I will look around for a "Proper Rip" set-up guide for XLD for you. iTunes isn't exactly one button ripping either. You had to set-up basic parameters before. And if you dont simply dump the tracks in one huge folder you at least need to set the output path.

I know it has the capability to look in a few different places for track info, one of which i know is Freedb. You will nevertheless want to double check its accuracy once it pulls in the info. On "complicated" recordings it often gets Album, artist and sometimes Year, all jacked up.

-p

· Open the Preferences pane by typing command-comma, or using the menu:
· Select the General tab:
· Use the drop-down menu to set the output format to FLAC:
· Next to the drop-down menu, click Option:
· Set compression level to "High" and uncheck the "embed cue sheet" box:
· Under Output directory, choose Specify:

Don't worry about the directory itself yet. You'll set that manually before each rip. Unless you always want all rips to go to the same folder.

· Under filename format, choose Specify:
· Then change to "%n - %t":
When ripping a VA album, temporarily change this to "%n - %a - %t".

· IMPORTANT: Double-check that you have enabled automatic updates.
XLD is going through constant development and this guide will reflect any changes made.

Leave the CDDB and Cover Art tabs alone.

· Go to the CD Rip tab.
· To determine the correct read offset value, click the small arrow here:
· Select your drive:

If your drive offset does not appear, find it at the AccurateRip or WhiteBunny web sites.
You can find the make and model of your drive by opening the System Profiler program and going to Hardware > ATA.

· Check all boxes except "Use C2 error pointers," "Use old CDParanoia engine," "Set automatically if possible," and "Treat AccurateRip mismatch as an inconsistency." Select both "Always" buttons:

· Close the Preferences window and insert a CD. It's best if you use a popular album that's in the AccurateRip database--think Pink Floyd, the Beatles, U2, etc. Use the File menu to open the CD:


· Again using the File menu, choose the "Measure Drive Cache Ability":

Wait a little bit for XLD to do its magic:
You're done! Setup has finished.



EXTRACTION

· Insert a CD.
· Open XLD.
· XLD does not automatically open the CD. You have to do it manually:
XLD detects pregaps during this step:

· If your CD is titled "Audio CD," use CDDB to get the tags:
If that doesn't work, you will need to enter the tags manually.
· Check for non-standard characters. To edit metadata, select one or more tracks and right-click (or control-click):

· You can also type command-I or use the menu. If you are adding artwork, drag and drop the thumbnail onto the No Image blank space:
· After your files have been tagged, save the cue sheet:

It is best to create a folder according to our torrent naming rules and save the file there.
· Use your album title as the name. Make sure that you append the .cue extension to the file name.
· Select the "separated track files" option:

This will create a proper EAC-style non-compliant cue sheet for CD burning.
· Open the Preferences pane (command-comma) and set the file path for your ripped FLACs under the Specify option:

The directory where you saved the .cue file should automatically come up. Click "Open" to select.
IMPORTANT. When ripping a VA album, The filename format should temporarily be changed to "%n - %a - %t".
· Close the Preferences window. As a final step, confirm that the "Include pregap" option has been selected:
· You're ready to go! Press Decode and wait for your tagged, secure FLAC files to be ripped:

After the rip has finished, a log file will open in XLD. Unlike xAct, you don't need to save it manually--a copy has been added to the directory where you sent the ripped FLACs. Scroll through the file and check for errors.

How do I know if my rip is clean?

Because XLD uses cdparanoia, logs may sometimes list a number of errors and still report the "No errors occurred / End of status report" message. This is similar to a proper EAC rip that reports one or more track values of under 100%.

BAD RIPS include any of these errors:
· Read error
· Skipped
· Inconsistency in error sectors

GOOD RIPS may include these errors:
· Edge jitter error
· Atom jitter error
· Drift error
· Dropped bytes error
· Duplicated bytes error

A rip that only has Edge, Atom, Drift, Drop, or Dupe "maybe fixed" errors is probably clean.
For a detailed discussion of XLD's error reporting, see this thread at HydrogenAudio.

The log should end with "No errors occurred" and not "Some inconsistencies found".

AccurateRip

Under the "CD Rip" tab in the Preferences, you should have selected the option to query the AccurateRip database.

AccurateRip may not confirm whether an album has been ripped properly. There are sometimes false negatives from previous poor submissions or (rarely) false positives from identical bad rips; and many, many albums with no data at all.

That said, many members appreciate the confirmation from a match in the AccurateRip database.

If the CD you are trying to rip is in the AccurateRip database, [AR] will appear in the XLD application's title bar:

Patrick

Where did you find the setup guide?

Thanks
Gregg

Hi Patrick - all that is done. Ripping is fine i just found that if its set to rip automatically when a disc is inserted then it doesnt find the track. If i manually select the CD the all works fine. Its no problem at the moment as i'm just playing about with it at the moment.

Cheers

James

quote:

Originally posted by glevethan:
Patrick

Where did you find the setup guide?

Thanks
Gregg

In an old email...

there's plenty of set-up guides for XLD if you google search.

i've been using it recently instead of Max, but tbh i can't hear any difference on my modest system.

Well after a few days of playing around i've found that i can't tell the difference between a rip on iTunes or Max or XLD. All the discs i've ripped have shown zero errors so perhaps my disks are too pristine to worry about ? - Back to iTunes.

James

Yes. Damaged CDs can very often be polished into pristine condition - if you have the patience.

Joe

My opinion has always been that if your CDs are in good condition then iTunes, et al. should produce a good rip and will be identical to a rip from any other method. The thing with iTunes is though that there is no feedback as to if there were any errors.

I tend to use iTunes as default, but if ripping takes longer than I expected it should, then I'll use XLD instead. Of course, make sure that "error correction" on iTunes is set to on.

Eloise

quote:

Originally posted by james n:
All the discs i've ripped have shown zero errors so perhaps my disks are too pristine to worry about ? - Back to iTunes.

How would you know if there were errors in your iTunes rips?

Now that you have XLD (i imagine you paid for it), and have set it up properly, why would you go back to an obviously inferior ripper?

Because its easy, straight forward, does not require essay length 'old emails' for a result, organises sanely and can be used for myraid other things such as shared itunes libraries etc.

I tried XLD as well, shit PC looking port requiring far to much user intervention for what is the same result.

Regarding errors. It seems dead easy to me PCS, see what you think of this..

If you hear an error revisit the rip. If you don't, don't read the log because thats Anal to the max.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:

How would you know if there were errors in your iTunes rips?

You can hear them!

I have had one faulty iTunes rip, but fortunately had an alternative copy of the very recording, which then ripped perfectly.

I reckon if you cannot hear a problem then there is isn't one! It is not as if recordings are perfect in the first place! The errors would have to be fairly gross [in data terms] before they became a significant lowering of accuracy in sound terms on most recordings.

LP replay is different from every deck combo, so some small differences are clearly not a big issue, IMO at least ...

ATB from George

Allan, Gary, George,

I know you mean well. But if you remove ripping as a source of audio paranoia, you will need to plant a seed of doubt about some other aspect. Otherwise there will be nothing to get anal about.

Judging from a few of these threads, I think Patrick enjoys these nerdy aspects. After all, iTunes can't be any good - it's mainstream.

Joe

And how exactly can you hear an error in pre track info? Oh... thats right. You wont hear the pre-track info with an iTunes rip.

Garyi, surely iTunes is sufficient as a player, but as a ripper? not so.

I would suggest any mac user to use XLD for rips then listen in iTnes or Songbird (if FLAC).

Regarding the one time 5 minute effort to setup XLD correctly, you had to do many similar things in iTunes unless you want to rip to 192 kbps MP3s.

Good things come to those who wait.

And this "it is too complicated and difficult" whining coming from Naim owners, is absolutely gut-busting hilarious . Fraims, Hiline insertion, Superline loading plugs, cable dressing, Power supplies, XPS vs 555ps, LP12 servicing, foam piping supporting cables, moving NAPSC off of the rack, and just about anything involving vinyl replay.... none of those seem fully anal to you? Really?

How is extending this type of care and effort to a rip seen as over the top?

Whether you like it or not, or do it or not, it doesn't change the fact that those proponents of iTunes rips are just, for some strange reason, offended that someone would suggest something better.

Why is it so bothersome for people to hear that iTunes is not the be-all end-all solution? Why is it even remotely surprising?

Lastly, without being able to set the read offset for a rip in iTunes, you will NEVER get a bit perfect rip. it is impossible.

So go back to the iTunes love fest and please stop reading my threads or replies concerning other methods. Why not just ignore me as I have 555. Very nice. You dont even need to see what has been written, and therefor wont be tempted to respond.

For those who want to have the best rip possible on a Mac, XLD is a great choice.

You are most likely only going to rip a CD once. Why not take the extra effort to make it as perfect as you can.

Trust me, the first time you listen to an Itunes rip and wonder where the first few notes of that song went, you might start looking into other options.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Bibb:


Judging from a few of these threads, I think Patrick enjoys these nerdy aspects. After all, iTunes can't be any good - it's mainstream.

Joe

Not at all Joe. I simply rip CDs and listen to them through my Naim kit. I set up EAC once a couple of years ago and have never touched it since.

I like to help others, just as the ones before me helped me get dialed in. I didnt make any of this crap up.

When I asked a friend what was the best way to start converting my CDs to files, one of them said just rip them to MP3 (256 kpbs) in Windows Media Player. What if I had simply followed that blindly then never questioned anything else?

Surely there are other ways to do rips. But for the same reason I own Naim, I wanted my rips to be as perfect as possible. It takes no extra effort, so why not?

What if I took the same stance as the detractors of this thread, and others, and claimed that it is silly to care about leaving your kit on 24/7, or a brains and brawn Fraim separation, or perfect positioning of a Nsub?

I dont go look at, nor post in, the Superline loading thread for a reason. Maybe some of you should do the same regarding most threads in Distributed Audio.

Garyi, get off my back and go rip some CDs. Have fun with your cached data and use of c2 error correction pointers

I dont hear ANY of you calling out David Dever, telling him he is a paranoid, anal, computer nerd. He clearly knows more about all of this than any of us could hope to. Although he didnt personally develop the HDX ripping engine (i dont think), why would Naim take the EXACT same cares towards their rips as I do with EAC?

I keep referring back to the Naim white paper on ripping to no avail. They take the exact same measures to ensure the best possible rip. Why not give Naim a ton of shit for it? What is the difference between the HDX doing something right and my suggestions to others on how to do it the same way.

I would just assume you thank me for my help and go on your merry way, whether you care or take heed or not.

Should I head into any thread Garyi is posting in and blast a huge "Thats stupid!!! You're anal! That isn't important!"

Take with you anything you want but dont shit on me for offering help.

Is there a middle finger smiley?

Is there a middle finger smiley?

No! but we all love you anyhow!

Dear Patrick you make me smile with your fascination with precision.

Of course you are right, but I only go on what my old ears tell is acceptable to me, which is clearly less than what your ears tell you. I am not trying to be critical of you in this!

I am fussier about what was played than exactly how it was played ...

Best wishes from from George

Whats all this pre track info of which you speak? Is it only you that cares perhaps? How does it effect your listening to that cd if you don't have it?

What are you on about Read Offset? Is this a PC thing? I don't own a PC. How does a non offset disk sound is it different, how does it manifest itself? Would it be like saying one should put his cables on those little off the floor things?

If itunes has cached data how does that sound to non cached data?

These are important questions that are never answered, its like getting lion insurance incase a lion attacks you in Washington. It could happen, it is possible.

One other thing Patrick if you don't like being challenged don't post, and for gawd sakes don't have a dolly out the pram like munch. We are all adults here.

Patrick,

It was a free download. I ripped 30 CD's and had them in different playlists so i could compare them - i've even had them on my work system to try out but i really cant hear any difference between them. I'd use XLD if i had a disk that iTunes couldn't rip (i've had some that have taken a very long time to rip in iTunes but not one has been rejected). I will try others when they become available (Sonic are adding one into Amarra) but i'll stick with iTunes for now as it does what i want it to do.

Cheers

James

quote:

Originally posted by james n:
Patrick,

It was a free download. I ripped 30 CD's and had them in different playlists so i could compare them - i've even had them on my work system to try out but i really cant hear any difference between them. I'd use XLD if i had a disk that iTunes couldn't rip (i've had some that have taken a very long time to rip in iTunes but not one has been rejected). I will try others when they become available (Sonic are adding one into Amarra) but i'll stick with iTunes for now as it does what i want it to do.

Cheers

James

Just asking here. Did you set the offset and disable caching? Of course, I assume that you have but thought I would ask to be sure. I suppose that rip differences could vary quite a bit depending on the computer. I suspect that may be a reason why there is a divergence of opinion among others. I'd always recommend using an outboard ripper like this just in case. As things improve in other areas these differences may become more apperant, maybe not but safety first. I'd hate to look at an entire library and feel the need to rerip. I've always heard differences on PCs but haven't worked enough with MAC comparisons to know. Even then results could vary by MAC model or Itunes just doesn't perform as well ripping in a windows environment. Seems the same theories should hold true but I know that there is often more going on and that theory and application don't always jive.

/me watches the thread go round in circles, tying itself in knots...

If anyone is interested in searching for it ... Kent Poon (an Asian mastering engineer of note) wrote a long piece on how he compared rips from iTunes, to those from (I think) EAC and direct from MacOSX finder ... his results showed (by looping the digital output back to a digital input) that you can get an identical rip using any method. Now I accept that with iTunes there is no feedback as to the success (or otherwise) of a rip, so if your iTunes rip is taking a while you may want to look at alternate method for that CD, but for general use there is no evidence that an iTunes rip is any less correct than EAC or XLD or any other method.

Eloise