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Need help backing CD collection to external hard drive

Discussion in 'Audio' started by MUNEYG, Jan 14, 2009.

  1. MUNEYG

    MUNEYG Member

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    I'm trying to find the best and fastest way to back up my 500+CD collection.

    I have a 500GB external hard drive I would like to put them in.
    Would rather bypass the whole Itunes thing since that is currently on the C drive of my laptop.

    Want to rip directly to the external while using the best way to maintain CD-quality sound. So, I guess that eliminates MP3's, right?

    Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
     
  2. bryston

    bryston Regular member

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  3. gbroman

    gbroman Regular member

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    MUNEYG, I'm not an expert at ripping CD's to HDD but you will have to use the Exact Audio Copy that bryston suggested or dbpowerAmp Music Converter, the ripper part of it. I use dbpowerAmp myself.
    As I said I am new to the WAV and Flac formats and am amazed to find that a folder containing, say, 50MB of audio files compressed to MP3 format can be 400MB or more of Uncompressed audio as it is on one of your commercial CD's.
    5oo original albums on a 500GB HDD might just go, but if some of your album collection are double,or triple CD you won't have the space necessary to do a Defrag, should one be necessary.
    Also, the 500GB HDD in real terms will be a 488GB HDD.
    Good luck.
    I need a 500GB+ HDD myself.
     
  4. bryston

    bryston Regular member

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    I forgot to mention that last I heard, exact audio copy was free !

     
  5. gbroman

    gbroman Regular member

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    Excellent! That makes EAC a Must Have. :D
     
  6. gbroman

    gbroman Regular member

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  7. MUNEYG

    MUNEYG Member

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    one thing I forgot to add is....I would like to be able to drag/drop files to my itunes whenever I wanted. So, maybe saving these in FLAC won't be the best idea? or am i wrong? I am not familiar with this format. would i have to convert them to mp3 or wav to get them on to itunes?
     
  8. BC2002#1

    BC2002#1 Member

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    I basically use windows media for ripping my music to MP3. Store onto external and burn to DVD as a backup. I only use MP3 since I can use it for importing to Minidisc software and itunes.
     
  9. gbroman

    gbroman Regular member

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    MUNEYG; Don't import/rip with iTunes as it will import as MP3, compressed format. Windows MP11 has a ripper that allows ripping from Original CD's but I don't know what the format is that tracks are ripped to, but it does produce a folder of yoir rip, not like iTunes.
    Anyway, you don't want to use either of those rippers.

    As you want to import into your 500GB HDD as a backup / storage of your cd collection and you asked about the best way to do that I presumed that you want to keep the Original sound quality of the audio files that are on your cd's. If the cd's you have are ORIGINAL cd's bought off they shelf they will have the full spectrum of audio quality on them. Using either the Exact Audio Copy software that was suggested by bryston or the dbpowerAmp that I suggested to rip the audio tracks from the CD's and onto your HDD will copy exactly what is on the CD's: if the format on your Cd's is in original state it was in when it was produced at the manufacturing stage then it will be uncompressed in either WAV or AAC. Full spectrum audio.
    If your CD's are copies some one has made for you they could be in MP3 or some other compressed format, result= loss of audio quality.

    When you do rip/import the audio from cd to your coms HDD don't compress it to anything other than Flac or Wav. There is Apple Lossless but don't compress to MP3 as I said. Once compressed to MP3 you cannot de-compress back to the original state of full spectrum audio, ok?
    As you probably know- but in case you don't know this, when you rip/import using one of the two choices of suitable software packages that you were suggested to you, once you have the CD in the player on your com you direct it to be ripped/imported to your external HDD.
    I use the dbpoweramp and when I insert a CD into player drive I get a drop-down window of choices and choose from and I choose "Rip Audio from CD using dbpoweramp CD Ripper". After the software has opened up its GUI and is displaying all the tracks on the CD and in the "Rip to" I choose the option to use "Flac" and then set the "Path" ( which is the 'Save to' directory as my E drive ( that is the slave drive, click Rip, and off it goes doing its work.
    EAC should be the same basically, I don't use it but do have it on computer, uninstalled as yet, ....I'll install and have a look. Let you know in a minute.
    Heres something for you to read while I do the set up

    THIS IS A GUIDE FOR RIPPING CD'S WITH EXACT AUDIO COPY THERE ARE 18 STEPS HOWEVER IT SHOULD ONLY TAKE YOU
    15MINUTES SET UP THE SOFTWARE.


    What You Need.

    1: Install Exact Audio Copy, the version used here is eac-0.95b4. Do not start EAC just yet.

    2: Install FLAC.

    3: Move the LAME folder to your Program Files folder, version used LAME MP3 Encoder 3.97.

    4: Place WNASPI32.DLL in the EAC directory.

    5: When you open EAC for the first time the Configuration Wizard window should pop up if
    not click EAC (Next to Edit) and select the Configuration Wizard.

    6: Click Next, you can pretty much click next for each step with the exception of the steps
    below where some input may be required.

    7: A: Your drive model should be indicated here.

    B: Make sure that I prefer to have accurate results is checked.

    C: Click next.

    8: It will browse you computer for lame.exe if you cancel you can browse for it youself to
    speed up the process.

    9: You will need to enter an email address here for access to the freedb database, the address
    does not have to be genuine but should have the format of a real email address.

    10: Check the expert option as this will give you access to additional settings.

    11: Click Finish.

    12: You can now load up one of my preset profiles

    13: In Exact Audio Copy click EAC > Profiles > Load Proflie and browse for one of my profiles i.e. V0
    320kbps of flac

    14: All you need to do is go to EAC > EAC options > Directories (tab) and choose where you want the album
    be exported too

    15: Then Click EAC > Profiles > Save profile and save it as the same thing

    16: Insert a CD into the drive > Click Action > Detect gaps

    17: Then Click Action > Create CUE Sheet > Multiple WAV files with gaps

    18: Then Click Action > Test and copy the selected tracks > compressed

    The ripping process should take about 30mins for one CD....Hope this helps
     
  10. gbroman

    gbroman Regular member

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    MUNEYG: One thing I forgot to mention is this:- anything you drag/drop to iTunes gets converted to MP3, by its internal converter ( can't convert DRM Protected stuff tho), so once you have it in iTunes as MP3 you still have the Originals on your Slave External HDD, even if you wipe them from iTunes.no worries. k
    If you use iTunes to burn CD's they will be MP3 format, k. back soon
     
  11. gbroman

    gbroman Regular member

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    MUNEYG
    EAC appears to be the same tho I'm not accustomed with it.
    Needs a bit of setting up to get things like Track numbers and Titles into your chosen storage folder of each album. If you need a hand eMail me gbroman52@yahoo.com
    If all good we can set up an IM and sort it out for you, ( I may learn how to use EAC too ;D)

    ps: which software are you going to use to rip/import your CD's ??
     
  12. MUNEYG

    MUNEYG Member

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    Thanks for all your help!! I was thinking about using windows media player, but i'll try and figure the exact audio software. My main concern is...will itunes let me drag FLAC files to itunes and put on my ipod?
     
  13. Mez

    Mez Active member

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    You have gotten great advice from gbroman. I wish to add some opinions.

    If you have the CDs on archive there is no need to rip to flac. High quality mp3s sound the exact same as a CD or FLAC and can be played on all players. The purpose of flac is to preserve a perfect archive of high quality music such as CD or LPs. If the CDs aren't yours you MIGHT want to archive them. I archive vinyl audio captures.

    The reason you would purchase PowerAmp is if your were having to type in the tag info for too many albums. PowerAmp has a paid for subscription to a very fine album database. It has almost everything. EAC uses a free database that only had about 25% of what I rip while PA has over 95%. I'll pay a few bucks a year not to have to type in all that info.
    Both EAC and PowerAmp use accurip. Use it it will catch read errors. You have the opportunity to clean or resurface the disk if you have errors.

    I suggest ripping to VBR mps using LAME at an extreme high qualiity setting (all the way to the right). That is the equivelent to 320 BR which is perfect sound for a perfect ear. They sound as good as a FLAC but are a 4th (CBR)-5th (VBR) the size.

    Don't use media player or itunes. They have very low ratings try media Monkey or WinApm they have very high ratings. They are free and are so much better.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2009

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