How should I get rid of my CDs? NAS or what?

admin_exported

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Hi folks

i'm new here, have a conventional lp cd pre power hifi and a modest surround sound system with a blue ray , Cambridge audio surround amp etc. the surround sound is set so it uses my good hifi speakers as well as mission, gale and a sub.

my naim CDx cdp is old but still v good indeed.

I am considering copying (without losing detail or data) and storing my 500 or so CDs and getting rid of the cdp. The cd files would be controlled using my iPad.

I still don't understand where to store the cd music OR how to access it OR how to copy it. I have a pc that can copy CDs but data reduces them if they are stored on the pc. I wish to have full cd data rather than the reduced types.

sorry for being really dim but your simple advice will help me among the way to a clearer front room.

Ps the lps are staying because vinyl rules all this other stuff!

Ta in advance

mike
 

professorhat

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1964meb said:
I still don't understand where to store the cd music OR how to access it OR how to copy it. I have a pc that can copy CDs but data reduces them if they are stored on the pc. I wish to have full cd data rather than the reduced types.

What program do you use to get your CDs on to your PC?
 

GSB

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software i was recomended is dbpoweramp.it's very user friendly...just put a cd in,press rip and it does everything for you. :grin:

i use my avr to stream from laptop,controled by ipad.
 

EdGayton

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If you want to store music on your computer you need a lossless format. If they are stored as MP3 or AAC they will lose some of the musical information as they are lossy so you want to think about WAV, AIFF, or FLAC.

WAV is the same format as is on the CD. It is widely compatible, but the downside is it doesn't store any data about the track, unless you do that using the file structure. I am in the process of ripping all my music to FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), as it can include all the metadata as well as album artwork etc and it is smaller than the initial WAV file. More and more devices will play FLAC, but not all, so you need to check compatibility.

I've never used dbpoweramp. I use Exact Audio Copy (EAC) which is supposed to give the best quality rips and will help with integrating album art etc. MediaMonkey is also good for tagging your music.

As for where to store the music. Well, it depends where you want to play it. If you just want it through your computer then just rip the files to the PC (probably store in 'My Music'). If you want it through your stereo then you'll need a device that can read the music files and send the music to your amp. A PS3 can do this, or there are loads of other devices, some of which are Network Media Streamers. You could store the music on a hard disc connected to a compatible device, but if you want the music available all round your house, you'll either have to leave your PC on all the time, or store it on a Network Attached Storage device (NAS). This will then make it avaible across your home network (wired or wireless).

I could go on, but these are the basics.

Hope this helps,

Ed
 

The_Lhc

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EdGayton said:
I've never used dbpoweramp. I use Exact Audio Copy (EAC) which is supposed to give the best quality rips

It's unlikely they'll be any different to any other form of secure ripping.

and will help with integrating album art etc.

As will any other decent ripper...

MediaMonkey is also good for tagging your music.

...making this step unnecessary.
 

theexcitableboy

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A huge thumbs-up from me for EAC. It's free, supports tagging and, most importantly, ripping to FLAC.

I recently went through the same tedious task of ripping all my CDs, but I managed to streamline the process somewhat.

You'll need a large hard drive, but a NAS wired to your computer would be more versatile. Next, you'll need a CD writer on your PC (I believe you mentioned you already had one). You'll also need two great pieces of audio software: EAC and dBpoweramp. And finally you'll need iTunes (or another player of your choice, I recommend iTunes because of the iPad Remote app which allows you to control your music from the tablet).

Now comes the rather longwinded task of ripping and tagging the CDs. EAC has a nice feature where it looks up tags for your CDs as you rip them, but I've found it isn't always right and you'll want to double check. EAC is very straightforward to use, and there's plenty of documentation out there if you need some help with it.

Once everything's ripped, you'll need to pass it through dBpoweramp and convert these FLACs to ALACs. This process won't take long since the audio itself isn't touched, it's left in lossless form (the quality won't be affected)

Then it's just a case of importing all your music to your iTunes library, installing the Remote app on your iPad and away you go. I admit it's a little daunting at first, and I have missed out a few little points here and there to shorten my post, but have a go and if you get stuck, have a read of the tutorials/support pages for the softwares, and if it seems a bit daunting (which it will at first), post back.

Of course, this is just an idea. There are so many ways of doing this that it's up to you. Others have already come up with some ideas that will work just as well.

Good luck,

Joseph :)

PS. I agree with you regarding the vinyl!
 

The_Lhc

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EdGayton said:
The_Lhc,

It's unlikely they'll be any different to any other form of secure ripping.

As will any other decent ripper...

...making this step unnecessary.

Thank you for your helpful and constructive comments.

I'm recommending a piece of software that will do in one step what you're doing in two steps. That seems pretty helpful to me. Why exactly do you have a problem with that?
 

kena

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EAC can convert to ALAC if needed using FFMPEG see here,

Think EAC was superior to others at one point with regard to secure rip/error checking but that was a long time ago with new versions making them much the same now with it really being a user preference.
 

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