Ripping CDs

Subject: Ripping CDs
From: Dazbo
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 06:48 AM

Out of curiosity:

When I rip a CD how does it know which CD it is? I assume it's combination of tracks and track lengths or is it from other data held on the CD?

Why then does it sometimes not find it unless you tell it the name of the CD or the artist, whereupon it gives you a selection that includes that CD? Why doesn't it pick it up automatically?

Finally (and this seems to occur frequently with a large proportion of my collection of folk CDs) why are some CDs never found? I presume the CD and track listing etc are not held where my PC can get to them. Can I, as a member of the public, add these albums to a site for other users to pick them up so they don't have to type them in (which is a major pain in the arse when the CD has 30+ tracks, with long titles, in a language I don't speak).

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Scrump
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:06 AM

I assume it depends on the software you use, but you don't say what it is.

CDs have some sort of unique reference number that seems to be used - I've sometimes found the 'wrong' CD info gets picked up though.

I guess the system would only be as good as the database it uses. If the CD hasn't been logged in the database, (which sometimes happens with obscure folk CDs for instance) then it won't be picked up.

But it isn't always based on the ref nos. I said in another thread recently about ripping CDs into my mps player, that a CD-R I'd created from a vinyl record (so no possibility of any ref no. being used) was correctly identified by the software. In this case I reckon it must have compared the actual musical content on the CD-R with the database. I still don't quite understand how that worked, given that my vinyl copy would be inferior, with scratches and crackles, etc.

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:21 AM

What baffles me is the CD player in my car which I only bought it last month, but it knows what CD I play ?

eric

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:23 AM

Misleading thread titles -

I had visions of Monty Python's "Ripping Yarns" in my head...

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: DMcG
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:46 AM

Rippers often use www.gracenote.com where there is a database of CDs. A few rippers allow that database to be updated if your CD was not found, but most don't and just allow a 'local' change of name.

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:57 AM

There are two ways. If you are on the internet, your ripper programme will connect to one of the CD databases, such as CDDB, and check the CD's unique code number- it's called the ISRC- and download the track list- even the cover art sometimes.
If there is no code number, what the database often does is look for a CD that has the same number of tracks of a similar length. So a CD that I use for a Student assignment- it's a reading of a short sci-fi story- comes up a a German version of Verdi's Aida!
About a third of the data on a CD is for other things than music. One of these is the ISRC, another is CD text-so that a good CD player will show you the artist, and song playing.   
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Scrump
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 08:01 AM

Yes, before I used the "CD Ripper" that came with my mp3 player, one CD I had I converted into mp3s had the artist name and track titles encoded in the mp3s afterwards. There was no Internet access during the process, so it must have got them from the CD itself. It's a pity all CDs don't make use of the CD text, which has always been available for that purpose. Laziness on the part of the record companies, I guess.

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Scrump
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 08:03 AM

Aye Foolestroupe - I got a ripping CD by Jez Lowe yesterday :-)

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 08:03 AM

Nope - bean counters!

It costs MONEY to do all that extra stuff...

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Dazbo
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 09:18 AM

Cheers for the info

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Jim Lad
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 11:53 AM

Yes:
Every CD is unique. As long as the information has been previously entered, the player will recognize it. Be sure not to add an additional three seconds between tracks when burning though. That could alter the CD's signature.

Subject: RE: Ripping CDs
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 05:24 PM

I assume it is probably possible for auto CD players to access the internet by satellite and fill in data that way! They already update clocks that way.....but when you rip one, YOU can even specify what data shows and what does not. Programs like The Godfather will play it, sort it, name it, show you pics of it, and edit the data....and allow you to rate it ...etc.