MIOM
Active Member
Yes, it is $55 US dollars here in the US on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Mercury-Optical-External-Enclosure/dp/B06XRCCV44
Anyone digitizing their CD music collection?
- Thread starter MIOM
- Start date
MIOM
Active Member
Progress report...
Thus far since starting this project, I’ve ripped about 400 CD’s. That’s in addition to the other 1180+ CD’s I’ve ripped over the years (originally was only ripping favorites). That currently leaves about 1100 left.
I’m ripping between 30-60 CD’s a day, but if I just did 30 a day with approximately 1100 CD’s left, I’d be done in about 37 days. The rips are done using dBpoweramp encoded in uncompressed FLAC.
I’m doing this on my backup machine using two internal DVD/Blu-Ray drives (Blu-Ray is LG, and Lite-On DVD writer). Time per CD is anywhere from 2-15 minutes depending on CD (and presumably DRM). The Rip process is using dBpoweramp with correct for errors enabled. DSP filters are HDCD (detect HDCD’s) and bit depth between 16-bit and 24-bit.
Anyway, I’ll be happy when I’m done, and happier when it’s done.
Until then…
Thus far since starting this project, I’ve ripped about 400 CD’s. That’s in addition to the other 1180+ CD’s I’ve ripped over the years (originally was only ripping favorites). That currently leaves about 1100 left.
I’m ripping between 30-60 CD’s a day, but if I just did 30 a day with approximately 1100 CD’s left, I’d be done in about 37 days. The rips are done using dBpoweramp encoded in uncompressed FLAC.
I’m doing this on my backup machine using two internal DVD/Blu-Ray drives (Blu-Ray is LG, and Lite-On DVD writer). Time per CD is anywhere from 2-15 minutes depending on CD (and presumably DRM). The Rip process is using dBpoweramp with correct for errors enabled. DSP filters are HDCD (detect HDCD’s) and bit depth between 16-bit and 24-bit.
Anyway, I’ll be happy when I’m done, and happier when it’s done.
Until then…
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Offtopic, can people ripping Indian music upload the tags to musicbrainz. This way other people will be able to use the metadata and not have to fill the tags manually.
MIOM
Active Member
Final Update...
Finally finished the task of digitizing all my CD's. Discarding (not bothering to rip) some clear and obvious junk, I now have 2500 whole CD's listed in my JRiver Media Player...
Total HDD space used... 1.42TB of fully uncompressed (wave size) files!!
All done now. From here on out all I have to do is rip any new stuff I buy, or I can just start buying hi-res downloadable music
Finally finished the task of digitizing all my CD's. Discarding (not bothering to rip) some clear and obvious junk, I now have 2500 whole CD's listed in my JRiver Media Player...
Total HDD space used... 1.42TB of fully uncompressed (wave size) files!!
All done now. From here on out all I have to do is rip any new stuff I buy, or I can just start buying hi-res downloadable music
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IndianEars
Well-Known Member
CONGRATS! MIOM.... Must feel Good now that the work is down.
You are now at another cross road... sit back and enjoy what you have ripped... or expand your hobby to becoming a (ripped) Music collector.
I have been collecting Rips for years and today I own (in addition to CD Rips):
I have several Rock Classic Albums (eg Fleetwood Mac & Dire Straits) in multiple formats : 16/44 wav, 24/96, 24/192 & SACD (DSD 64). Allows me to compare different formats ... theoretically, though I do suspect that many SACDs are a different mastering altogether......
On my set up, and to my ears:
(PCM) Hi Res Music sounds more Stop & Go, More Etched, More Staccato, more "In Your Face"..... some may probably call it more PRAT. These characteristics seems to increase as you go into higher Res eg from 24/96 to 24/192.
A bit of an unexplained surprise for me.... DVD-A files are 24/96 but sound distinctly superior to HiRes 24-96 files, even those from HD Tracks (some allege that even HD Tracks has some fake up-sampled "Hi-Res" files). infact DVD-A rips are my Best sounding PCM HiRes files
SACD is completely different ... In many ways the complete opposite of PCM Hi Res.... Smooth, Relaxed & Laid back, with a lot of detail despite the laid back presentation.
While both Hi Res & SACDs enthralled me for a while, today, I feel that a well ripped 16/44 wav file offers the best balance of HiRes, SACD & CD (16/44) formats, and its my Go-To for serious listening.
Ofcourse ... YMMV
You are now at another cross road... sit back and enjoy what you have ripped... or expand your hobby to becoming a (ripped) Music collector.
I have been collecting Rips for years and today I own (in addition to CD Rips):
- Approx 1 TB of Hi Res (24 bit) albums ... approx 830 Hi Res Music Albums.
- Approx 1 TB of DSD (mostly SACD Rips).... approx 454 albums.
I have several Rock Classic Albums (eg Fleetwood Mac & Dire Straits) in multiple formats : 16/44 wav, 24/96, 24/192 & SACD (DSD 64). Allows me to compare different formats ... theoretically, though I do suspect that many SACDs are a different mastering altogether......
On my set up, and to my ears:
(PCM) Hi Res Music sounds more Stop & Go, More Etched, More Staccato, more "In Your Face"..... some may probably call it more PRAT. These characteristics seems to increase as you go into higher Res eg from 24/96 to 24/192.
A bit of an unexplained surprise for me.... DVD-A files are 24/96 but sound distinctly superior to HiRes 24-96 files, even those from HD Tracks (some allege that even HD Tracks has some fake up-sampled "Hi-Res" files). infact DVD-A rips are my Best sounding PCM HiRes files
SACD is completely different ... In many ways the complete opposite of PCM Hi Res.... Smooth, Relaxed & Laid back, with a lot of detail despite the laid back presentation.
While both Hi Res & SACDs enthralled me for a while, today, I feel that a well ripped 16/44 wav file offers the best balance of HiRes, SACD & CD (16/44) formats, and its my Go-To for serious listening.
Ofcourse ... YMMV
MIOM
Active Member
Thanks,CONGRATS! MIOM.... Must feel Good now that the work is down.
You are now at another cross road... sit back and enjoy what you have ripped... or expand your hobby to becoming a (ripped) Music collector.
Since I love music, I'll always have a physical collection (just more selective) so anything I buy will also be ripped, but at the same time, I'll also be looking to purchase downloadable (no "mp3") music where possible, so either way my digital collection will always be expanding
Thanks for the tips.
I used to use sony as well. They were well regarded as cd drives.Much is said about Plextor being the ultimate CD Drive.
Incidentally, Plextor no longer makes a dedicated CD drive, its positions its DVD Drive as a CD + DVD drive. Do keep in mind that the CD & DVD recordable discs are rather different animals. The CDR hold approx 700 MB the DVD packs in 4.7 GB is the same size of disc. The Spiral dimensions and pit sizes of CDs & DVDs are completely different. All DVD drives are backward compatible with CDs but clearly they have not been optimised for CDs, else they would not handle DVDs
The brand certainly has a huge fan following. My experience with Plextor is about a decade old and not worth much today, but FWIW.....
I bought a Plextor CD (Not DVD) Drive on a business trip to Spore. At that time, the Plextor (at Sim Lim ) cost more than Twice the price of a generic CD drive in India. It was an internal Drive and replaced my Sony internal Drive on my Windows PC. I used EAC to rip and I think, Nero to burn... though not sure about the burning software I used.
I was an active member of the Hi-Fi Forum then hosted on Yahoo (Now shut down). Incidentally, that forum was the predecessor of this forum.
There was a thread on CD Ripping & Burning, and proud of my Plextor, I ran tests on the C1 & C2 errors (mainly C2 errors) on the original and burnt CDRs, via the Plextor and my old, vanilla Sony. I was surprised at the results (which I posted on the forum)... The Plextor's CDRs were no better than the Sony. (I forget the software I used a decade ago for detecting C2 errors. If archives of the earlier forum are still there, you wil find details there)
The Story ends with my Plextor giving up the Ghost after a little over a year's use... The Sony Went on .... I have never sort out a Plextor again.
There are Many Reviews declaring "The Best Drives".... Here is one from LIFEWIRE:
Plextor gets the (consolation?) prize for being the Quietest Drive ....
There are ofcourse SO Many such reviews, each putting out their list. One thing in common inb Drive shootouts, seems to be that Plextor does not get the Top Slot (maybe I am wrong?)
dbpoweramp has lists on their forum
Maybe that could help
Maybe that could help
CD Drive Accuracy 2024 - dBpoweramp Forum
Top Drives AccurateRip collects data from all drives, normally this is only used to verify a disc is accurate, but can be reversed to calculate which drives are the most accurate (as measured by lowest % inaccurate tracks), on the basis that people who have a drive would have the same number of...
forum.dbpoweramp.com
CD Drive Accuracy 2022 - dBpoweramp Forum
AccurateRip collects data from all drives, normally this is only used to verify a disc is accurate, but can be reversed to calculate which drives are the most accurate (as measured by lowest % inaccurate tracks), on the basis that people who have a drive would have the same number of damaged...
forum.dbpoweramp.com
Thanks for responding.
I checked this List for 2022 & 2024.
Top CD-drives mentioned here are old models and not available in market anymore.
Oh, ok
I had got one from the list many years back and have been happy with it.
A slim Asus external CD/DVD drive. SDRW-09D2S-U.
A slim Asus external CD/DVD drive. SDRW-09D2S-U.
CD / DVD drives are now considered simple tech. Just buy an external drive from amazon. Whatever has good reviews. Should be within Rs 1000.
The big IT companies no longer seem to be makign these (HP / Asus / Dell etc).
sachinchavan 15865
Well-Known Member
Sharing My Current Ripping Experience
I am currently in the process of backing up my CD collection on a HDD. It’s also to play the collection by connecting the HDD to my streamer via USB.
I use the external Apple CD Drive (not sure if it is still sold, I have it from many years). It still does a very good job.
I am using dBpoweramp which is easily the best rated on forums. It accesses the metadata from various online sources. You can set speeds and type of ripping (fast or secure for example). It also reports on the accuracy of the rip by comparing with other rips in its database resulting in peace of mind. I am ripping in Wav form, not FLAC. I don’t think storage space would be a limiter as these HDDs are 4 TB each.
I store the rips on my external HDDs - two Seagate Backup Plus Hubs, which I’ve been using for a few years now. They are bulky, but robust. It is important for me that the drives are externally powered because that’s when the streamer plays it well. I don’t want it to draw power from the USB connection. I believe that improves the sound.
I have taken up this project for two reasons:
- To backup my 1000 odd CD collection that I’ve painstakingly built over the years. With time some of the CDs (especially Indian ones) started showing errors. So I need to protect my investment.
- I listen more to streaming apps (Apple Music Lossless primarily) than CDs these days. That’s due to the relative convenience of Airplaying from the mobile. With my CD collection on a HDD, my streamer’s app accesses it via the mobile providing me the same convenience.
I am sure this way I’d listen to my CD collection a lot more, like I used to 3-4 years back when I wasn’t so much onto streamer music (Apple Music starting Lossless at very affordable price was the turning point for me). I am not much of a playlist person, I like playing full albums. Even on Apple Music I mostly play full albums (also one reason why I prefer AM over Spotify which is heavily playlist-oriented). Therefore, I don’t need to access my rips via a Music player software or Roon etc. The CXN’s app on the mobile shows my collection in a folder structure created by me, as per how I like to access my music (the ‘category -> genre -> artist -> album’ format).
I shall still play the physical CDs once a while, to give them a spin as well as enjoy the tactile experience, especially during intent listening sessions. But adapt with changing times, one must. This way, I can manage to straddle the past and the present (and hopefully the future for the next few years).
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availlyrics
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I was horrified one day to see my first CD ( Deep Forest 1995, Sony music) getting damaged due to its reflective layer peeling off , same thing happened with Ghulam Ali CDs. I could see light passing thru the CD (so much for "100yrs life span") So the copies I tried to make also had read error issues. I recommend you to do the same visual check. This was early 2000, when CDR drives costed upwards of 16,000 INR and CDR 150 INR. Later I started converting them into .WAV files on a measly 40 GB PC HDD. Nowadays I prefer either FLAC or ISO image for backing it up on 2 ext HDD. I still have retained 4 PC DVDRW & 1 ext drive, just incase.
BTW CDs mfg pre 1995 have better dynamic range then any "25th anniversary , Deluxe, Remastered" releases
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I had a collection of 400-450 cds. A few years ago, once I moved to streaming I was storing them in a wall cupboard, along with 100 lp records (some rare Jazz titles) and about 200 blu ray discs. Last year my wife was cleaning the cupboard next to this one and found termite infestation there - some clothes etc. When I opened up this storage cupboard, termites were all over, lp covers were ripped, lps itself damaged with mud/dirt sticking to the vinyl - I had some prized Miles Davis and John Coltrane records - most cd's and blu rays were damaged. I salvaged about 50 jazz cd's, and threw out all the rest. It really hurt - especially the Jazz LP's, replacing them would cost a bomb now - if they are available at all.
Anyways, got the pest control folks over after that, too late though. Fortunately all the physical media I lost, is all available in streaming/downloads now. So anyone with large collections - please be careful.
Cheers,
Sid
Anyways, got the pest control folks over after that, too late though. Fortunately all the physical media I lost, is all available in streaming/downloads now. So anyone with large collections - please be careful.
Cheers,
Sid
Sean de Silva
Well-Known Member
I used HP F6V97AA#ACJ external DVD writer to rip my CD collection.
sachinchavan 15865
Well-Known Member
availlyrics
Active Member
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You mean by "ISO"?
So that I have an exact copy without worrying too much about other options - like WAV FLAC or APE .
Backup on 2 ext HDD , for reliability. I live near the creek side in Thane and have seen my fair share of failure due to salty, corrosive environment. Once during monsoon season , I had also seen salt crystal formation between the jewel case and CD surface!
sachinchavan 15865
Well-Known Member
Yes, I meant the ISO format. Please help me understand. How is it better than Wav? I thought Wav is lossless, hence ripping to Wav. What’s the relative advantage of ISO over Wav? I have many more CDs of mine they to rip, so I can change to ISO if I understand the reason. Also, I need to check if my streamer can read an ISO file.
I am in Thane too, though on the hill side. But I doubt there’s much difference. I haven’t seen salt yet, but there’s a white moldy substance (as specks) developing on some CDs which goes away with a moist cloth (dried by microfiber immediately after).
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
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