hi,
Sorry if this sounds silly,but i need to know,i have a good collection of Audio cds which i want to convert into other formats for storage in a single unit to hear is it that i use online softwares to rip them into MP3 etc put them in my PC and hear or is there anyother way to do???
:yahoo:
Hi,
This is not a silly question at all. The topic can get complex and even those with a degree in Computer Science won't agree on one method as the best method or the only method.
There are many ways to do what you are after. What will work for you the best depends on several factors. Since your question is quite open-ended and this is a question many jumping from Audio CDs in to Computer playback have, let me give you a holistic view of the problem and possible solutions.
To begin with some criteria to jump-start your decision making.
(1) How many CDs do you have in your collection?
(2) What quality playback do you want from these rips?
(3) What kind of budget do you have for setting up a playback system.
(4) How is your computer proficiency.
Let's try to address all the above questions.
Questions 1 and 3 are interconnected, and 2 and 3 are interconnected. The less the number of CDs, lesser the playback fidelity required, lesser the resource/budget required. Naturally, higher the number of CDs, higher the playback fidelity required, higher the resource/budget required will be. Since your exact scenario is not clearly stated, let me begin with some hypothetical scenarios.
Scenario 1 - Causal user : An individual with 200 hundred CDs and need to play them on a smartphone / simple Bluetooth speakers / computer with desktop speakers / entry level component systems.
Solution: Rip them in AAC 192kbps or MP3 320kbps VBR. Keep the files on a desktop or laptop computer. Install and run a server and play wherever you want. For ripping, EAC, dbPowerAmp are favorites. For sharing iTunes is user friendly, install and run with home sharing enabled. Logitech Media Server (LMS) is another simple to use option.
Scenario 2 - Power user : An individual with 500-1000 CDs and need to play them on decent playback system in the best fidelity possible. Most audiophile will fall into this category.
Solution: Typical audiophile is often spoiled for choices. Over-analysis and over spending is a trend. So solution for this lot really varies. It is possible to put together a good playback system for a 1000 CDs collection for under USD 1000. Fidelity can improve to extraordinary when the budget moves up to USD 2000 and nearly the best possible for USD 2500-3000. Here are some recommendations for this lot.
(2a) Ripping: Stay with EAC. dbPoweramp is preferred by many because there should be choices available.
(2b) File format: FLAC is the most popular choice among audiophiles with ALAC equivalent in the Macintosh world. Many people like ripping entire CD to .APE with a Cue Sheet. Some like to rip and store individual .WAV files. Each of these are excellent methods, though debates around these topics can be found. I recommend FLAC.
(2c) Storage: A desktop computer with a well ventilated cabinet is recommended. Though nowadays laptops designed for gaming are serious machines as well and they will suit the purpose equally well offering portability as an advantage. Many audiophile prefer a NAS to store music. I recommend a desktop/laptop eliminating network from the scenario completely.
(2d) Sharing/Streaming: Sharing can be done with simplest of protocols such as Samba / NFS / AFS. More advanced users can set up and streaming server such as LMS / MinimServer. Like I said, there are a lot of choices. What an individual will choose depends on factors including what the person values most.
Scenario 3 - Digital Connoisseur : Individuals with 1000s of CDs and/or other High-res formats, and highest quality price no object playback systems.
Solution: While entry level digital can be easy and cheap (USD 100 one-box system), top-end digital can be unnervingly complex. At the opposite end of the spectrum, digital is hard to make work together. There are numerous decisions to make, hundreds of hardware, software items to configure.
A user playing at this level should either have a strong background in Computers or should outsource work to an Audio Consultant (to an Audiophile with a strong Computer background, not an IT engineer with some audio knowledge). Discussing on a forum like this can be enlightening/entertaining but is not a substitute for professionally executed task.