Rip CDs with Exact Audio Copy - 2017 Edition - I’m Just Ripping to FLAC

Getting Started

• Note: The LiteOn USB drive and the Dell USB drive are similar in features/speed. I’m using the Dell with a WinXP VM and the LiteOn with a Win10 VM.
• If using VM, connect the CD drive to the VM.
• Tap Windows key, type “windows features”, enable .net 3.5
• Install EAC 1.3 into Windows 10 VM.
  • Accept defaults, except do not launch EAC.

Configure EAC

• After the install completes, then launch EAC.
• Load my old EACProfile.cfg. (It contains my naming convention.)
• Run the config wizard and select:
  • Accurate Results
  • FLAC
  • Set up freedb with freedb@kleinfelter.com
  • Leave naming scheme unchanged (because I loaded it from .cfg)
  • I am an expert.
• Go to EAC options and Filename and confirm:
  • %albumartist%\%albumtitle%\%albumartist%~%albumtitle%~%tracknr2%~%title%~%genre%
• Go to Metadata options and set metadata to freedb
• Note: Do not USE “built-in freedb” for metadata. That won’t download album art. Use “freedb Metadata Plugin”.
• Quit EAC

To rip:

• Start EAC
• Insert CD
• Press Alt-G to load metadata
• Choose Medium Images and double-click the right cover art.
• Correct Album Title (if needed)
• Rename artist to Lastname, Firstname
• Press the CMP button
• Select a destination folder
  • e.g. Music, and it will write to the artist-name sub-folder. A local folder is faster than a network folder because it will write a .WAV, then read it back and compress it with FLAC.
  • If you get “The external compressor returned an error”, chose a destination folder which has a simpler path name. Do NOT rip to a UNC name.

—– Obsolete Content Follows —–

I always purchase my music (unless I get it free, legitimately). Once in a while, I purchase it on a physical CD. Here’s how I rip CDs on my MacBook. Note that I rip to FLAC, and then generate MP3 files from FLAC for use in portable devices and in iTunes.

Here are some things I tried and didn't like:

• I tried and didn't like xACT. It doesn't name tracks the way I want them named, and it takes way too long to rip.
• I tried Exact Audio Copy under WINE, and found it way way too fiddly.
• I tried dBpowerAmp under WINE, and found it too fiddly. </ul> So I threw in the towel, and went with a mix of Mac and Parallels. To get started, I installed a bunch of programs. I didn't end up using them all.
  • Parallels: Installed Exact Audio Copy v1.0 beta 3
  • Parallels: Installed dBpowerAmp r13 with PowerPack. I told it to add the FLAC codec. I told it to add DSP Effects.
  • Parallels: Installed MP3Tag ( http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html )
  • Mac: Install Tag ( http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/21641/tag )
  • Mac: Install Max ( http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/19873/max ) </ul> Then, when I'm ready to rip:
    • Parallels: Use EAC to rip to [mac-desktop]/album-name as WAV files.
    • Mac: Start Max
      • Menu: File/Convert_Files
      • Select and Open your WAV files
      • Menu: Tools/Convert
      • Exit Max </ul>
      • Parallels
        • Select all the FLAC files
        • Right-click, and select MP3Tag
        • In MP3Tag, select all the files
        • Drag and drop the album art into MP3Tag's window.
        • Click the Save button </ul>
        • Mac: Start Tag
          • Menu: File/Open
          • Select and Open your FLAC files
          • Use Tools/Guess_Tags, with {artist}~{album}~{trackNumber}~{title}~{genre}
          • File/Save
          • Exit Tag </ul>
          • Parallels: Select the FLAC files, right click,
          • Parallels: Select the FLAC files, right-click, choose Convert, and convert them to MP3 (VBR, 190 KBS) </ul>