WAV and MP3 simultaneously and LAME Settings Options

[dms802]

I am archiving my collection of over 1,000 CDs. It’s a big job, and I want to get it right so I don’t have to repeat it. I already started to rip CDs using iTunes and Roxio, but I noticed quite a few songs had pops, crackles, and/or distortion. At first I thought it was a problem with my CD reader, and I went out and purchased a lens cleaning disc. When that didn’t solve the problem, I did more research online and realized the problem might be with the programs I was using. That is how I cam across EAC, which I really love but find a tad confusing. So, I have a few questions.

My goal is to back-up every CD in two formats: 1) WAV files to store on an external hard drive as a true archive, and 2) MP3 files to use for iTunes and portable MP3 players. Here are my questions:

1. Is it possible to save in both MP3 and WAV files while only reading the disc once? At this point, I am reading it once for the WAV files and a second time for the MP3 files. I tried just reading it once and saving as WAV files and then converting to MP3s; however, when I did that, none of the info regarding artist, track number, etc. were saved and I had to manually edit the info for use in ITunes and other players. I already have two profiles save in EAC – one for WAV and one for MP3. In each case, I have file naming set to save the files in folders under the artist name, with a subfolder for the artist name.

2. Regarding compression settings, I am using the latest version of LAME (I think it is 3.99.5). I would be happy with VBR and a minimum bit rate of 256 kbps, but I found it simpler to just go with 320 kbps CBR. I am not too worried about the difference in file size. I am not sure if I have the correct settings or if I could reduce the number of additional commands. Here are the additional command-line options I have entered for External Compression:

-b 320 %islow%-V 5%islow%%ishigh%-V 2%ishigh% --vbr-new %source% %dest%

And here is a screenshot of my External Compression tab:



3. Does anybody know the easier way to import the ripped MP3 tracks to iTunes? At this point, I am ripping straight to the iTunes folder, with a folder for artist and subfolder for album. After the files are ripped, I go into iTunes and add the folder to the library.

4. In terms of playback, is one player better than another? Specifically, is one player better than iTunes for playback? I also have used WinAmp. For my home stereo, I can simply play the WAV files stored on my external hard drive, but I use an iPod for traveling and the car.

Sorry for all the questions on my first post. If it would be better, I can break them down to separate posts. I am most concerned only with Questions 1 and 2 above.

[Nessuno]

Out of curiosity: did the pops, clicks, distortion etc... go away when ripping the same CDs with EAC instead of iTunes/Roxio?

For the rest I second what pdq already said, as the most sensible way to go.

[dms802]

Out of curiosity: did the pops, clicks, distortion etc... go away when ripping the same CDs with EAC instead of iTunes/Roxio?

For the rest I second what pdq already said, as the most sensible way to go.

For the most part, the pops, clicks, etc. went away. Most CDs are in excellent conditions, but a few are older and worn. With iTunes and Roxio, the problems occured regardless of the condition of the CD and did not seem to be related to any particular track. The quality of iTunes improved when I used error correction as an option.

[Nessuno]

Out of curiosity: did the pops, clicks, distortion etc... go away when ripping the same CDs with EAC instead of iTunes/Roxio?

For the most part, the pops, clicks, etc. went away. Most CDs are in excellent conditions, but a few are older and worn. With iTunes and Roxio, the problems occured regardless of the condition of the CD and did not seem to be related to any particular track. The quality of iTunes improved when I used error correction as an option.

Well, such a consistent (we're not speaking of a couple of tracks in 1000 CDs, right?) night and day difference between rippers, especially on good conditions CDs is not to be expected.
So you used iTunes to rip (and Roxio what for? It's a burning software, isn't it?). And how did you listen back the ripped tracks?

[dms802]

Out of curiosity: did the pops, clicks, distortion etc... go away when ripping the same CDs with EAC instead of iTunes/Roxio?

For the most part, the pops, clicks, etc. went away. Most CDs are in excellent conditions, but a few are older and worn. With iTunes and Roxio, the problems occured regardless of the condition of the CD and did not seem to be related to any particular track. The quality of iTunes improved when I used error correction as an option.

Well, such a consistent (we're not speaking of a couple of tracks in 1000 CDs, right?) night and day difference between rippers, especially on good conditions CDs is not to be expected.
So you used iTunes to rip (and Roxio what for? It's a burning software, isn't it?). And how did you listen back the ripped tracks?

I used iTunes to rip MP3s and Roxio to rip the WAV files. Roxio has ripping abilities, too. I noticed pops and clicks with both prgrams. In a few cases, the MP3s and WAV files had problems at the same locations, whihc clearly was a problem with the disc. In such cases, I re-cleaned and "repaired" the disc and ripped again. In other cases, the clicks, pops, and distrotion were more random. In general the problems were worse with Roxio, especially after I used the error correction option in iTunes. I have a feeling Roxio rips by just reading once and not correcting errors. That's why I switched over to EAC.

I had been ripping WAVs just to use with legacy devices, but I think I'll switch to FLAC to make life easier. As for LAME, I was jsut looking for a string of cammands that would be ideal for ripping at high-quality VBR.

[2Bdecided]

I had been ripping WAVs just to use with legacy devices

mp3 is more widely supported than anything else.

But for a once-and-for-all never-want-to-do-it-ever-again ripping exercise, definitely rip to lossless and keep those FLAC files as the source for anything else you might want in the future.

Cheers,
David.