Ciao !
I'm again the italian who speaks english very bad...
Now I have no more doubt about the encoder i have to use for best quality: MPC !
Thank you to Dibrom and to everybody helped me !!!

My new question is this:
" Now I have the best encoder: what good and reliable front-end have I to use ?"
I hope there is a good front end for MPC as RazorLame is good for MP3 !

Grazie ! (thank you in italian)

Be sure to use -scale 0.88 on everything you encode to prevent clipping (in the options tab)... for the rest check out -standard with yields 170kpbs and transparent quality for me or -xtreme which comes around at 200kbps but will save you from any reencoding if you buy better hifi equipment.

http://www.spueler.de/martin/frontend009.exe

I use monkeysaudio (which is actually an lossless encoder) as a frontend.


http://www.monkeysaudio.com/




Jan.

I use EAC as frontend.
If you have set it up right once, you can do a 2-click-cd-rip.
But be sure to uncheck "use id3v2 tags" (compression options -> id3 tag")

Meista

Ok...but I have a trouble...
Can U help me ?
Can you write here the EXACT command line to give to monkey's audio ?
I wrote "xtreme --scale0.98" but monkey tells me "Unknown scale 0.98" and then encodes using standard "xtreme" mode...

And what about a good DECODER ? Monkey don't allow me to decode from MPC to Wav...

Ciao e Grazie !

The syntax with mpc for scale is -scale, not --scale. Note that in MPC there is only 1 dash.

So your line should be "-xtreme -scale .98"

I'm new to all of this- as it will be obvious by my questions- hope you can help.
Can I use MPC with AudioGrabber or do you reccommend EAC or other? Using AG with Lame version 6 (if I remember correctly).
The line command would read -extreme -scale .98? This will prevent most clipping?
Which versions listed on the main page would I download- put in AudioGrabber folder or EAC folder? I'm confused by all the choices.
Are there any specific settings for the decoder plug-in for Winamp?
I assume I can't use this for Nero, but will it affect anything with it?
Sorry for so many questions- just wanted to get them all out there and get it over with- thanks for any help you can provide- I've read so much my brain is on overload- or what's left of it anyway- thanks again.

You might try a lower value for scale (eg -scale 0.90). There are certain CD's that have no dynamic, and I have a few that I rip, open the wavs in Sound Forge and they show clipping right out from the CD...

EAC is highly recommended.




I thought you wanted to use MPC, not LAME (MP3)?




No, it's "-xtreme -scale 0.98", without "e" at xtreme.




If you want to use MPC (which i'm not sure of anymore, hehe), then you need this for encoding: http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/user/73884/mppenc_1_7_9c.zip

Then it works as follows:

First, make sure that your CD drive is properly set up. See this tutorial here: http://www.ping.be/satcp/eac03.htm , and the list of drive features here: http://www.ping.be/satcp/eacoffsets01.htm

Then put the mppenc.exe (MPC Encoder) into your EAC directory.

Press F11 in EAC and go to the window EXTERNAL COMPRESSION. Enable it.

At "Parameter passing..." it has to say "MP+ Encoder".
file extension: .mpc
Additional command line options: -scale 0.98
Switch: Xtreme




I've turned the dithering on and left the clipping prevention disabled.

Thanks for all the help. I simply meant (re: Audiograbber and Lame) that this what I had been using, and was wondering if I could use Audiograbber with the MPC encoder and do it without taking out the Lame exe I already have in there- so I could switch between them if I wanted to make a file for a mp3 player or for my hard drive(with MPC). Sorry to be so confusing- again. I'll keep reading. Thanks for the help already, and any future help.