Windows Media Player For Ripping

Anyone using WMP for ripping CDs?
What about Audio Grabber?
Any pros or cons for either of them?

I used Audio grabber a while back and wasn't fussy about it I use and have been using Easy CD DA extractor for a long time

For what it's worth I've used WMP to rip a few individual tracks to my HDD for a playlist. Haven't used it for more than that.

Dunno about Audio Grabber.

The reason I ask is because I've been slowly transferring the Latin music collection that I bought recently and I tried Yahoo Jukebox, Media Monkey and a couple other programs, but to my surprise WMP has been the easiest and fastest so far. I'm ripping at 192 and it seems to sound fine. I was just concerned that maybe there is some quality issue or some other downfall that I'm not aware of.

I dunno... Mr. Gates might be watching... LOL

I've used Easy CDDA and AudioGrabber, but I've never used WMP to rip CDs. I don't think there'd be any quality issues.

Stogie, I use WMP to rip ALL of my music. It's quick, simple and to the point (how I like it). I rip all my stuff to 192 as well.

All things considered... I prefer AudioGrabber over most ripping tools except for when it comes to ripping karaoke for that I use Power CDG Burner.

Question for you: Are you ripping to mp3 or wma?

The reason I ask is on down the road when you start looking at what program you're going to use for playback using wma could be an issue.

I have PCDJ and I haven't tried yet but I assume that it will play WMA files. I'm using WMP 10 and according to the PCDJ product feature listing it supports MP3/WAV/WMA/DRM files.

I was surprised that WMP doesn't rip directly to MP3, but I've used a program called Bonk to change audio file formats like from MP4 etc. to MP3 and it can do batch encoding to change files to other formats. That would be time consuming and a pain, but if necessary sometime in the future then that's what I guess I'll have to do. I assume most portable MP3 players can use WMA files? Don't they?

I'm also using a program called Quintissential player as a player. I've tried Winamp, Mediamonkey, Yahoo Jukebox and several other players and I like the Quitessential player a lot. It's simple and the sound quality is very good. It's also stable. Windows media player is a backup too.

I just looked at the feature list for PCDJ and according to the listing it does ripping too(I just learned something new by accident). PCDJ is a very feature rich program, but a bit complicated to learn IMO. I'm still learning how to use it. I know the basics, but it does so much more than what I've been able to figure out without having to read the manual. I guess one of these days I'm going to have to take the time to sit down and really read the manual.

I have PCDJ and I haven't tried yet but I assume that it will play WMA files. I'm using WMP 10 and according to the PCDJ product feature listing it supports MP3/WAV/WMA/DRM files.

I was surprised that WMP doesn't rip directly to MP3, but I've used a program called Bonk to change audio file formats like from MP4 etc. to MP3 and it can do batch encoding to change files to other formats. That would be time consuming and a pain, but if necessary sometime in the future then that's what I guess I'll have to do. I assume most portable MP3 players can use WMA files? Don't they?

I'm also using a program called Quintissential player as a player. I've tried Winamp, Mediamonkey, Yahoo Jukebox and several other players and I like the Quitessential player a lot. It's simple and the sound quality is very good. It's also stable. Windows media player is a backup too.

Ok to start if you have PCDJ why in the world would you even try to use the others you have mentioned.... I've heard and used all of them except for Quitessential player. So with the exception of that one I can tell you that the others as you have found out are lacking for DJ work... lots of DJs do use those programs but I think in your quest to find what works best for you, you'll probably go at least temporaraly with PCDJ.

I have tried a great majority of playback software... Winamp, WMP, iTunes, PCDJ Blue and FX, Ots DJ, and VDJ. So far the one I like the most is OtsAV. Programs like OtsAV are not cheap, but the advantages of them over say, PCDJ, is overwhelming.

And to plug one of the sponcers here: I've tried Rockit and really do like it, I just can't see spending more money for yet another outstanding piece of DJ software at this point. It does have all the features necessary for a succesful DJ to work with without the heavy price tag.

Now back to ripping... believe it or not iTunes is also an excellant way to rip plus you can rip directly to mp3. It's CD lookup is far superior to any program using FreeDB and you'll get album art too.

I still prefer Audiograbber and Ots Studio to rip audio and Power CDG Burner to rip karaoke. There is also a program called Exact Audio Copy; EAC (i think thats right) that some users really like.... I've tried it and it's not very user friendly if you ask me.

I just stumbled onto another program that looks promising called Ultramixer. I'm playing with it right now. There are some things I really like about it right away and one thing I don't like already, the search feature isn't finding songs I have in my library by using only a partial name. It may be me or it may be the program, I need to work with it more to find out. The PCDJ search feature works very well. You can type in part of the title or part of the artist and it will come up with it lickity split.

As for the Rockit DJ software, all I can say is, I wish I would have found this web site about 3 months ago, I would have gotten his program instead of PCDJ. I spent the money on PCDJ and for now I'm going to use it.

One nice thing about PCDJ that you may or may not know and one of the primary reasons I got it-it has a Karaoke player plugin. It works very well and it's pretty simple to operate once you figure out how to work it. This feature is VERY important to me because when I first started out all I was planning on doing was to be a performer. The way it works is you install the PCDJ Red or Blue and then you install the Karaoke module. It becomes integrated into the program and what you end up with is 3 players on the screen. The normal 2 players that you would see with a DJ program and then the third player is the Karaoke player. You can switch between the three easily.

A couple of months ago I knew nothing about being a DJ, knew nothing about doing it on a computer, knew nothing about ripping CDs and a bunch of other things. When you first begin learning about something "you don't even know what you don't know". I'm learning and finding out what I don't know and a few things that I do know-NOW.

One nice thing about PCDJ that you may or may not know and one of the primary reasons I got it-it has a Karaoke player plugin. It works very well and it's pretty simple to operate once you figure out how to work it. This feature is VERY important to me because when I first started out all I was planning on doing was to be a performer. The way it works is you install the PCDJ Red or Blue and then you install the Karaoke module. It becomes integrated into the program and what you end up with is 3 players on the screen. The normal 2 players that you would see with a DJ program and then the third player is the Karaoke player. You can switch between the three easily.


Yup, I'm well aware of the KJ plug in for PCDJ... don't like it... and you will quickly find out why once you try to do an actual karaoke only show where you have to manage rotations... in short it has absolutely no rotation handling capabilities....

Believe it or not after trying just about every karaoke software player on the market both free and costly I settled on probably "THE" best one available called AutOKdj.... checkout www.autokdj.com

This product handles everything from rotations to accepting song requests using the Front End program in conjunction with it.

There are some quirks though in the naming convention, especially if you zip your mp3+g files together.

Best of all it's free and it is a plug in for WinAmp also free... believe me when I tell you I've tried them all... PCDJ w/KJ plug in, Compuhost, MTU Hoster, S&D, KJamp (aka Roxbox), Swift Elite, and many others.

Do your self a favor check it out and PM me if ya have questions about it. On their forums I've posted a primer for using Autokdj and also a primer for setting it up to run karaoke automagically like most hosts, excluding Toqer, do.

I know this program in and out and the only ones that know it better are Toqer and his dev team.

Oh and did I mention that there is a built in karaoke store that is linked directly to www.tricerasoft.com yeah boy.... you can dl music on the fly so say a singer wants the latest crapola on the radio if it's available from Top Hits Monthly, Zoom, or Forever Hits... then can have it in the time it takes to pay and dl it. And for a fee :sqwink: you can do this for them.

A couple of months ago I knew nothing about being a DJ, knew nothing about doing it on a computer, knew nothing about ripping CDs and a bunch of other things. When you first begin learning about something "you don't even know what you don't know". I'm learning and finding out what I don't know and a few things that I do know-NOW.


You are exactly where I was 3 yrs ago.... take it from me learning is half the battle... listen to what other experienced DJ and KJs are saying...

And don't take our word for it... try it all then come back and tell us what you like most... we can only sugest what we feel is the best product, only you can determine if that's true for you or not.

Everything in my previous post is merely a sugested route to take.... I've been down the road you are traveling on...

When I initially got into this I was looking for karaoke software that basically handled my rotation for me... and what I found (AutOKdj) does much much more than just simply keeping track of a rotation and who's sung and when and who's next... much more.

PCDJ is fine for playback but there are programs out there that do even that simple task better... Rockit for one, VDJ and OtsAV for another.... all depends on where you want to take things.

WMP is what I use an it does a great job. The only thing that I don't like is that it also puts it into the WMP library and then when I start it up, it's slow.

But, it does a fine job of ripping. And, it does rip directly to MP3...it's in the settings.

Also for what it is worth,

Sony makes a 100 disc unit that works in tandem with WMP. You can literally tell it to rip in mp3 format the entire unit which may take overnight... Great for those with a large collection wishing to go digital quickly!

Ok, I thought WMP ripped directly to MP3, but for some reason when I looked one time recently I didn't see that option. I just went back and sure enough it's there. I switched from WMA at 192 to MP3 at 192. Is there any advantage to ripping to a WMA file rather than MP3? Less loss? Better sound quality? Or do they sound the same?

Also for what it is worth,

Sony makes a 100 disc unit that works in tandem with WMP. You can literally tell it to rip in mp3 format the entire unit which may take overnight... Great for those with a large collection wishing to go digital quickly!

No link? :sqconfused: :sqwink:

Ok, I thought WMP ripped directly to MP3, but for some reason when I looked one time recently I didn't see that option. I just went back and sure enough it's there. I switched from WMA at 192 to MP3 at 192. Is there any advantage to ripping to a WMA file rather than MP3? Less loss? Better sound quality? Or do they sound the same?

I'm sure there is some sort of good reasoning, but I did it because MP3 is more univeral for players and my new RockIt likes to eat them!! :sqbiggrin:

This is what we had if I remember correctly:

Amazon.com: Sony VAIO VGP-XL1B3 Digital Living Systems Media Changer: Computers & PC Hardware

Whoa? Dan put an amazon hack on here?

I use EAC to rip my music and Audiograbber for CDGs.

EAC is pretty simple to set up if you use the wizard. You just need to download the latest LAME codec.

As far as karaoke goes, don't forget to get MP3G Toolz. It's a free download that lets you zip your MP3 & CDG file together.

Really? I like that idea. I have MP3+G Toolz, I just havn't really used it much. I tried it, but haven't used it in a while and forgot what it's really best for.

I have folders with 2 files per Karaoke track and it's kind of a pain in the butt. I'll have to play with that. Thanks for the tip. I ripped them to an MP3 and a CDG file for each track with audiogabber. Audiograbber also lets you rip to a .cdg or a .bin file instead of the CDG + MP3, but I'm not sure about those formats. I would eventually like to make some compilation disks with just some of the tracks that I want to perform that night. I may not have to do that because if using the PC and PCDJ works out I won't have to use disks at all. I'm just trying to have disks as a backup in case the computer is malfunctioning for some reason.

Really? I like that idea. I have MP3+G Toolz, I just havn't really used it much. I tried it, but haven't used it in a while and forgot what it's really best for.

I have folders with 2 files per Karaoke track and it's kind of a pain in the butt. I'll have to play with that. Thanks for the tip. I ripped them to an MP3 and a CDG file for each track with audiogabber. Audiograbber also lets you rip to a .cdg or a .bin file instead of the CDG + MP3, but I'm not sure about those formats. I would eventually like to make some compilation disks with just some of the tracks that I want to perform that night. I may not have to do that because if using the PC and PCDJ works out I won't have to use disks at all. I'm just trying to have disks as a backup in case the computer is malfunctioning for some reason.

Definately keep your discs... if there is anyway to prove you purchased your library legally having those discs is a sure fire way... and as you stated if the computer goes tits up you have a backup contigency in place already to go.

BIN files are basically the same thing as the CDG except that CDG is more widely accepted for playback... think of the BIN file as a Binary representation of the Data file you ripped with the audio.... a CDG is basically a CD Graphics file... BIN files also tend to be larger in size.

My advice to you however instead of using Audiograbber to rip your karaoke checkout Power CDG Burner instead you'll get near perfect if not perfect .cdg files... http://www.powerkaraoke.com/src/prod_powercdgburner.php

Useing that program to rip my karaoke files I get graphic files that are clean and have no graphicall errors in them... I mean when you playback these no one will even be able to tell if you are using disc or mp3+g files it's that good.

And here's the best part... almost any CD-R drive will work...

EAC and Audiograbber are great at ripping mp3's but Power CDG Burner is, hands down, THE BEST at ripping karaoke. BTW it's great at burning back to CD-R as well.

Well, I think I'm going to order Power CDG burner. I've looked into it and I tried the demo. I will admit, the rips using audiograbber are less than satisfactory. Lots of graphic artifacts and some ugly looking lyrics from brand new disks. Unacceptable.

Well, I think I'm going to order Power CDG burner. I've looked into it and I tried the demo. I will admit, the rips using audiograbber are less than satisfactory. Lots of graphic artifacts and some ugly looking lyrics from brand new disks. Unacceptable.

You'll be very happy you did.... I ripped my cdg set 4 times that's 300+ discs it wasn't until the 4th time that I discovered Power CDG Burner... that was the best $40 I've spent in a long time....

Out of those 300+ discs only 2 wouldn't rip with that program both were Sound Choice discs oddly enough...

Have you decided what you are going to host with when you do full karaoke shows...? I'd recomend AutOKdj because it handles rotations automatically and intelligently I might add.

Read this thread http://www.ourdjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7627

I use Easy CDDA Extractor v11

find it here >> www.poikosoft.com <<

I use the Portable also :)


oh this is from the webite...

Easy CD-DA Extractor, the Swiss Army Knife Of Digital Audio is an ALL-IN-ONE music converter that copies Audio CDs, Converts audio files from one format to another, edits metadata of audio files and can burn Audio CD, MP3 CD & DVD, and Data CD & DVD.


I say no more this is all new

WMP for me also o problems

/me sneaks over to Barry's system and deletes his lic files to play wma files...

The reason I ask is because I've been slowly transferring the Latin music collection that I bought recently and I tried Yahoo Jukebox, Media Monkey and a couple other programs, but to my surprise WMP has been the easiest and fastest so far. I'm ripping at 192 and it seems to sound fine. I was just concerned that maybe there is some quality issue or some other downfall that I'm not aware of.

The only concern that I'd have is that a lot of computer dj software doesn't seem to support the WMA format, which is what media player uses to rip tracks.

I am sure there is a way to change it to MP3, I've seen it done in WMP

Yes there are plenty of solutions that will allow you to convert the files, but I don't know of any that are free.

Personally i don't want to shell out an extra 20-$30 to convert just because it won't play in my favourite program.. But i'm a cheap bastard so that may be just me.. heheh

-James

WMP will rip directly to MP3. It's in the settings.

WMP will rip directly to MP3. It's in the settings.

That's only the pro version tho.. Maybe I'll just go buy it.. :)

What?

Window Media Player is a free on any computer. At least it has always been on the ones I buy.

My bad I'm getting two programs confused.. Mea Culpa

Why even bother with WMP.... just get Audiograbber... It works better and is worry free.... for audio cd's.... get Power CDG Burner for your CDG cd's... problems solved.

WMP here also.

256 constant bit rate. They sound great. Easy and fast on my 'puter