Useing Power CDG Burner

This is a primer to using Power CDG Burner to rip karaoke in a format that AutOKdj will recognize for it's Media Library...

Your directory structure should be as follows:

C:\Karaoke\Brand\DiscID\TrackNo - Artist - Title

Example: Sound Choice Disc 8888.... Track 01, Artist Frank Sinatra, Title New York New York

C:\Karaoke\Sound Choice\SC8888\01 - Frank Sinatra - New York New York.mp3 & .cdg

If you choose to rip to zip you will end up with one zip file containing the mp3 & cdg from the above example and the file name will be:

01 - Frank Sinatra - New York New York.zip

************************************************** ********

Step 1

The Initial Screen: There are three tabs; Burn, Rip & Copy. We will be concerned with Rip.... later I will go over the other two tabs.
http://shup.com/Shup/17460/Initial-Screen.JPG

Step 2

Track Naming:
Here you can see that I have changed Track 01 to read "Garth Brooks / The Dance" Later I'll show you how this is pulled into your files and creates not only the file name but also the tag...
http://shup.com/Shup/17461/Nameing-Tracks.JPG


Step 3

Naming Convention:
Here you see that I have changed the "Output File Mask" this is how the files will be named so when Track 01 is ripped you will get a file or files named:
01 - Garth Brooks - The Dance
http://shup.com/Shup/17462/Getting-proper-file-naming.JPG

Step 4

Selecting the Output folder:
This should be self explanatory but here you would want to select your main Karaoke directory followed by the disc manufacturer subdirectory and finally the DiscID subdirectory... this will place our new file here:
Here I would have changed it from C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator to:
C:\Karaoke\Sound Choice\SC8888
http://shup.com/Shup/17463/Change-the-Output-Folder.JPG

Step 5

Selecting the Output format you have three choices here BIN, MP3 (which makes two files a mp3 and a cdg) or ZIP (which creates a single file that contains the mp3 & cdg)

If you rip to zip tagging isn't as important as the file name... if you rip to mp3+cdg you may want to go back to each file and make sure you have taged it properly with:

Artist, Title, Album (This should be the same as the DiscID in the folder structure from the above example SC8888) and TrackNo. Usually all you should have to update is the Album (or DiscID)
http://shup.com/Shup/17464/Select-Output-format-ZIP.JPG


Step 6

Changing the MP3 settings: Drive space is cheap go for the best settings here...
http://shup.com/Shup/17465/Change-your-MP3-Settings.JPG


Step 7

Changing the drive read speed: This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT when ripping karaoke no matter what your program of choice is the slower the rip speed the better.... take your time and do it right.... I usually select 1x but my drive typically will only get down to 4x and sometimes it dips to 3x...

Unlike audio cd's karaoke takes time because of the additional graphic file.. go to fast you get junk.
http://shup.com/Shup/17467/Change-Drive-Read-speed.JPG


Step 8

Well there you have it... once you have named all your tracks you are go for Rip
http://shup.com/Shup/17466/Go-For-Rip.JPG

Have fun guys....

I use a format that's \Karaoke\ManuCode\ManuCode-TrackNo - Artist - Title (Like D:\Karaoke\SC\SC8800\SC8130-01 - The Band\Our Song.zip) I've "played" with AutOkDJ in the past - is there a way to tweak the AutOkDJ plugin to understand my directory structure? I understand it, but I'd like to show other hosts in my area how I've "gone computerized" and make it as simple as I can... with their naming conventions. (Maybe it's a question for Toq.)

I've had a lot of hosts ask about my computer hosting system, but they ask...

1) "How can I manage to keep so many songs organized on a computer?"
2) "How can I make it make sense for me?"

Thanks!

I use a format that's KaraokeManuCodeManuCode-TrackNo - Artist - Title (Like D:KaraokeSCSC8800SC8130-01 - The BandOur Song.zip) I've "played" with AutOkDJ in the past - is there a way to tweak the AutOkDJ plugin to understand my directory structure? I understand it, but I'd like to show other hosts in my area how I've "gone computerized" and make it as simple as I can... with their naming conventions. (Maybe it's a question for Toq.)

I've had a lot of hosts ask about my computer hosting system, but they ask...

1) "How can I manage to keep so many songs organized on a computer?"
2) "How can I make it make sense for me?"

Thanks!

To answer your first question:

When your files are zipped Winamp looks at the last subdirectory in the file path for the DiscID then it looks at the file for the TrackNumber then Artist then Title to create the Song Entry view....

If your files are unZipped then it will look to the tags for DiscID(aka Album), TrackNumber, Artist, and Title.

Soooooo..... long story short.... in your current nameing structure and the example you gave the output to the Song Entry View would look something like this:

C:\...\...\SC8800\SC8130 - 01 - The Band\Our Song.zip

DiscID-TrackNumber - Artist - Title
SC8800-SC8130 - 01 - The Band\Our Song

This is a quirck of Winamp not AutOKdj... and the work around is to unzip and make sure your tags contain the proper Artist, Title, TrackNumber and Album (which is the same as the DiscID) then just import the mp3s and your above example would work without renaiming all of your files... the up shot is if your using S&D, RoxBox or Show Presenter.... you'll still be able to import your files since the name hasn't chaged....

Does that make sense?

Here's how I do it:

Example:

Sound Choice SC8888
Track No: 01
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Title: Cheek to Cheek

I would rip this file to:

E:\Karaoke\Sound Choice\SC8888\01 - Frank Sinatra - Cheek to Cheek.zip

-or-

Leave the files unzipped and tag the Album as SC8888 and import the mp3

The advantage to Zipping like I do is that you don't have to worry about the tags... if your zip file is named correctly it will show correctly in the Song Entry screen.... and since the file is unzipped for playback to a unique temp. directory it allows for multiple singers to sing the same song.

The disadvantage to zipping... lyric screen stutter durring DB searches and enqueing....

The advantage to not zipping... no lyric screen stuttering durring either process... and the actual file name doesn't matter.

The disadvantage to not zipping... you have to make sure your tags are correct. Also if a singer tries to enque the same song as a singer that is ahead of him in the playlist... winamp views the name of your singer as the Artist tag and because the song that both singers wants to sing resides in the same directory and there for will enque the second singer with the first singers name...

So just which way do I do it?

I leave them unzipped and make sure my tags are correct.... and I don't allow two singers to sing the same song, but if the second singer insists I wait to que him until after the first singer sings the song.... as long as that song isn't in the playlist editor I can enque that song again under a different singers name.... however, I avoid repeating songs... and try to get the second singer to pick something else.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

I think i'll stick with the cdg ripper that comes with my songbook program thanks.

Its free and it uses the master data base it has to automatically name all the songs that I rip..

Perfect for a lazy SOB like me! *lol*

-James

I think i'll stick with the cdg ripper that comes with my songbook program thanks.

Its free and it uses the master data base it has to automatically name all the songs that I rip..

Perfect for a lazy SOB like me! *lol*

-James


Power CDG Ripper uses FreeDB to name tracks automatically for you... the only time you would have to hand enter them is if the information was wrong or missing... none of the DB's are perfect not even your book software... but here's the key reason I'm so gunhoe on this particular program...

I was sick and tired of seeing graphical glitches in my rips... some one turned me on to this program... and it worked soooooooooooooo well I re-ripped my entire library again.... whether the file was bad or not....

So if your satisfied with seeing graphical burps to all out puke all over your cdg files.... then by all means be lazy. Don't believe me find your worst rip you know the one you'd be embarased for a client or patron to see and re-rip just that one track with Power CDG Burner... You will be amazed with the results... as long as their is no severe damage to the disc itself I can guarantee if you use the above tutorial you'll get the best results possible and you wont be dissapointed.

Not sure how ledgable this video will be but if it's not I'll re-do it and try again....

Power CDG Burner

so where do you get the updated free database from anyway?

so where do you get the updated free database from anyway?


it comes from folks using ripping programs that support uploads to the freedb.org website database.

Several different ripping programs Power CDG Burner included use the data base to attempt to auto name the tracks on CDs or even CDGs within their interface so that you don't have to re-type them...

of course if the CDs information has not been uploaded to freedb.org by a previous user then you'll have to type the information your self...

then if you want you can upload this information so that the next guy don't have to enter it himself when he rips that same cd...

There are several bookmaking softwares that do this very same thing and most of the other bookmaking softwares get their databases from services such as freedb.org

Ok, I just posted the how to video on my website to make it easier to watch...

goto www.totalimpactdjs.com/odjt.html to view it....

I will update it later to complete the rip process then show how to update the mp3 tags properly... for now this should help folks in need of a visual ripping.... the reason I couldn't take the video further is because my lappies CD-Rom drive doesn't support CDG ripping... but unlike most ripping programs Power CDG Burner does work on a wide variety of CD Burners....

Jon: I think this might be why you were having problems note that the drive I have showing in the video is the same brand as yours....

Happy Ripping!