Question RE: CDG to MP3G ripping protocols

OK, having already ripped my discs to another format that I wont be able to use with my next program, I have the formidable task ahead of me of ripping my discs to MP3+G...since I am silly enough not to get a preloaded hard drive and delete the ones I dont already own,....HAHAHAHAHA, but I digress...

I dont want to start and make mistakes that cost me work, so I want to have my facts straight before I start going on this...

1. Is there a naming protocal that I should adhere to? Is there any special default naming format that I should go with or does it matter (for cataloging, search functions etc...)

2. Is there a rhyme or reason to the hygiene/format I should use to store the tracks on the hard drive? That is, do you just throw them in a folder called "Karaoke" or do you separate them into separate folders by manufacturer? Do you put all your Chartbusters in a CB folder then give each disc a separate folder with the zip files in there? What are each of you doing?

3. What is the software I should start out with for ease of use, speed and auto naming?

What is the most painless way into this chore, and what are the speedbumps you may have hit that I should avoid??

THANKS!

What format did you rip to initially?

What format did you rip to initially?

MTU Hosters proprietary format.

1. Is there a naming protocal that I should adhere to? Is there any special default naming format that I should go with or does it matter (for cataloging, search functions etc...)

The answer to that question depends on the program you are using to play and catalogue your library in.... Most will accept in the form of:

TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle

others require that the CD-ID be at the begining or end of the file like this

CDNo - TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle -or-
TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle - CDNo

AutOKdj as a requirment more of Winamp over AutOKdj itself requires that you place the file in a subdirectory in the name of the CDID like this:

E:/.../CDNo/TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle

This segues into question #2

2. Is there a rhyme or reason to the hygiene/format I should use to store the tracks on the hard drive? That is, do you just throw them in a folder called "Karaoke" or do you separate them into separate folders by manufacturer? Do you put all your Chartbusters in a CB folder then give each disc a separate folder with the zip files in there? What are each of you doing?

For general search ability and speed with large and small libraries placing the files under one general directory in one lump is not generally a good idea as it makes it tougher for programs to search thousands of files vs. just a few at a time so.... to that end.

yes making a directory called Karaoke is a good idea but then divide that directory up either by manufature or at least by CDNo like this:

E:/Karaoke/CDNo/ -or-
E:/Karaoke/Sound Choice/

AutOKdj:
E:/Karaoke/Sound Choice/CDNo/

3. What is the software I should start out with for ease of use, speed and auto naming?

What is the most painless way into this chore, and what are the speedbumps you may have hit that I should avoid??

THANKS!

There are several ripping softwares out there the most popular is AudioGrabber coupled with Lame for MP3 encoder.

Also:
KJRip n Zip
Power CDG Burner

To name a few...

As for pitfalls.... the read speed of your drive is very important... the slower the better. Using Nero Drivespeed can help slow down drives even non-Plextor drives.

Your best bet is to rip to intermediate wav then encode to mp3 while ripping the cdg file at the same time.

Then with MP3+G Toolz you can bulk zip your files while recursing them to their original directories and deleting the mp3 and cdg file into one zip file for each song....

Hope this helps

Nice job Rob,this would make a good sticky Mods.

Hey Harry! Long time no see! ;)

If you do use Audiograbber to rip your karaoke, you can use a freeware app I wrote named MP3+G To ZIP (http://www.byrequest.dj/karaoke-software-downloads/mp3-g-to-zip.html) to clean up the pairs of mp3 and cdg files audiograbber creates.

Hey Harry! Long time no see! ;)

If you do use Audiograbber to rip your karaoke, you can use a freeware app I wrote named MP3+G To ZIP (http://www.byrequest.dj/karaoke-software-downloads/mp3-g-to-zip.html) to clean up the pairs of mp3 and cdg files audiograbber creates.

Is it the same as MP3+G Toolz?

Will it also do a rename of files?

Can it convert to and from BIN files? CDG? and Zip?

Does it have selectable compression rates for the zip files it creates?

I'm just wondering because I'm always on the lookout for good programs.

Actually, I wasn't even aware that MP3+G Toolz was still around. My app doesn't do a lot of the stuff that MP3+G Toolz did/does. It only does what's needed. KJ's need discs ripped to MP3+G. Audiograbber can do the ripping, and my app does the zipping. My memory of MP3+G Toolz (which I haven't used in years) was that it had lots of bells and whistles...most of which I never used. I wrote MP3+G to Zip because I wanted something very lightweight and very simple to use. Audiograbber and my app were a very simple and reliable solution.

"Will it also do a rename of files?"
No, Audiograbber names the files. This just zips them.

"Can it convert to and from BIN files? CDG? and Zip?"
Why do you want to convert a compressed file back to BIN or CDG? The idea is to get rid of your need for discs. Converting back to BIN and CDG is only useful for people that want the reliability of MP3 but are afraid of computers (or something). Could I do it? Yes, but there's no point. CD => Evil.

"Does it have selectable compression rates for the zip files it creates?"
And a person would use this because?

Why complicate things? Why do they have to ask "Paper or plastic"? Is a car with more knobs on the radio any better than a car with fewer knobs? If MP3+G Toolz works for you great! I'm happy for you; getting rid of the evil discs! :D My program is free, so if you don't download it, you actually save me 1MB of bandwidth! That makes me happy too! :D

PS - I just googled MP3+G Toolz, and activeasp's site is down. Where do you get it from? The first ten results in Google do not have a link to download it. I was reminded of one of the things I did not like about it way back when: it required .NET. Pretty much a non-issue now though! :)

I also found a nice tutorial on how to download MP3+G's from the internet and convert them to BIN so they could be burned to disc. Ahh for the days when I wasn't married to a DJ and had no fear of stealing all the movies and music I wanted! :D

Actually the reasons for the need to convert from bin to cdg is really for the purpose of a better cdg file... I've found that ripping those hard to rip cdgs to bin then converting it to cdg sometimes gets a better file with less artifacts.... I'm sure someone with less scruples would use this power to pirate but thats not why it was written....

Well dang I can't get to them either I'll have to see if I can zip mine down luckly I have it on two pcs.... its one of those types of programs that when you right click your mouse it pops up in the menu options so basically all you had to do to batch zip was right click on your main karaoke folder and got it started... letting it run over night.

Not sure if zipping my directory up would do it since it is an activeasp type app I can start it without right clicking but not sure what it's installer does i should have saved that file.

Why not just fix the errors (http://www.editcdg.com/) and make the CDG file perfect? Seems like a hassle to rip to BIN, burn it back to a CDG, then re-rip the newly burned CDGs just so that you will *probably* get better results. If you're getting audio artifacts, rip at 1x. If you still get audio artifacts, sand the disc with 1000 (or maybe 600) grit sand paper...This is the last time you'll ever use it. If you want to spend a few more bucks, buy a Disc Doctor or something.

If you're decent VB coder, you can download the source code for EditCDG and maybe learn to do your own spiffy things with CDG data.

Is good you reminded me of the context menu changes. I really despise programs that make changes to my right click menus. Couple that context menu change with the changes WinZIP and Sax-N-Dottys make, and you have a long context menu.

But, MP3+G Toolz does a lot. Its a very powerful program. If you don't mind the baggage it brings, I would recommend it. It's one of the many ways to skin the cat.. :)

Why not just fix the errors (http://www.editcdg.com/) and make the CDG file perfect? Seems like a hassle to rip to BIN, burn it back to a CDG, then re-rip the newly burned CDGs just so that you will *probably* get better results. If you're getting audio artifacts, rip at 1x. If you still get audio artifacts, sand the disc with 1000 (or maybe 600) grit sand paper...This is the last time you'll ever use it. If you want to spend a few more bucks, buy a Disc Doctor or something.

If you're decent VB coder, you can download the source code for EditCDG and maybe learn to do your own spiffy things with CDG data.


Actually I wasn't refering to audio artifacts... those are practically non-existant as long as you are not multitasking while ripping your CDG discs... I typically will rip at speeds between 5x and 8x unfortunately Nero drive speed dosn't have much affect on my drive... since its min read speed is 12x, 5-8x is generally the best I can do. Unless you have a sugestion for a better drive speed control program...

You missunderstood what I was saying... Let me be perfectly clear I'm not ripping to mp3+bin then burning back to a CDG on a disc then re-ripping that to mp3+g... no what I ment was rip to a bin file convert the bin file to a cdg file. Dping that wouldn't necessarily fix the problem anyway... most artifacts found in the CDG file created durring the rip process is due to drive speed and disc imperfections such as warpage and scratches.

I have tried the various programs out there for fixing the artifacts that sometimes appear in the cdg file including CDGEdit.... mostly they are more of a PITA then taking the time and re-ripping those few files that I have trouble with to BIN then convert to CDG... obviously I don't do that unless I have a CDG that is really bad. I've only run into about 1/2 doz out of the over 5000 I've ripped that have required re-ripping to BIN.

Personnally I don't think its that much of a hassle if the end result is a more professional look. I hate being embarassed when a song comes up that is soooooooo bad that the singer has to choose something else cause ya can't read the darn thing.

I have tried the various programs out there for fixing the artifacts that sometimes appear in the cdg file including CDGEdit.... mostly they are more of a PITA then taking the time and re-ripping those few files that I have trouble with to BIN then convert to CDG...
Oh, I agree whole heartedly! :D I've used EditCDG to fix a few of the really bad songs, but unless it has some bad graphics glitches I don't bother.

Ripping to BIN then converting to mp3+g would take a lot less work. I wasn't aware that it would help at all, so that's a good tip. I can't offer any advice on drive speed reducers. I've never used one.

I have been using audiograbber to ripp all 7600+ songs and use Winamp with the CDG plugin AND bought Pacemaker to change pitch, tempo and such ($10)
This has been working GREAT for me. Might want to check it out.

I have been using audiograbber to ripp all 7600+ songs and use Winamp with the CDG plugin AND bought Pacemaker to change pitch, tempo and such ($10)
This has been working GREAT for me. Might want to check it out.

Just doing that will play the and display and do everything that a kj does with standard equipment except handle rotations... you would still have to do that old school style...

Add the AutOKdj plug in and convert your mp3+g to zips or leave em doesn't matter and you gain a wide range of controls normally handled manually by the KJ... freeing you to be an entertainer rather than a computer operator...

The answer to that question depends on the program you are using to play and catalogue your library in.... Most will accept in the form of:

TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle

others require that the CD-ID be at the begining or end of the file like this

CDNo - TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle -or-
TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle - CDNo

AutOKdj as a requirment more of Winamp over AutOKdj itself requires that you place the file in a subdirectory in the name of the CDID like this:

E:/.../CDNo/TrackNo - Artist - SongTitle

This segues into question #2



For general search ability and speed with large and small libraries placing the files under one general directory in one lump is not generally a good idea as it makes it tougher for programs to search thousands of files vs. just a few at a time so.... to that end.

yes making a directory called Karaoke is a good idea but then divide that directory up either by manufature or at least by CDNo like this:

E:/Karaoke/CDNo/ -or-
E:/Karaoke/Sound Choice/

AutOKdj:
E:/Karaoke/Sound Choice/CDNo/



There are several ripping softwares out there the most popular is AudioGrabber coupled with Lame for MP3 encoder.

Also:
KJRip n Zip
Power CDG Burner

To name a few...

As for pitfalls.... the read speed of your drive is very important... the slower the better. Using Nero Drivespeed can help slow down drives even non-Plextor drives.

Your best bet is to rip to intermediate wav then encode to mp3 while ripping the cdg file at the same time.

Then with MP3+G Toolz you can bulk zip your files while recursing them to their original directories and deleting the mp3 and cdg file into one zip file for each song....

Hope this helps

.....or you can just load the CD+G into the machine and PLAY it.....JUST BREAKIN' HORNS :sqerr::sqlaugh::sqwink: .....the way I like to do it though..

Har Har Har... Joe

Yes putting a disc in a player and pressing play is easy to do and has the advantage of none of the upfront work converting to PC there are some distinct disadvantages too...

Back to topic...

I have been messing around with a program from www.powerkaraoke.com called Power CD+G Burner this program not only will rip your CDGs to your hard drive it can also Burn to CD-R so for those that prefer disc but don't want to risk their originals this is a great program... also those that want to go completely PC and have everything on their PC this program is almost flawless in it's rips... I also have found that it is the only ripping software that actually slows my drives read speed down which adds to its ability to get a clean rip of the graphics...(available read speeds Max, 8X, 4X, and 1X) It can rip to BIN files (which is the audio combined with graphic in one file), MP3 + CDG, WAV + CDG, and directly to ZIP... Once you get past the unique user settings and start ripping this program is very usefull... and it only costs $39.00.

I haven't got to any of my discs that have known graphic issues yet so it still remains to be seen how it does with those discs... but of the discs I have ripped so far... they are perfect not one graphical artifact.

Har Har Har... Joe

I have been messing around with a program from www.powerkaraoke.com called Power CD+G Burner this program not only will rip your CDGs to your hard drive it can also Burn to CD-R so for those that prefer disc but don't want to risk their originals this is a great program... also those that want to go completely PC and have everything on their PC this program is almost flawless in it's rips... I also have found that it is the only ripping software that actually slows my drives read speed down which adds to its ability to get a clean rip of the graphics...(available read speeds Max, 8X, 4X, and 1X) It can rip to BIN files (which is the audio combined with graphic in one file), MP3 + CDG, WAV + CDG, and directly to ZIP... Once you get past the unique user settings and start ripping this program is very usefull... and it only costs $39.00.




How are naming chores handled with this program...is it really a matter of simply installing the program, inserting the disc and away we go?

How are naming chores handled with this program...is it really a matter of simply installing the program, inserting the disc and away we go?

Here is what I am finding with this program Power CD+G Burner

First of all read the help file with regard to ripping to a hard drive... here's how I name using it

1. I create a directory for the disc I am ripping lets say SC8888

2. Make sure the program is pointed at that directory by clickint the "..." button for the destination path.

3. In the Nameing field using "{}" to define the arguments I set it to name the files like this:

{TrackNumber} - {Artist} - {Title}

It does use a CDDB sourse for auto naming but you may still have to manually enter the artist and song titles in above track name window you have to name each track like this:

Artist / Title

Track number will automatically be formed durring the rip

4. You have three rip settings to choose from
BIN - Single file combined audio + graphics
CDG + WAV - Dual file one CDG one WAV
CDG + MP3 - Dual File one CDG one MP3
ZIP - Single file zipped from the CDG+MP3 one step rip and zip takes the longest to complete

You have settings for MP3's just like other programs from bit rate to the quality and so forth...

You can also set the read speed and it seems to work... I set mine to 4x but you have the option of Max, 8x, 4x, and 1x

So far I have flawless rips even with discs from manu's I've had the most trouble from like Chartbuster for example.

Believe me I was up and ripping in minutes after reading the help file its very simple to use.

I did run into one problem but it had nothing to do with the ripper.... I had labeled some of my discs using a red sharpie and on a disc where it was a plain silver side that was labled the marker had etched through the silver data area and made it impossible to get a good rip of track 1 of the cd... so lesson learned don't use sharpies to label discs with.

Well I just ran into a snag with Chartbuster disc set CBE5. For some reason some of the discs in that set simply are not seen by either Audiograbber or Power CD+G Burner... however, KJ Rip 'n Zip sees them just fine. Just one reason why I've shied away from Chartbuster... I think it's a hardware issue more than a software issue tho... because my cheap Lite-on drive from wal-mart $20... sees and reads those discs no problem...

Well I just ran into a snag with Chartbuster disc set CBE5. For some reason some of the discs in that set simply are not seen by either Audiograbber or Power CD+G Burner... however, KJ Rip 'n Zip sees them just fine. Just one reason why I've shied away from Chartbuster... I think it's a hardware issue more than a software issue tho... because my cheap Lite-on drive from wal-mart $20... sees and reads those discs no problem...


***UPDATE***

I dug out my Lite-On drive and put it in an external enclosure... and well with a bit of patients it was able to read those peskie Chartbuster discs that give me problems... and it too produced nearly if not flawless graphics.

****Update 2****

I've almost completed re-ripping my CDG library and all files that I have spot checked up to now have been great... I'm on my final leg and have spot checked some of my Sweet Georgia Brown and have come across lyric glitches...

So up to Sweet Georgia Brown all was good... almost zero text glitches. I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed when using this program that they have problems with SGB as well. Cause like I said I've spot checked all the other manu's that I have and can't find any significant graphical errors except in SGB.

****Update 2****

I've almost completed re-ripping my CDG library and all files that I have spot checked up to now have been great... I'm on my final leg and have spot checked some of my Sweet Georgia Brown and have come across lyric glitches...

So up to Sweet Georgia Brown all was good... almost zero text glitches. I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed when using this program that they have problems with SGB as well. Cause like I said I've spot checked all the other manu's that I have and can't find any significant graphical errors except in SGB.

Ok it was just that one disc out of the 66 SGB discs I have that gave me graphics problems... disc 3 to be exact.