I finally finished ripping every CD I own....

I know my collection is not as big as a lot of others, but it still took quite a while to do. 

Every cd I own I ripped into 320 kbps mp3 using a program with error detection and CRC verification. Even if I had previously ripped the cd, I ripped it again for this project.

I paid meticulous attention to the id3 tags to make sure the mp3 matched the exact CD I ripped it from. The artwork, the album title, contributing artists (for guests), the year the cd itself was released, the publisher, bonus tracks, etc etc. I even put special notes into the comments section (band lineups and other tidbits). All of this had to match the cd version I was ripping. 

By ripping EVERY cd, it means I ripped every version of an album, no matter how many there are. Example....an original, an M8/Magdalene release, a Retroactive Records release, and a later Retroactive release (yes, several have been released by Matt 2 and 3 x)

After each CD was ripped, I put the into a re-sealable jewel case sleeve to protect it from dust.

On my laptop, I have the files stored in this type of structure
C:\Music\The Collection\A\Angelica\Walking In Faith (Legends of Rock) [CD 320]
C:\Music\The Collection\B\Barren Cross\Atomic Arena [CD 320]

I always put the source / format at the end of any digital album...
[Amazon VBR] = Amazon purchase, Variable Bit Rate
[Google Play 320]
[Band Direct 192]
etc etc

Once all was done, I copied the mp3 collection over to an external HD that is plugged into my router so that I can stream it anywhere without having to use my laptop exclusively

Anyway.....

It is sooooo much easier to access my collection now. I still love cds, but I just wasn't listening to music as much because of the hassle of constantly changing discs just to listen to a song or two from each one

My personal tools of choice


Primary ripper:

EZ CD Audio Converter
https://www.poikosoft.com/music-converter  



For ID3 tag corrections post ripping (when needed):

Tag Scanner
https://www.xdlab.ru/en/  


If a CD throws off errors, I rip a second / third copy using:

Exact Audio Copy
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/  

iTunes with Error Correction on
https://www.apple.com/itunes/


I also double check mp3 files with this tool

mp3Val
http://mp3val.sourceforge.net/ 


Been using these tools for years. Love them.


I also backup my mp3 into the cloud with CrashPlan, and use FreeFileSync to backup them again to an external hard drive (not my one hooked up to the network).



As a side note...the few cds that had a track that gave off a data or crc error, I went back and listened to the cd as well as the original rip and could not notice any audible issues. Still re-ripped them with error correction on though.

Wow!  You are an animal!!

Staybrite wrote:Wow!  You are an animal!!

Or seriously OCD...hahahahaha

I just started feeling like I had so much money invested in my collection and that I wasn't enjoying it enough. It had to be done 

Impressive!

Did you adjust the individual albums' volumes any to get similar levels across your library?  Right now I've got some albums that I gotta crank up the volume on and others that I have to adjust down - relative to the majority.  I haven't found an easy way to do that yet...

Kerrick wrote:Impressive!

Did you adjust the individual albums' volumes any to get similar levels across your library?  Right now I've got some albums that I gotta crank up the volume on and others that I have to adjust down - relative to the majority.  I haven't found an easy way to do that yet...

I've never had an issue ripping cds where the audio was much different on any of them. I leave my ripper at default for that.



To add to my initial post, along with ripping each cd, I also ripped any DVD that was part of a CD/DVD combo into ISO format and saved it with that album. I also ripped any bonus videos that came on the disc. So EVERYTHING is at my fingertips

Right on, thanks though!

Even with ripping CDs, I am ADD!  I want the song titles right, the year, and the artist, but I don't care about any other info like composer, etc.

I use Windows Media Player to rip, and then I run the CD through MP3tag to edit the embedded data.  Most of the time, it can identify an album unless it is brand new by using Discogs.  You can also embed the artwork so that you don't have to have so many picture files on the outboard hard drive or on my FiiO.

Kerrick wrote:Impressive!

Did you adjust the individual albums' volumes any to get similar levels across your library?  Right now I've got some albums that I gotta crank up the volume on and others that I have to adjust down - relative to the majority.  I haven't found an easy way to do that yet...

Kerrick, get a program called mp3 Gain. It's Free! You load your mp3s into it and it sets them all to the same decibel. Pretty cool program.

alldatndensum wrote:Even with ripping CDs, I am ADD!  I want the song titles right, the year, and the artist.  I use Windows Media Player to rip, and then I run the CD through MP3tag to edit the embedded data.  Most of the time, it can identify an album unless it is brand new.  You can also embed the artwork so that you don't have to have so many picture files on the outboard hard drive or on my FiiO.

Yeah, I made sure all of my tag info was correct. It's amazing how many I found where the track order on the disc case was wrong but the online dB was right.

The ripper I use (EZ CD Audio Converter) has tons of tools in it for filling in the id3 tags automatically, as well as imbedding the cover artwork. I never rely on stored images.

EZ CD Audio Converter will search Discogs and a bunch of others to fill in the info, you can also edit it manually, and you can search online for a different cover if you don't like the one that the automatic search found (or you can upload your own). The only reason I ever need to use TagScanner to edit tags post ripping is if I decide I want to change something about the tag (like adding in a comment, or correcting a typo). Otherwise, TagScanner is only for when I download an album and want to change something about it.


https://www.poikosoft.com/music-converter-metadata-support

Kerrick wrote:Right on, thanks though!

The program I use has tools for it, and gives you full control over it if you want, but maybe the reason I never have an issue is because the way the default settings work well for me.

Here is some of the audio features The DSP section is what you need

Audio Quality

Perfected

• Ultra precise (64-bit floating point) audio engine
  
  
• Professional quality sample rate converter
  
  
• Professional quality DSD encoder with stabilized 8th order noise-shaper without phase distortion
  
  
• Professional quality DSD decoder with high quality noise-filtering
  
  
• Bit-exact gapless conversion of all audio file formats
  
  
• High quality dithering (RTN, RPDF, TPDF, Noise-shaped)
  
  
• Convert between DSD and PCM format in lossless quality
  
  
• Convert between DSD file formats in bit-exact DSD mode (DSF, DFF, WavPack DSD, SACD, SACD ISO)
  
  
• Always keep audio in ultra precision format during audio conversions
  
  

DSP

 | Digital signal processing

• ReplayGain v2 metadata calculation
  
• ReplayGain v2 loudness normalization
  
• EBU R128 loudness normalization
  
• Digital silence removal
  
• Fade In/Out
  
• De-emphasis for audio CDs that have pre-emphasis
  

Kerrick wrote:Impressive!

Did you adjust the individual albums' volumes any to get similar levels across your library?  Right now I've got some albums that I gotta crank up the volume on and others that I have to adjust down - relative to the majority.  I haven't found an easy way to do that yet...

Much of that volume change is in the way an album is mixed and mastered.  If they recorded at lower volumes and mastered it to leave some headroom, then it is going to be quieter.

The problem you hear is where so much of today's music is recorded and boosted so much that the music will cause ear fatigue.  This can determine if you like a song or band instantly just by how compressed and loud it is.  Terrestrial radio stations are discovering that they have less fans partly due to streaming and partly because of ear fatigue with the music being too loud even for the listener at lower volumes.

Congrats on following through on committing the time and energy to create such a thorough archive!  Nice!!  

A couple of years ago it occurred to me that I might someday be in a nursing home or other situation where I wouldn't be able to keep my physical collection; also that most cars are no longer being manufactured w/CD players and that my next car might not have one.  Since I had also recently gotten adequate HD storage, in December 2018 I set out upon a similar project to rip my collection in 320kbps mp3 files w/proper tagging, etc.  I have well over 3000 discs, including hundreds of unofficial discs not in online databases or with online images available to download/embed--so it involved lots of scanning and typing, too.  It took 16 months of sustained effort!

Going forward, keeping up with new acquisitions as I get them is a lot less daunting by comparison, and I've since been able to turn my attention back to my neglected reading list. 

If you haven't already done so, I might recommend some kind of redundancy plan--cloud, dedicated external HD, micro SD cards, etc., so you don't lose your hard work to a crash, etc.

I ended up unexpectedly buying a new car at the end of 2019--no CD player!  I bought a Searick mp3 player on Amazon for short money.  I could have spent more, but I thought it offered great bang for the buck.  It has intuitive operation, displays artwork, comes with decent onboard storage, holds a charge, accepts 128GB micro SD cards, etc.  I picked up a micro SD card holder the size of a credit card, and now I never have to be in the car without my entire library.

My only slight gripe is the inherent brief gaps between songs on live recordings, but it isn't a deal-breaker especially given the massive benefit of compact file size as compared to flac, etc.  Streaming services work well for a lot of people's listening needs these days, but much of what I own isn't available on any streaming platform.  Nice to have options.

Bought4Life wrote:I copied the mp3 collection over to an external HD that is plugged into my router so that I can stream it anywhere without having to use my laptop exclusively

Can you please explain how do you accomplish this? I would love to try it.

Also, can you show how you have the CDs sorted? Live releases? EP, Demos? All in one folder for same artist?

Well Done!  

xMetalMarkx wrote:Congrats on following through on committing the time and energy to create such a thorough archive!  Nice!!  

A couple of years ago it occurred to me that I might someday be in a nursing home or other situation where I wouldn't be able to keep my physical collection; also that most cars are no longer being manufactured w/CD players and that my next car might not have one.  Since I had also recently gotten adequate HD storage, in December 2018 I set out upon a similar project to rip my collection in 320kbps mp3 files w/proper tagging, etc.  I have well over 3000 discs, including hundreds of unofficial discs not in online databases or with online images available to download/embed--so it involved lots of scanning and typing, too.  It took 16 months of sustained effort!

Going forward, keeping up with new acquisitions as I get them is a lot less daunting by comparison, and I've since been able to turn my attention back to my neglected reading list. 

If you haven't already done so, I might recommend some kind of redundancy plan--cloud, dedicated external HD, micro SD cards, etc., so you don't lose your hard work to a crash, etc.

I ended up unexpectedly buying a new car at the end of 2019--no CD player!  I bought a Searick mp3 player on Amazon for short money.  I could have spent more, but I thought it offered great bang for the buck.  It has intuitive operation, displays artwork, comes with decent onboard storage, holds a charge, accepts 128GB micro SD cards, etc.  I picked up a micro SD card holder the size of a credit card, and now I never have to be in the car without my entire library.

My only slight gripe is the inherent brief gaps between songs on live recordings, but it isn't a deal-breaker especially given the massive benefit of compact file size as compared to flac, etc.  Streaming services work well for a lot of people's listening needs these days, but much of what I own isn't available on any streaming platform.  Nice to have options.

Thanks!

And wow..3000+ discs and 16 months.....that's pretty amazing.

I lucked out with most of my discs being available without having to type in the tracks. I think I only had a dozen or so I had to do that with. My biggest issue was that sometimes the wrong cd info would pull up and I would have to go manually retrieving the meta info from Discogs or similar. Even new releases sometimes pulled some totally off the wall stuff (like a Flamenco album pulled up one time..lol).

I agree about the live recordings....and yes, having flash drives in the car with tons of music at your fingertips is an incredible feeling.

As for redundancy..
I have the live version of my mp3 library on my laptop, then I have CrashPlan SMB that backs it up in the cloud, plus I run FreeFileSync to back it up onto an externa WD Elements drive (not the same drive I use on my router).

KaramKaram wrote:

Bought4Life wrote:I copied the mp3 collection over to an external HD that is plugged into my router so that I can stream it anywhere without having to use my laptop exclusively

Can you please explain how do you accomplish this? I would love to try it.

Your router, especially a newer one, should have a USB port on it. You can buy any external USB drive to use. Once you load your music up onto the drive, just plug it into your network router's USB slot. If your router doesn't have an available USB port, you can buy an external HD with an Ethernet port and hook it up that way. 

Once you connect it, you can use almost anything to play it as long as they are connected to the same network.

Example....

My Onkyo receiver has an option to play Plug N Play USB, it recognizes the drive attached to the router and allows me to navigate it in a folder system and play whatever I want.

My Roku streaming box has an app/channel called Roku Media Player that accesses it.

On my Apple TV, I use VLC to connect to it and play. I believe Fire TV has the same option too.

On my phone, I connect to it via VLC also.


You can set it up to be accessible from outside the home also, but I prefer to keep it closed off to outside network access.

KaramKaram wrote:Also, can you show how you have the CDs sorted? Live releases? EP, Demos? All in one folder for same artist?

In Windows Music folder, I have one master folder for Christian Music and another master folder for secular

Example

C:\Music\Christian Collection
C:\Music\Secular Collection

Then I have sub folders in each master folder for every letter of the alphabet plus # for numbers. I also make one for Various Artists.
C:\Music\Christian Collection\A
C:\Music\Christian Collection\B
C:\Music\Christian Collection\C
etc

Then I make a sub folder under that for each Artist/Band.
So Barren Cross, for example
C:\Music\Christian Collection\B\Barren Cross

Then under that I create folders for each album by them
C:\Music\Christian Collection\B\Barren Cross\Rock For The King (Medusa) [CD 320]

The mp3s are in the album folder, obviously

That's the only sorting I do

L8T wrote:Well Done!  

Thank you!

Due to space constraints, I converted ALL of my and my wife's vinyl records, tapes and CD's to MP3's several years ago and then also stored them on external hard drives. Then sold most of those originals. It took years.