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[Skin]

I did my first rip with MC. When I click on Audio Centre I see that for track 1 I have 3 files: a 32.8Mb cda with bitrate 1440; a wma VBR quality 90 of 4.5Mb and bitrate 199; a 14.5Mb flac file? bitrate 617.

This I am guessing is not usual. I guess I have done something I should not have, but what?

Also, flac seems to have 8 compression options. I set it on 0. However, I would prefer to have no compression so if there is no disadvantage I would prefer to work with the uncompressed WAV files. Can someone please advise me about this.

One other point, in Expert Options there is an option called " maximum rip processes" ... whatever this means. where can I learn about these expert options?

[Alex B]

The lossless formats like FLAC do no alter the stored data anyhow. They just use clever ways in storing the unaltered data to a computer file. The so called FLAC quality setting changes only how much processing time the encoder uses for reorganizing the stored data. When it works harder it can squeeze the files a little bit more. During playback or conversion to other formats a lossless file is first automatically decompressed and after that the original PCM data is available again. For instance, the PCM data that reaches the playback engine when a compressed FLAC file is played is bit to bit identical to the data that is extracted from the uncompressed source wave file.

FLAC is an asynchronous codec and the quality setting changes only the encoding speed. The decoding (= decompression) speed is almost identical with all quality settings. In my opinion the setting should be renamed because it does not alter the audio quality anyhow. The quality setting 0 has quite poor compression efficiency. It is the fastest FLAC setting, but often the encoding speed is not the most important factor when lossless files are created for permanent archiving.

Lossy formats like MP3 or WMA VBR are differrent. The actual audio signal is altered because the encoders may remove some of the content that is assumed to be inaudible.

Recarding to your three different formats. MC rips only to one format at a time. What was the first format you had set in the ripping options? Did you use the converter for creating the two other formats?

[Alex B]

One other point, in Expert Options there is an option called " maximum rip processes" ... whatever this means. where can I learn about these expert options?

You can rip using more than one drive simultaneously.

From http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/CD_Settings:

Max rip/encode/combined processes: You can set Media Center to rip and/or encode multiple CDs or files at the same time. You can also limit the number of combined concurrent processes.

Actually, you can press the Help button in the CD & DVD options window. It opens to the above linked wiki page.

[Alex B]

Regarding "clever ways", Matt Ashland from JRiver has explained how his lossless audio format, Monkey's Audio, uses clever ways here: http://www.monkeysaudio.com/theory.html

That said, you can use the wave format as well. It doesn't have any disadvantages, except that it uses more storage space than the lossless compression formats. If the consumed storage space becomes an issue in the future you can always convert the wave files to a lossless format without any quality loss.

Formerly the wave format was blaimed for its incapability of storing metadata in file tags, but that has changed recently. Support for wave tagging was added to MC14 some time ago. You can enable it in Tools > Plug-In Manager > Input > Wave & AIFF Plugin > Configure. However, be aware that very few other programs or devices can read wave tags.

[hit_ny]

The decoding (= decompression) speed is almost identical with all quality settings.

What about the CPU load to decompress ?

I was thinking the lowest compression setting requires the least power to decompress.

On a PC that might not be noticeable but what about a PMP

[Alex B]

As I said, FLAC is asynchronous. Its decoding speed (or CPU usage during real time playback) doesn't practically vary according to the used compression setting.

It differs from some other lossless formats like Monkey's Audio in this. Monkey's Audio is synchronous. The settings that compress more create files that are also slower to decode. Monkey's Audio can compress more than FLAC, but on the other hand its decompression is slower.

FLAC is one of the fastest compressed audio formats to decode. I just decoded a bunch of FLAC files with my new four core PC at 1000x speed.

In some cases, when the drive subsystem is not very efficient, it might be possible that reading and demuxing the considerably bigger wave container files consumes more CPU than reading and decoding the smaller FLAC files.

[Skin]

You can rip using more than one drive simultaneously.

From http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/CD_Settings:
Actually, you can press the Help button in the CD & DVD options window. It opens to the above linked wiki page.

I believe I only requested to rip the disc once. Can't explain how I ended up with 3 versions in different 'compression' states and software. The cda at 32.8mb is more than twice the size of the flac file. I will try it againafter read the link you provided. it is after midnight here I am not up thinking about this now. Will look tomorrow after a nights sleep;
THANKS

[Skin]

I guess WMP must have performed a rip simultaneously but the cda file for the 1st track is a puzzle ... anyway I have shut down the rip option in WMP and will try again

[Alex B]

I kind of missed that you listed "cda". Later on your mentioned the wave format and I got the impression that you were seeing the wav, flac and wma file types.

CDA is not a playable file format. Windows uses it for displaying the individual tracks on an audio CD. You cannot simply copy the .cda files from an audio CD to a regular file system. That's the very reason why ripping systems exist.

However, MC maintains a CD and DVD disc database section automatically and you can expose it in the user interface if you want see the entries. For playing a disc from the CD and DVD database section you must insert the physical disc to an optical drive.

Normally the CD and DVD database section is hidden, but you can create a view that shows the discs. I attached two sreenshots of my CD database view. In the second picture I have opened the view's configuration window. At least the "Options > Advanced > Set rules for file display... > Modify Results > Limit database to > CD" setting is needed for making the CD / DVD entries to show up. Everything else is freely configurable.

(You can see the attachments only if you are logged in to the forum.)


EDIT

Perhaps you have removed the "Limit database to" setting from the view in which your are seeing the .cda files or changed it to show also the CD database (naturally also the "All" setting will show it).

[Skin]

Thanks - there is clearly a lot to learn here. Is there any significant downside to doing the ripping first and then experimenting with tagging, workflow, archiving etc?

The MC ripper is easy to use but it appears to lack confirmation after the fact that the rip is exact ... so am tempted to use EAC and accuraterip and then to work with MC. I have an audiophile streak and am especially concerned that my coppies should be perfect. From my readings it seems that if MC is a "Universal Plug and Play" architecture is seems it can potentially be used with accuraterip ... or am I off base here?

[Alex B]

I did some experiments and noticed that you can actually import the CDA files to the Main database. For instance, "right-click > Import" in Playing Now or simply dragging and dropping the CD tracks to "Audio" in tree can do that.

The files will then be listed in the audio section, but in order to play them you must insert the CD.

I also noticed that the default Audio views do not have "Limit database to..." set because the views show only the Main database unless something else is set. The default Audio views use only the "Media Type is Audio" restriction. (You can right-click the main Audio category, select Customize View and go to Advanced > Set rules for file display... to see that.)

If you want to get rid of the .cda files you can simply select them in an Audio view (perhaps type .cda in the search box for finding them quickly) and press "Delete".

[Alex B]

Thanks - there is clearly a lot to learn here. Is there any significant downside to doing the ripping first and then experimenting with tagging, workflow, archiving etc?

I don't think there are any downsides. You can always use your preferred ripper and import the tracks to MC.

The MC ripper is easy to use but it appears to lack confirmation after the fact that the rip is exact ... so am tempted to use EAC and accuraterip and then to work with MC. I have an audiophile streak and am especially concerned that my coppies should be perfect. From my readings it seems that if MC is a "Universal Plug and Play" architecture is seems it can potentially be used with accuraterip ... or am I off base here?

MC has a very good secure ripping mode and you can set it to save a log file automatically. Here is an old, but still useful thread that explains a few important things: Topic: How can I ensure quality of a ripped music file

Regarding the AccurateRip system, I don't know if the JRiver developers would be interested in adding support for it. The AR system is created by another commercial software maker. It has been said to be open for all developers, but so far I have seen it been implemented only in freeware programs in addition to dBpa.

However, you can use a freeware program named CUETools for accessing the AR database and verifying the ripped tracks outside MC. Despite its name it can also verify audio CDs that are ripped to invidual track files as long as the files are organized as album folders (a folder per a physical disc). Here's a link: http://cuetools.net/  (edit: apparently CUETools can't find the correct album in the "tracks as separate files" mode if the CD has an additional pregap before the first track unless the pregap value is set by hand.)

[Warbird777]

MC has a very good secure ripping mode and you can set it to save a log file automatically. Here is an old, but still useful thread that explains a few important things: Topic: How can I ensure quality of a ripped music file

Alex, that link is for version 11!? Do you know how to turn on the secure rip log in MC14 (assuming that is what you were referring to)?

[Alex B]

The settings have moved a bit, but they shouldn't be too difficult to find:

Tools > Options > CD & DVD > CD Ripping > Drive [the drive letter]: Copy Mode: Secure

Tools > Options > CD & DVD > CD Ripping > File Management: Auto-create log file in secure rip mode (tick this)

See the attached screenshot. (Log in to the forum if you can't see the attachment.)

[Skin]

My 30 day copy does not look like that ... but I have found it - thanks, will try it

[Alex B]

The screenshot is from MC v. 14.0.155. Are you perhaps using an older build? (the top menu > Help > About Media Center...)

An unregistered trial does not differ from a registered MC instance. It just expires when the time is up. (If not registered before that.)

[Skin]

The screenshot is from MC v. 14.0.155. Are you perhaps using an older build? (the top menu > Help > About Media Center...)

An unregistered trial does not differ from a registered MC instance. It just expires when the time is up. (If not registered before that.)

Thanks - If there is not going to be a significant change in the next 3 weeks I will look to download the latest version rather than do it at payment time.