What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

[MaXimus666]

I have owned dBpoweramp for more than 3 years and this is the first time I use it to rip my first CD.

I chose MP3 / Bitrate / 320kbps / Slowest

While ripping, I see every song is saying "not in accuraterip" what does that mean? shall I be concerned about the quality?

[d2b]

Re: What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

If you're concerned about quality, first make sure that dBpoweramp is configured for Secure ripping. Start by going to Options > Ripping Method and select the Secure (Recover Errors) button.

AccurateRip is an on-line database which contains some information about previous rips of CDs by other users. If the CD you are ripping has been ripped by someone else and the results sent to the AccurateRip database, you will be able to rip your CDs faster if the result of your first pass at ripping a track securely matches the results of the previous rip(s) of that track by previous contributors to that database.

If the CD you are ripping is NOT in that database, dBpoweramp will say "Not in accuraterip." All that means is that your rip will take longer because of the secure ripping process. It has nothing to do with the quality of your result. If there is a match, you will only have a higher degree of confidence that your rips are "accurate." Of course, having the AccurateRip database is good, because it can make your ripping go faster while improving your confidence in the quality providing there is a match for each track. Having said that, if a few tracks don't match perfectly, it doesn't necessarily mean your rip is defective. A single sample submitted previously may have had a few minor errors due to any number of reasons.

If you're really concerned about quality, why rip to mp3? The resulting file is already degraded from the original track on the CD. We use FLAC exclusively to ensure that fidelity is maintained and not lost forever.

Dennis...aka "d2b"

[MaXimus666]

Re: What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

If you're concerned about quality, first make sure that dBpoweramp is configured for Secure ripping. Start by going to Options > Ripping Method and select the Secure (Recover Errors) button.

AccurateRip is an on-line database which contains some information about previous rips of CDs by other users. If the CD you are ripping has been ripped by someone else and the results sent to the AccurateRip database, you will be able to rip your CDs faster if the result of your first pass at ripping a track securely matches the results of the previous rip(s) of that track by previous contributors to that database.

If the CD you are ripping is NOT in that database, dBpoweramp will say "Not in accuraterip." All that means is that your rip will take longer because of the secure ripping process. It has nothing to do with the quality of your result. If there is a match, you will only have a higher degree of confidence that your rips are "accurate." Of course, having the AccurateRip database is good, because it can make your ripping go faster while improving your confidence in the quality providing there is a match for each track. Having said that, if a few tracks don't match perfectly, it doesn't necessarily mean your rip is defective. A single sample submitted previously may have had a few minor errors due to any number of reasons.

If you're really concerned about quality, why rip to mp3? The resulting file is already degraded from the original track on the CD. We use FLAC exclusively to ensure that fidelity is maintained and not lost forever.

Dennis...aka "d2b"

Hi Dennis, thanks for educating me about this as you can see I'm a total n00bie to dBpoweramp I just bought it for when the day I need it and today the day has come.

Now I will set Secure Ripping as you suggested.

Why rip to MP3 if I want quality? a few reasons:

1) In my head, MP3 was always the norm for having audio tracks ripped from a CD since the old days. I did try OGG for a while when it first came out but that never shined.

2) Because it is the most popular format? Would you suggest I use FLAC from now on? How much better is FLAC compared to ripping the songs to MP3 @320kbps? I thought that with 320kbps you almost have no quality loss? correct me if I`m wrong

[d2b]

Re: What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

If you are pleased with the quality of 320k mp3 files, and if you are only interested in a casual listening experience, then by all means feel free to rip CDs to that format.

I don't know how old you are, but you will most likely find that in 10 years from now, FLAC will be the format of choice for high-resolution, studio quality mullti-channel music distribution. If not FLAC, then one of the variations of DSD (Direct Stream Digital) will prevail. Mp3 is an unnecessary and technically obsolete format developed to overcome storage and net bandwidth limitations of the day.

Even if a new format is introduced and becomes the mainstream, starting with a lossless format ensures that your collection retains its original quality. Your mp3 collection will have to be converted to the new format, whatever it is, but the loss of quality you generate now cannot be restored.

Perhaps your equipment used for playback now is not capable of displaying the better fidelity of a lossless music library. That may change in time for you. Today, many people cannot hear the differences. There are two reasons for this: 1) Their playout system is inferior and not capable of reproducing recorded sounds faithfully. 2) A side-by-side comparison called blind A-B testing is inappropriate for judging perceived quality. If you were to listen to your music in a lossless format only on a high-quality system for a month or so, you would be astounded at the poor quality of the mp3 versions if you then had to go back to the "old way" and revert to your current playout equipment. For comparison, try watching your favorite sports team or television program broadcast or played out in HD on a wide-screeh high definition TV set for a week...and then go back and watch the same programming on an older TV set with a cathode ray tube and a 4x3 aspect ratio (narrow screen, like15-20 years ago). You'll see the difference and be disappointed with the old method of viewing.

Another thing to remember: No digital or analog format is "lossless." Some are better than others but none are perfect. The only lossless format is live music played acoustically in a proper room or better yet, in a beautiful campground or in one's back yard.

Dennis....aka "d2b"
!

[BrodyBoy]

Re: What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

2) Because it is the most popular format? Would you suggest I use FLAC from now on? How much better is FLAC compared to ripping the songs to MP3 @320kbps? I thought that with 320kbps you almost have no quality loss? correct me if I`m wrong

I think you're right that mp3 at 320kbps is probably indistinguishable from lossless in most situations. Most of the consumer electronics we use for playback (car stereos, iPods, etc.) aren't likely to reveal audible differences.

However, I agree with d2d that starting with a lossless format, even if you need to create mp3 or other lossy versions for specific players, is the best way to go. Once you have those lossless files, you can always make any kind of lossy or lossless conversion from it, as needed, and you'll never need to re-rip. With mp3s, you've already discarded parts of the original audio and the only way to get back to original CD quality is to re-rip. Even if just to archive on a spare hard drive, ripping lossless copies is good practice.

[MaXimus666]

Re: What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

I only play my songs in my car by burning the MP3s to a CD or through my Galaxy Note 4 via Bluetooth......

With that said, from what you both said, I will start using AAC from now on. Thank you.

[BrodyBoy]

Re: What does "Not in Accuraterip" mean?

I only play my songs in my car by burning the MP3s to a CD or through my Galaxy Note 4 via Bluetooth......

With that said, from what you both said, I will start using AAC from now on. Thank you.

AAC is also lossy. If you want a lossless version, for playback and/or archive, you'd probably want .flac or .alac.