confused about conversions from audio to mp3

[misstiger10]

Ok, i've searched for this question and found it but maybe its cause the replys look like french cause i don't understand one bit of it. My problem is that the conversions take forever. it was working just fine for the first 4 hrs after i downloaded it and that was yesterday. now it takes almost 45 minutes to rip opposed to 5-8 minutes. now if this shows how little i know, i cant even figure out how to do a conversion test and don't know what it means if i find it. thanks so much for your patients!!
Jessy

[LtData]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

First, what version of dMC are you using? The version numbers are in dMC Configuration (Start Menu --> Programs --> dBpowerAMP Music Converter --> Configuration --> dMC Configuration). The latest version of dMC is r11.5.

Second, what are the settings of your source files? For files such as WAV, WMA, or MP3, the settings can be found by right-clicking on the file and going to Properties. Then, click the Summary tab and click "Advanced >>". It should then list the bitrate, channels, and audio sample rate.

Third, what are the settings you are using for mp3?

Fourth, what are the specs for your machine (CPU speed, amount of RAM, Operating System, etc.)?

[misstiger10]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

1st; i'm using 11.5
2nd; bitrate is 192 kbps
channels is 2 (stereo)
audio sample rate is 44 kHz
3rd; i don't know the mp3 settings are
4th; not sure of the CPU speed but i have a dell inspirion 6000 with 504 MB RAM and the operating system is windows XP home edition.
Thanks so much for helping me since i'm so dumb with this.

[ChristinaS]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

Are you ripping audio cd's or are you converting files that are already stored on your pc?

A test converion is on where you select the file format to concert to (i.e. the eoncoding codec) to be "Test Conversion (no write)" instead of any other type like mp3 or wav or windows media or whatever.

A test conversion tests that the input file is ok and dMC can understand it - so it's not corrupted or encrypted or of a type for which dMC does not have a decoding codec.

So once again, what are you converting and to what? with full specs please.

[misstiger10]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

i'm ripping from cd's and ya lost me with the explanition of the test conversions, i would run it but don't have a clue where its at. lol i'm pittiful, i'm so sorry!

[ChristinaS]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

i'm ripping from cd's and ya lost me with the explanition of the test conversions, i would run it but don't have a clue where its at. lol i'm pittiful, i'm so sorry!

Ok, so you're ripping. This means that you are using or should be using the program dMC Audio CD Input.


Be careful, when you say ripping thsi indicates to me the cd is a standard audio cd, not an mp3 cd.

So assuming this is what you are doing, ripping an audio cd, using dMC Audio CD Input, then you need to select the output format you want to rip to. There may be a default setting there already, in any case it's whatever it was when you last used thsi program.

If you ultimately want to have mp3 files, then you will select mp3 as your output format. For a test conversion you simplye select as output type "TestConversion (no write)" and do everythign else teh same way. it won't produce an output file but it will go through everything. You'd normally not need a test conversion for ripping a cd really, it's mroe useful when converting files already on your computer.

Now your problem is that you find ripping an audio cd very slow all of a sudden? Yes, 45 minutes for an audio cd which probably is only abotu that long anyway it excessively long. I'd expect something like about 5-10 minutes.

There are several factors that can influence that.

The first obvious place to look is when you click Options. In that window that opens, lower down it mentions "slow ripping" and ripping speed. See what that is set to be. I have mine set to slow ripping and ripping speed 4x - which suits me fine, but others may find this too slow.

Also click the Advanced button for CD Drive - what is it set to? SCSI Direct Pass though works for me. But it depends on your own CD drive.

Then if you have the PowerPack (from the registered version or unexpired trial version of dMC), in dMC Audio CD Input click on the rocket and check rip to ram - and what the value of Use is - set that to Auto. The click on DSP effect and make sure you are not using any - clear them all. DSP effects slow down the conversion. You may have used it before and forgot to remove it. Use them only when you actually need them.

Another factor is the priority of conversion. This will appear when you see the green window of dMC coming up indicating that it's converting something. Set the priority of conversion to Below Normal - it will go faster actually.

And of course, last but not least, what output format are you converting to - or ripping to? If it's mp3 what other options did you select for it?

There may well be other factors. But let's start with those.

[misstiger10]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

well what i'm doing is putting all the harry potter books on my Ipod. I can't put them directly on there yet cause i'm waiting for a cable. so i'm putting the books on my comp until i can get the cable.
The ripping speed is set for maximum and the slow rip box is unchecked.
can't find the advanced options but eveything else except the priorty level is what its supose to be.

[ChristinaS]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

Oh, what format are those Harry Potter books now? Are they audio cd or something else?

The Advanced button I'm talking about is from clicking the big Options button and then the Advanced button from the line that refers to the CD Drive.

And what format are you ripping to and using what settings? Is it mp3 or something else? what settings did you use there? any preset? DSP effects?

The priority of conversion is important - please set it to Below normal.

[Spoon]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

Try ripping to 'test conversion' and see what x speed it displays.

[misstiger10]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

advanced is set the same as yours Christina and yes they are audio books. I'm ripping them to mp3. I'm also using the original settings. i haven't changed anything. Too scared to , don't want to mess anything up.
the test was ripping speed x7 and the real time was x4. but the test is going quicker than regular does. thanks!

[ChristinaS]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

Oko, audio book may mean audible book not the same as audio cd. And audio cd (whether ti contains tracks of music or tracks of talking) can be played in an ordinary cd player. is that waht it is? I hope so, as we've been mainly assuming this.

What original settings? for output? you mean default settings? Ok, what are they?

You have to select what format and what specifications you want for your output. For an audio book you have no need for hi-fi stuff generally, so you can compress to a lower bitrate than what you would for a music file.

When I rip an audio cd I rip to uncompressed wav and convert the wav files later to other compressed formats. It saves me the Oops! of discovering I used the wrong compression settings or what have you.

But if I understand you correctly you are now getting a ripping speed of 4x for a real conversion. That should be ok then. An audio cd should get ripped in about 10-15 minutes.

The test conversion is faster because there is no output file to create, no compression to be performed as such. Only the input data is read in and analyzed. Since you are reading from an audio cd, it cannot be as fast as a test compression performed on a file stored on the hard drive, sicne the drive speed itself limtis the overall speed.

[Spoon]

Re: confused about conversions from audio to mp3

x7 is quite slow for modern computers, a 52x speed cd rom should give about 22x