2000 to rip for private use

[marwood]

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but have just had a look at the forum and see various bits.

Have just bought a Mini Cubis to use with the Batch Ripper as i have a collection of about 2000 odd cds to get through. Its waiting for me hopefully later this evening.

I note the point about AMG allowing 400 lookups before it turns to commercial licence. At the end of the day Im not averse to the £70 odd it will cost, but i wondered if you could just give me a few pointers as to how this works and efficiency etc.

I intend to use the registered version, but wondered if you get some lookups with trial which im on at the moment till you switch to licensed and get the 400 then or if those done in the trial period come off the 400 anyway?

Furthermore ive just been looking on the MusicBrainz website and they actually have quite a lot of the stuff in my collection. Even for example rare Suede fanclub releases and for the mainstream stuff eg The Queen is Dead by Smiths even have album art. I appreciate that the meta software checks all 4 sites concurrently, but wonder if you can turn certain elements off or prioritize. EG theres no point using 400 lookups on AMG up when MusicBrainz had them in anyway just because it does them simultaneously?

Hope that makes sense. If i have to go back and do the odd album separately im not worried, but with that number i just want to do them in the most effective and cost effective manner possible.

Thanks

[bhoar]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

- You can enable and disable AMG in the batch ripper at will. I recommend turning AMG off in the batch ripper right after installing the trial until you are sure your hardware is performing correctly and you have your workflow correctly set up. Turn it on only when you are sure you want to "spend" these lookups.

- Yes, the 400 free lookups start counting down during the trial and you do not "power up" when you install the licensed version. Yes, when you get the licensed version, you download an AMG installer, but that installer is for the 1 year of free lookups available using the standard CD ripper and it does not apply to the batch ripper. So, see my first recommendation to disable AMG in the batch ripper immediately after installing the trial until you are ready to go and double check it after installing the licensed version..

- Note that you only get album art in the batch ripper if you have AMG (and maybe GD3) enabled. There are, of course, third party tools for getting album art from other sources after the fact.

-brendan

[marwood]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Thanks for the quick response.

So if I want to use AMG, disable it after install, make sure its running ok in terms of config and then switch it back on. Fine with that.

Whats confused me is why it can't pick up artwork from MusicBrainz. Have searched their database and plenty of the listings have artwork. Why don't they get picked up?

Thanks for the help and sorry for the newbie questions.

[bhoar]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

My understanding is that it has to do with the license terms that spoon negotiated with each provider.

Each non-free provider (including MB in the context of dbpa) has multiple products they license. I don't know if spoon has gone into specifics (there's no reason he should be required to) about each license.

If I had to guess, perhaps he did not want to increase the price of dbpa to cover the commercial-level musicbrainz artwork fee? Or perhaps his commercial-level AMG and/or GD3 licenses restricted him in only sourcing art from them.

But in the end, MB art is not provided via the batch ripper.

-brendan

[Spoon]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

MB only links to amazon for their artwork, it is not available for other programs to read.

[marwood]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Thanks for that guys.

So the answer is either swallow the cost or find a solution after the event I guess. Or reconcile myself to not having album art!!

Let me know if I'm wrong, but looking forward to starting ripping.

[marwood]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Sorry, one final question. What happens after 12 months?

[bhoar]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Sorry, one final question. What happens after 12 months?

I guess I wasn't clear.

Batch ripper: 400 free AMG starting with trial, after that, you pay a fee per AMG lookup in the batch ripper regardless of when or if you buy the product.

Standard CD ripper: free unlimited AMG until trial expires. If you buy the product you get an installer for 12 months of AMG lookups for the CD ripper only. After 12 months, you pay another fee ($5?) for another 12 months if you want to use AMG with the CD ripper.

AMG is handled completely separately by these two parts of the product.

-brendan

[LtData]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

One year of PerfectMeta Access for the CD Ripper (NOT Batch Ripper) is $5/year. Do note that one year of PerfectMeta Access is included with new registrations of the PowerPack or Reference.

[marwood]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Brilliant thanks for all the help.

So if I buy the normal version and can remember after initial batch rip with new cds to do them one by one, its unlimited. If revert to using batch rip its about four pounds per hundred. Understood and thanks very much.

I have multiple computers in two flats with cds in various rooms. If I install it on multiple computers to save moving all the cds which are heavier than the drive how do I let it know I'm the same user as I don't want to end up in breach of spoon's licence?

[marwood]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Sorry for clarity on first bit meant assuming I paid the initial licence fee and then annual renewals.

As to the multiple computers I meant batch ripper on the basis that if it installs with 400 lookups, by doing it on more I'm guessing I don't want to end up with multiples of 400 and end up in breach!

[LtData]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

AMG requires one license per computer, unfortunately. I believe that Reference can be installed on more than one computer as long as only one version is in use at a time, but Spoon will have to verify.

[Spoon]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

AMG is per computer yes.

[marwood]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Did my first batch rip fine.

Have decided for now to try a combination of Batch ripper, CD Ripper and MediaMonkey as my player where a script can pick up the missing artwork. Has meant that i can not use AMG at all at the moment and all went well.

One slight problem though.

The BatchRipper had three things rejected, on two they were a couple of dusty tracks on the other the whole CD.

I had a look at the whole rejected one it was perfectly clean and The Arctic Monkeys so mainstream.

Have tried it in CDRipper (trial version) and now it cant even recognise the CD (or any others) or if it does it claims its a one track cd by some random dance artist.

They work fine in WMP and MM and i could rip them from there.

Im keen to use the CD Ripper though. Is it a question of not having registered it yet or has something happened with settings?

Please help. More than happy to get it registeed now and use that.

[Spoon]

Re: 2000 to rip for private use

Nothing to do with settings, more perhaps the CD drive - the only thing changing are the discs not the program or its settings.