Where is the guide?

[stealle]

I just downloaded/installed dbpoweramp reference. I'm trying to get acquainted with the GUI. I realize that help files are included. However, I also notice that there should be a "guide" here: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/spoons-audio-guide.htm

I tried to view it in IE and FireFox. Should there be links for each of these topics?

Compression Comparison

Ripping Audio CDs (Reading)

Burning Audio CDs (Writing)

Digital Audio Players: Portable & Non-portable (iPod, Sonos)

ID Tagging, Meta Data & Meta Data Providers (ID3, freedb, AMG)

Digital Rights Miss-management (DRM)

I can't click on any of them.

If this guide is under construction, is there a down and dirty guide to optimal settings and ripping to FLAC and LAME? Maybe the help files are as good as it gets. They are indeed helpful, but just looking for something a little more opinionated. The help files are quite "matter of fact" and neutral as it describes the various settings.

[xoas]

Re: Where is the guide?

I believe that Spoon's Audio Guide is being re-built.

Optimal settings for FLAC (or any other lossless codec) basically boil down to speed vs. compression and usually a medium setting will work for just about anything.

With LAME or other lossy codecs, you have a bigger issue because with greater compression (smaller file size) you will lose more audio information. Even at the highest bitrates you will lose some audio information from you original source. So here the question about what is optimal compression becomes much more complicated. Issues include whether you think you will need to reconvert these files ever again (say to a different format or smaller bitrate for use with a portable player), how good your listening skills are, the equipment you use for listening, your listening environment(s), and a variety of other factors. So an opinionated piece of advice would not necessarily be useful unless the judgements that form the opinion happen to coincide with the judgements you you would make if you knew what you were doing.

That's just my opinion. If you want to lay out what your plans are and what your situation is, I am sure that you will get some more detailed advice.

Best wishes,
Bill

[stealle]

Re: Where is the guide?

While I'm definitely not an expert with all the formats available, but I do have a pretty good understanding about MP3 and FLAC formats. I plan to use FLAC for archiving... so I can rip just once. Then I will use MP3 for portable listening. I can always go back to the FLAC if I need to try a new version of LAME or compress differently.

What I am looking for is a guide to dBpoweramp. Something that can give me quick information about setting up the application to rip in the most secure (error detection/correction) manner and how to set it up to tag and name to the most universal standard (if there is such a thing). I'm not terribly educated on tagging. I just want to rip a relatively small collection (about 300 CDs) without discovering later that I should have tagged and named them differently. Perhaps the defaults upon installation are all I need. I dunno.

Thanks for your response!

[LtData]

Re: Where is the guide?

Currently there is no guide to dMC in regards to proper setup, recommended tags, etc.

My opinion on FLAC is to stick with the medium setting, as high compression takes longer to compress/decompress and nets you little storage saved. For mp3, the answers you will get are as varied as they come, though most people agree a bitrate of at least 160kbps or 192kbps is needed.