Ripping to WAV saving tag properties

[JKB57]

New here, stumbled across this forum browsing around the Internet. Hope someone can give some assistance or advise here. I first have to say that I'm certainly no expert when it comes to computers, software and technical knowledge.

My main goal is to put an extensive CD collection on a large hard drive and be able to play / create playlists on a database in a PC, then play through a home stereo system.

I started this project several years ago, using PCDJ, which I later found to be a mistake. It did have a nice database in it, but that was about it. I discovered ripping to a WAV format, none of the tag information was included into the database.

Ripping to an MP3 format, all the tag information got included into the database.

I discovered a big problem after ripping some 500 CDs into a high quality MP3 format. A lot of the CDs I have are older, naturally not mixed the same as modern CDs, and when playing back through a high quality stereo receiver, most sounded like crap. And I mean 'really' bad...

So I figured that I would have to rip them all in a WAV format if I wanted to retain the original CD quality. However I certainly can't manually type in all that tag information for that many CDs.

And without information such as artist, album title, song title, and track number, the database is totally useless.

Does anyone know of 'some way' of ripping CDs to a WAV format, and retaining all the tag information?

I do know that there is a free database out there that you can connect to for obtaining tag information, however don't know if it will work with WAV files, and I suspect that probably only 75% of my CDs would even be found in that database.

And I don't know of any additional stereo component that I can add to my existing system that would make those MP3 files sound as good as the original CDs. I do have an equalizer, however that would involve adjusting for each different song played, something I didn't even consider attempting. Would more or less defeat the entire purpose...

Any advise here would be greatly appreciated!

[Wayne]

Re: Ripping to WAV saving tag properties

I think that when ripping CDs to wav dBpowerAMP will write tag information to the files. The main issue is finding a application/database that can read the tag information.

Have you thought about using flac instead?

[JKB57]

Re: Ripping to WAV saving tag properties

Thanks for responding!

Not real familar with all of this, thought this was going to be something simple...

When I used PCDJ ('old' version), the database would read whatever I typed into it. That is after I found that ripping to MP3 wasn't going to work, then ripped 'one' to the WAV format, and typed the information manually.

As mentioned, it had a decent database, but would only read tag information when ripping to MP3.

I just yesterday, while looking into all of this again, seeing if something new was out there came across FLAC. Had to read up on it to see what it even was.

From what I read, basically just a higher quality of compression... Haven't tried it, don't know if I will experience anything different than what I did when I ripped to MP3.

Especially considering I've got CDs going back 20+ years along with some modern CDs. The technology has changed, original mixing has changed, and just don't know if those older CDs will sound like CDs once compressed.

When I did rip to MP3, I did so to the highest quality available in the software. Can't remember that that was now, but since hard drive space wasn't an issue I wasn't concerned with a high form of compression.

Using the PCDJ software, connected a very expensive, high quality cable from my laptop over to my stereo receiver, created a playlist and couldn't believe what I was hearing!

It was just terrible... I had spent a couple months ripping all those CDs a few at a time, here and there. After all that time wasted, very frustrated, I walked away from it, and haven't been back to it in well over over a year now.

The laptop, multi-media hardware and software, external hard drive, 'everything', was strictly dedicated for this purpose.

While 'browsing' yesterday, I had seen all kinds of software available for a free trial, but I'm sure I can spend the next couple months downloading, then uninstalling software, trying this, and trying that, to see if any of it will work.

Hoped that someone here had experienced the same thing I did with ripping older CDs, finding the quality not the same as modern CDs, then deciding to stick with a WAV format, and finding a way to save all the tag information.

With one terabyte drives down in the $100.00 range now, I just don't see a real need to be compressing music files, of course unless to download into an portable MP3 player.

I never attempted to listen to those ripped MP3 files with a MP3 player. Don't know if they would sound any better through a device made for those types of files? But my original purpose was to play the music through my 5 channel, 525 watt, surround sound system.

Don't know if there is any component to put inbetween my PC and stereo receiver that would improve anything either???

[d2b]

Re: Ripping to WAV saving tag properties

First of all, standard WAV files do not support tags. There is no "container" in which to put them.

FLAC files, on the other hand, retain 100% of the original music quality and thus are the most superior of a small collection of "lossless" file compression schemes. The good news is that FLAC files support tags in the form of Vorbis Comments, a simple and robust standard.

FLAC files are typically about half the size of WAV files but twice as useful. It is the format of choice for ripping CDs to a master library. From there you can convert without loss of original quality into any lesser format such as MP3.

Rip your CDs to FLAC and if your sound card output is working properly, you'll have 100% CD fidelity. Of course, nothing will help if the music or the mix is poor.

Google for more information on FLAC and Vorbis Comments.

"d2b"

[Spoon]

Re: Ripping to WAV saving tag properties

@d2b

Wave does support tags, LIST tags as defined by Microsoft (these are limited to simple artist, album, title) or the unofficial ID3 chunk. Wave its self is a container format, it is RIFF which is chunks.

[john.rob]

Re: Ripping to WAV saving tag properties

I have ripped about 1800 CDs of various vintages using WAV. I do notice (probably because of the quality of the ripping) that the older ones (especially from around 1987) do not sound as good. From what I have read on other forums, it is mostly because of the way CDs were made in those times.

I have not had any problem with tags ripped with DBPA. Unfortunately, a large number of my CDs were ripped with WMP (before I learned about DBPA) and I have had problems with lost track numbers and, to a lesser (but still annoying) extent, years and album art.

I have tried FLAC and find it to be good, but not as good as WAV -- so I have stuck with WAV (encouraged by the low prices for storage).

I do strongly suggest you experiment around with the DBPA settings before you do too many more CDs and read some of the other postings.