Ripping for SONOS

[ROrser]

I am ripping store bought music CDs to put on my server to be played by my SONOS music system.
The tech at SONOS wrote me this: "We only support .flac and .alac in 16 bit at 1411 kbps anything higher will fail."
If this is true, how do I set dbpoweramp; CD Ripper to produce the correct files for SONOS?

Thank you, Richard, Santa Cruz
PS Easy to use interface--very pleased so far with dbpoweramp

[mville]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

I am ripping store bought music CDs to put on my server to be played by my SONOS music system.
The tech at SONOS wrote me this: "We only support .flac and .alac in 16 bit at 1411 kbps anything higher will fail."
If this is true, how do I set dbpoweramp; CD Ripper to produce the correct files for SONOS?

The standard music CDs you mention conform to the Red Book Audio CD standard. The encoded digital audio on these CDs is 16-bit, with a sample rate of 44.1kHz, which equates to 1411 kbps.

So, if you rip these CDs to flac using CDRipper, by default, the resultant audio files will also be 16-bit, 44.1kHz, 1411 kbps and will be compatible with your SONOS. To check, rip 1 CD and try it with the SONOS.

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

Now, that is one very well-written, informative response. Must be because you're British, right?
Thanks for the education. I was clueless.
So, I assume I should leave the software at the default "Lossless Level 5, right?
Any recommended changes or tweaks to the default CDRipper settings?
And, last, after ripping, I see that several tracks did not transfer completely "Accurately". Retrying those tracks gives the same result. I assume this is normal and that unless I were an audiophile it is of no import. Would you agree?

Again, thanks for a quick and thoughtful response. Richard

[BrodyBoy]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

Now, that is one very well-written, informative response. Must be because you're British, right?
Thanks for the education. I was clueless.
So, I assume I should leave the software at the default "Lossless Level 5, right?
Any recommended changes or tweaks to the default CDRipper settings?
And, last, after ripping, I see that several tracks did not transfer completely "Accurately". Retrying those tracks gives the same result. I assume this is normal and that unless I were an audiophile it is of no import. Would you agree?

Again, thanks for a quick and thoughtful response. Richard

The default compression level of "5" is fine....as is changing it. You get the same quality files at any level, with the only difference being file size. As for the other settings, I don't recall what the default ripping mode is....but I would suggest at least "Secure" mode, if not "Ultra Secure."

Try re-ripping those non-"Accurate" tracks in Secure (or Ultra Secure) mode and see if you get a "Secure" result.

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

The default compression level of "5" is fine....as is changing it. You get the same quality files at any level, with the only difference being file size. As for the other settings, I don't recall what the default ripping mode is....but I would suggest at least "Secure" mode, if not "Ultra Secure."

Try re-ripping those non-"Accurate" tracks in Secure (or Ultra Secure) mode and see if you get a "Secure" result.

I decided to read the dbpoweramp basics and set all parameters as it recommended. Instead of taking 2.5 min. to rip a disc with the default settings, it now takes 1 hour, but I assume the results are better. I'm not in a hurry, so I'll just re-rip the few discs I did before modifying my setup, and continue to chug along.
BTW, might you know if I can use dbpoweramp to add album art to flac files I created from my reel to reel tapes using Audigy?
Thanks for your help.

[BrodyBoy]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

I decided to read the dbpoweramp basics and set all parameters as it recommended. Instead of taking 2.5 min. to rip a disc with the default settings, it now takes 1 hour, but I assume the results are better. I'm not in a hurry, so I'll just re-rip the few discs I did before modifying my setup, and continue to chug along.
BTW, might you know if I can use dbpoweramp to add album art to flac files I created from my reel to reel tapes using Audigy?
Thanks for your help.

An hour is an awfully long time....I'd only expect that long a rip on a rare, particularly damaged CD. If every CD is taking that long, something else might be going on.

dBp can't add metadata and art to existing .flac files, but there are other programs that can. If you're just talking about adding album art, though, there are a couple quick, easy options. Actually many, but these are the two I'd lean toward. First, select all the album's tracks in Windows Explorer, right-click, and select Edit ID Tag. Drop and drag your chosen album art into the blank box. This of course requires that you find the covers yourself...very quick work for google. The second option is to use a tag editor like mp3tag. You load the album, and then use one of the available album art sources to look up covers (based on the album name). Both of these options probably took almost as long to describe as they actually take to do.


Edit: Just a quick note about album art and Sonos. In my experience, an image file size of about 200-500Kb seems to be a good balance for Sonos network streaming. It allows for high-quality images, while not being so large that there's a noticeable lag in image loading on the controllers.

[schmidj]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

Most of my Caribbean music is not in Accuraterip (well, the stuff I've ripped is now, with a confidence of 1!) I'm ripping secure, pass 1 accuraterip verified, ultrasecure, minimum 1, maximum 8, end after clean 2, vary drive speed ticked. Maximum rerip 100 times Interpolate unrecoverable frames. Stuff in Accuraterip rips typically in 2 or 3 minutes, that which is not takes about 15 minutes for a 60 minute CD with no errors. (I find that can vary quite a bit depending on the manufacturer of the DVD drive.) That's why I run three instances typically of dBPoweramp, three DVD drives, three video monitors. (you don't need the three monitors, I have them for video editing, they make using multiple instances of dBPoweramp more convenient, you don't get confused as to which CD you're watching on the monitor.

The 15 minutes is because it does two rips at full speed, then one rip at typically 5 to 10 times speed. If you don't want bad rips, and the stuff isn't in Accuraterip, you need to go the ultrasecure route, I speak from experience.

Bad CD's can take much longer. If I see one in trouble, I'll often abort the rip and try a different make DVD drive. If still in trouble, I'll just let it run, listen to the bad tracks afterwards to see how bad, delete if unlistenable. I often try to find another cheap copy of the CD on EBay in that case. I've had bad CD's that I didn't think I'd find another copy of run for several hours reripping, but most of the cuts were listenable even they came up "error".

Regarding album art, I have a flatbed scanner next to the computer, set in "auto scan" mode (it crops automatically, but that fails on white background CD art sometimes). If the ripper doesn't find the right art, I click the plus next to the art, select scanner, and scan the tray inlay. For me, far faster than searching the Internet.

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

An hour is an awfully long time....I'd only expect that long a rip on a rare, particularly damaged CD. If every CD is taking that long, something else might be going on.

dBp can't add metadata and art to existing .flac files, but there are other programs that can. If you're just talking about adding album art, though, there are a couple quick, easy options. Actually many, but these are the two I'd lean toward. First, select all the album's tracks in Windows Explorer, right-click, and select Edit ID Tag. Drop and drag your chosen album art into the blank box. This of course requires that you find the covers yourself...very quick work for google. The second option is to use a tag editor like mp3tag. You load the album, and then use one of the available album art sources to look up covers (based on the album name). Both of these options probably took almost as long to describe as they actually take to do.

Thanks, yes, all my CDs are taking ~1hr. to rip using the settings in the dbpoweramp setup guide. The ones that look pristine may rip in 40 minutes. Am I doing something wrong?
As for the album art, it probably does not make sense for me, as these are reel-to-reel recordings of multiple artists recorded and converted to flac as one long track/file. I titled each file with the names of all the artists, and Sonos seems to be able to search for all the names, not just the first one in the title. So, I can locate an artist if I need to.
Is there an easy way to add a tag, or change the title of my existing flac files so that I can find what I want? For example if the title is "Andres Segovia" I could change it to "Andres Segovia guitar" and perhaps it would pop up in Sonos if I searched for "guitar". How might I do that easily?
Thank you, Richard

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

I have similar settings, but I am finding that 45 minutes to an hour is the norm. Ripping Rubber Soul right now, and well over an hour with every track, so far, showing "Error" rip status.

[Spoon]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

As a test switch the ripping mode to 'burst', how long does it take to rip? does it show error?

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

As a test switch the ripping mode to 'burst', how long does it take to rip? does it show error?

Interesting. With the super secure, one hour plus ripping, I had 8 Inaccurate and 6 Accurate tracks.
With the Burst (I changed only that one setting), I had 7 Inaccurate and 7 Accurate, and it took 4 minutes
I re-did it in Burst mode and it had only 5 Inaccurates.
What does this all mean? Is faster, better??? How would suggest I reset my Options/
Thank you,
Richard
BTW, is it possible to edit a ripped file, e.g., to add a composer's name?

[BrodyBoy]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

BTW, is it possible to edit a ripped file, e.g., to add a composer's name?

I'll let Spoon address the issues with secure vs burst ripping.

In terms of editing metadata, that's always possible after the rip. (Some of us are still "grooming" the metadata on files we ripped years ago!) For just a quick fix on a track or album, the easiest way is probably in Windows Explorer. Right-click on the track(s) and select "Edit ID Tag." You'll get a pop-up window where you can edit tags and album art for the selected file(s).

If you have a lot of editing to do, a dedicated tag editor is good to have in your toolbox. I recommend mp3tag....I've used it for years and I like it because it makes the common tasks very quick, easy, and intuitive, yet has extensive tools for "power users" who care to venture further out into the learning curve. Reviewing and refining my tags in mp3tag is a routine part of every rip for me.

[Spoon]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

Test again on a disc please which is unscratched, so all tracks are accurate.

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

In terms of editing metadata, that's always possible after the rip. (Some of us are still "grooming" the metadata on files we ripped years ago!) For just a quick fix on a track or album, the easiest way is probably in Windows Explorer. Right-click on the track(s) and select "Edit ID Tag." You'll get a pop-up window where you can edit tags and album art for the selected file(s).

Just what I wanted to know. Thank you.
Would that program also allow me to add metadata to flac files I created long ago with Audigy?

[ROrser]

Re: Ripping for SONOS

Your earlier response encouraged me to try Burst for a few more CDs. I got 3 or 4 with ALL tracks marked Accurate.
I hope that answers your question.
Richard