Indeed, yes, I'm aware that WMP doesn't always do bitperfect copies and yes, that would be another benefit of persevering with dBpa particularly bearing in mind the quality of the audio equipment I use. If the problems I've experienced with Arena's 'Contagion' album are occasional then I'm happy to continue and as I've already said, on that basis, I would use the existing WMP copy if the greater demands (and quality) of dBpa don't allow a particular album/tracks to rip using dBpa.
When you refer to 'original postings', are you referring to the various threads or a particular thread? I did start reading a thread Paul sent me a link to but in common with most (if not all) threads on forums they tend to wander hither & thither (not a criticism, the wanderings are often amusing) and would it not be more helpful (and much quicker for newbies) if some/all of the useful advice was included in the Setup Guide? Could the Setup Guide not be updated/amended?
I've recently read all 545 pages (when I last looked) of a thread on a piece of hi-fi equipment before auditioning it and then buying it (it arrives in 4/5 weeks time) but that involved a £1,800 purchase so I was willing to spend a lot of time reading several thousand posts. How many threads/posts is practical/reasonable for a £36 purchase of dBpa?
Thank you for another great suggestion, can this be one of the things added to the existing Setup Guide?
Most users here do not work for Illustrate, so don't have access to the website. However, you can add suggestions to the Wishlist forum.
Always very happy to improve my listening experience having invested considerably in a main hi-fi system and a Headphone system. I am hoping I got unlucky by trying to rip the Arena 'Contagion' CD right at the start of my dBpa ripping experience. I've bought a new optical drive, I will be back in action shortly having put into effect all the helpful advice set out within this Thread.
We have no control over setup guide. We're just users like you. Only Spoon can edit/create an official setup guide. He tends to keep things pretty short. My advice. read, re-read, trial and error to get the outcomes your seeking, and ask specific questions here to get answers to things that you need more info on. You might prefer a more detailed guide, I might even prefer that. But my long experience with this software and forum tells me that it's not gonna happen. That said, most new users that are completely confused (and asking for better guides), figure it all out pretty quickly and within a month or two are happily ripping and tagging with no issues. There's a steep learning curve, but once through that, one rarely needs to change anything regarding their ripping steps.
p.s. Telling people in a guide that they should click on HELP buttons to learn more seems a bit too much. Seems obvious to click on "help" and ? is certainly mostly universal sign for "questions".
As a newbie, I've got my plate full with trying to learn more about dBpa so I can then progress in a more positive way. I don't have additional time/enthusiasm etc to divert into the Wishlist forum tbh. Very happy to help in this way when I've got some progress and greater knowledge under my belt. Appreciate most users here don't work for Illustrate but does someone who does work for them not keep tabs on the threads/postings? Couldn't that person notice that perhaps the same suggestions/tips/hints etc come up regularly and decide to add them to the Setup Guide?
Just two points:
1.) We never know if the WMP copy is bitperfect or nearly bitperfect. We can only testify major problems which obviously reduce the audio quality (glitches, cracks etc. pp.), if we listen to the complete copy. On the other hand do we know after ripping a CD with dBpa, if a copy is bitperfect or not.
2.) Ripping errors can completely destroy your audio / listening experience, so that the Equipment itself doesn't play any role. Listening to jumps, cracks and glitches ist not a question of bad, good or superb equipment.
Dat Ei
Hi ChisChas,
My first experience of dBpoweramp, was when I compared a manufacturer's top of the range CD to their, then new, Network Player. The FLAC file, was ripped, by the manufacturer recommended, dBpoweramp. Suffice to say, through a highly revealing, and full range, active system, the "ripped" file compared extremely favourably, to the then, reference CD player.
A friend uses dBpoweramp, and uses a Chord DAC, with outstanding results. A rip that give an AccurateRip, and somewhere between 95-100% of all CDs achieve this, will be passing a bit perfect stream to your DAC, so are guaranteed, the best possible sound. Some may have 2-3 frames with errors: a frame is 1/75 of a second, so I believe the occasional, and with a CD drive that is working properly, it really is occasional, longer rip time, is worth it, to give your DAC, the best possible chance to perform at its optimum.
The admittedly, steep learning curve, is well worth the effort, and once you know your preferences, and how your player works, great results can be achieved very quickly. dBpoweramp is incredibly powerful and flexible. Because of this, there are many options, some of which are not immediately obvious.
I was in your position two years ago, and thanks to the help of 3-4 people, certainly 3 of those are already giving you great advice, helped me achieve my goal, immeasurably quicker, more efficiently and smarter, than I would have, on my own. I honestly believe the product, the forum, and the help from these guys is the friendliest and best. For them to help you, you need to help them, by trying suggestions and clearly defining what you want to achieve.
One piece of advice, that certainly has saved me time, is to use Google search. I typed in Arena, Contagion, copy protected, and your thread was found immediately. Perversely, it is often quicker searching through Google, rather than through this forum.
Have you tried the Arena CD, with your new DVD drive? In my experience of ripping a couple thousand CDs, you were incredibly unlucky to not obtain an AccurateRip on all tracks. Looks an interesting album!
The CD layer of hybrid SACDs, should rip perfectly OK on either of your DVD drives: I've done several, without any issues, obtaining an AccurateRip on all tracks.
Paul's thread is well worth a read, as it shows screenshots of some settings you may find useful. Some are in CD Ripper, Settings, where album cover art sizes and embedded / Folder.jpg are discussed. If you haven't set these yet, for your preferences, then I highly recommend you do.
The default settings work very well, for most people, in most situations, but with a little more work, you may find that you can personalise, your music library, more to your liking. Use of Smart Capitalize or Capitalize All, Year and Genre, are worth considering and standardising, before ripping. Even something as straightforward, as Genre Progressive Rock, can end up having multiple variations,
Last edited by Oggy; 10-10-2017 at 07:10 PM.
Hi ChisChas,
I had only ever used WMP in the past for ripping circa 400 CDs about 10 years ago. My experience is best forgotten!
Basically though, WMP will appears to rip everything correctly, and leaves the end user none the wiser! I, like many others, learned this lesson the hard way. Hence I am busting a gut to do things 100% perfect this time; hence my many threads; hence my many questions, hence my many screenshots. I refuse to be bitten twice.
Personally, and I am not just saying this because I started the thread, I would work through my 40+ pages (or however many it is) a step at a time. Some questions will apply to you, while others won't (perhaps at this point in time). Regarding my own issues, I would say that I have asked every question under the sun. I would be delighted if the thread helped another newbie because everyone was so helpful; and I am sure they would feel the same.
Once you do get everything up and running, which is kinda where I am at now, then it's a matter of PRACTISING ripping over and over - until it becomes second nature. I once practised the piano at around 6 x hours per day for 5 years. Since purchasing Illustrate, I have invested the same amount of time and energy (when I get the opportunity).
I have bought two s/w's this year, this and 'Beyond Compare' (for backing up my ripped files). Two of the best s/w's I have ever purchased to date.
Hope this helps,
Paul
Last edited by monsterjazzlick; 10-10-2017 at 07:26 PM. Reason: spelling
I can't agree with advising a newbie to read the 46 page thread which, if you read it, chops and changes all over the place and could be confusing to a newbie and to my mind, only supports the adage fail to plan, plan to fail. Don't get me wrong, there is some good info in there, it's just a shame it isn't condensed into 3 or 4 pages.
Much better IMO, to have a quick read of the Online Help Windows or Apple OS X and Spoon's Audio Guide to get an overview of the Illustrate software.
Then, try ripping 4 or 5 CDs only, including a single CD album, a multi-CD album, a compilation CD and perhaps a classical CD.
You can then see how CD Ripper works in terms of the file/folder structure (determined by Path and Naming) and how to preview/edit//write the artwork and metadata tags such as album, artist, title etc.
Once you have ripped these few CDs, check to see how the albums appear in your chosen playback system and whether you need to make any modifications to your ripping process/workflow including whether you want to use sort tags etc. This process may take 2 or 3 re-rips until your are happy, but it will help you plan your overall tagging strategy.
Only when you are happy with your ripping process/workflow, would I suggest you start ripping all your CDs. This is a time consuming process and if you don't plan, as is clear in Paul's threads, you will spend much more time having to re-think/re-tag, post rip.
Hi mville,
I did not mean to literally work through the long thread in a strictly step-by-step fashion; because there are many twists and turns. I would have thought that ChisChas would be able to detect this flaw. But nevertheless, maybe I should have been clearer in my reply yesterday.
The reasons for me changing my mind mid-flight were not entirely down to me having not "planned". Some reasons were because I discovered - whilst reading a historical book over the summer - clear definitions of many of the sub-genres of Jazz (Cool, Swing, Fusion, Latin). I think I began ripping in July and only found out the latter historical information around 3 weeks ago; and by then I was a good way into my ripping. Plus, I switched from a Sony Walkman to an Amazon Fire tablet device (the latter handled/ignored certain criteria differently from the former) between July and August - which was a scenario that was not possible to predict. Finally, I found that I was not able to take a look at the bigger picture (ie. a birds eye view) until I had ripped a good 20 CDs. Then I went back and changed many things which I thought I had set in stone. All of these decisions have definitely been for the better and I really do not see how I could have foretasted such decisions so early on in the ripping stage.
Paul
Last edited by monsterjazzlick; 10-11-2017 at 09:45 AM. Reason: spelling
Thank you for such an encouraging post, yes, I know via another forum someone who has PM'd me and saying he uses dBpa successfully. I will reply at greater length to your post BUT the important thing is that the new Asus SDRW-08D2S-U Lite has just whizzed through track 15 on Contagion and dealt with Track 16 pretty quickly too. Phew............
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