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Best Free CD Ripper
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Introduction
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This software category is in need of an editor. If you would like to give something back to the freeware community by taking it over, check out this page for more details. You can then contact us from that page or by clicking here.
There are lots of rippers available. All media players including Windows Media Player can rip. There are also some great freebies plus a host of commercial rippers. Most will rip to WAV, MP3 and usually several other formats. If your CDs are like mine then some are scratched or have lots of finger-marks. These can cause pops and crackles in the ripped file. Rippers vary greatly in their ability to handle these problems. Some will simply get stuck while others will skip forward over the problem or even create a silent gap. The best programs will try repeatedly to fix the problem with no audible effects. After a lot of experimentation, I ended up with two free CD rippers that were impressive with their features.|
Discussion
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I recently started the long task of ripping my 1200 CDs to my hard disk. I'm now two thirds of the way through my ripping exercise. Of the 800 or so CDs ripped I've only had 7 tracks that EAC couldn't rip perfectly. Given the condition of some of my CDs, that's a mighty impressive performance. EAC can rip to WAV, MP3 (using the LAME encoder), OGG, FLAC, APE and more. |
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It can convert to WAV, MP3 (using the LAME Encoder) OGG, APE, and more. An especially nice feature of CDEX is the ability to transcode one compressed file format to another, while EAC does not have this option. It also has the feature of recording straight from analog input. |
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Related Products and Links
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Additional software required: LAME Encoder - available here.
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Editor
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This software category is in need of an editor. If you would like to give something back to the freeware community by taking it over, check out this page for more details. You can then contact us from that page or by clicking here |
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Tags
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cd ripper, audio ripper, ripping software, free ripper, free cd ripper |
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Comments
I just finished ripping a couple CDs with Format Factory. A very useful 'swiss army knife' program for audio, video and pix... rips/converts/joins audio & video.
http://formatfactory.sourceforge.net/
I found a program I think is the boom for ripping CD's and it called FRE:AC it can rip convert and tag any audio file I have found and is very straightforward in it setup and use now its not full of eye candy but it does the job and very will and I don't think it would take anyone that much time to to figure out were every thing is. the download has no add ware scum-ware or just plane ole carp-ware like so meany of the free download programs have these days it is a truly free program and it works. you can download it at http://www.freac.org/ give it a try and see if it will meet your needs. P.S. on the web sight they do ask if you can donate to the project but is not required in order to download and use.
The download on the vendors page links to cnet (see our information page here):
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/cnet-downloadcom-wrapped-install...
You may prefer to download from SourceForge instead:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/bonkenc/files/
..or Softpedia:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Audio-CD-Rippers-Encoders/...
EAC is quite complicated to use for a beginner or novice to CD ripping(like me!) I am competent with working with video files etc.... but found EAC a bit of a head scratcher at times as the designer of the programme probably didn't have the novice in mind when creating his program.
After a bit of trial and error I manage to rip a number of songs from different CDs, and then attempted to make a "Cue" file.
However when I attempted to burn onto a CD, EAC found an error with the Cue file.
Frustrated I turned to try out "Audio Grabber".....only to find that Audio Grabber only rips to compressed MP3 as opposed to EAC's Flac/Wma.
So I dumped "Audio Grabber"......and decided to download the latest version of "Image burn" (A trusty program I often use for video/DVD).
Image Burn didn't recognise the Cue file I had created with EAC but did allow me to create a new cue file from the songs I had ripped using EAC.
I was then able to burn this new cue file to CD......which I am listening to right now......and the quality is spot on.
So If you want great sound quality ripping do use EAC.......but perhaps leave the Cue file creation and burning to Image Burn.
KL Oxford
I concur, EAC may be the best but it's definitely not intuitive. I've used AudioGRabber as well and it's certainly easier , downside is MP3 only and no Unicode support.
I have been a long time user of CDEX, since probably 2002. CDEX is stable, fast, and does the job without crashing or spyware. Perfectly good if it runs on your system - the most recent version is 2009.
Although perfectly happy with CDEX, upon reading one of the comments below, I downloaded Easy CD-DA Extractor Free 2010.6 from Softpedia, which seems to be a freeware version of the commercial program - including just the CD ripping module
The program works well, and is easier for beginners to use - just click on "Rip CD" which is easily found, unlike in CDEX - where the final step of ripping a CD is less easy to find in a menu of options.
Good amount of output music formats available, including MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC.
I didnt have to provide an email address, no registration, and the program seems to be true freeware (defined as: minimal limitations to functioning correctly, files produced are complete files, no trial periods nor sneaky spyware)
It is perfectly good for those who want a very easy to use CD Ripper
For those wondering, I cant decide which I prefer, but because CDEX is no longer updated, and Easy CD-DA has a recent version, Easy CD-DA would be the better choice - the easier program to use for the majority.
TechSupportAlert, you have done it again - another piece of wonderful software
Exact Audio Copy updated to 1.0 beta 3
Was installing an older beta today and I got a prompt to updgrade..It's been a very long time, but I think they've started updating...One of the best of its kind!
How about CUERipper?
Another cd ripper worth trying is Easy CD-DA Extractor Free 2010.6 (at softpedia, I can't paste direct link because of spam filter of this site)
It is the free version of Easy CD-DA Extractor but only with Audio cd ripper's module installed.
Is AudioGrabber still in development? Would anyone recommend it by today's standards for Win7, Vista, or XP? Version 1.83 was the last one released and is last referenced on August 24th per their website, http://www.audiograbber.org/
I use Audiograbber on my Win 7 64 bit system with great satisfaction. No Audiograbber is no longer under development but I would still highly recommend it.
I'm using it now to copy all my cd music to hard disk. It works a treat on win 7. I still have half my collection to go....but soon i will have a huge collection playlisted using itunes. hahahaha ;)
Hi "Moggy" -
Prefacing comments - I'm 61 - an IT dinosaur; pls excuse my newbie questions below & thx in advance if you help me.
My son (17) gave me an iPod classic (7th gen 160GB)- says for me to join 21st century and get my 1000+ CD collection onto the ipod.
We'll use his windows 7 (64 bit OS)laptop to import my CD's onto his hard drive & iTunes library then "load" my ipod.
The fundamental question is:
"how do I rip my cd's using EAC & LAME freeware to get the initial copies onto my son's hard drive?
The perfect answer for me is to have you send me the "workflow" steps starting from:
what freeware do I need: ANS: EAC & LAME correct?
> How do I get this SW?
Can you give me the detailed workflow steps from "insert the CD" rip using EAC & LAME; where to "file" on the hard drive; how do I get these EAC files into son's iTunes library; how to get the iTunes files to my new ipod classic.
THX again for your help - if (hopefully) you help me. This way you can get as detailed in your answers as needed.
Chip Connors
{Moderator's Comment: Email address removed. For your own security please do not post your email address on this site.}
Hi Chip.
It's not always possible for an editor to give detailed help here on the main site, but if you care to register and post your questions in the site forum you are likely to get the the help/answers you are looking for reasonably quickly.
Regards,
garth.
I would definitely recommend Audiograbber/
I'm using WinXP, and I haven't had a single problem.
More than that, Audiograbber is able to rip discs too scratched up for EAC, and the end result is--to my ears--damn near perfect.
Play a disc in a stereo and it skips. Rip it with Audiograbber and it sounds fine. I don't know how it does it, but whatever it's doing, it's doing it well. :D
EAC on the other hand chokes at too many flaws, which I suppose is the problem with secure ripping--it's more about 1:1 and making literal perfect copies, so when the source material is damaged, it isn't able to cope.
I am new to CD ripping and in fact have just ripped my first music CD using EAC. What I have ended up with is 16 MP3 files in the folder I designated. They are labeled Track01.mp3 thru Track16.mp3, not with the names of the songs, as I expected. I can probably figure out how to do the name thing. What I can't figure out is how to make these play sequentially, as the original CD of course does. I can only (using VLC) play one of the sixteen at a time. Can someone explain what I need to do in EAC to end up with a playable "CD" on my computer? Thank you very much.
Search for 'EAC tutorial' and you'll find many that will walk you through it. Setup is just a few steps then you can rip to any Lame version or codec of your choice. Best thing with EAC is you can hear the DEPTH and WIDTH of the music, unlike other mp3 rippers.
EAC is actually quite complex for a beginner. If you want file names other than Track01.mp3, then you will have to set that via the options. EAC presents a setup wizard when you run it for the first time. During that process, it gives the option of setting up file names the way you want. Maybe you skipped the wizard. If you skipped it, you will have to set the option manually from EAC options.
If you want a simple CD ripper, I will suggest Fair Stars CD Ripper. It can be found here :
http://www.fairstars.com/cdripper/
Its easy to setup, and use. But, in this software too, you will have to set the output filenames via the options. I think that would be required with every CD ripper software. Otherwise, the output will be track01.mp3, which is the default.
In FairStars Ripper, the options are quite easy to set up, visible in the interface screen, on RHS. There you can set the output format, output folder, and output filename, and you are done.
The tracks will always be ripped separately, as different files. You should not expect the output to be like a CD. If you want the songs you ripped to play in sequence, then you will have to make a playlist on your media player. If you want to do that on VLC, open it, and go to View --> Playlist. Then, right click in the open playlist space, and choose Add file, or Add folder, as the case maybe. Then the songs will play in sequence.
So, MC was right in this respect. You will have to create a playlist on your media player.
For further assistance, I will request you to please register on the site, and post in the forum, as its difficult to answer such queries here.
I'm no expert in this (where is Anupam hiding? :)) but from memory you need to double click the "track" entries presented by EAC before you actually begin the rip, and then enter the titles manually. I'm not aware of an immediate answer to your second question, but creating a playlist for your chosen player and copying the ripped files into it would no doubt solve the problem.
Is anyone else having problems with Exact Audio Copy on the 64-bit version of Windows 7? It launches OK and it lists all the tracks on the CD in my drive, but as soon as I try to specify a destination directory it crashes.
Excuse my somewhat newbie ignorance but what is the difference/advantage in these CD rippers and the ripping function on something such as Windows Media Player?
I think that is a very good question. It is a question that should be addressed in every relevant article here imho. That is.. How does the freeware recommended here compare to equivalent programs already present in the most popular series of operating systems in the world? (ie Windows) and why should I switch?
I'm sorry, but Exact Audio Copy is a joke. Incredibly complex, I have a hard time imagining what useful purpose it would serve for 98% of PC users.
This is a great example of a reviewer that's too close to the subject matter - any other piece of software would be better.
I agree. I don't see how anyone can think EAC is easy, and I have dealt with software at least as long as anyone on this site. There is no RIP or start button. Just for laughs, I let it set itself up as "Newbie Friendly". Ashampoo Burning Studio Free is an example of an actual EASY ripper.
After following directions and downloading the lame encoder (already on my PC but just trying their instructions) and copying the files into EAC's directory, it then starts a search of my 1TB drive to find the file it just told me where to place it. At least if you cancel the search, it then looks in it's own install directory.
Unless you like tweaking every setting, like with S.U.P.E.R. (which is complex but I love), I would stay away from EAC. A nice idea that is poorly implemented, at least for how it is promoted.
Please submit details to us about which software you use together with a brief tutorial and I'll arrange to have it published.
I began using Exact Audio Copy a long time ago when I knew nothing of such things and found it no more difficult to understand than the average AV or Firewall which most users these days seem more than capable of managing.
I think the point is that EAC is not necessarily more complex to use than say a security suite, a much more complex category of software. The point is that EAC is needlessly complex solution for meeting the CD ripping needs of the average user. The is a problem that many of the category editors at this site seem to ignore, whose needs and familiarity with a particular category of software far outweigh the needs and familiarity of the average user. This is particularly true for users who (like myself) don't have a strong computing/tech background, but who like to dabble with many different types of software, and whose needs in most category's are usually met by the more basic freeware available. So sure learning to use EAC is not that huge a task in itself, but for somebody who is no audiophile, and who at most might rip a few cds every couple of months, learning and remembering how to use EAC is just one more thing to remember in a constantly increasingly complex world.
LOL MC!! Good one. I look forward to reading his tutorial.
Free Audio Conversion
fre:ac
http://www.freac.org/
Please do not make repeated posts in several topics. We do not allow that, and see it as spam.
If anyone is wondering about the software mentioned, its BonkEnc, the free CD ripper, which has been renamed to fre:ac, and is now revamped. It is now being titled as a free audio converter with ripping capabilities.
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