Ripping CD's in mac mini.

[Paul V K]

Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears that if you rip a CD with iTunes, iTunes does *not* store the cover art within the file container itself, but in some folder set-up by iTunes.

 

For me, this is a major handicap. Does anyone know of another ripping software that places both metadata and cover art *within* the file itself? As far as I know, ALAC does indeed have a structure that allows cover art.

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

[Paul R]

Indeed, this is why many folks do not RIP with iTunes. I can recommend XLD on a Mac, and dbPowerAmp under Windows. Other folks can, I am sure, recommend "MAX" on a Mac.

 

Any of these programs will do what you wish, and give you much greater control over the metadata. I find that I have to edit metadata, including cover artwork, before I RIP, or I wind up with a messy physical music library.

 

-Paul

 

 

[Paul V K]

Thanks Paul, this is the exact info I was looking for.

 

One other question:

If one uses XLD or MAX to rip CD's, then embed all the proper cover art and metadata, is iTunes smart enough to ad these files to its library, assuming you set the XLD (or MAX or whatever) program to save the files to your itunes music folder?

 

[Paul R]

XLD certainly can add your files to iTunes as you rip them. There are other ways too. See the CA article on CD ripping. IPhone is acting up, sorry for brief reply.

 

[goldsdad]

"if you rip a CD with iTunes, iTunes does *not* store the cover art within the file container itself, but in some folder set-up by iTunes"

 

First, XLD is my preference for ripping.

 

However, if you want to use iTunes then it's extremely easy to embed the iTunes-downloaded art in the ripped files.

 

After the rip, select the album or multi-select all its tracks, depending on view. In the artwork viewer at bottom left of main window, right-click then select "Copy", right-click then select "Paste".

 

The artwork is now embedded in all track files instead of being stored separately.

 

 

[wgscott]

You can embed the artwork in the individual music files in iTunes, either semi-automatically via the get info pane, or using an applescript you can get from the Doug Script website, with the poetic, symbolic title of "embed iTunes artwork" or something rather similar. I do this for everything I rip or add via download.

 

[Niner]

Great information.

Thanks

I just downloaded 95gb of music via Itunes. However when I ask it to get album artwork it only retrieved about 2/3 of the albums. Most of the albums are popular ones that it seems that iTunes would have available. Is there a way to retrieve this artwork manually?

 

[wgscott]

http://dougscripts.com/076

 

[Paul V K]

Although I have not personally tried it, I have heard good things about the software, TuneUp. Anyone else use this for missing info/art?

 

[Paul V K]

Thanks for your thoughts, goldsdad.

 

"After the rip, select the album or multi-select all its tracks, depending on view. In the artwork viewer at bottom left of main window, right-click then select "Copy", right-click then select "Paste". "

 

I must be missing something or being truly thick. Probably the latter.

In my iTunes (v10.5.1.42) right clicking on the artwork viewer does not bring up any menu. I can only left-click it, which opens a larger view.

 

Eventually, I did finally figure out a few things: I noticed if I used Get Info on an individual track, iTunes displayed the cover art under the artwork tab. However, I knew this graphic was *not* embedded inside the file due to the fact that if I viewed the file with MediaMonkey, no artwork was present.

 

I then noticed that if I used Get Info on the *whole album* (instead of just the individual track), iTunes did *not* show any cover art on the info tab (after warning me I was about to edit multiple files).

 

So what I did was 1) Get Info on one track in the album 2) right-click and Copy the artwork presented in *that* tab 3) Get Info on the *whole* album 4) right-click and Pasted in the little Artwork square on the info tab.

 

What resulted was iTunes indicating to me it was doing something to each of the tracks within the album. Now, after that 4-step process above, if I check any of the tracks using Media Monkey, the cover art is indeed embedded within the file.

 

So is the whole nonsense above a lesson to simply use XLD or a mac script?

 

 

[goldsdad]

Hi Paul V K,

 

"In my iTunes (v10.5.1.42) right clicking on the artwork viewer does not bring up any menu."

 

I guess the right-click menu in the artwork viewer has gone missing in the many recent updates to iTunes since 10.2.2. There have been several reported artwork bugs since 10.2.2 and I don't know the current situation.

 

See if this alternative still works in your iTunes. Make iTunes window smaller than full screen so a bit of desktop is visible at the left or bottom. Select the album or multi-select all of its tracks. Drag the iTunes-downloaded image from the artwork viewer at bottom left and drop it on the desktop. Drag the image from the desktop and drop into the artwork viewer. The image should now be embedded in the track files. Delete image from desktop.

 

"simply use XLD or a mac script?"

 

I use XLD for ripping because it checks with the AccurateRip database when possible and produces a log, whereas iTunes gives no feedback. I don't use any scripts for artwork. If XLD hasn't supplied the correct cover for my release of an album when getting metadata then I do a quick web search of a few sites to hopefully find the cover. Then I edit gamma/contrast/sharpness/etc if required, and drop the image into XLD before proceeding to rip.

 

 

 

 

[Vangelis]

I have ripped 1550 CDs using ITunes with the error correction checked. Using PM for playback and comparing my rips to the original CD with a great transport into my ARC DAC 8 , the rip always sounds better, so iTunes must still do a decent job. I went through my entire ripping process with Rob at Pure Music, he felt the results from iTunes rips we're fine. I've copied the files to my others drives with all the art work intact never lost a song, had a drop out or lost album art work.

 

With all the talk about XLD I have to assume that it must sound superior to an ITunes rip. Would most listeners with a good audio system hear an improvement in a blind listen comparison between clean CDs ripped viaiTunes and clean CDs ripped via XLD?

 

My discs used for ripping are all in near perfect condition and this could be why I've had no issues.

 

I admit that I'm not familar the other ripping soft ware. Could youd please give a a quck over view of why you prefere XLD.

Thanks

 

[Vangelis]

Niner, what works for me when I'm doing a lot rips in iTunes is keep an Amazon music window open next to my iTunes window. While I'm ripping a new disc I go and drop and drag the best looking album art I can find to the previously ripped CD. Make sure that all and only the songs you want associated with the album art are selected / high lighted in iTunes before you drag the art to the little album art box in the bottom left of page.

 

[Niner]

OK, just tried it dragging and dropping Artwork from Amazon. For some reason after dragging and dropping it always places it in a podcast. I tried it several times, to no avail.

I tried "ituneup" that was recommended, but it would not download and open properly.

I'm going to try another option that was recommended and see if I can get the artwork that way. Actually the artwork is not that important to me, but I want to do the correct way and get it right the first time.

 

[wgscott]

Drag the image in the browser to the desktop. This downloads it from the internet.

 

Drag the image from the desktop into the add artwork window in iTunes. You have to be in the "Music" display rather than in a playlist display (i think).

 

[Niner]

I did like you said. Dragged it from the Amazon website to the desktop. Thats fine. When I tried to drag it to itunes it just wont stay there and snaps back to the desktop. But, I am in my music library section. I'm not sure where the "add artwork" section is? I am going to try Doug Scrips next.

 

[wgscott]

... drop into the box with the red perimeter I drew around it.

 

 

[Niner]

Got it, finally!

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me.

The people on this site blow me away how helpful and generous you are with your time and helpful advise.

I hope I can keep learning so I can pay it forward someday.

 

Thanks again so very much!!!!

 

[wgscott]

It's really not a problem.

 

Try the embed script. I just run it after every rip.

 

 

 

[Niner]

Could you go into more detail about the embedded script. How and why?

 

[wgscott]

It runs an applescript that takes the image that iTunes stores it its kafkaesque album art archival system, and essentially does what you did manually, i.e., it pastes (embeds) the image into the metadata of each of the tracks, individually.

 

[goldsdad]

The artwork viewer at bottom left of main iTunes window seems to have lost some functionality recently. In 10.2.2 it can be used for adding artwork dropped into it and has a right-click menu. As you've found, the info editor still enables artwork changes.

 

 

 

[goldsdad]

"With all the talk about XLD I have to assume that it must sound superior to an ITunes rip"

 

In the post to which you replied, I wrote, "I use XLD for ripping because it checks with the AccurateRip database when possible and produces a log, whereas iTunes gives no feedback."

 

An accurate rip by XLD will contain exactly the same audio samples as an accurate rip by iTunes, therefore they will sound identical to me.

 

When a CD isn't seriously damaged, iTunes should make an accurate rip, and I'm sure most imperfect rips will be inaudibly flawed, anyway, and I'd never know by listening.

 

It's my personal preference to know whether the rip was accurate or not and have a log.

 

 

 

[Niner]

OK, I got all the artwork added via Amazon. Then proceeded to run the "Emdedding Script" I kept stopping every now and then with an Apple Script Error. Now I realize that it has Grey'd out some of the artwork. I have tried to go back in and re-add the artwork but it is still grey'd out on my playlist even though it reflects the artwork when added on the info box.

Any thoughts as to how get the artwork back?

 

[jtwrace]

Sure, though realize this should, at most, be used as a starting point for your own personal setup. You may want to do things differently. Also, I am typing this in real time so excuse typos.

 

(1) Decide where you want to store your music. And external disk is usually a good solution for this. I personally install MacOS on the external drives if I use them with a Mac, and format them to use MacOS.

 

(2) Decide how you want to store your music. I use the following "formula" which is slightly different from iTunes default setup. I force iTunes to accede to my format, but not everyone wants or should do that. On the disk, there is a top level folder called "Music", and under that a series of other folders.

 

Music -> [Album Artist] -> [Album Title] -> Track# Track Name

 

(iTunes will natively try to use [Artist] instead of [Album Artist], and in my world that causes untold grief with classical albums. )

 

You can pick any setup you want for this, just be consistent. It will payoff later, I promise.

 

Once you have that decided, you can then setup XLD and iTunes to work well with your ripping workflow.

 

If you are using iTunes - setup the location of your media files and be sure to uncheck the options mentioned below, or iTunes will go and attempt to rearrange your disk for you, spoiling all that planning and careful work.

 

In iTunes -> Preferences -> Advanced:

 

Set the "iTunes Media Folder Location" to the "Music" folder on your external drive.

Uncheck "Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized"

Uncheck "Copy Files to iTunes Media Folder When Adding to Library"

 

in iTunes -> Preferences -> General

 

Set the "When you insert a CD" dropbox to "Show CD"

 

----

In XLD:

 

In Preferences -> General

 

Set Output Format drop down box to ALAC or AIFF

Set Output Format Options -> Sample Rate to "same as original"

Set Output Directory -> specify to the "Music" folder on your external drive

Set Format of filename -> to Specify. For my particular format the format string to use is "%A/%T/%n %t"

Check Correct "30 samples moved offset problem"

Check Add encoded files to iTunes if possible

Select "Library" as the destination

Check Prepend Byte Order Mark (BOM) when saving cue sheet

I also check "Automatically check for updates" but that is just me.

 

In Preferences -> Batch

Uncheck Preserve Directory Structure

Uncheck Delete original files after successful conversion

 

In Preferences -> Metadata

Check Automatically Add Tags if Possible

Check Edit Tags before Convert

Check Embed cover art into files

Check Load following files in the same folder as cover art

(I use "cover.jpg folder.jpg front.jpg" in the format field)

Check Don't overwrite already embedded images

Check Set the compilation flag automatically

Check Preserve unknown metadata if possible

 

 

In Preferences -> CD RIP

Set Ripper Mode to "XLD Secure Ripper"

Check "Use C2 Error Pointers (drive support is required)"

Set Max Retry Count to 10

Set Read samples offset correction value to 102

Check "Set automatically if possible"

Check "Query AccurateRip database to check integrity"

Check "verify suspicious sectors"

Check "Eject disk when done" (optional)

 

Well, that was more than a half dozen settings I suppose, and there are plenty of optional settings in there too. This is pretty much what I use.

 

The end result of this is you can rip a CD, and have it automatically appear in your iTunes database with all the metadata set correctly, and with the physical files in a well known easily maintained (and backed up!) location.

 

You can also prove this to yourself. You can mark and delete every entry in your iTunes database - being very careful to NOT DELETE THE FILES - and recreate your iTunes database perfectly, with full metadata, all the album covers, etc., in just a very few minutes.

 

You can also copy the entire media library and use it safely in other programs, such as JRMC under Windows. Or you can convert it to a different format, such as FLAC, to use with Squeezebox systems.

 

The choices are of course, yours.

 

-Paul

I don't see the Apple Superdrive listed in the Accurate Drive list for C2. Can you help? You said to set it to 102 but I want to be sure I don't mess it up.