Exact Audio Copy (EAC) to copy (very) scratched CDs

[Steelman]

Hi All:

 

I started using EAC to copy some CDs into my hard drive and it seems to work well with CDs in good condition.

 

However, with scratched CDs, it appears EAC is only able to IDENTIFY errors but not CORRECT errors.

 

Does EAC, or any other ripping software, have the ability to compare scratched CD to a "perfect" copy catalogued in cyberspace somewhere and automatically make a few seconds worth of error corrections so that the hard drive ends up with a perfectly ripped copy?

 

I hoped AccurateRip would do this, but I think AccuRip just uses a few checksums to provide error identification, not error correction. I have just a few seconds of bad data per CD. Any thoughts on how to deal with error correction would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

S

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Steelman - Secure mode in EAC does have error correction. Are you using secure mode?

 

[Al]

EAC does have error correction. ive ripped several scratched CDs and they sound fine, just make sure you use secure mode.

 

[Steelman]

Thanks guys but I am still a bit murky on how EAC does error correction. To clarify my question:

 

- Is EAC just extrapolating the information it can read on my CD to fill the errors with what it expects to be missing, OR

 

- Is EAC actually going to cyberspace to find the data that is missing from my CD and replacing the errors with the correct data, OR

 

- Both?

 

Thanks!

 

S

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I believe EAC's error correction uses a best guess at what should be on the error prone portion of the disc.

 

[Cavaille]

EAC uses "only" a best guess (it reads, and re-reads, and re-reads, and re-reads...). It doesn´t compare the imported disc image to something in an online database. AccurateRip works only to compare CRC codes. But even those CRC codes are not necessarily true. CRC codes just count up bits - they ignore some errors. So forget AccurateRip.

 

With a badly scratched CD EAC will need a lot of time. This is necessary, the outcome will be just fine. Not perfect, but just fine. For scratched CDs there is nothing better in my opinion.