Ripping Software
There are many software CD rippers available for PCs, Linux and Macs. You probably already have one installed. (For example, Windows Media Player includes a CD ripper, as does iTunes.)
However, not all ripping software is created equal. Some rippers perform better than others.
When choosing a ripper you should be looking for the following features:
- Supports accurate ripping (i.e. guarantees the integrity of the rip)
- FLAC support
- Supports automatic application of meta-data, and allows you to structure your music collection the way you like...
EAC
The current king of ripping software is EAC. You can find out more about EAC here: [1]
What makes EAC popular is its reputation for extracting accurate ("bit perfect") data from CDs.
However, the user interface is a little clunky.
RipStation Micro DS
Homepage here.
RipFactory have produced a version of thier RipStation Micro software ripper specifically for Linn. This in turn is based on thier professional HW CD ripping solutions.
The RipStation Micro DS software implements accurate ripping technology, (RipFactory have called this "RipSure"). It also uses the high-quality, managed, meta-data server "GD3".
RipStation is fast, and easier to use than EAC - It operates in "batch mode", allowing you to start it in the background, where it will silently rip any discs that you feed into the PC drive. It can be left unnattended, and required minimal "nursing". Any CDs that cannot be ripped accurately are rejected, guarenteeing that you recieve a perfect rip of your music collection.
The product also comes pre-configured to Linn's default ripping and tagging standards, ensuring easy integration with the DS products. It also has a nifty "sned to NAS" button, to automatically upload your music library where they will be ready to play on your DS product.
