CD Ripper overview

The CD Ripper allows you to copy (or rip) the contents of an audio CD to your computer. The destination files can be saved in various formats, including AAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, MP4, MPC, Ogg Vorbis, WAVE, WAVPack, or WMA.


Using the CD Ripper

Start the CD Ripper

  • Open the tool by navigating to File > Add Music > Rip CD... from the main menu.

Detecting and Loading the Audio CD

  • When the CD Ripper dialog appears and an audio CD is inserted:
    The tool reads the contents of the CD from your first (or only) CD-ROM/DVD drive.
    The tracks from the CD will populate the track list in the CD Ripper dialog.
  • If the track list displays "No Audio CD inserted," ensure that:
    An audio CD is correctly inserted in the drive.
    The correct CD drive is selected from the CD-drive drop-down menu.


Retrieving Track Information

  • Artist, album, and track information is automatically downloaded (when available) using the default MusicBrainz plugin.
  • For more precise metadata (e.g., using a CD's barcode or catalog number):
    Enable Always invoke custom download window in the CD Ripper under Tools > Options > General to always use the Tag Downloader.
  • Alternatively, invoke the Tag Downloader manually by clicking the Download button.


Making Modifications

  1. Modify the track metadata directly in the CD Ripper track list using the embedded Tag Editor for easy adjustments.
  2. Selecting Output Folder
    Choose the destination folder for the ripped files by clicking Browse.
  3. Choosing Output Format
    Select the desired output format from the Output format drop-down menu.
    To customize format-specific settings (if available), click the Options... button next to the drop-down menu.
  4. Folder and Filename Templates
    Save to folder:
    Define a static folder using the Browse button, or dynamically control the folder structure with Tag to Filename templates (e.g., F:\cd-rip\{{albumartist}} - {{album}}).

    Filename format:
    Use the text box to define how files and folders will be named. The default template is: {track}}. {{artist}} - {{title}}.
    For more details, refer to the Tag to Filename article.


Starting the Ripping Process

  • Click OK to begin ripping the CD.
  • Once ripping is complete:
    The tracks are automatically added to your library.
    You can choose to rip another CD without restarting the tool or close the CD Ripper.