Ripping music from CDs

Ripping tracks from CDs to your library is easy, and you can even listen to your CD while you are ripping it. Variables such as the type of CD you are trying to rip and the speed of your CD drive can affect the quality of the ripped copy. Although you are ripping digital information from a CD, you may not get an exact copy. For example, you may notice some minor flaws in the playback, such as faint scratches or pops in the audio. This is normal and is caused by the method your CD drive uses to read information from the CD. Windows Media Player tries to correct this if the error correction check box is selected, but you may still notice very minor flaws.

If the Copy protect music check box is selected when you rip the tracks, the tracks that you rip from a CD are protected files. Licenses are required to play these tracks. The license allows you to play ripped tracks on the computer, synchronize tracks to a non-SDMI-compliant portable device, and burn tracks to a CD.

If you want to listen to a CD while you are ripping its tracks, you must configure the Player to use digital mode when ripping CDs. Depending on how your CD player is configured, or if you have analog speakers, you may not be able to listen to your CD while you are ripping tracks

Notes

• The Player adds volume leveling values to tracks when you rip them.
• You should back up your licenses to a floppy disk periodically. If you reinstall or upgrade the operating system while retaining your protected files, your licenses might be lost.
• Your hardware (CD drive and speakers) determines whether you can rip and listen to tracks by using digital or analog audio. Select the settings that work best with your hardware. For more information, see the hardware documentation provided by the manufacturer.

This section covers:

• To rip tracks from an audio CD

Related topics

• Using CDs
• Setting options for ripping CDs