Newbie with Questions for the Experts

[Mnyb]

Bought a WD 1T USB drve today to back up the VBA. Downloaded the iPeng App for my iPad and I'm ripping every moment I can. I'm very impressed with everything so far and i'm glad I made this decision. Can someone recommend a free ripping program so I have an alternative to the VBA. Thanks again for everyones help.

dBpowerAmp has a free version (even if the premium is what you want)

Otherwise EAC is it really , combined with flac and a good tagger like mp3tag.

If you are on windows there really only are EAC or dBpoweramp , They got the accurate rip feature where they compare your rip agaisnt a dB with other ripping the same discs, now you can be sure of that you got verified and tested bit perfect rips enjoy .

[garym]

Bought a WD 1T USB drve today to back up the VBA. Downloaded the iPeng App for my iPad and I'm ripping every moment I can. I'm very impressed with everything so far and i'm glad I made this decision. Can someone recommend a free ripping program so I have an alternative to the VBA. Thanks again for everyones help.

If you are a windows user, there are two programs consistently recommended by those serious a about their ripping. EAC (free) and dbpoweramp (not free). I use and recommend dbpa (reference edition R14; not free but worth every penny). Both these programs have a bit of learning curve, but dbpa is easier to setup in my opinion. They will both work with accuraterip, which is a very nice feature regarding confirming good rips and speeding up the ripping process). dbpa has a forum as well. I also think you should install mp3tag. This is very useful for various tag clean up functions (and does FLAC as well...)

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/spoons-audio-guide.htm
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc-power-register.htm
http://forums.mp3tag.de/index.php?ht...tag.de/forums/
http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html

[tmauceri]

If you are a windows user, there are two programs consistently recommended by those serious a about their ripping. EAC (free) and dbpoweramp (not free). I use and recommend dbpa (reference edition R14; not free but worth every penny). Both these programs have a bit of learning curve, but dbpa is easier to setup in my opinion. They will both work with accuraterip, which is a very nice feature regarding confirming good rips and speeding up the ripping process). dbpa has a forum as well. I also think you should install mp3tag. This is very useful for various tag clean up functions (and does FLAC as well...)

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/spoons-audio-guide.htm
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc-power-register.htm
http://forums.mp3tag.de/index.php?ht...tag.de/forums/
http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html

Downloaded EAC and ripped a cd "Avett Brothers four theives gone" which has a hidden content tacked on to a 4 min song for a total of 16 + min. The VBA rejected the disk, I read in another forum the VBA doesn't like hidden content. I ripped all the cuts except the 16 min one. Then I went back and ripped a range on the 16 min one which just included the 4 min song. Did one edit with MP3Tag and dragged it onto the VBA from my laptop, perfect. So you can see I'm progressing. I have also found that the VBA can rip the CD content of SACDs, evan multichannel ones. It won't rip the CD side of a Dual disk though. I've ripped about sixty CDs and backed them up on my WD USB drive. My Oppo BD-83 is getting jealous of the SB Touch.

[tmauceri]

#1 Does EAC or DBpoweramp produce a better FLAC file than the VBA(I think it uses ripit?) or do they just provide many more options?

#2 When VBA doesn't come back with artwork. I will find it, rename it and place it in the appropriate folder, files/music/flac, on the VBA. Then I update the SB Server. This is where I'm a bit confused. I always get the the artwork to show up on the SB touch and on iPeng(on my iPad). But I'm unclear of the precise route. For instance, under settings in the SB server when you rescan do I use, look for new and changed music or clear library and rescan everything. Clear and Rescan everything seems to always work, but takes a few minutes. New and changed music works sometimes. and sometimes the VBA updating the server after ripping a different disk seems to work. Comments welcome. Thanks!!!

[rgro]

#1 Does EAC or DBpoweramp produce a better FLAC file than the VBA(I think it uses ripit?) or do they just provide many more options?

#2 When VBA doesn't come back with artwork. I will find it, rename it and place it in the appropriate folder, files/music/flac, on the VBA. Then I update the SB Server. This is where I'm a bit confused. I always get the the artwork to show up on the SB touch and on iPeng(on my iPad). But I'm unclear of the precise route. For instance, under settings in the SB server when you rescan do I use, look for new and changed music or clear library and rescan everything. Clear and Rescan everything seems to always work, but takes a few minutes. New and changed music works sometimes. and sometimes the VBA updating the server after ripping a different disk seems to work. Comments welcome. Thanks!!!

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this is how it goes:

1. When you manually add artwork to one of your music folders, the only way the Touch will see new artwork is to do a complete SBS clear and rescan. The "rescan changed items" will not, for time being, pick up artwork changes.

2. When you rip a new disk, I believe the VBA software forces the SBS to do a complete clear and rescan. That's why your new music AND artwork show up when you rip a new disk without having to do the manual clear and rescan.

3. As far as I know, FLAC is FLAC no matter which software you use to produce it. There are different compression levels (I believe the VBA is set to use the default, normal "5" but otherwise, everything else being equal, ripping to FLAC on the VBA is exactly the same as ripping to FLAC using DBpoweramp or EAC.

[tmauceri]

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this is how it goes:

1. When you manually add artwork to one of your music folders, the only way the Touch will see new artwork is to do a complete SBS clear and rescan. The "rescan changed items" will not, for time being, pick up artwork changes.

2. When you rip a new disk, I believe the VBA software forces the SBS to do a complete clear and rescan. That's why your new music AND artwork show up when you rip a new disk without having to do the manual clear and rescan.

3. As far as I know, FLAC is FLAC no matter which software you use to produce it. There are different compression levels (I believe the VBA is set to use the default, normal "5" but otherwise, everything else being equal, ripping to FLAC on the VBA is exactly the same as ripping to FLAC using DBpoweramp or EAC.

Thank you, that clears up that issue. I see you are running 1.7 have you tried ripping a DVD?

[rgro]

Thank you, that clears up that issue. I see you are running 1.7 have you tried ripping a DVD?

Nope...in truth, we've not been dvd purchasers/collectors, so I don't think we even own one to experiment with [the Luddite in us comes out ;>)]. We seem to either watch blu rays from Netflix or stream (via the Revue) from Netflix. Completely contrary to my music listening, I generally can't stand watching a movie twice---the one exception to that philosophy being any Peter Sellers Pink Panther movie.

[tmauceri]

Can a clear and rescan be done from the SB Touch for files on the VBA or can this only be done from the VBA GUI on my PC. On the Touch under settings/advanced/SB Server, there is clear and rescan. This seems to be for a USB device though.

[Mnyb]

Can a clear and rescan be done from the SB Touch for files on the VBA or can this only be done from the VBA GUI on my PC. On the Touch under settings/advanced/SB Server, there is clear and rescan. This seems to be for a USB device though.

This is for the internal server on Touch.

No the squeezeplay based player can not initiate a scan at the server.
The old ones can , like SB3 or Boom .
There have been bugs against it, but they wont fix this. It's decision they made for some reason I cant understand at all.

You have to use the web-UI in squeezeboxserver. Wich is not such a problem you just have to rmeber to do it while fiddling with your files.

[tmauceri]

This is for the internal server on Touch.

No the squeezeplay based player can not initiate a scan at the server.
The old ones can , like SB3 or Boom .
There have been bugs against it, but they wont fix this. It's decision they made for some reason I cant understand at all.

You have to use the web-UI in squeezeboxserver. Wich is not such a problem you just have to rmeber to do it while fiddling with your files.

I read in a review, last night, that you can set an automatic, clear and rescan under the advanced tab in the SB server software. When you open the tab there is a pulldown menu on the left. I set it up for 3 AM in the morning. This is the the URL from Computer Audiophile.
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/co...x-Touch-Review