MP3 from tricky CD's

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hello chaps!

Trying to commit some of my CD's onto PC in MP3 format and discovered some won't play ball. Exploring them they seem to have lots of data and mini programs and skins etc but cannot find the moosic......

Any Ideas please? :ugh:

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

What program are you using for Ripping with?

Also have you tried just to play the CD with something like WMP?

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi Richard - have been lurking and hoping you'd bite with this one. Thanks!

Not sure of the full meaning of the word "ripping" but have been using Musicmatch jukebox to "convert" from the cd to MP3 format. Have discovered that some newer CD's (probably those that have video and stuff on them) don't work. The program sees them as data cd's.

When I use explorer to find wav or other music files on there I can't find any......

Haven't tried wmp but in any case all that will do is play them I suspect or can it do more?

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

WMP will play, rip (Extract the music off the CD), and burn CDs.

There are other programs you can use to rip CDs, but first I want to see if the CD will even play.

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hmmm..... Thanks Richard - WMP just gives the message "insert audio disc". Where now? :ugh:

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

That answers a lot.

Is the CD you have an Audio CD?

Also, how old is your CD-ROM?

Finally, can you play other audio CDs in your CD-ROM?

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi Richard - yeah store bought audio cd's. All originals. Think they're the new stealth type to stop pirates copying..... Play on my car and house units no problem. The cd player on my lappy is brand new, well 5 months or so old.

Oh and yes I been "ripping" cd's all day here on the lappy! :E

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

Try the CD in another computer's CD-ROM Drive. Lets see what happens.

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi Richard. Tried it in another CD Rom (the one on me desky) WMP still doesn't like it. If I select the open or browse function WMP finds a folder on the disc called "Player" and within that two more folders called "Interface.nib"and "Skin". No media files are found.

However. with the disc in the desky a message pops up saying some files need to be modified for you to play this disc. Click "ok" and the program "player" which is incorporated on the disc springs to life and lo and behold music plays!

Still not helping me rip this into MP3 though......

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

CD Media World has a list of Audio CD Copy Protections, we just need to figure out which one you have:

CD/DVD Protections (http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/cd_protections.shtml)

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi Richard, thanx for taking your time with this!

Downloaded a ripper called ClonyXXL which despite stating t'was in english and german appears to be german language only but here we go!

All of the audio cd's appear to have the same protection listed as:

TOC Illegal

Cactus 200.5.0.150-5.00.160

Does that identify it sufficiently to find a cure?

[Mishandled]

It sounds to me as if the copy protection method on these CDs with "player" on them means that the only way to get a PC or laptop to play the music is to use the proprietary player included on the CD (the aforementioned player). this makes it very difficult to rip the cd using Musicmatch itunes etc etc. You could try ripping the files using isobuster, and then lame to encode. If this doesnt work, what I do is install total recorder, and use the proprietary player to play the songs, whilst recording them with total recorder. You can encode as MP3s and tag them with total recorder as well. Total recorder is not free, but it has allowed me to rip many of my cds that have copy protection.

When I first encounetred copy protection I was so annoyed about it, as I only rip cds that I have paid for, that once I had broken the copy protected cd I posted the ripped mp3s to a p2p network, just to get back at the record companies:E

thankfully the record companies are finally starting to address the different ways that people want to buy and listen to music. Thanks to Ipod for that one.:ok:

Total Recorder (http://www.highcriteria.com/)

LAME (http://lame.sourceforge.net/)

Isobuster (http://www.smart-projects.net/isobuster/)

[RadarContact]

Maybe try a different program for ripping, like CD-Ex (www.cdex.n3.net) or something else...

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Thanx guys - tried cdex and isobuster and clonyxxL and cd-protect......

Any more ideas Richard?

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Help...... anyone? Richard? :{

[pilot-lite]

Your CD is protected by Cactus DataShield 200.

Sorry, but there is no reliable way to rip these to mp3.

In your position I'd probably just hit the p2p networks and download it with a clear conscience, after all, you've paid for the stuff once...

pilot-lite

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

I would try just downloading the MP3s off the net. Since you already own the CD, it is not illegal for you to have it in MP3 format. I would check the news groups and see if anyone has already posted the music for you to download. (Personally I do not like P2P programs.)

If not, then Mishandled's solution is the best way to get around the CD's copy protection.

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. pilot-lite it looks like our posts crossed. (I did not see your post before I posted.)

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Thanks both.

Pilot-lite - you wouldn't be able to recommend a reliable site would you? If you could post the link then all the better.

Thanks again!

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

What is the name of the CD and the name of the Artist?

Take Care,

Richard

[goates]

Does MusicMatch Jukebox allow you to record cassette tapes to MP3? I thought it did, but haven't used it in a while. If it can, you could just plug in an external CD player to the audio in jack and record the music to a MP3 file. You would then need to manually enter the artist, song title and other data manually. There are other programs that allow you to do this as well. Unfortunately I only that you can do this, and don't have first hand experience.

Downloading them from somewhere would probably be easier though.

goates

[mini]

WCF, many apologies for barging in...

I have a CD that I recorded from an original and can't rip it to MP3 on Itunes, is this a related problem?

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi Richard - apologies for the delay.

There are four titles I am having problems with -

Kylie - body language
will young - friday's child
westlife - turnaround
Dido - life for rent

Oh my God, I can't believe I've exposed myself so...... They're Mrs Fowler's of course :oh:

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

The full albums should not be hard to pull from the news groups.

What kind of a connection to the Internet do you have? (Broadband I hope.)

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. Check your P.M.'s.

[BDiONU]

I have found a way around CD protection and thats to rip the tracks using Audiograbber.
Not stumbled over a CD that I can't rip yet.

BDi

[Wing Commander Fowler]

If ya feeling REALLY sad, go out and get ya'self a copy of any one of the four I list above....... Audiograbber won't touch 'em :{

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

Macrovision are testing their latest audio cd copy protection, dubbed CDS 300. The Register reports on this supposedly 99% effective technology:

CDS 300 relies on Windows' auto-run feature to fire up WMP, but as has been well documented elsewhere this can be bypassed by holding down the Shift key, which in turn stops the software installing code that blocks unauthorised access to the audio session. CDS 300 Version 7, which is currently at an alpha testing stage before going beta next month, has sufficent hardware protection - errors in the data, essentially - to block attempts to rip a protected disc's CD audio session.

The upshot, says Macrovision, is that users are forced to used WMP, which invokes the installer. This time round, users are asked if they want to install a "licence" on their PC, but on goes Macrovision's Active Software Protection (ASP) code too, which actively blocks rippers and cloners. To be fair, Macrovision is keen to stress that the on-screen installation information admits that ASP is there, but how many users will take the time to read it, rather than dashing straight for the OK button, we wonder?

Personally, I just wish they didn't waste time and money on this sort of protection. It can always be bypassed and creates problems in devices for which it shouldn't, such as car CD players.

Here is the full article:

Macrovision preps '99% effective' CD lock-in tech (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/26/macrovision_cds300_7/)

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Thanks Richard - it's all a pile of poo! :rolleyes:

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

Well the offer in my PM is still there, should you ever want to take me up on it. ;)

Take Care,

Richard

[Mishandled]

Wingco

I must repeat my recommendation of using Total Recorder from High Criteria. I ripped two of the albums you mention (Dido and Kylie) using it. I also find that some pc drives are better at reading copy protected disks than others. Plextor have never let me down.

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Mishandled,

I have had good luck with the Lite-On Drives too. ;)

Take Care,

Richard