Computer audio for beginners: Part 2

摘要

While there's no shortage of hardware designed to make ripping music as simple as slipping a CD into a slot then waiting for it to pop out some minutes later, you can do the job just as well with a basic computer. Much of my CD ripping is done with my office Mac mini, off which hangs a Samsung USB CD/DVD reader/writer. If memory serves, it cost me all of £30 or so and, with the free X Lossless Decoder software I have loaded on the Mac, seems to do a very good job of copying CDs to the computer. Which software and hardware you use will depend on personal preferences and the computer you favour. I outlined some of the ripping software options last month, and my Mac has a clutter of various programs including XLD, dBpoweramp, JRiver Media Center and several more (not to mention the ubiquitous Apple iTunes). I'm not sure I could distinguish with any confidence between rips made on any of them, provided they're set up to rip as accurately as possible.