How To Rip Your CD Collection on VortexBox

**Ron Olsen** · 01-14-2012, 11:38 AM

I created a wiki page with my suggestions for How To Rip Your CD Collection on VortexBox.

This procedure has worked well for me in ripping more than 500 CDs on VortexBox. Check it out and let me know what you think.

**bart** · 01-15-2012, 12:39 AM

Ron,

Again another one of your perfectly clear guides.

However a suggestion:

When the Ripper log shows "Unknown Artist, Unknown Album", you state to immediately abort the rip and clear the directories and use aditional software to create the right files/tags.

In my situation not practical, it means obtaining another computer (this time with an optical-drive) and installing software; thus obtaining the highly advised dBpoweramp licence, or tweak the almost forgotten ExactAudioCopy or find/learn other programs capable of creating perfect FLAC files with access to a database for proper tags.

My practise is (with a windows netbook without optical-drive) just let the rip continue.
When the rip is done, manualy edit the directory name, drag/drop the directory into mp3tag, select all, edit Album title and/or Artist name, save, let mp3tag search its various databases, when the right info is found submit, then hit the button to convert taginfo into filename.

Works perfect most of the time, however searching through the mp3tag connected databases can be time consuming and frustrating. It's possible to do a 'manual' search on the different websites (freedb/discogs/muzicbrainz) find the info and put their album ID into the appropriate search fields in mp3tag.

cheers

**Ron Olsen** · 01-15-2012, 07:41 AM

Thanks for the info. I guess it's becoming more common today to use computers without optical drives.

I'll update the wiki article to mention your approach as an alternative.

**jmilt7** · 02-04-2012, 06:22 PM

I want to thank you for writing this wiki, "How To Rip Your CD Collection on VortexBox". It has been quite helpful. One comment I have in regards to step 4a that suggests in the event of getting an "Unknown Artist, Unknown Album" to stop the rip and find a PC, instead Mac users may want to try XLD: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/234...ssless-decoder. Almost every time that my Vortexbox appliance couldn't find a particular CD, XLD did. I don't know how or why as I don't understand a lot of this stuff but it just works for me.

**Ron Olsen** · 02-04-2012, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by jmilt7

I want to thank you for writing this wiki, "How To Rip Your CD Collection on VortexBox". It has been quite helpful. One comment I have in regards to step 4a that suggests in the event of getting an "Unknown Artist, Unknown Album" to stop the rip and find a PC, instead Mac users may want to try XLD: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/234...ssless-decoder. Almost every time that my Vortexbox appliance couldn't find a particular CD, XLD did. I don't know how or why as I don't understand a lot of this stuff but it just works for me.

Thanks for the info. I'll update the wiki article to mention XLD as an alternative for Mac users.

**Alias** · 02-11-2012, 01:21 PM

I got my VB recently and have started to use it much without learning all the details first. I have over 800 CDs in the apartment and 150 kgs of CDs in the attic to rip. It will take a while. I've noticed that there are quite many unknown albums. (35 ripped already.) It would be great to learn how to tag them myself.

Aren't the files read only? I can't even seem to be able to delete them, let alone rename them. Is there a workaround to this?

I also noticed a lot of missing cover art and erroneous cover art. Not a big problem. I'm more worried about the tags.

**Jim** · 02-11-2012, 02:23 PM

1. Ron is the all knowing expert of all things VB (next to Andrew...) and ripping so read his wiki linked above.
2. I have had a VBA for almost a year. I have gone with letting VB do the ripping, then used MP3Tag to adjust manually.
3. Used Bliss to start cleaning up, but it is costly - you only get 100 free 'fixes' - and one album might have several fixes, after that it is 30 pounds - about $60 in my language, which I consider expensive in the world of Linux/VB etc. Someone discovered Beets and there is a post and wiki on using it, if you are up for doing some command line work it is free and does amazing things.
4. Yesterday, I decided it was finally time to do a real clean up, spend my $38 and bought dBPowerAmp - if yo are a PC user and can run this I cannot over emphasize how right Ron is that this is the greatest tool. Install it, get it setup to burn to your VB space correctly and learn to use it, it will solve most of your 'unknown' or incorrectly tagged issues.
5. Enjoy VB, it is a really great system, that gives you the flexibility to configure a whole house audio system in so many different ways - and for the end user it is easy - the litmus test is that my wife can use it - even to listen to a variety of internet radio - she still asks me to turn on the TV because it is hooked to a digital box, but VB and Squeezebox she can use with no problem.

**Ron Olsen** · 02-11-2012, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Alias

I got my VB recently and have started to use it much without learning all the details first. I have over 800 CDs in the apartment and 150 kgs of CDs in the attic to rip. It will take a while. I've noticed that there are quite many unknown albums. (35 ripped already.) It would be great to learn how to tag them myself.

You can use mp3tag to fix tags and file names in unknown albums. http://www.mp3tag.de/en

Originally Posted by Alias

Aren't the files read only? I can't even seem to be able to delete them, let alone rename them. Is there a workaround to this?

Use the VortexBox files share, not the music share, to modify files. files is read/write; music is read only. See VortexBox File Share Layout

Originally Posted by Alias

I also noticed a lot of missing cover art and erroneous cover art. Not a big problem. I'm more worried about the tags.

bliss is a great tool for finding/upgrading cover art. 100 fixes are free, then you pay for more. You can install bliss from the VB Upgrade page http://vortexbox/upgrade.php. See http://www.blisshq.com

**Alias** · 02-12-2012, 08:27 AM

Thanks! I tested mp3tag and managed to tag one of the unknown albums. Worked fine.

**WilliamW** · 02-12-2012, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Alias

Thanks! I tested mp3tag and managed to tag one of the unknown albums. Worked fine.

Alias, I just want to endorse what Jim wrote (post above). Like Jim I have been using VB on my own homebuilt system for some time (2 years in my case). I survived with mp3tag to fix my 'unknowns', but recently bought dBPowerAmp and now realise I should have done so ages ago - worth every penny. And Ron's advice is, as always, spot on.