Correction: set up the Metadata Provider as CUETools DB Metadata Plugin V2.1.6, then when you go to
Database > Get CD Information From > Remote Metadata Provider
you will get an extensive list of tag options from 3 different databases - MusicBrainz, Discogs, and FreeDB, as well as a selection of cover art.
Yes - the FLAC code can be adjusted to enable an uncompressed mode, where compression is completely disabled.
The only commercial implementation of this is in dBpoweramp. It should be noted that the developers of FLAC, the Xiph.Org Foundation, do not endorse this.
Why would you want an uncompressed FLAC? Because FLAC is a much more reliable format than WAV for tagging. When I started using Music Player Daemon years ago, any WAV's in my music library which were ripped by EAC, then tagged by Tag&Rename showed up in the MPD database just fine, but WAV's created by any other application had corrupt listings in the MPD database.
So I am now using FLAC just as a container format, without any form of compression.
Attachments
Correct, no compatibility programs. I've played those FLAC's on any/all programs on Linux, Windows, Mac.
Think about it, the playback application looks for metadata flags indicating how/where the audio data has been compressed, it finds none of those flags, so the decoder does nothing.
As to "wasting hard drive space" I work in television production, using digital audio workstations since the mid 1990's. I'm simply accustomed to having all of my audio files uncompressed - as WAV or AIFF.
Think about it, the playback application looks for metadata flags indicating how/where the audio data has been compressed, it finds none of those flags, so the decoder does nothing.
As to "wasting hard drive space" I work in television production, using digital audio workstations since the mid 1990's. I'm simply accustomed to having all of my audio files uncompressed - as WAV or AIFF.
I stumbled across this yesterday: the "Automatic Ripping Machine". Drop in any disc and it will rip audio CDs to FLAC, DVDs or Blu-ray to mkv, and data discs to ISO images.
But you do have to be comfortable enough with Linux to install Ubuntu and the various programs and things.
Automatic Ripping Machine | Headless | Blu-Ray/DVD/CD - b3n.org
But you do have to be comfortable enough with Linux to install Ubuntu and the various programs and things.
Automatic Ripping Machine | Headless | Blu-Ray/DVD/CD - b3n.org
I highly recommend CUERipper. I used EAC for years, and it works well, but CUERipper has much less configuration options. It's much easier to set up, and the ripped files are accurate based on AccurateRip. It performs AccurateRip checks. It comes packaged with CUETools, which is also a handy tool. It's open source and active. CUETools GitHub
Here is a comparison of CD Rippers
I had one drive, an LG that I got at Fry's new for $5 that was difficult to get working with CUERipper, but after some digging, I found this fix which works.
Here is a comparison of CD Rippers
I had one drive, an LG that I got at Fry's new for $5 that was difficult to get working with CUERipper, but after some digging, I found this fix which works.
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Good question. As long as there are no reading errors (that is, no errors beyond what the normal error correction scheme can handle), it shouldn't matter.
When there are errors beyond what the ERC can handle, a program like EAC is probably better at correcting them than a transport - as it doesn't have to work in real time, it can for example reread a part of the CD when needed - but a transport is probably better at concealing them.
When I want to rip a CD that is in such a bad shape that EAC can't read it without many uncorrectable errors, I sometimes play it over a dirt cheap CD player and make an analogue copy. That often produces a listenable copy.
When there are errors beyond what the ERC can handle, a program like EAC is probably better at correcting them than a transport - as it doesn't have to work in real time, it can for example reread a part of the CD when needed - but a transport is probably better at concealing them.
When I want to rip a CD that is in such a bad shape that EAC can't read it without many uncorrectable errors, I sometimes play it over a dirt cheap CD player and make an analogue copy. That often produces a listenable copy.
I think if you have CDs, it is best to rip them with EAC or CUERipper and store the files either compressed as FLAC (or uncompressed if storage space permits) on hard drives. The CD storage system is not nearly as rigorous with regard to data integrity as a hard drive. I have files stored on hard drives that are many decades old that are intact based on parity checks. Rip the CDs and be done with them.
I started ripping my CDs 16 years ago, with very few exceptions the files have withstood the test of time better than some of the CDs I ripped them from.
Once ripped you can do all sorts of things like put them on a NAS and play them anywhere in your house, maybe you like the colorations of your particular DAC better when you upsample them to DSD or higher sampler rate PCM, etc.
Maybe you like the functionality of something like Roon that allows you to curate your collection and matches your taste to other similar artists and music that you might like.
Physical media is so 20th century. I didn't get it until a year and a half or so ago when I got Roon.
Once ripped you can do all sorts of things like put them on a NAS and play them anywhere in your house, maybe you like the colorations of your particular DAC better when you upsample them to DSD or higher sampler rate PCM, etc.
Maybe you like the functionality of something like Roon that allows you to curate your collection and matches your taste to other similar artists and music that you might like.
Physical media is so 20th century. I didn't get it until a year and a half or so ago when I got Roon.