In this post I show how I digitalized my CD collection on Linux (Ubuntu with Gnome) using Asunder and Grip to rip and encode lossless Flac files, and EasyTAG to edit the files’ ID3 tags.

Ripping format: Flac

I had previously read Martin’s post (in Norwegian) about backing up his music collection and I was inspired by some of his choices. Like Martin I wanted a lossless copy of the CDs which could be converted to any other format. I also wanted a format which is open. Therefore, I decided to go for Free Lossless Audio Compression (FLAC). Another benefit of Flac is that the files are smaller than uncompressed wav files. The files are however larger than for instance mp3 files but these are not lossless.

Flac plugins for several media players can be downloaded from the Flac page at SourceForge. As a media player on Windows/Linux I have up until now been using VLC quite a lot. VLC comes with a built in Flac plugin so no extra plugin is needed.

Ripping and encoding tool for Linux: Asunder/Grip

I started off ripping and encoding CDs with Winamp. Winamp is as the name reveals for Windows and it is not open source. It works quite well but the freeware version has a 8x CD-ripping cap. Not that it is a big problem but I wanted to find something for Linux which is open source.

Grip Flac encoder settings

The first alternative I found was Grip. Grip is available through the Ubuntu repositories so installing it is easy. When I fired it up it complained that the flac encoder was missing. This is nothing a “sudo apt-get install flac” can’t fix. I also had to set the path for the flac encoder (see the screenshots above). One is also able to set several options using the flac command line. I left the default settings more or less untouched but you have all the options at your fingertips.

After a bit of configuration I was off to a running start. I decided to use Flac, enable ID3 tags, keep upper case file names and spaces rather than underscores. I guess this is something I am used to after using Windows for a long time.

There is however one thing to complain about. Grip frequently crashes when I am trying to rip certain CDs. I really don’t know why but I think they are CDs with multimedia content as well. This means I can’t use Grip for all my CDs. However, I really liked Grip and if you do not experience these problems I would warmly recommend it.

Edit: The problem with Grip seems to be related to the ID3v2 tags on some CDs and it is already registered as a bug. Turning off the ID3v2 tags was at least a workaround for me.

Sound juicer configurations

Then I tried Sound Juicer (Audio CD Extractor) which is a simple and easy to use ripping tool. It worked really well, ripped all the CDs I tested, and stored them as Flac. However, it lacked some of the flexibility I want when it comes to customizing file and folder names. It was moreover not possible to create playlists automatically. If you need as simple tool I would warmly recommend Sound Juicer.

Asunder

The third one I tried was Asunder. This was another simple tool but it has somewhat better file name configuration options than Sound Juicer and it created playlists automatically. It has not crashed so far and it does what it should. The configuration was not as detailed as Grip’s but it had the most important options. I would have preferred to have them all but Asunder actually worked on my computer with most CDs. Ripping and encoding was therefore done with Asunder when Grip did not work.

Another alternative is XMCD but since Asunder was working I did not bother to check it out. This blog entry and this Wikipedia entry suggests a few other tools you might want to check out if you want something else. You may also want to check out one of these guides(one, two)which shows you how to rip and encode a CD as flac using the command line only. This looks tempting since you will get some of the configurability which I miss with Asunder.

ID3 editing tool for Linux: EasyTAG

All of the tools mentioned above contact an Internet database to download information about the discs and tracks one rips. This information is then stored in the flac-files ID3 tag. This is very convenient but the information is unfortunately not always correct and sometimes it is not formated the way you want it. To edit the ID3 tags of a large number of files one will need some tool support because doing it manually is just too time consuming.

EasyTAG user interface

I have for a long time been using mp3tag on Windows and I am really satisfied with it. It is unfortunately not available for Linux so I had to look for another tool. I found EasyTAG through the Ubuntu repository. Even though the user interface could have needed a overhaul it seems to be doing its job and I decided to go for that. It offers the functionality I need (rename files, folders, and automatically get tags from file/folder names). It is also possible to search an online database for updated tags.

I am sure there are other options but EasyTAG seemed to satisfy my needs and I did not bother to look further.

Future work: media center software, encoding for portable players, and DVD backup

After ripping my CDs I need to first look into arranging the music with a new media player/music library. Next, I need to find something for encoding it in a somewhat more compressed format for portable mp3 players. Then I would like to look into ripping the DVDs I have as well. After building a gaming media centre for the living room I need to put it into proper use.

If you have any hints or comments please leave me a message.

Disclaimer

Ripping CDs and DVDs for personal backups is permitted according to Norwegian law. Other countries may have different legislation when it comes to copying/taking backup copies of copyright protected intellectual property like CDs and DVDs. Do not use this guide to copy/spread copyright proctected material illegally.

Personally I really do not understand why EA and others are using SecuRom and similar products to “protect” their games. I assume the intention is to either (1) stop piracy or (2) stop people from selling used games. For me, the only thing they achieve is stopping me from buying their games.

Piracy is clearly a problem on the PC platform. It is a shame that people does not pay for the games they play and it is understandable that the industry tries to stop this. However, there does not exist any effective copy protection (yet) and I do not think DRM is the right way to stop piracy. DRM is only making it harder for the customers.

I have a stronger beliefe in digital distribution of quality games which are updated after their initial release to a reasonable price. Much like what the guys at Stardock intends to do with their “Gamers Bill of Rights”. This is of course a PR trick but I agree with them in most of what they say.

Back to DRM, copy protections like SecuRom are just creating problems for the people who pay for the products, not stopping piracy. Pirated versions of Spore and NoCD-cracks sirculated, probably even before Spore was released. I want to play the games I buy anywhere, at any time and I want to be able to install them as many times as I like. I payed for the bloody game didn’t I? I wouldn’t buy a bike which I could only use four times, within the city limits on Sundays!

Spore is unfortunately not the first game which incorporates such DRM solutions. Both Bioshock and Mass Effect have received massive amounts of flack for their DRM solutions which created a lot of problems for a large number of users.

So why? Dear gaming, record and movie industry. Why do you use DRM when it creates problems for the paying users, does not effectively stop piracy, increases the price of your products and give you a lot of negative media coverage? Some of the vendors have got it and they are pulling the plug on DRM as we speak. But Walmart, what about the customers who were unfortunate enough to by DRM (infested) music who are not able to play their music any longer?

The day before yesterday, Metallica released their new album Death Magnetic and I had to get my hands on it. I could have bought just a digital copy but as a long time fan of Metallica I opted for the CD. The CD was delivered actually the day before the release date but I was rather disappointed when this was what I found in a thin envelope in our mailbox. The cover was broken, beat and well perhaps not scarred.

When that is said, I think Metallica has succeed here on two fronts with their new album. They have made very good record but they have also created a successful distribution model. Through Mission Metallica I have been able to see a couple of hours of video from the recording of the record, and download about 10 live concerts and four singles. All this before the record was released. I think this is the way to go to stop or at least to reduce piracy. Provide something extra to the ones who pay. When providing something extra, they also make more money. The record was a bit more expensive than a normal CD (30 Euros as compared to a normal price of 18-25 for a new record) and by releasing material over the Internet, Metallica has managed to create a buzz around the album. However the extra 10 Euros were well worth it. In particular the live material is priceless.

For the future I think I will go for digitally distributed movies, games and music. If the provider offers backup I do not have to fear broken CDs and covers, and I do not have to reserve several meters of dusty shelf space to the covers.

To build a good HTCP you would want a PC with a decent storage, capable of high definition (HD) video playback. It should look good in your living room, be small, slim and silent and have a high WAF rating. Most modern computers with an integrated graphic chip coupled with a CPU with low power requirements are able to do the job. Low power requirements mean limited heat which again means no or only very few fans for cooling. Platforms based on AMD’s 780 or Nvidias GeForce 8300 based chipsets have for these reasons been popular.

A gaming rig should produce as many polygons as possible per second. To do this you need a very power hungry CPU and GPU. Power means heat, and to move this heat away from the CPU and the GPU you will need large coolers and a lot of fans. This combined with the fact that most graphics cards are quite long you would want a quite large case for this gaming computer.

For fans there are some simple rules. The larger the fan is the more hot air does it move per second. The higher the velocity of the fan is the more air does it move per second but the noise will rise to unbearable levels.

Requirements

So let us look at the requirements for a HTPC/Gaming computer. I’ll start with the one which are absolute. Since I have a girlfriend it has to look good! Looking good would in this case mean black (to match the other equipment), small and probably shiny.

Second, it should be powerful enough to run modern PC games at resolutions up to 1920*1080. This would include a large and hot graphics card which requires cooling and a pretty deep case. I will also need a decent CPU which would require good cooling. Big tower coolers like TRUE could reach up 160mm but they could be fitted with one or two 120mm fans.

Third, it should be silent. This would include water cooling or really big coolers and several large fans at low velocity. Water cooling would have been fun but it is a bit expensive and I don’t really bother right now. Since I am no millionaire it cannot be too expensive either.

To sum up, it should be a large good looking case which looks small and has room for large coolers, large fans, long graphics cards and a couple of hard drives. Most HTPC cases are small so it is a bit of a challenge to find something which matches all these requirements. However, after searching the web for a long time I found some candidates. And the nominees are:

Antec Fusion 430 Black

This case looks great, uses two 120mm fans for cooling, the critics are great and the price is quite good (about 1200 NOK = 150€). Unfortunately, a bit too small (445mm (W) x 146mm (H) x 414mm (D)) for my planned PC.

Review:

• Bjorn3d
• Silentpcreview
• Tomshardware
• 3dGameMan (if you can call these reviews )

Antec Performance One P182

Another case from Antec. I really love this one, it costs less than 1000 NOK (125€), it is big (520mm (H) x 210mm (W) x 510mm (D)) and has a lot of space for hardware, coolers and five 120mm fans. Unfortunately it is a tower, not a desktop case. If I was looking for a pure gaming rig I would have gone for this one but since it has to fit in the living room it is a no go.

Reviews:

• Bjorn3d
• Silentpcreview

Silverstone CW02

This case is another beauty, at least in my eyes. It is quite tall (435 mm (W) x 225mm (H) x 440 mm (D)) and a large cooler should fit inside. It has quite large fans with one 120mm fan and two 92mm fans. Unfortunately it got a pretty low WAF rating, it is a bit expensive (3800 NOK = 450€) and it could be a problem to fit long graphics cards so was not a winner.

Reviews

• XtremeComputing
• 3dGameMan

Silverstone LC-20

This case has room for in total two 92mm and three 80mm fans. It is fairly large (430 mm (W) x 170 mm (H) x 430 mm (D)) but neither really large coolers nor long graphics cards would fit. It got an overall good WAF rating and the price is attractive (about 1000/1500 NOK or 125/200€ without/with the LCD ). However, there is something to it which I did not like. 80mm fans are perhaps a bit small and there is not plenty of room inside of it.

Reviews

• DevHardware
• DreamWare Computers

Lian Li PC-C32B

This is the case I selected. It is no way near flawless but it is a decent compromise. It is very deep (426mm (W) x 167mm (H) x 530mm (D)) which would allow long graphics cards, and standard ATX motherboards and power supplies to enter. It has room for two 120mm and one 80mm fans. Coolers up to 140mm should enter according a very helpful forum user at hw.no . The fans should according to some reviews be replaced with some, less nosier ones. The fact that the case is pretty deep is also somewhat of a problem because it will take a lot of space in the living room. Hopefully this will not be too much of a problem. The price was about 1700 NOK (210€). It looks great (without the rack mount handles) and it got a very good WAF rating.

I am eagerly waiting for it to arrive in the mail tomorrow or one of the next few days and I will probably post some images when I get my hands on it. Having decided on the case it only remains to decide on all the other parts of the PC …

Reviews

• XSReviews
• Visual-Hideout
• CaseUmbau (in German)

Some Case Providers

I found several other nice cases when searching for this one and I recommend you to check out the following if you are looking for a HTPC case yourself.

• 3RSystem
• Antec
• Chieftec
• Lian Li
• OrigenAE
• Silverstone
• Thermaltake
• Zalman

My all time favorite dansband “The Metallicats” are about to release a new album in September. They are furthermore having a concert in Bergen, Norway tomorrow night. Expectations for both the concert and the new album are relatively high after listening to some of the new material they have released at http://missionmetallica.com. I would recommend any fan to have a look at the site for their new record. It is most likely set up to help them make even more money but it is fun to see some behind the scene stuff and listen to the old concert recordings they give you for free.

Even though I like the way the Metallicats inlay from Garage Inc make fun of all the other ugly album covers, I hope the album cover is somewhat different. I am looking forward to new heavy riffs and plenty of new solos on Death Magnetic which can be pre-ordered now (from Platekompaniet here in Norway). Metallica has also announced that you can play the entire album through the console game Guitar Hero III on release day.