# Copying CDs to a computer



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Okay-I have resisted as long as possible and it seems I must give in. As a child of the 80's who can still recall when music CDs first came out, I have to join this new century and download over 400 CDs of the best music EVER into some sort of digital format. And I'd like to do it in a relatively short amount of time. 

From what I have read it might not be a bad idea to get an external hard drive and put the tunes there, but then I am lost. I don't know the differences between all the file options, (like wav. and mp3) but I want the sound to be great (I've got several copies of the same CD after they were "digitally remastered" and I can tell the difference). I know I do NOT want to do this in iTunes because I do not want 5000 songs on my phone and when I had an iPod I couldn't figure out how to work it anyway. 

And I want to keep all the songs on all the CDs even if I don't like them. I plan to keep the CDs so I'll have the liner notes-I just need to be able to listen to my music more readily. I just bought a cheap-o 5 disc changer with a dial radio tuner and it is junk so it's going back. IF I can figure out how to manage my music like I could in the 10th grade, I don't mind investing in a better system ... as I'd take music over TV ANYDAY! 

So where do I start? Is there an online tutorial on how to do this? Including how to find the tunes I want, as I have no idea how to recall all my music when I don't have the jewel case in front of me. 

I do not like change. This is going to be a pain - but I guess I have to evolve.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Or better yet ... is there a service that will do this for me? I know I am rarely paid for my time but I don't think this is the best use of it ... but it's important to me to have it done, you know? If I had the money back I've spent on CDs and fake fingernails in my day ... I'd own every goat farm in the state!


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## TMTex (Apr 5, 2013)

I haven't done this in ages, but I used to copy my music from CD to my hard drive. If you have Windows, you can use the built in Media Player to do it.

If you do, I'd strongly suggest using MP3 format. It's the standard for music players and if your car has a USB connection, it should be able to play it from a Flash Drive.

If your hard drive is large enough, you can use it. If not, you can use an external hard drive or a Flash Drive (Thumb Drive). 

Here's a step by step...

1. Open your Windows Media Player.

2. From the top menu, click on the RIP tab. A drop down menu will appear.

3. Move your cursor to hover over Format. Another drop down menu will appear.

4. Select mp3.

5. Click the RIP tab again. The drop down menu will appear.

6. Move your cursor to hover over Bit Rate. Another drop down menu will appear.

7. Select 320kbps. This is to make sure you have the best quality recording.

8. Click the RIP tab again. The drop down menu will appear.

9. Click on More Options. A pop up window will appear.

10. Under the RIP MUSIC tab, you can choose where the music will be saved by clicking the CHANGE button and entering the destination.

11. Insert your music CD and the process should start automatically. If it doesn't, make sure you're still in the RIP area of the media player (RIP Tab selected).


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Thank you. I went to Best Buy while I was out today and asked them if I needed anything additional on my computer to get this done-seems I don't. 

Guess this will be my cold weather project this year.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Okay-thank you again. 

This process was going a little faster than I expected so I dug around a bit and found the options to download as mp3 and at the speed you suggested. I also set up an automatic rip and automatic eject to keep me on task and not distracted by listening to the tunes while I should be creating the library!! Of course I should really be out picking green beans and here I sit inside on the computer in the cool house - pretending to be 15 years old again. I should have waited until winter to start this!


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

PrettyPaisley said:


> Okay-thank you again.
> 
> This process was going a little faster than I expected so I dug around a bit and found the options to download as mp3 and at the speed you suggested.


A bit rate of 320 is pretty high. I use 128 mp3s to make my CDs and the quality is good. Give 128 a try. It will save you a ton of disk space.


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## TMTex (Apr 5, 2013)

Nevada said:


> A bit rate of 320 is pretty high. I use 128 mp3s to make my CDs and the quality is good. Give 128 a try. It will save you a ton of disk space.


That's a good thought if disk space is a problem. I'm an audiophile and want as close to perfect sound as I can get, though. If you lower the bit rate to 128kbps, you might want to try it on a good quality stereo and compare the two. Some people can't tell much of a difference between the two and it can save a lot of space. It'll also speed the process up a little.

For me, I just grab another stack of flash drives when I need to. They're super cheap nowdays.


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