How to create MP3 files from Audio CDs using Computer
A simple complete MP3 ripping guide / tutorial (© 2002-2008 www.susdorf.com)

Making mp3s from the Audio CDs is called ripping, and a programm that does it is called mp3 ripper.
We will learn how to rip with the software called CdEx on the example of CdEx version 1.50
An author tried to keep this tutorial as simple as possible, but with the goal to teach everyone how to create really good sounding high-quality mp3s. A user doesn't need to be an very experienced PC user, but does need to know the basci of working with a Windows-pc. So, this tutorial is simple, but not just quick-and-easy tutorial for dummies, ending up with teaching how to make low quality files.
After several people asked me to teach them how to make mp3 files, I've decided to write this tutorial to save my time and to provide more inforamtion to more people :-).

To make MP3s you need 3 things:

1. An audio-cd with music you want to have as mp3 files
2. A computer (PC) with CD-Rom drive and at least 900 Mb free space on the hard drive
3. A special programm: the mp3 ripper. There is a plenty of mp3 rippers available. I recommend a programm CdEx, it is free and very good. Download it for free here: http://www.cdex.n3.net

Now let us start:

• Now turn your PC on and insert and Audio CD in your CD-Rom Drive.
• Download CdEx 1.50 or further version here: http://www.cdex.n3.net and install it to the directory you want (we will call it further a CdEx directory, in my example on my computer it is C:\Programme\CDex_150).
• Make a directory "Local CDDB" in anywhere on you computer. (we will call it further a CDDB directory, in my example it is Z:\Local CDDB).
• Make a directory anywhere, where you want to have your mp3s (we will call it further a mp3 directory, in my example it is Z:\_BURNER MP3)

So, you have now an installed programm CdEx and 3 directories: CdEx directory, CDDB directory and a mp3 directory.

Now you MUST configure CdEx - you must do it only ONE TIME after the installation.

Configuration with screenshots, without comments.
A commented configuration description with the same screenshots.

Now let's rip! You see on the right side of CdEx many Buttons. We will use only few of them: MP3 button and maybe WAV and CDDB buttons:

When you run CdEx and insert any Audio CD for the first time, CdEx will look like this:
(NOTE: now some cds are made unreadable for PC, you can't rip these cds - blame the music industry if this is a case. They probably will not look like this...).

You see all the tracks on your CD in the CdEx window. All the tracks are selected as default, but you should select only the tracks you want to have as mp3 files. In my example I will rip all tracks.

Now let's get some information about your cd (song titles and other stuff).
Usually this information will be recieved from CDDB (which means Compact Disc Data Base)
There are 2 variants:

• Variant #1: you have an internet connection. Then - connect to the internet and press CDDB button. A dialogue window will apear. Wait until the computer will find information about your CD and dialogue window will be closed (or "No match found" message will apear), then you may disconnect from the internet. If "No match found" message appeared, you should type Artist, Title, Genre, Year manually and also give in all the track names (just rename, as you rename the files, "AudioTrack 01", "AudioTrack 02", etc to the titles of the songs #1, #2, etc on your audio cd). You can rip the CD without typing the informations, but I DEFINETLY recommend it! If you have recieved data from CDDB, but Artist, Title, Year, etc, is written wrong or not as you wish, feel free to edit anything you want before ripping.

  So does it looks like:

  CDDB dialog window

  CDDB dialog window with "No match found" message

• Variant #2: you are offline - that means that an internet connection is not available on your computer. Then it is VERY VERY recommended to write Artist, Title, Genre, Year manually and also give in all the track names (just rename, as you rename the files, "AudioTrack 01", "AudioTrack 02", etc to the titles of the songs #1, #2, etc on your audio cd).

I took for this example a CD from my collection, it is by the band VELVET UNDERGROUND. An album is called THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO, and it is a legendary ROCK album, year 1966! After this procedure (reading information from CDDB or writing it yourself) it should look this way:

And now let's rip!!! Just klick on the MP3 button, after all the tracks that you want to rip are selected, and wait some minutes long until CdEx is ready with the ripping. AND NOW THAT'S ALL. If you need WAV files (uncompressed and much bigger file sizes) instead of MP3s - for whatever reason - then just click on the WAV-Button instead of the MP3 Button.

Few notes:

• 45-70 minutes CD will be ripped nearly 15-45 minutes long
• 45-70 minutes CD will be ripped in 50-200 Mb mp3s (as more bitrate you set in the configuration, then bigger is the size of the files)
• You need usually 100 Mb till 1Gb free disc space for the ripping of one CD
• The ready MP3 files will appear in your mp3 directory
• A good and popular software player for mp3s is WinAmp. You can download a free version from here: www.winamp.com

PS: There are many other mp3 rippers and many opinions about the configuration, bitrates, filenames, etc. I am sure, that this configuration and this software will work good to create properly named and high quality mp3s. Certainly, all the settings and recommendations in thsi tutorial are very subjektiv, but they were tested and optimized years long by myself.

PPS: As far as I know, the ripping of a copyright-protected audio cd to mp3 is only then legal, when you buy an original cd and make mp3s for your private use. If you want to be sure about the legal part - please check the laws of your country.

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