Here we take a look at CD rippers. Music streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify have extension libraries of tracks that are growing pretty much by the day. But however large the collections may be, no streaming service has everything, and there is a reasonable chance that you have a number of physical CDs that are simply not available to stream.
What can you do in these circumstances? You could resign yourself to enjoying to the vast majority of your music online, but crack open the CD collection whenever you want to listen to something that's not available on your chosen service. Alternatively, you could rip the contents of your physical CDs into digital files that can be stored on your hard drive -- or in the cloud -- so everything you love is accessible form your computer without the need for physical media.
In this roundup, we take a look at the best CD rippers you can use to extract tracks from your physical collection and create a digital library. You have a great deal of control over the ripping process, no matter which tool you opt for, with options including automatically grabbing track data from the internet to save you having to manually name files. You can also choose from a variety of file formats, from the ever-popular MP3 to the lossless FLAC.
A word of caution: the legality of CD rippers varies around the world. In some countries there are no issues with creating copies of discs you own, while in others this is not permitted. Check, and processed with caution!
(opens in new tab)Are CD rippers legal?
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Although every Windows PC comes with software for backing up discs, using CD rippers isn't legal everywhere. For example, in 2014, UK copyright law was changed to make legalize personal backups, but that decision was overturned by the High Court in 2015. Make sure you check out intellectual property law in your country before you start ripping.
1. Exact Audio Copy
The best free CD ripper for Windows if you have time to invest in the setup
Usually we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to software, with dozens of programs approaching the same task from different angles. When it comes to CD rippers, however, there are only two programs we recommend – one free, and one premium (but still reasonably priced).
Exact Audio Copy (opens in new tab) is the free option, and it's so good, many audiophiles prefer it to paid-for CD rippers. It takes a while to set up, so we've put together a full guide to get you started.
EAC employs a technology called AccurateRip, which uses data from users around the world to detect whether your rips are totally free from errors. No CD or DVD drive is perfect, and many will insert periods of silence into audio tracks where errors occur, so this verification is essential for making 1:1 copies of your discs.
EAC can also find metadata for your music from four different sources (complete with album art), rename files automatically, and normalize audio as it's processed. If you have the time to invest, you couldn't wish for more in a CD ripper.
- Exact Audio Copy (opens in new tab)
2. dbPowerAmp
A premium CD ripper that makes archiving and encoding music a breeze
dBpoweramp (opens in new tab) is a premium CD ripper (a license for a single PC costs $39/£31/AU$39), but you can try it free for 21 days to make sure it's the tool for you before buying.
dBpoweramp's main advantage over Exact Audio Copy is its clear interface, which helps simplify the process of ripping your discs. Otherwise, it’s very similar; it uses the same AccurateRip technology to ensure your files are as close as possible to the original CD, scanning and re-scanning for errors, and comparing the results with data from other users.
dBpoweramp uses all your CPU cores simultaneously for the fastest possible encoding, and can encode to multiple formats at once, saving you the effort of converting files for playback on other devices.
dBpoweramp also includes an audio converter, with batch support for encoding files en masse – very useful if you need copies in a different format for a new device, or your everyday playback files have become lost or damaged.
- dBpoweramp (opens in new tab)
- The best free DVD rippers
