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How do I rip an Audio CD to MP3?

Introduction.

MP3 is known to be a 'lossy' audio format, but that doesn't stop it from being popular. Yes, compression somewhat reduces the quality, but most people aren't able to recognize the loss, especially with average speakers and sound systems. On the other hand, MP3 files are small and easy to handle, most players are ready to play them (including iPods, Zune, Creative players etc.). You may want to rip your CDs to MP3 format if you work much on your computer, or just to transfer some music to your portable player.

For ripping you can use some multifunctional converters, like AudioConverter Studio. However, specialized solutions are also available. We will consider Power CD to MP3 Maker - a simple Audio CD ripper that supports all necessary functions, including CDDB data retrieval.

Step 1: Download and install the program.

Download Power CD to MP3 Maker to a known location. Run setup and follow on-screen instructions to install the application.

Step 2: Start the program. Select your CD/DVD drive.

Launch Power CD to MP3 Maker. The following window will appear:

Set the CD drive you want to use for ripping

Click "Options" button on the toolbar. In the new window, select "CD Setting" tab. From the dropdown list, select the CD/DVD drive that you intend to use for ripping.

Select your CD drive from the dropdown menu

If there is only one CD/DVD drive on your computer, you can skip this step: your drive will be detected automatically.

Step 3: Insert your Audio CD. Set up MP3 quality.

If you haven't inserted the Audio CD you want to rip yet, it's time to do that.

As next, click "MP3" tab in the settings window (already closed it? click "Options" on the toolbar - see above).

Set MP3 quality

Here you can set up quality for the output files. The program's defaults are shown on the screen shot above, but you may want to change them. I recommend to use at least 192 Kbit/s for bitrate, if you rip music.

Click "OK" to save your settings and to close the window.

Now the program should show tracks of your Audio CD.

Start ripping

If your computer is connected to the internet, the program will fetch information about titles, artist etc. If no such information is shown, just click "Free DB" button on the toolbar to search again. If you see absolutely nothing (the list is empty), click "Refresh", or restart the program.

You can set an output folder in the lower part of the window by clicking "Browse".

The trial version rips a limited number of tracks.

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