Archived from ListenSmart.com, November 3, 2003. Historical; not current advice. Software, prices and links are as they were then.
Source: Wayback Machine capture.
Windows Rippers
AudioGrabber Windows/95/98/NT Shareware-$25 Homepage |
AudioGrabber is an effective ripper that allows you to record music from an Audio CD digitally, rather than using the analog method. The digital recording process allows you to make higher-quality recordings because you are avoiding sending the audio through you computer's sound card. AudioGrabber's useful features include automatic music normalization, removal of silence from the start and/or end of tracks, and the ability to encode straight to MP3 format.
Note: The free shareware version has a limit on the number of tracks you can record from a CD, while the registered version does not.
AudioCatalyst Windows/95/98/NT Shareware-$29.95 Homepage | Download
AudioCatalyst has the ability to double as both your CD ripper and audio encoder. Essentially it is a combination of the popular ripper, AudioGrabber and Xing Technology's XingMP3 Encoder. In addition to being able to rip digitally, AudioCatalyst features CDDB support, the option to save as either a WAV or an MP3 file, manageable start and stop times, volume normalization, and variable bit rate encoding. Above all, Xing's Variable Bit Rate (VBR) encoding system produces higher quality sound and does so while creating a minimal sized file.
CDex Windows/95/98/NT Homepage | Download
CDex is a freeware ripper that performs basic ripping functions including CD to WAV, CD to MP3, or the WAV to MP3. Its simple, straightforward interface adds to its ease of use, and because it has the ISO-MP3 compression algorithm already built in, a Windows codec is not necessary.
Easy CD-DA Extractor Windows/95/98/NT Shareware-$30 Homepage |
The CD-DA Extractor executes digital extraction from audio CDs or DVDs into MP3, WAV, or RAW files. Using any audio compression manager (ACM), the digital audio can be compressed into a multitude of formats, including PCM, ADPCM, CCITT a-law/u-law, and MP3. It also has the ability to save and edit track names, play audio, and an enhanced sample rate converter.
WinDac Windows/95/98/NT Shareware-$21.69 Homepage | Download
The 1.48 Version of WinDAC32 (Digital Audio Copy) provides you with another option for ripping your audio CDs. Its features include a ripping speed selector, audio normalization, plug-in support, and a feature for ripping in the background. Also, with the ATAPI and SCSI CDROM drives, Windac has full drive control (play/ pause/ skip/ stop/ eject). Finally, for those interested, there is also a DOS version available.