Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Flash · Posted: Thu 26 Apr 2012, 23:31 Post subject:

Plinej doesn't seem to be around any more. I hope someone who knows more than I do about these things can give me an answer.

First I need to describe what I use Pcdripper for. I use it to convert audio books on CD to mp3, so I can listen to them while I work. Audio books average probably 6~8 CDs, though some are as big as 35 CDs. Shocked

When converting audio book CDs to mp3, I can't tell any difference between 32 kbps mono and the original CD, so I convert all audio books to 32 kbps mono and fit several of them on my mp3 player.

For what I use it for, I like Pcdripper better than Asunder because Pcdripper allows me to convert to 32 kbps mono and Asunder doesn't. Pcdripper's 32 kbps mono files are about half the size of the smallest (lowest quality) Asunder files made from the same CD. Also, Pcdripper is sometimes much faster at ripping (more on that later.)

So, to my questions:

First, I'd like to find a way to make my Pcdripper settings permanent. Right now, I have to reclick about 6 settings every time I put in a new CD to be converted. All the settings except one remain the same for every CD that makes up a book, so I'd like to fix Pcdripper so that the only thing I have to do after I load the next CD is enter its number in the sequence and click "rip."

Second, can anyone give me any idea why Pcdripper sometimes takes only about 3 minutes to rip and convert a CD to mp3, while other times it takes about twice as long? I've noticed that when it takes longer, Pcdripper rips a track from the CD, then stops ripping and waits until the track has been converted to mp3 before ripping the next track on the CD. However, when it only takes 3 minutes or so to rip and convert a CD, ripping seems to be continuous, with converting going on simultaneously.

I've found that whether Pcdripper is in continuous rip or intermittent rip, it continues to do it the same way until I reboot Puppy. I should mention that I run Puppy from a multisession DVD and only save to the DVD if I've changed a setting or installed a program that I want to keep.

In case it might be some help, here are the commands that Pcdripper executes when it's in continuous rip mode:

zigbert · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 5241 Location: Valåmoen, Norway

I hope you get the help you request, but if you doesn't succeed with PcdRipper, You might want to test the ripping function in Pmusic. It is also indirectly based on lame via ffmpeg, so the memory usage shouldn't be any better/worse..... I guess.

It supports mono.

When it comes to remember the settings, I can do that for next release.

Flash · Posted: Fri 27 Apr 2012, 08:21 Post subject:

Thanks, I'll give the newest version of Pmusic a try soon. Smile

When I enter the first CD of the audio book, I can tell Pcdripper to put the number 1 as the start of the file numbering. That way, Pcdripper numbers all the mp3 files from the first CD starting with 101, then 102, 103 and so on to the last track of the first CD. (The CD specification limits the maximum number of tracks on a CD to 99.) The mp3 files from the second CD are numbered 201, 202 and so on. Pcdripper puts all the mp3 files from all the CDs that make up the book in the same directory. This works out perfectly for me.

zigbert · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 5241 Location: Valåmoen, Norway

Flash
Ok, there are 2 requests that are not yet in Pmusic.
1. Keep settings for output stream
2. User-defined 1. number in 'Add numbering'

BUT, before I do this, please check if the ripping work for you.

Sigmund

Flash · Posted: Fri 27 Apr 2012, 16:12 Post subject:

Okay, give me a few days. And thanks. Smile

zigbert · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 5241 Location: Valåmoen, Norway

Flash
Look here

Flash · Posted: Wed 02 May 2012, 18:23 Post subject:

Thanks.

grump · Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Posts: 65 Location: Melbourne, Oz

It would be nice if there was an option to make MS compliant files. (I hope I have not made a fool of myself by not finding such an option, and if so could a kind person advise me how to work it please?)

I've been using pcdripper for a while to rip music and audiobook cds mainly so I can copy the tracks to my Nokia N97mini phone and sometimes so I can play my bass along the music. My listening tests show it to be at least as good as EAC as far as quality of the ripped MP3 is concerned. In fact I like the resulting sound better. (Why worry about quality on a phone one might ask - well the N97mini has very good sound - better than iPod to my ears.)

However, I have a small problem with pcdripper - it sometimes writes files than my phone can't read, because of illegal characters such as a colon : in the file name. I use Nokia Suite under WinXP to transfer the files, and so Windows refuses to copy mal-named files. I can copy the files directly with Puppy, but it seems that the phone follows MS file naming rules. It looks to me as though pcdripper is using the track names it gets from cddb to make the file names.

I get around this by manually renaming the files in Puppy, and I've just found I can edit the script that the gui makes, but it would be nice if there was an option to make MS compliant files.

Using Slacko 5.3.7.1 atm, pcdripper is 3.9.3 and I'm using it on an old Toshiba A200 laptop.

plinej · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 1517

I just posted version 3.9.4. Give that a try and see if it works better for you. I didn't make an option for compliant files to be output but those special characters should be removed from the resulting files. Also, if you're ripping the full cd and using cddb_query you will get an edit box before the final execution of the script to change any of the meta data you wish.

Flash · Posted: Mon 19 Nov 2012, 08:34 Post subject:

Thanks plinej. It's nice to see you back. Smile

grump · Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Posts: 65 Location: Melbourne, Oz

Hi plinej -
Reporting back on how 3.9.4 went.

I first installed 3.9.4 without uninstalling 3.9.3 and tried one of the cds that resulted in bad filenames:

While it found the track details ok (see first attachment), the script it made (see 2nd attachment - remove the .zip) has no track info in it. The txt shows the scripts made by 3.9.4 and, after I went back to 3.9.3, the scripts that version made. 3.9.4 has no track info, while 3.9.3 does. You can see the dodgy : characters there.

Oh, in 3.9.4 if I also install the libcddb-1.3.2-i686 pet the CDDB INFO screen is empty. After uninstalling that .pet the info shows again.

Hope this helps.

plinej · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 1517

Alright, I'll get that fixed and upload a new version. Hopefully I'll be able to have something up in a few hours, if not it should be by Tuesday evening.

plinej · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 1517

So far I can't figure out where the problem is. It would make it easier for me to trouble shoot if you could zip your /root/.config/pcdripper/ directory and post it here. Zip the directory when the final script is displayed (before executing). It would make it even easier if you could post a version from 3.9.3 and a version from 3.9.4.