Exact Audio Copy

[zridling]

Describing Exact Audio Copy, its [German!] author, Andre Wiethoff, writes on his website:
I wrote this software because I am fed up with other audio grabbers. I always had to listen to every grabbed wave because other audio grabbers only do jitter correction while CD-ROM drives reading scratched CDs often produce distortions. Listening to every wave is a waste of time. So in March I decided to write my own audio grabber, mainly for my friends and my personal use. That said, if you don't like this software — don't use it! I don't want to make any profit from it. I just want to use (and share) the best grabber ever programmed (in my eyes this is the most exact grabber). Most important for me is getting feedback from users.

         

In a nod to Ed Bott who corrected another author on lossless audio formats, he writes: In fact, every time you rip a CD using a consumer-grade tool, you’re probably getting less-than-perfect copies. If you’re just making copies for your portable music player, this might be no big deal, but if you’re an audiophile exchanging copies of live performances, it’s hugely important.... The solution? Try Exact Audio Copy. This postcard-ware program is an audiophile’s dream. Used in secure mode, it makes copies that are as close to perfect as you can get.

Exact Audio Copy is donationware (or postcardware) and well worth exploring if you spend a lot of time converting and sharing audio collections. Check it out, and if you have used it, tell us what you like or don't like about it!

[mouser]

a must have app, no doubt about it.

[Nighted]

I'm going to mention AccurateRip which can be used in tandom with EAC: http://www.accuraterip.com/

This plugin, once dialed in properly with a reference disc, can compare your rip with an online database of other error free results so you can be assured there are no audio defects present.

Also, if Jackie over at Audiograbber ever gets his new version out, it too is supposed to support AccurateRip.

[mouser]

Here are some more comments from Andre from his web site:

"using the program will cost you no money, but a nice picture postcard from your hometown or a beautiful countryside nearby (perhaps it will also be possible to use a nice stamp for sending the postcard). "

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/eac5.html

IMPORTANT:
one of the best things we could ever do at donationcoder.com is help to encourage a community where we show appreciation to freeware/donationware developers.  it is so important that we all go that extra step and not be lazy and take the time to tell freeware/opensource/donationware authors that we appreciate what they are doing.

so if you use exact audio copy, send andre a postcard or email and let him know you appreciate what he is doing!!!!  Emails of thanks from users really do make a difference - they really do make an author feel good about what he/she is doing.  It's not a meaningless gesture, it really does make a difference.  A postcard can make someone's day.


wouldn't it be amazing if it came to be known that people who frequent donationcoder.com were some of the most active supporters of good software, that we not only appreciate the quality of a program, but the quality and kindness and care of the authors of these programs, and not just acknowledged such programs, but took the time to show our appreciation, in whatever form we can, whether its emails of support, postcards, donations, writing short reviews on software announcement sites, etc?

I think we should really explore this idea more, the idea of having a kind of code/philosophy of supporting good authors.
Maybe some set of ideas we can all agree on and try to live up to, that would involve supporting companies who are doing good stuff in a kind and generous way.

[Nighted]

I've got a postcard from Khaled (mIRC) on my fridge. He's actually the first I think to actually send ME a postcard! lol

But yeah, I agree. I've done this a few times myself and I often, at the very least email, the people behind the software I use to thank them for their hard work. Nothing like a little appreciation!

Another way I try to help is by offering suggestions and finding and reporting bugs. I'd donate more if I wasn't too lazy to set up a paypal account

[Aragorn]

Hello!

Yes, in fact. Most times software authors only get mails where they are told that a feature is not working as they expect, either because of a bug, or because the user don't understand fully the function. Anyway, getting several mails of that kind each day is wearisome. So I really enjoy the mails which are just telling that somebody like the program.   
So, I just want to thank everybody who just brighten up my life by giving their encouragement or a little donation! 
I think that this is a great forum to point out the fact, that also programmers are just people, who can be frustrated (or sometimes in good mood  )...

All the best,

Andre

[mouser]

andre, it's great to see you here posting - on behalf of everyone who uses eac here, thank you for such a great program.

[f0dder]

I personally prefer plextools to EAC, it seems to do a better job (especially for those annoying protected CDs) - but EAC is a very decent tool nonetheless. I use it for generating cuesheets for my plex-ripped audio

[wr975]

But PlexTools is working for Plextor drives only. True?

I heard there some parameters you can pass to EAC so it'll bypass protection, like loading the first session only. Not sure if that's true. I don't buy protected CDs so I can't test.

[f0dder]

But PlexTools is working for Plextor drives only. True?

As far as I know, yes. The plextor drives + firmware appearantly has some additional "goodies". I tend to get higher ripping speeds (without errors) when ripping with plextools than EAC anyway

I heard there some parameters you can pass to EAC so it'll bypass protection, like loading the first session only. Not sure if that's true. I don't buy protected CDs so I can't test.

I didn't have much success with EAC on a copy protected CD, but that's a while back - there's been at least one or two EAC releases since that. Plextools does have support for "only load first session", and while rip speed does decrease due to the CD format violations some of these protections use, the results seem good.