Date: 16.04.26
I submitted one of my assessments yesterday and I had a class in the morning. What better way to spend my afternoon than ripping my CDs? Ok first, let’s prepare the workspace. Move the nightstand over… take dad’s Sony CD/ DVD reader…
I ripped my early CD collection and 6 Michael Jackson CDs that I sold. It was a dread to rip CDs which is why I was putting it off.
My CD ripping journey started with Windows Media Player which is now unsupported. I meticulously edited the audio file’s artist, title and cover. I then changed to ‘Exact Audio Copy’ which was an upgrade, but still a pain. It read MOST metadata and since I barely rip CDs, I uninstalled EAC. This time, I went to the trusty Reddit to see other CD ripping application and ‘dBpoweramp’ was highly recommended with 21 days trial. IT IS A LIFE CHANGER! Automatic categorisation, accurate metadata retrieval and automatic album cover. I wish this was an ad, but it saved so much time for me!
What did I do in my spare time? I was fixing the bot’s mistake labelling Tyler, the Creator as “Tyler” featuring “the Creator”. Just fixing this mistake was enough to re-traumatise. WHY DID THAT TAKE ME SO LONG!? I feel so electronically illiterate because I did not know to link MusicBee to my music file. I’m listening to Erykah Badu as I’m typing this blog, so I figured it out eventually. Ripping CDs felt more like a Friday activity. This morning I wore my Wednesday undies and by the afternoon, I was convinced that it’s Friday.
Since you are here, I want to talk about using your collection. There are so much fear surrounding preserving collectables, so they are treated more as decoration and trophies. Play the goddamn CD! Open the case, scratch it a little, struggle to put the disc in and enjoy the thing. What is the point of spending so much money to be cautious and fearful of it? Rip the goddamn CD, play it in your car, let it warp a little but at least you don’t have to listen to “what is a skibidi moment you had” on the radio. I buy brand-new CDs in the op-shop/ thrift stores, glue the new CD in my junk journal and stick my beloved used CD in. What are you going to do about it? At least I ripped all of my CDs!