How can I convert Music CD's to MP3 for the Axim?

st1775 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 09:56 AM

Is there an mp3 converter for the Axim5. I tried using Easy CD Crater to convert a music cd to mp3's so that I can save them on to my pocket pc but the compression wasn't good. By the time I was done I had a 51meg file, that's only one cd. I do have a 128meg Cf, but trying to go for the best compression Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

st

DarkEmerald · #2 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 12:28 PM

I've been using Audiograbber's free trial version. It works great and I'm satisfied with the compression and the resulting sound.

Be sure to follow the Guided Tour--it's really useful.

Good luck.

JTMoney · #3 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 12:36 PM

You should be able to get very nice MP3s that work out to about 1 MB per minute of music. So a 3 minute song should be about 3MB. Not sure what's going on with the 51MB file you mentioned...that sounds like a WAV file, not a MP3 file.

The typical process is: 1) rip CD to WAV format, 2) convert WAV to MP3. By "rip" I mean "read". Once the files are in MP3 format, the WAV files are deleted. WAV files can be very large.

A 128MB CF card should get you 2 hours or more of recordings, depending on your bitrate. Typical bitrates for encoding MP3 are 128K and higher. This is known as constant bit rate, or CBR. You can also use variable bit rate, which is a special type of encoding where the bitrate differs depending on the tonal qualities of the music.

So, in a VBR (variable bit rate) MP3, it might be 120K at the beginning when it is quiet, and then go as high as 360K in the middle of the song during the loud or complex parts, then back down again. A CBR MP3 will be 128K or some other bit rate for the whole song. Which you choose is up to you. Personally, I find that VBR files give me the best sound quality at the best compression.

I'm not sure about the playback software available for MP3 on the PocketPC, but you should at least be able to listen to 128K MP3 files.

You can't do ripping and encoding on your Axim..you would do that on your PC, then copy the files to your Axim. There are a bunch of different programs to do that: AudioGrabber, MusicMatch Jukebox, and more.

JT$

st1775 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 12:28 AM

Thank you all for your help.
JTMoney thanks for taking it a step further and explaining it to me. Hopefully i'll have luck with the compression using one of the programs you've listed above.

st

Computer Ninja · #5 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 12:56 AM

JTMoney is as good as they come.

opus1971 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-13-2003, 12:01 PM

I use an old copy of MusicMatch on my PC to rip CD's straight to mp3 format. It has all the bells and whistles that I need and it ripps really fast. I think its in version 7 or 8 but I still use 6 with no issues.

dj'saxim · #7 (**permalink**) 03-13-2003, 02:18 PM

Based upon messages from this thread, I tried AUDIOGRABBER but had no success getting it to function properly. I had tried other programs as well with mixed success. Yesterday I downloaded MUSICMATCH (freeware) and had an easy time ripping my own CD's directly to MP3 format. They work fine with the existing Windows Media Player on my AXIM. The free version doesn't have all the bells and whitles of the upgrade version or AUDIOGRABBER but it works well and is about as straight forward as it gets...no need to do 2 stage rip & reformatting. No need to find additional plug-ins or programs etc.

JTMoney · #8 (**permalink**) 03-13-2003, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dj'saxim@Mar 13 2003, 02:18 PM
Based upon messages from this thread, I tried AUDIOGRABBER but had no success getting it to function properly. I had tried other programs as well with mixed success. Yesterday I downloaded MUSICMATCH (freeware) and had an easy time ripping my own CD's directly to MP3 format. They work fine with the existing Windows Media Player on my AXIM. The free version doesn't have all the bells and whitles of the upgrade version or AUDIOGRABBER but it works well and is about as straight forward as it gets...no need to do 2 stage rip & reformatting. No need to find additional plug-ins or programs etc.

Sounds good.....sorry for the bogus pointer to Audio Grabber. Not only do I not own an Axim, I use Linux for ripping and encoding. Double whammy on my end.

JT$

Phil Dx · #9 (**permalink**) 03-13-2003, 06:28 PM

If it's 'small' files you're after use Windows Media Player (V 9 is out and a free download) then use it to encode directly from CD to .WMA format at 64 kbps. These will be as small as you can go while retaining any kind of audio fidelity.

1Mb/minute is about right for MP3s, so a normal CD could well be 51Mb, it still beats 650Mb!

dj'saxim · #10 (**permalink**) 03-14-2003, 09:00 PM

JT-$,

I have no problem with your AUDIOGRABBER recommendation. As long as you find it suits your needs then it's worth a recommendation. Just because I had trouble with it shouldn't dissuade others from trying it...it has alot of bells and whistles. I'm not always the most adept at getting software to work at first. I'm also a novice in the MP3 world...my AXIM is the first device I've had that has me wanting/needing to convert my own discs

-DJ.