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In 2008 sales of CDs topped over 132 million units. Just ten years later, sales plummeted by 100 million down to around 32 million. Recording technology continues to evolve from vinyl to magnetic tape to CDs and other digital formats. CDs are on their way to becoming a niche product like vinyl and audio cassette tapes.

As you know, CDs are not permanent. They can get scratched, broken, stolen, or lost. Backing up your prized CD collection by using a CD ripping service is the best way to protect your favorite music.

What is CD Ripping?

If you’re not familiar with CD ripping a.k.a. “Digital Audio Extraction,” it’s the process of  converting and transferring raw digital audio content, typically from a CD to a USB drive in the form of a digital audio format such as an MP3 file. The CD ripper can either be in the form of a hardware device or  specialized software. 

Ripping is different from copying a CD because the extracted files are converted and compressed with appropriate codecs. Codecs is a program or device that compresses data and decompresses the received data to enable faster transmission.

After your CDs have been ripped, the songs can be transferred onto a computer or saved to various devices. You can  arrange the songs into playlists and manipulate the titles as you wish. Your large CD collection has been condensed into one easily managed device.

How to Use Our CD Ripping Service

Classic Memories is a leader in CD ripping services. We make it easy and convenient to copy and archive your entire CD collection by converting your audio discs into the latest digital audio files such as MP3, WAV, and others. 

The beauty of our CD ripping service is that once we supply you with the digital files on a USB or external drive, you can save your music  to your phone, tablet, or e-Cloud. Since everything is digitized, you can listen to your collection in your car via your phone, the car’s USB port, or an in-home audio system.

To get started, visit our CD Ripping Service page. We’ll ask you five questions.

1. How many audio CDs do you need to convert?
2. Which audio file format do you prefer?
3. What is the Stereo Bit Rate?
4. Will you supply a storage drive?  If not, we have them available for purchase.
5. Will you mail, drop off or have us pick up your collection?

Don’t worry. It’s not a quiz. Each question has a dropdown list with answers, and you can always contact us with any questions.

We know that not everyone is an audio geek (like us). If some of the options to these questions seem a bit confusing, here are some explanations to help you.

The Difference Between Audio File Formats

We can rip CDs into one of five formats based on your playback system or preference. Here is a non-technical explanation for each:

1. MP3 – This acronym stands for MPEG Audio Layer-3. It’s a way to compress audio data so that it “fits” into a small area like a CD and transfers faster.
2.  AAC – AAC is a MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding file. Apple’s iTunes uses the AAC as its default encoding for their brand of music files.
3. WMA – Windows developed the Windows Media Audio format to compete with MP3’s and Apple’s AAC.
4. WMA Lossless (470 to 940 Kbps) – Also a Windows development, WMA Lossless provides the highest quality for ripping audio CDs using the WMA format.
5. WAV Lossless (1411.2 Kbps) – The highest Kbps, but this format takes more space.

The type of format you need depends on your playback equipment. For example, iTunes can’t play FLAC, and some players are not compatible with WAV metadata. 

If you’re not sure, we’ll advise you on the right format when you contact us for a Free Consultation.

A Bit About Bitrate

Another option to consider is stereo bitrate. A bit is one piece of data, and the bitrate is the amount of data that a device can process. For audio, we measure this as kilobits per second or Kbps. 

For example, if you listen to your music on iTunes, it is 256 Kbps. That means it takes 256 kilobits of data to play every second of music. Bit rates range from a low of 96 to as much as 1411.2 Kbps. We offer six stereo bit rates of 128, 192, 256, 320, 470 to 940, and 1411.2 Kbps. 1411.2 is the highest quality we offer and the best choice for large files.

How Much Space Do You Need?

To determine how much space you need to rip your CD collection, you’ll need to know two things, the number of albums and the type of format into which you want to convert. 

Here’s the approximate amount of space you’ll need to convert 500 CDs depending on the format:

• AAC – 75GB
• MP3 – 75GB
• WAV – 320GB

Visit our order page to see the options and help answer your questions. Since it’s vital to get everything right the first time, it’s best if you contact us for a Free Consultation. You can rest easy knowing that your audio CD collection is backed up and secure wherever you decide to keep it.