You probably have some ripping and burning softwear on your computer, if you have one. Let us know if you do.
My first bit of advice is to buy quality cd-rs (Taiyo Yuden - made in Japan [the Japan part is important] or MAM-A [Mitsui]). You can buy these in large quantities on line at good prices.
Once burned, store them in an opaque container. Light will destroy them over time. |
I am sure you have a computer, buy a large external hard drive and download iTunes from Apple.com (free).
use a search engine to learn how to path your iTunes library to the hard drive (v easy actually, so don't sweat it), set your iTunes to rip all CD's to AppleLossless files.
Then, just start loading your CD's one at a time. iTunes will prompt you on all of it. Soon you will have all of your music in bascially the same format as your CD's. If you buy a good DAC to decode the files, it will sound every bit as good, or better, than any CD player. |
LaCie network drive should allow you to save all your CD collection from your Mac or PC using iTunes or other ripping software. Then you can decide to provide the spouse with a duplicate copy or split the CDs. Computer Audiophile is a good site to get you started. Are you splitting up the stereo system? |
Since you stated you wanted to do this right, there's a couple things you should look into, and I'll list them here briefly:
1. A RAID storage, preferably network attached so it doesn't have to attach directly to your computer or player (they're noisy). Ex. Netgear ReadyNAS
2. A CD burner. Plextor is a good model, although any name brand would do (it's not important which one, as long as it works).
3. A CD ripping software. Exact Audio Copy (EAC) is, by consensus, the best one.
4. A music management software. There are many, both free and not free, although that isn't an indication of quality. Ex. ITunes, Foobar2000, J. Rivers, Media Monkey
5. USB/DAC to connect your laptop to your system.
So what do you do with all this? Easy, in one sentence: EAC rips the CD through the Plextor CD burner, then stores the music in .WAV or .FLAC lossless format into the ReadyNAS RAID storage device, which could be accessed by your music management software and played back through a USB/DAC. |
CD-nap them run across state lines and never look back! |
I am sorry to hear that you and your wife are going to divorce.
Given that the "reasonable usage" rules that the people assume makes copying for one's own use acceptable do not generally extend to making copies for one's friends, or to making copies so that you can continue to listen to the music AND give the discs away (whoever does the ripping)... I could not recommend most of the advice above.
One way to split it might be to have one person split the collection into two parts and have the other person choose which 'half' to take first. Depending on the emotion involved, it could be advantageous to be doing the splitting.
OTOH, if you were doing some ripping of discs you owned for the convenience of setting up a music server, many of the suggestions above are good ones. |
What Macdadtexas said. It seems complicated but it's really not that hard. If you got yourself a mac mini and a hard drive you could rip all the music within a few weeks time and then let your wife keep the CDs. Hard drives are so cheap now days that you should back up your collection. Get an extra one and copy your whole drive once you get done ripping. Itunes is so easy to use and it sounds better I think than any CD player I've used and I've had some pretty good ones. I'm very happy with my digital sound and I am using a Mac mini and a 600.00 USB hard drive. |
Go the mac mini route. It is faster and more stable. Best your wife pay you for the cds via buying you the mac mini. Otherwise, buy her the mini and you keep the cd's. I would not value the actual cds at more then $1 each. So, before going to a server solution, best you just do a mini. Used, it should be only about %500. |
Well, I guess all the above solutions cannot help the loss of the real CD collection. They all describe just the keeping of musical data - not the medium itself and all the memories coming with it. So I'd suggest you sit down and really sort out who's gonna get which. It might come down to a couple of CDs where it is impossible to compromise but in most cases you'll beable to give away or keep the respective CD. In the end both of you will have at least half of the common memories (if desired at all!) and it's a fair agreement. For the rest of the CDs go for a decent hard disc and iTunes as described above. I'd suggest to rip NOT data reduced!
All the best for both of you!
Tilmann |
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Take turns choosing original CD's to keep, once chosen make copies of the half that is not yours. Each gets half the originals and have copies.
A good quality blank CD burned at a slow speed on a decent burner can equal the original. |
the value or worth is in the original purchased copies. |
Take the CD's and run....and never look back. |
You should buy her an inexpensive computer with a large hard drive and you and she could load all of the CDs into iTunes. It will take awhile and maybe you two will make up in the meantime. |
Like T-bone, I too can not recommend copying the music.
I find this thread quite ironic. By recommending a method to copy music, aren't we biting the very hand that feeds us?
As an amateur musician, perhaps I'm a bit sensitive to this topic. Fortunately, I don't have to rely on the sales from my performances or product to support my family. |
I am sorry to hear about your divorce. You and your wife bought your cd collection with your own earned money I see no problem in ripping half the collection for each other. Once you own it, you own it! I do not believe you intend to share it with the public as you seem to be a bit behind the times when it comes to media servers, hardware and software etc. I too suggest mac mini using EAC or Media Monkey for transfer onto a large hard drive and passing the digital signal to a quality DAC. Best of luck to you both. |
Thanks for all the suggestions.I am a little smarter and certainly will start doing my homework.
There is no chance of kissing and making up.
We have mutually agreed on the division of everything except the cd collection.Our music tastes are identical so "you take what you like and I take what I like " will not work.
It took several years and thousands of $$$$$ to piece that collection together.We do not have any children so the cd collection became our "pride and joy" providing thousands of hours of listening pleasure.
As I stated my knowledge with ripping or copying music is very limited if not nil.
I have never owned a MP3 player ..IPOD ..whatever ...always paying for the cd..over a thousand.
If it was not for the break-up ripping or copying music would never have entered my mind.
So Pgawan2b cut me some slack .To date I have put alot of money into that hand.
Does it make copying music right ..NO...
Does it allow two close to retiring music lovers the chance to continue to enjoy something that took years to assemble...YES.....
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Thefalls1117,
It's not simply a moral question of what is right or wrong...it's a legal issue - Copyright Act. If you do physically possess the software copy CD, then you are allowed to make copies for "fair use" for personal use by yourself. The Act stipulates it is illegal to make copies for others to use whether for profit or not.
Why don't you set up a visitation swap arrangement with the "X"?
Peace,
Lou |
If you're retiring go get yourself a killer hifi system and give up the CD collection.
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"If you do physically possess the software copy CD, then you are allowed to make copies for "fair use" for personal use by yourself."
I don't see the problem. Since they are currently married, they jointly own the cd collection and that ownership should extend to copies made for their personal use. After the divorce, I can't imagine any court ruling that one party should keep both copy and original because of copyright infringement. |
my point has been missed. her attorney is going to split the 'property'...'the real items'....taking a picture of the dog, photocopying books or burning cd's means nothing. split 'em and be done with it.'...except for the dog of course. |
OK then both of you read, His Needs Her Needs, by Willard F. Harley, Jr. and then kiss and make up. |
"I can't imagine any court ruling that one party should keep both copy and original because of copyright infringement."
One does indeed need an imagination to conjure up a scenario where a court would get involved. However, even though it is almost certainly a moot point, I cannot resist the urge to point out that a properly informed court considering the matter of copyright infringement would easily, instantly, absolutely, certainly, definitely, finally, unambiguously, and correctly conclude that copies possessed by one ex-spouse of CDs owned by the other ex-spouse are an infringement of the copyright holder's rights.
Ahhh, I feel better now. Rip 'em anyway. dB Poweramp is excellent, and I find it much easier to use than EAC (not as easy as iTunes, though) |
Der, I had this dark feeling that I was wrong even as I was writing. It's just that...well, you know. |
Thefalls,
I just dealt with the same problem for the same reason. Here's what I did:
Purchased two 1TB Iomega hard drives from Tigerdirect.com for $89/each.
Purchased a used Logitech Squeezebox3 on Agon for $160.
Ripped all the CDs via itunes onto one of the new drives with my windows xp pc, using AIFF uncompressed format(vs. apple lossless format).
Play them by having Squeezebox3 access the files from the network, and have digital output connected to input of my external dac in my audio rig(see systems page: Goosebump Factory). It was easy to setup(10 minutes) and works great. The only hiccup was wireless vs. ethernet cable from router to squeezebox, as I am in an unusually high RFI environment, yards away from a radio tower. With ethernet connection, 100% signal, and no network buffering trouble.
Cheers,
Spencer |
