How do I make a perfect image of an audio CD?

[Josh7289]

I want to make images of all my audio CDs to preserve the original discs (I wouldn't have to use the original discs anymore), so I need to be able to make perfect images of them that I can then re-burn to blank CD-Rs, or mount to virtual drives where they would behave as if I had the original physical disc in my physical drive.

Apparently ISO images can't be used for audio CDs, so what file format can I use to do this?

 

[masteryoda34]

I think Windows Media Player has a lossless option in the rip settings.

 

[Josh7289]

Yes, Windows Media Player has Windows Media Audio Lossless and lossless WAV ripping options, but ripping the audio into those formats is not the same as making an image of the audio CD.

I want to make images that I can mount to virtual drives or burn "directly" onto blank CD-Rs.

Thanks for the help, though.

 

[Blain]

Try MagicISO

 

[jae]

.iso cant be used for audio cd?? since when? Just use IMGBurner.

 

[Josh7289]

According to Wikipedia, it can't:

ISO image does not support multi-track, thus cannot be used for audio CDs, VCD, and hybrid audio CDs.

 

[Phynaz]

Exact Audio Copy.

 

[bruceb]

Try CloneCD ... http://www.slysoft.com/en/clonecd.html

Pretty sure you can save to a file

 

[0roo0roo]

lossless.
but even more so ...eac

 

[DarkRogue]

As others have said, EAC / Exact Audio Copy -> FLAC.

After that, throw your CDs into a nuclear safe or something, EAC'd FLACs should be all you need.

Edit:
You can probably also use the FLACs to then make an image or burn another audio CD with them, if for some reason you can't do a direct CD->CD copy.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: jae
.iso cant be used for audio cd?? since when? Just use IMGBurner.

It is not possible to create an ISO image of audio CDs. Programs that can create audio CD image files are merely misappropriating the .ISO file extension for use with a proprietary non-ISO image file/format.

ISO = International Standards Organization (e.g. ISO9660)

The program that created the proprietary audio CD image file is usually the only program that can understand the image file. UDF might be a candidate, though.

 

[Josh7289]

I decided to do this:

1. Use Exact Audio Copy to make a single WAV image of the CD, along with a CUE sheet for it.
2. Use Exact Audto Copy to split the WAV file created in Step 1 into separate WAV files for each track on the CD, based on the CUE sheet created in Step 1.
3. Convert/compress/encode each of the WAV files created in Step 2 into whatever other format I want (right now, MP3 for my portable player) using an external converter/compressor/encoder, like LAME.

I never delete any of these files, so I have a perfect lossless image, lossless individual tracks, and whatever compressed versions of the individual tracks I want.

Works well.

Thanks for all the help, everyone! Especially all those that repeatedly recommended EAC; since I heard it recommended over and over in this thread, I had to check it out, and I probably would not have heard of it for a long time still without your recommendations, so seriously, thank you!

And also tcsenter for your explanation of what those other audio CD images, like BIN, actually are. Thank you!

 

[CoinOperatedBoy]

Is there a reason you didn't choose FLAC over WAV?

 

[JackMDS]

ISO programs (like Ultra ISO, Power ISO, Magic ISO) can make a Bin/Cue files, or .nrg, or img.

All which can be saved mount and played form th HD.

 

[DarkRogue]

Josh, you're taking unneccesary amounts of hard drive space doing that.
As I suggested previously, you should convert them to FLAC format - the usage will be exactly the same. Use the FLACs to convert to everything else, as you would the WAVs.
FLAC = Lossless and compressed; WAV = Lossless and uncompressed.
They're the same, except FLAC will eat less hard drive space.