Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Sooloos - Rough guide to Ripping and Importing

Over recent months many Sooloos users have been discussing ripping and importing with Control:PC, Control:Mac, dBpoweramp etc. There is a fairly large consensus around dBpa so I thought I would capture a few screens to walk a beginner through the process.

Obviously, the way I do it may not be how others do it so I am not saying this is the only way.

Feel free to add comments and tweaks where you see them (Don't reply as a quote to avoid repeating the images in subsequent posts)

Hopefully, if you are not familiar with it or are thinking about getting into it, these screens may help.

When I figure a way to get .jpgs or .ppt into the Wiki I'll move this over the the Sooloos area there.


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Incidentally, I am not trying to sell dBpoweramp here. Other tools do the same job. My intention is just to highlight how a tool like dBpoweramp can support an effective workflow that enhances the Sooloos import results.

One big advantage of R14.3 that I got as a by-product is that after the CD metadata is downloaded, and before ripping, you can click on the cover art, and it brings up a page with all the cover art for that album that is available on the internet: you can then just select one of the available images and it automatically overwrites the stock one.

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the guide. That gives at least a solution for the finer artwork.

Another question is concerning 24/96 files. I am planning to rip 2 channel 24/96 files from Bluray Disks. Can this be done in the same way using a BD-player?
Has anybody suggestions about which BD-player/writer would be best for this job?

Search the forum and Google for references to DVD Audio Extractor.

Sorry, I'm still at the "getting ready to install" stage. I've read and re-read the "Sooloos Collections : Advanced Guide" but there's still a couple of points on the ripping stage that I'd like to clarify.
Although most of the computing in the house is Mac, I'm using a Win 7 laptop for ripping using dBpoweramp and an external Plextor drive.

My current questions are;

1. Am I correct that the AMG 'Credits' data can only be downloaded or added when the file is input into the Sooloos software? This seems to be one of the key data areas to get right and i had hoped to use the time I have now to 'groom', but can't see how this data linked across two fields can be pulled down in dBpoweramp.

2. The 'Genre' options seem to be far more limited in dBpoweramp than the exhaustive "drill-down" list in Sooloos?

So basically I can save time by ensuring my library has accurate rips and the basic metadata and artwork is for the correct album, but realistically, checking and editing the metadata - at least in these two areas - must be done with Sooloos software after import?

Thanks


Geoff

1) Typically... yes. Credit data comes from AMG on Sooloos import.

2) Correct.

You will probably find that you can rip in dBpa and get a folder full of albums to import. Then drag and drop the folder/albums to CPC. Sooloos import then does the rest.

But, you'll have the better artwork and should find the whole process quicker than ripping and importing via CPC alone (as this is disc at a time).

How much meta grooming you want to do per album on import is up to you.

Nick,

Using the HDCD plugin, should one apply the +6dB amplification?

Regards I

No idea. I don't recall any settings. It just decodes them to 24bit. I have not had one for ages since my initial ripping so may not recall 100%.

Could you look at the ReplayGain in dBpa for each album and see whether you think that you should apply it?

Thanks, I will give it a try.

Regards I

A small tip: dBpa has a little anomaly while importing cover art. If you don't want to use a cover that is suggested but use a cover you found somewhere else, you can drag & drop this image in the cover frame at the bottom of your screen. But dBpa will only put this cover image in the ripping folder if you have first clicked on the minus sign, to erase the cover that was already there.

A good tip. Same as when you view tags in mp3tag. There is a + and - button there two. You can have several artworks per file. Only the first one is recognised by Sooloos, squeeze etc. (generally).

If you press the artwork button in dBpa then it will generally show you all the artwork that is available for that album. This is similar to what you get via google etc. however, if you select here then it becomes the only artwork for that album when you save.

Several options. Just need to know the slight tweaks to make each work best.