Ripping To FLAC or Monkey's Audio--Help!

[IronHorseDriver]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum, and new to the world of MP3 players. I just got a barely used X5, and would like to rip CDs to a lossless format such as Monkey's Audio or FLAC (my main reason for purchasing the X5), but have been experiencing troubles. Please pardon me because I am not real computer literate, but I have been learning quickly.

I downloaded and configured Exact Audio Copy, which I am told is an excellent extraction program. I then downloaded FLAC, but had trouble trying to rip a CD to that format because I got an error message saying that Nero CD burning was not installed, and it asked me if I wanted to install it (or something of that sort). I followed what the prompts recommended, but after that was done I got the same error message again, and kept going around and around with that message, install, etc.

Because of that, I decided to try Monkey's Audio, which installed without a hitch, and I reconfigured EAC to compress the files to .ape files.

I first ripped a CD to a .wav file, which I stored on the hard drive in my computer. Having done that, I then ripped a CD and compressed it to .ape files, (Monkey's Audio), and I stored that CD in a separate folder.

Next step was to move that folder to the X5. I first moved the entire folder to the "Music" folder showing on the E:\ drive (the X5). It would not play, and would not even show in the Digital AV "Root" folder. Instead, it was in the "Music" folder in the USB Host section "Music" folder, and I could not figure out how to move it (there was no "Root" folder showing on the E: drive in the computer when I hooked up the USB cable).

So I decided to go back to basics. I went to the Jet Shell program, and converted a couple of CD tracks (which were first converted to a wav files) to MP3, and downloaded that to the X5. I also tried to download individual CD tracks that were compressed to .ape files directly to the X5. Well, the MP3 files found their way to the "Root" folder in the X5 (which does not show in the Jet Shell, or even on the computer screen under the "E:\" window). The good news is that the MP3s play fine. However, the .ape files still go to the USB host.

With that all said (if anyone is still with me), here are my queries: First, does the X5 recognize and play .ape files? If yes, how can I get them to go to the right location so they can be played? If not, then how can I properly install and use FLAC? What about those error messages I get regarding Nero burning? Once I get that installed, is there any difference between moving/downloading FLAC files to the X5 and doing MP3s?

One final note, which is actually a rant. I must say that Cowon has the worst user guides I've ever seen. I've seen much better owner's manuals for portable cassette players, and this thing costs 10 times a much, and is about 1000 times more complex. They should at least have offered more extensive guides and troubleshooting manuals on their website. I guess they assumed that everyone who buys these things have computer science degrees (my degree came from the School of Hard Knocks :-).

Thanks to any and all who can assist me.

[Konechiwa]

the X5 doesn't play .APE files.

the root folder is the E: itself. You don't see any folder saying "root". the MUSIC folder is the main folder for audio.

[GMan4911]

First, does the X5 recognize and play .ape files?
Nope.

If not, then how can I properly install and use FLAC?
Uninstall and reinstall. When you get to the page that says "Select the type of install", choose "Custom". Uncheck the checkbox for "FLAC Plugins". Click "Install". That should do it.

Other things you might want to do:

1) Check your EAC configuration options under the "Filename" tab. Make sure the naming scheme is how you want it. I use "%A\%C\%N-%T" which puts my rips into the <Artist>\<CD Title>\<##-Track title> format.

2) Download and install AccurateRip (http://www.accuraterip.com/) It is a useful tool to help you determine if your rips are accurate.

3) It's possible to configure EAC to compress directly to FLAC but I don't because in order for accuraterip to work, you have to rip to WAV.

To encode with FLAC:
1) Rip your CD to WAV
2) Run FLAC Frontend. There should be an icon for it on your desktop.
3) Add the files you want to encode.
4) Select the options you want. I use "Verify", "Add Tags", "ReplayGain" and "Treat input files as one album". Everything else is unchecked. If you don't think you'll need the WAV files again, check "Delete input files".
5) Click the "Encode" button. 5 minutes later, you're done.
6) Copy the folder to the "Music" folder on your X5.

That's all there is to it.

[IronHorseDriver]

I got it working! Praise God! I reinstalled FLAC without the "extras", and then converted a .wav file. Downloaded that .flac file to the X5, and it worked fine, and sounded beautiful (and a lot more beautiful after I switched headphones--the stock headphones won't even stay in my small ears!).

I also installed the AccurateRip software. In looking over the extensive album listing on their website, I noticed only one album that I have. That is because I only listen to Christian music (mainly artists from the "Jesus Music" era of the 1970's, such as Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill, Keith Green, etc.). I ripped that CD and it showed a "Rip not accurate" message on three of the tracks. Here is a sample of what was displayed:

5 ** Rip not accurate ** (confidence 1) [cdd0bfe8] [7382c129] What does this mean?

My second question regarding the AccurateRip software is whether CDs that are not listed on their site will be analyzed. I ripped one CD and I don't recall seeing a report displayed. Remember, most (if not nearly all) of my CDs would not be listed because of my rather unique musical tastes. Any insight will be appreciated.

As for the playback on the X5, it was excellent, except that I noticed a small background pop noise at the beginning of each song (I just went from track to track as in the album). Is this normal? Remember, this is my first MP3 player, so I don't really know what to expect. Also, in the gap between two consecutive songs I noticed a couple of very faint high pitched whines that lasted just a split second (but it was not on every song).

Thanks very much for your help. I am on a very steep learning curve but it is rewarding!


Sean

[GMan4911]

I got it working! Praise God! I reinstalled FLAC without the "extras", and then converted a .wav file. Downloaded that .flac file to the X5, and it worked fine, and sounded beautiful (and a lot more beautiful after I switched headphones--the stock headphones won't even stay in my small ears!).

Congratulations!


I also installed the AccurateRip software. In looking over the extensive album listing on their website, I noticed only one album that I have. That is because I only listen to Christian music (mainly artists from the "Jesus Music" era of the 1970's, such as Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill, Keith Green, etc.). I ripped that CD and it showed a "Rip not accurate" message on three of the tracks. Here is a sample of what was displayed:

5 ** Rip not accurate ** (confidence 1) [cdd0bfe8] [7382c129] What does this mean?

The list of CDs posted on the Key Discs page is not up to date and it's not all of the discs in the database. It's possible more of your CDs are in the database than is listed on that page.

That message means that one other person has ripped that CD and his rip doesn't match yours. Because only one other person ripped that CD and you had 3 tracks not ripped accurately *could* mean either yours is wrong or his is wrong. If the confidence level was higher i.e. 2 or more, and you got the same error message, then chances are *your* rip was not accurate.

Since only 1 other person ripped that CD, clean your CD and re-rip those bad tracks. If you still get the same error message, then the next step is use the "Test and Copy Selected Tracks" opton. After ripping, if EAC doesn't report a problem and the "Read CRC" and "Test CRC" columns match, then it's probably likely that the other guy's rip was inaccurate.


My second question regarding the AccurateRip software is whether CDs that are not listed on their site will be analyzed. I ripped one CD and I don't recall seeing a report displayed. Remember, most (if not nearly all) of my CDs would not be listed because of my rather unique musical tastes. Any insight will be appreciated.

If your CD is not listed in their database, you will get a message to that effect. Also, if your CD is a different pressing than one already in the database, you will get a message to that effect.


As for the playback on the X5, it was excellent, except that I noticed a small background pop noise at the beginning of each song (I just went from track to track as in the album). Is this normal? Remember, this is my first MP3 player, so I don't really know what to expect. Also, in the gap between two consecutive songs I noticed a couple of very faint high pitched whines that lasted just a split second (but it was not on every song).

Was that CD mastered to be listened to in one session, i.e. concert as opposed to other CDs where each track is stand-alone? If so, you've run into the problem that exists on most DAPs - they can't handle gapless playback. The only way to get around that issue at the moment is to use a WAV editor to combine all the tracks into one file and then encode it. You'll lose the ability to skip forwards and backwards though but at least it will be gapless. Hopefully, Cowon will fix the issue with the next firmware release.