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Topic: Best program to extract/file format to store Mixed Mode CD's/CD Ex (Read 4424 times) previous topic - next topic
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Best program to extract/file format to store Mixed Mode CD's/CD Ex

I'm about to re-rip my entire CD collection to a lossless format.  I want to make sure that this time around I have exact copies of my CD's as much as possible.  I want to make sure I can burn an exact copy of the disc, including all special features and information, including:
- pregap tracks
- data parts
- gaps
- CD-Text
- ISRC data

I've been writing some software to help verify rips, for example calculating AccurateRip results from .cue files and audio data.

While looking at a specific CD Extra I have (Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke), I realized that Exact Audio Copy only rips the first session (the audio tracks), hence its result and the resulting .CUE file are not an accurate representation of the disc.

Playing around a little with cdrdao, I noticed that that tool does allow you to extract the binary data from separate sessions, and create separate .toc files for each of them.

However, that still doesn't give me a single master file to use as a basis for the disc image.

While it is possible to have a .CUE file that mixes audio and data, I'm not sure if this will actually write the disc with two sessions to make up an exact copy of the original.

So, questions:
- what software can produce an *exact* disc image of a CD that contains these features ?
- how does this software store its image ?
- what software can burn such an image ?
- is there any way to keep using .CUE files for exact imaging, including data tracks ? Any software that does this using .CUE files ?

Best program to extract/file format to store Mixed Mode CD's/CD Ex

Reply #1 –
The only way I know of to 'rip' a mixed mode CD like that is to do a byte copy to a format like .iso

EAC is a specialized tool to extract audio tracks from CDs. Not a general purpose copier.

Nero I know can do byte copies to their .nrg format.

I haven't done a byte perfect copy of a cd in a long time but something like CD BurnerXP is what I used to use.
http://cdburnerxp.se/ (at least it is free-as-in-beer if you wish to see if a tool like this will suit your needs.)

These utilities talk about being burners, but they are really copiers in that they can read a disk to your hard disk (.iso files) then they can burn that same disk to a writable CD. Typically they have many modes, but from your strict list the only format that supports mixed mode data/audio tracks and all the rest would be to .iso. The disadvantage is you get no compression. But the resultant file can be burned to another disk as an exact byte for byte copy. As far as I know this should include pre-gap tracks and all the rest of your list.

Hopefully someone else will know a better way. Personally I just rip the music off with cue files using EAC, the rest of those sorts of disks can be archived by just copying the data tracks. EAC will handle CD-Text if your drive will rip it. Same with pre-gap tracks (you need a very expensive and nowadays rare cd reader to get those. ripping these is different from the .iso copying I describe above which should work with most any modern DVD/CD reader/burner).