# Advice on CD copier, hardware and software **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2024, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882 "2024-01-30T22:35:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/1 "2024-01-30T22:35:41Z")
I own a lot of CDs. I have a player but I am too lazy to load it up and the CDs are scattered all over and it is hard to find the ones I want. My laptop no longer has a reader. I would like advice on what hardware and software to get that would permit me to copy my CDs to my computer through a USB port, organize them to my satisfaction and then prepare, say, an 8 hour program of my choosing. These are all CDs I own; I don’t want to do anything illegal. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/2 "2024-01-30T23:31:20Z")
The short version, is that almost any external CD drive with a USB interface will let you do the job - I might make sure it was USB 3 (assuming your laptop supports it) just for faster data transfer, but it’s not a requirement. And while many makes are pretty flimsy, it may not be an issue considering it sounds like a one time import rather than steady use. One thing to always mention, is that double check to see if your state or other local government has established rules about importing for personal use. Most have not, but it’s an always changing thing, so why not? As for software, I prefer minimalistic interfaces and broad utility. So I most frequently use VLC Media Player, which is a multi platform system that looks like it came out of the 90s. It will get the job done, but it’s a good bit less user friendly than some. Plenty of guides will tell you how to do it though. Again, I like it because I can use it across a wide variety of devices. I store my music in a local NAS - I can use VLC to stream (as long as I’m on the same wireless network) to my iPhone on iOS, my Kindle (on an android fork), my Android Tablet, or my PC. Others can mention services that are more user friendly, and of course, there’s lots of questions and opinions about importing format and quality, but I normally pick the equivalent of “very good” but not various “loss less” options. I can’t hear the difference, but then again, I don’t have multi hundred/multi thousand dollar speakers or headphones. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/3 "2024-01-31T01:46:37Z")
Assuming they’re music CDs, the term is (was?) _rip_ and the end result is an audio file, usually MP3. I haven’t done that in a long time but ripping seems to be built into Windows now. > **[Burn and rip CDs - Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/burn-and-rip-cds-235021d5-e1c7-8616-4efd-4f4965fe6b91)** > > Learn how to rip (copy) and burn (create) CDs  and data DVDs using Windows Media Player. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/4 "2024-01-31T15:41:03Z")
I did something similar a couple years ago. A US$20 CD drive e.g. **[Amazon.com: Gotega External DVD Drive](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MJW5BXZ/)** and the built-in Windows Media Player are 100% of what you need. It takes about 3-4 minutes to “rip” an audio CD into your computer. So you get to listen to the first song and a bit of the second and it’s time to change disks. I did about 400 CDs over the course of about a week while I was otherwise Doping or whatever. Once you have all the CDs on-board your PC, you can go back and build playlists if you want. Or just let it shuffle, or play whole albums. Zero hassle. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/5 "2024-01-31T20:39:57Z")
I agree with my colleagues. I rip CDs to place of flash drives and listen in the car. I ripped the Flying Dutchman last weekend. Had to buy a really large flash drive than I have. Gonna to it to Der Ring next week. Had to buy a really,really, large flashadrive. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/6 "2024-01-31T22:28:42Z")
What are you using, Windows? Last time IIRC I used [Exact Audio Copy](https://www.exactaudiocopy.de/). > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Gonna to it to Der Ring next week. Had to buy a really,really, large flashadrive. Meh, welcome to the future, you do not even have to bother to compress it and it still does not require a “really, really large flashdrive” by contemporary standards. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/7 "2024-01-31T22:52:48Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > One thing to always mention, is that double check to see if your state or other local government has established rules about importing for personal use. Most have not, but it’s an always changing thing, so why not? My personal collection at this point is just a few hundred CDs, nearly all of which date from the 1990s or before, and were purchased retail by me at considerable expense. If I declined to check (even once, let alone double-checking 😉) whether my local jurisdiction _allowed_ me to rip MP3s onto my personal computer, would that make me a bad person? Since this is IMHO, can I ask does anybody check their local laws before performing such an action, and if forbidden, would people refrain from doing so? ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/8 "2024-01-31T23:46:09Z")
My disclaimer is because IANAL, and IAN a mod. Having a nice pro forma comment to check the legality protects me, you, the OP, the mods, and the PTB from possibly suggesting means and techniques to break the law, which is very much against the rules here. 🤞 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/9 "2024-01-31T23:52:45Z")
Yeah, I get that, and I am also careful not to recommend breaking the law. Just surprised at the admonishment to even check in this case. The powers that be MIGHT pass a law forbidding me to tie my shoelaces on Sunday, but I’m not going to check up on that before going ahead and doing so. I’m reckless that way, but only about shoelaces, never about DRM. Perhaps we should speak no more on this topic. ETA: I really do get you. I’m sitting here musing about law, but you’re actively recommending an action that others might take that COULD run afoul of something, so your disclaimer in an abundance of caution makes sense. It just makes me sad, you know? ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/10 "2024-02-01T00:01:18Z")
Actually, it was (in part) for another reason. We have quite a number of non-US posters. And in some nations (the UK as a key example) it’s still technically illegal to do so. It was legally permitted in 2014 (by which point I think most people were buying digital anyway, duh) and then made illegal AGAIN in 2015 by the courts. So… check your local jurisdiction. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/11 "2024-02-01T00:32:20Z")
I would not even know how to go about checking the legality. It is not as though I am planning to sell it. It is quite possibly illegal that my wife and I use the same e-reader account so that any book I buy can be read by both of us, just like any other book, even though we have two devices. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/12 "2024-02-01T00:57:18Z")
I doubt the player in the car would be able to deal with that. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/13 "2024-02-01T02:07:34Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Since this is IMHO, can I ask does anybody check their local laws before performing such an action, and if forbidden, would people refrain from doing so? I’m a bit late to the party, but if you’re in the USA this is a non-issue. If you’re not in the USA I have zero clue. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/14 "2024-02-01T23:44:09Z")
Not in the US (Montreal) but I have no idea how to find out. But I own the CDs and have no intention of making copies to sell. How can it be illegal? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/15 "2024-02-02T00:05:37Z")
It’s completely legal even according to the controversial Copyright Modernization Act, and even if that did not cover it, as you say you are not trying to pirate anything. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/16 "2024-02-02T00:45:01Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > How can it be illegal? I don’t think it is, but that doesn’t mean it hypothetically couldn’t be. What is and is not legal doesn’t always correspond with what is and is not reasonable or ethical. Copyright laws certainly exist, saying what you can and cannot legally copy; and they don’t always keep up with advances in technology. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/17 "2024-02-02T01:52:54Z")
Since we’re talking about Canada: The most recent lawmaking on this subject seems to have been the _[Copyright Modernization Act](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/AnnualStatutes/2012_20/FullText.html)_ (2012). Regarding personal copying: > [@](#): > > 29.22 (1) It is not an infringement of copyright for an individual to reproduce a work or other subject-matter or any substantial part of a work or other subject-matter if > > (a) the copy of the work or other subject-matter from which the reproduction is made is not an infringing copy; > > (b) the individual legally obtained the copy of the work or other subject-matter from which the reproduction is made, other than by borrowing it or renting it, and owns or is authorized to use the medium or device on which it is reproduced; > > (c) the individual, in order to make the reproduction, did not circumvent, as defined in section 41, a technological protection measure, as defined in that section, or cause one to be circumvented; > > (d) the individual does not give the reproduction away; and > > (e) the reproduction is used only for the individual’s private purposes. > > Meaning of “medium or device” > > (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), a “medium or device” includes digital memory in which a work or subject-matter may be stored for the purpose of allowing the telecommunication of the work or other subject-matter through the Internet or other digital network. > Marginal note:Limitation — audio recording medium > > (3) In the case of a work or other subject-matter that is a musical work embodied in a sound recording, a performer’s performance of a musical work embodied in a sound recording or a sound recording in which a musical work or a performer’s performance of a musical work is embodied, subsection (1) does not apply if the reproduction is made onto an audio recording medium as defined in section 79. > Marginal note:Limitation — destruction of reproductions > > (4) Subsection (1) does not apply if the individual gives away, rents or sells the copy of the work or other subject-matter from which the reproduction is made without first destroying all reproductions of that copy that the individual has made under that subsection. So: as far as I read this, personal reproduction is allowed if you don’t have to break any copyright protection mechanism, the source is legally owned by the copyer, and you’re not copying music onto a “blank audio recording medium” (because apparently that’s already covered [by earlier law](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/legislation/details/624) that isn’t superseded – hence the media taxes on writable musical media like burnable audio CDs). But ripping a properly purchased commercially-produced audio CD, which is a format which has no intrinsic “technological protection measure” (i.e., DRM) and storing it in a computer storage device doesn’t seem to fall afoul of any of the provisions of the rule. IANAL, but I can read just fine. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/18 "2024-02-02T11:29:48Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > But ripping a properly purchased commercially-produced audio CD, which is a format which has no intrinsic “technological protection measure” (i.e., DRM) and storing it in a computer storage device doesn’t seem to fall afoul of any of the provisions of the rule. There was a time window from about 2000 to 2005 when some labels added different methods of DRM to regular music CDs, but ripping software always caught up fast to circumvent it. So technically, if today you are ripping one of these old CDs with a modern ripping software, you are circumventing the old and never really effective copy protection. I don’t think that anybody would be prosecuted for that anymore, but according to a law that prohibits such practices, it’s still technically illegal. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/19 "2024-02-02T12:12:47Z")
Yes, but I wasn’t referring to those. Those were not music CDs in the technical sense (which is “Red Book compliant”). > **[Compact Disc Digital Audio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_Digital_Audio)** > > Compact Disc Digital Audio (CDDA or CD-DA), also known as Digital Audio Compact Disc or simply as Audio CD, is the standard format for audio compact discs. The standard is defined in the Red Book, one of a series of Rainbow Books (named for their binding colors) that contain the technical specifications for all CD formats. > The first commercially available audio CD player, the Sony CDP-101, was released in October 1982 in Japan. The format gained worldwide acceptance in 1983–84, selling more th... I don’t know if any such discs are under consideration here. Since many of them attempted to surreptitiously install malware on a computer, I would hope they would have been disposed of. > **[Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_copy_protection_rootkit_scandal)** > > The Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal concerns the copy protection measures included by Sony BMG on compact discs in 2005. When inserted into a computer, the CDs installed one of two pieces of software that provided a form of digital rights management (DRM) by modifying the operating system to interfere with CD copying. Neither program could easily be uninstalled, and they created vulnerabilities that were exploited by unrelated malware. One of the programs would install and "phone home" with... ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882/20 "2024-02-02T13:56:09Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I don’t know if any such discs are under consideration here. Since many of them attempted to surreptitiously install malware on a computer, I would hope they would have been disposed of. Before that scandal, there had been other copy protection methods that didn’t work on a software level, but by special manipulations of the physical discs (I don’t remember many details, but it somehow had to do with putting some inner rings on the surface or something like that). I don’t know if these CDs were Red Book compliant. I had a few of them (one I distinctly remember was “A Bigger Bang” by the Rolling Stones) and remember they often made trouble when trying to play them on my then rather old CD player. This was before 2005 and the Sony/BMG scandal. When I ripped all of my about 2000 music CDs (for personal use) in 2011, the ripping software had no problems with those “copy protected” CDs, and you couldn’t even notice a difference in the process. But technically, it was still a circumvention of copy protection. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-cd-copier-hardware-and-software/996882.md?page=2)