Ripping audio while reading? (drive question)

[Kage]

Theres something I've been wondering for quite a while, and its like a hard drive would I guess.

But in Windows Media Player, it can be ripping tracks from a CD, going down the tracks, while still playing the one you want to play.

I find that rather clever, and I guess its something to do with the fact theres a read and then it doesn't need to be read for another 5 seconds or so, but when that happens, is the laser moving to buffer the track to play, while then moving to write the track to hard drive?

I mean, theres no slowdown from doing it, so what does it actually do?

An interesting question for you
First one to come up with valid answer gets a rep point!

 

[borat_sagdiyev]

yes, i would believe that the laser goes back and forth between the two places that its trying to read/write.

 

[joxley1990]

All CD drives have a sort of cache, in which information about a certain CD, or DVD is stored, until the information is used, in which it is then deleted. What the laser will do, is copy information from one song, up to a certain point, and store that in the cache - then, WMP, will access that information and RIP it. When the information in the cache has been used, it will be deleted, and the process will start all over again.

So, in simple terms, the laser reads the information off the disc, plays it, and stores it at the same time, in the cache..

I think that sums it up..it may be confusing, but im not too sure how to explain it..

 

[Kage]

Thanks you two It does make more sense. I tihnk my drive has a 16mb buffer or something, which would explain why it can read an audio cd with one flash for a few seconds or more, and then try again.

Earlier drives I had though couldn't do it, and had to either have the light on all the time, or flash every second or so. This one I have now doesn't need to read half as much.

It reads every 5 seconds for about 1/2 a second.

You both get a rep point. Thanks alot

Well...I would if I could...it wont let me...

 

[joxley1990]

I wasn't in it for the rep point mate! Older CD drives can do it, but extremely slowly, you know the best ones for ripping music are supposed to be external ones..dont really know why, just a myth..

 

[Kage]

Might be something to do with the fact they have the cache of the USB/Firewire device, since it might as well send data at the same time it processes in the motherboard to speed the process up?

And I know you weren't, but you helped, so I wanted to.
Damn spreading around thing... I have done...

 

[DJ-CHRIS1]

Theres something I've been wondering for quite a while, and its like a hard drive would I guess.

But in Windows Media Player, it can be ripping tracks from a CD, going down the tracks, while still playing the one you want to play.

I find that rather clever, and I guess its something to do with the fact theres a read and then it doesn't need to be read for another 5 seconds or so, but when that happens, is the laser moving to buffer the track to play, while then moving to write the track to hard drive?

I mean, theres no slowdown from doing it, so what does it actually do?

An interesting question for you
First one to come up with valid answer gets a rep point!

Yes the laser head is moving between two places, but your ripping is extremely slow while doing this.

Few drives have the power to properly do this (Play two tracks off the same CD). The ones that do can cost alot of money, 400$ CDN for me to replace a CD drive that did this (Under warranty so it cost me $0 )

 

[joxley1990]

Might be something to do with the fact they have the cache of the USB/Firewire device, since it might as well send data at the same time it processes in the motherboard to speed the process up?

Oh yeah, for sure, if that "myth" is true, firewire would be the best. I have been meaning to buy one, I could go out now, and buy a cheapy enclosure, but that would mean using an old CD drive, and I want a good one..

Anyway..

 

[Kage]

Ripping doesn't seem to be slow on my drive though. I was ripping at 192kbps, and there was no jumps in the playback of the track, and the rip took about 8-10 seconds a track, which is normal.

Its just a standard DVD writer/ CD (52x) combo drive.

 

[joxley1990]

52X must be good enough then, or you were just having a good day!