This page is to tell you how to copy your music so you can play it on your computer without having to insert a new CD each time you want to listen to something different. You will also learn how to then burn that music back to CDs to make your own compilation discs and how to make MP3 discs which can be played in most new cars and DVD players.

If you want to listen to your music on your computer it is best done in MP3 format because an MP3 file is much smaller than the original CDA file found on a CD. This is called ripping. The other advantage to this is that you can create MP3 CDs that can contain 200 songs or normal CDs and keep your original discs somewhere safe. It's a form of backup.

So first off you need to "rip" the music to your computer. To do this it is easiest to use dbPowerAmp, a programme made for working with music files. Newer versions are no longer free however the version you will download from my site is and it will still do the job. There are others that will do it but this is easy and simple. Take a look at the dbPowerAmp page in my Free Programs section, there is a link near the top to download the programme. Download and install it and return here for more info.

1. Once installed go to the Start menu -> Programs -> dbPowerAmp Music converter and click on dMC Audio CD Input.
2. Once the programme is open click on the Options button


3. You now need to tell it where you want the MP3 files saved so click the Set button to the right of the Output line and navigate to My Documents -> My Music (in winXP) highlight My Music and click the Make New Folder button. Type a name for the new folder eg. the name of the CD, hit Enter and then click OK.
4. Insert the CD in the drive and give it a minute to read it. Hopefully you will end up with all the song names in the Track column but this can only happen if you are connected to the internet at this time. If you are not connected or your CD is not known to the freedb database then the songs will be saved as Track 1, Track 2, Track 3 etc and you will have to rename them manually.


5. Uncheck any songs you don't want to rip.
6. Next to the Rip button at the top left of the program is a tiny arrow. Click on that then hover over Rip To and left click MP3.
7. Go and get a beer 'coz it takes a while :)

Once you have ripped the music onto your computer you can do several things with it. You can listen to it obviously by double clicking one of the MP3 files. Windows Media Player is probably your default player but for something simple take a look at these two programmes in my Free Program section Billy and Evil Player and for an absolutely brilliant programme that is free of all the phoning home that microsoft does, check out Teen Spirit

You can burn it back to CD so that it is the same as the disk you "ripped". You do this using your CD burning software. I have Nero installed you might have something different but generally you open the programme and chose to make an Audio CD. Once in you then navigate to and select the songs you want to burn.

[Edit] I have found Ashampoo Burning Studio Free (newer versions are no longer free) to be a brilliant alternative to Nero.

You can make your own compilation/mixed songs CD. As above you do this with your CD burning software and burn an Audio CD but you chose different songs for each CD.

You can make an MP3 CD or DVD which can often be played in a modern car CD player or in a DVD player. You do this with your disc burning software such as Nero but instead of telling it you want to make an audio CD or DVD you chose to make a data disk. Select the songs you want and burn.

Feel free to email me for more details if I haven't covered what you are after. It is quite difficult with so many ripping and burning programmes out there to cover them all. Happy ripping!