# Ripping CDs Properly

Rip logs are status report files produced by proper CD ripping software, usually ending in `.log`. They describe what settings a particular CD was ripped with and contain information about any errors that occurred during the ripping process. This gives an idea of how likely the extracted data is accurate to the data on the CD.

Rip logs are scored by log checkers, which can be found on private trackers or on GitHub at [OPSnet/Logchecker](https://github.com/OPSnet/Logchecker). When a rip scores 100% a `[100%LOG]` tag can be added to the folder or zip name when sharing.

If a rip scores less than 100% the configuration of the ripper should be rechecked. If the problem persists, the issue might be with the disc itself (dirty, scratched, degraded, etc) in which case cleaning the disc and retrying before switching to another ripper as a last resort is the way to go.

Each ripper should only be used on their respective platforms. Some communities don't acknowledge Whipper logs, consider finding a Windows machine or dual booting in that case.

Well known and battle tested rippers for all platforms:

* [Exact Audio Copy](https://exactaudiocopy.de) (EAC) for Windows
* [X Lossless Decoder](https://tmkk.undo.jp/xld/index_e.html) (XLD) for Mac OS
* [Whipper](https://github.com/whipper-team/whipper) for Linux

Guides for ripping with them:

* [Ripping on Windows](ripping-on-windows) with Exact Audio Copy
* [Ripping on macOS](ripping-on-macos) with X Lossless Decoder
* [Ripping on Linux](ripping-on-linux) with Whipper

!!! danger
	* Using rippers that don't produce scoreable logs or aren't widely used and battle tested by the community should be avoided as they are likely to alter the audio in unforeseen ways, not count for all variables during ripping and not perform thorough error checking.
	
	* Do not use any software with CD ripping as a secondary feature to rip discs!

!!! warning
	* People tend to confuse track quality and peak level in the log text with the actual log score. They are not the same. Track quality and peak level are not even used during the score calculation.
	
	* Logs can be forged but the effort required usually bars people from doing so.

!!! info
	* A 100% log does not guarantee that the data is accurate. It should be interpreted as "very likely to be accurate judging by the info in the log file" and not as "100% accurate".


{{ pageinfo(authors="Salty", created="2021/10/04", updated="2021/10/06") }}
