CD to MP3

I prefer the U-Matic theory. They were the original PCM recorders. A standard video machine with an add on box.

Don't even need to rip it as the info appeared before doing so. After inserting the CD. But I will find one I've already ripped and has the info and see if it does the same again. I've not changed any settings.

You need something like musicbrainz picard, which manages audio file tagging. However be prepared to download, learn how to use, swap tags for filenames (and vice versa) and then gasp in wonder as your ICE just makes s*it up anyway.

After many hours of messing (excluding the trips to the car to test it ...) I reckon it would have been simpler and quicker to simply record myself reading the title and prepending it to the audio file to aid in selection :)

I've found Exact Audio Copy which claims to be able to look up the data and insert it fairly painlessly to the MP3 files. Although there is a one off payment for the database (after a trial period) But not got it to work yet.

Googling found that WMP used to be able to do the same thing - but not supported anymore on Win7.

Still no closer to finding out just why some of my old CDs seemed to provided this data. But not any new ones. (If I'd had to do something to download the data I'd have remembered how)

It will probably have come from one of the internet CDDB databases. One of them morphed into Gracenote

Some CDs have CD-text on, which means a freedb lookup isn't needed.

Occaisionally, you'll find a CD that isn't in the DB and you have to edit the text manually :-(

As with most things Linux, MBP seems to be free - or has a free database somewhere.