How to rip a CD or CD+G (karaoke) disc

Ots Studio includes a fully integrated ripper, and is able to make use of an external MP3 encoder, such as LAME. The ripper is able to query an online CD database in order to automatically obtain track title and artist information.

Before you rip a CD you will need to configure the Encoder Settings (Lame encoder or uncompressed PCM option) and CD Database settings in Ots Studio. For instructions click here.

Open Ots Studio.
Click on the button on the toolbar (Alternatively press Ctrl + I).

Ots Studio will attempt to contact the freedb on-line database to obtain the album information for the CD.

Tip: If Ots Studio does not attempt to contact the freedb site you will need to configure the CD database settings, click here for instructions.

To import all of the tracks on the CD simply click on the Import button. If you want to be selective about what you rip, select the tracks you require and click on the Import button.

Tip: If you receive the "Encoder error or invalid encoder settings" error message you will need to configure the encoder - click here for instructions. Alternatively, you can use the uncompressed PCM option - click here for instructions.

Note: The ripper also includes a mini CD preview/player. You can double-click on a track to start playing it through your sound card. Ots Studio plays the CD digitally as opposed to the analog method that most other programs use. This means that you will get immediate confirmation of how clean your rip will be.

If you are ripping a CD+G disc, the graphic component will be shown in the Visual Output window. This method can also help you determine whether your CD/DVD drive is capable of extracting CD+G tracks. Not all CD/DVD drives are capable of ripping CD+G discs. Consult your drive's specifications to find out more.

Once the import operation has completed you will be presented with the Operation Summary dialog box that indicates the outcome of the operation. You can choose to view a detailed log at this point if you so desire.
Click on the Close button.
Once you exit the summary window, you will see the tracks that you have just imported (ripped/encoded) in the main Ots Studio window. From here, you can edit the album information further if necessary.
To save the Ots file click on the button. If you save the file, it will be saved as a single Ots album file encapsulating all items. For more understanding on the Ots album file format click here.

Tip: If you need to maintain single Ots files per song, then you can use the File -> Export -> As Individual Ots Files menu option to achieve this.

You can also export the imported CD tracks directly to MP3 files. In this way, it is possible to use Ots Studio as a stand-alone ripper/encoder, saving directly to MP3 files, without ever having to save an intermediary Ots file. However, you will obviously not benefit by the vast advantages of the Ots format if you do this. To learn more about the benefits of Ots files click here.