Need help converting audio files

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:33 am **(#1)**

I have in the past ripped CD's onto computers then put the files onto other CD's and everything went fine.
Last night I copied the files into another folder on my computer to go into a portable hard drive. I did a few and thought I better make sure they are ok. Anyway they all have a cda extension now and are only 1 kb in size (Shortcuts?)

What should have I done or can I convert them? Thankfully I haven't tossed the CD's yet or done them all.

rich2005 · **Joined:** Mar 04, 2011 **Posts:** 2613

You are correct the .cda files are just pointers to the start of the relevant track on the audio CD, not the actual binary information.

Used to be more complicated, but for Windows looks easier these days:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... rn-rip-cds
and
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/use-wi ... fault-app/

Acording to that a bit limited as to format .wma or .mp3

For linux users there is K3B.

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 2:37 am **(#3)**

Thanks for replying. I will have a look at those links now.

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 2:45 am **(#4)**

I still have one CD in my computer and just looked. It plays - but even on the disc each file/track is only one kb and has the same extension? Pretty sure I don't have this music on my computer. Even if I did the path would be wrong as I was using a different computer when I put it on the CD.
I will see if it's on here and edit if it is.

Edit: - I don't.

rich2005 · **Joined:** Mar 04, 2011 **Posts:** 2613

You are looking at the audio CD from the Windows file explorer. All you see are the .cda files. These are not the audio files, just a pointer to the start of the track. Might be 1 might be 20. The actual audio file is one large 'raw' binary.

Bearing in mind that I use linux and the last time I ripped anything in Windows it was more than a dozen years ago.

In Windows media player, The CD is recognised and there are options to set the format and quality.

Horibly politically correct. Of course I understand...

...and.. let the ripping begin. The default destination seems to be your Music folder. Makes a new folder. Windows did not name the individual files to the track names, so you will have to rename yourself. (There might be a setting some where, do not know)

Not difficult.

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:27 am **(#6)**

Even in checking properties of the DVD/RW drive there are 0 bytes. There is still the same Disc in there

Maybe someone who uses windows now can jump in and help me. I would like to move all these files to a portable drive because my place gets damp in the Winter (which is coming up) and it's a wonder the CD's are still playing

Thank you Rich for all your help. by the way I checked the size of the disc I have in my computer atm and and it is over 900 bytes

Playing a lot of files now that I put in a folder last night. Looks like they play if I use Windows media player. I changed my default to Power media player and they wouldn't play with that one

Wallace · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 10:40 am **(#7)**

This may sound silly,
but have you simply tried to copy and past the files from the CD to the desired location?

rich2005 · **Joined:** Mar 04, 2011 **Posts:** 2613

Wallace wrote:

This may sound silly,
but have you simply tried to copy and past the files from the CD to the desired location?

Would be nice but you can do that, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.cda_file

Use Windows Media Player to rip the Audio CD.

Wallace · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 11:01 am **(#9)**

rich2005 wrote:

Wallace wrote:

This may sound silly,
but have you simply tried to copy and past the files from the CD to the desired location?

Would be nice but you can do that, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.cda_file

Use Windows Media Player to rip the Audio CD.

Okay, I see.

Nidhogg · **Posted:** Fri Apr 05, 2019 11:10 am **(#10)**

On Windows, I'd use some popular CD ripper and rip it to the highest quality mp3.
WMP will probably offer you wma which isn't a good thing...

CDex (there's a portable version) or EAC should do the job.

https://cdex.mu/download

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

rich2005 · **Joined:** Mar 04, 2011 **Posts:** 2613

Nidhogg wrote:

On Windows, I'd use some popular CD ripper and rip it to the highest quality mp3.
WMP will probably offer you wma which isn't a good thing...

Agree about .wma but great surprise with Win10 WMP and the options are better - see earlier screenshots

mp3 with various quality settings or FLAC if you want to maybe do further editing. A bit like exporting to jpeg for a finished image or saving an .xcf for further tweaking.

Just because I have not used Windows in a long time does not mean that I have not ripped an Audio CD

Going back to sallyannes first post

Quote:

..I have in the past ripped CD's onto computers then put the files onto other CD's and everything went fine..

Just wondering how that was done ? I wonder if something missing from Win 10 Home Edition?

sallyanne · **Posted:** Sat Apr 06, 2019 3:26 am **(#12)**

@ rich Thanks for the extra information from Wikipedia

When I originally ripped CD's I did it through the windows options. Tracks were ripped straight from my CD to computer. Would have bneen a couple of computers ago and probably not windows 10 either. Maybe XP?

@ Wallace I'll try that. Looks like the files on my CD's that I initially copied are cda's as well. But they do play as long as I use Windows media player.

@ Thnaks for the links Nidhogg