How do MP3 rippers work?
There are two ways that rippers get audio from CD; digital extraction and analog extraction. Digital extraction is the most accurate method as it seeks to take the exact data on a CD and copy it to your hard drive before encoding to MP3. There are routines that developers can add to check and double check the accuracy of the rip. Analog extraction records the audio as it is played through the computer’s sound card. Accuracy is dependant on the quality of the sound card and if the CD-ROM reads the audio correctly in light of dust, scratches, and other defects. This is the least accurate of the two methods but is one way to copy audio from newer CDs that are copy protected.
