What is the best, easist and free program i can download that will..

1) i put in CD into computer drive.
2) computer will reach out tothe CDDB and get all the CD track info.
3) then rip it to my computer as an MP3 file?

much thanks for your help with the lazies! thats my new club.

Lots of people seem to hate iTunes for reasons I still don't understand, but it qualifies on all 3 points.

CDeX.

Remember it, jerk. It means CDeX(tractor).

Eat it, Timmy.

I used to use CDex, but now I just use iTunes. It's really easy. Not that CDex is hard, but iTunes automatically updates your playlist and everything.

I feel like CDex gives you more bitrate options, but I don't have it in front of me, so maybe I'm wrong.

iTunes does not have the capability to put the artist name into the mp3 file. It has limited abilities on the autonaming of files. CDex's best feature is being able to add the leading zero for track numbers so mp3 players keep the files in order.

example:
itunes:
6 - Running Down A Dream
CDex:
Tom Petty - 06 - Running Down A Dream



Yum

iTunes gives you a ton of options if you look in the "Custom" menu, including various VBR's.

I've heard some people say that its compression isn't the best, but I really can't tell.

I have and use Itunes....but i wanna be able to simply rip tunes to my external harddrive....

im one of those weirdo's who likes ot keep his itunes library clean, and all mp3's of my main hard drive...

just weanna be able to back stuff up to the external.....then switch it over to itunes, should i wanna put it on the pod.


oh, and Aaron, it's already been remembered!!

CDex > I Tunes

I use iTunes on my Mac and used to use CDex on my pc.

Also, NOTHINGFACE, I really don't understand what you mean by "keeping you iTunes library clean". You can change the library settings so that everythign gets ripped directly to your external. I guess you mean you don't want your library cluttered up with everything you rip?

I think he means he wants to be able to auto-update, so he wants to keep the itunes library down to <60g or whatever he's got. This is why I don't use auto-update, I can't stand having to keep my music in 2 places.

I use Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and LAME converter to mp3.

yeah, i keep nothing in my itunes library, except for music that i have put onto my computer and awaits transfer to my ipod....then i simply delete it off my itunes library...

but if im going ot all the ttrouble to rip the cd to my computer, id rather have it done to my external drive, and then copy it to itunes...ill still have it on my eexternal drive.

Ok, now I don't get it either. Why would you maintain an iTunes library if you don't auto-update? Just rip it all to one place.

cause i dont want my C drive full of mp3's.

As Drinky said, there is an option in iTunes that lets you change the location of your library. To the external hard drive. So you don't have to use two programs/locations.

ill look into that as well.. thanks.

It might make your life easier if you assign the external HD a permanent drive letter. I don't remember how you do that though.

Did you not understand that it doesn't create file names the way I want them? Or was that more of a general sweeping statement?

the external drive comes up on my computer as the G drive.....ill play around with it tonite......and itunes as well!

Sure, I understand that, but that's a pretty minor qualm, IMO. It's also a problem more specific to you, and I was targetting Death to Shoegaze with that self-quote.

I don't really understand why you'd need the artist name in the file name unless you're using an mp3 player that can't read files that are in folders (which would have the artist and/or album names rather than the files themselves).

I don't even know what bitrate is.