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Topic: Why is it called "ripping"? (Read 7385 times) previous topic - next topic
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Why is it called "ripping"?

Why do we call the process of reading the data on a music CD and transcoding it to some other file format to store on our HD or iPod "ripping"?

My background is in image processing and we use the term "ripping" to describe the process of converting files in a vector image format to a raster image format because the acronym RIP = "Raster Image Processing".    So did RIP just becomea generic term for transcoding file formats, or is it from something else like "rip off" or what?

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #1 –
Looking at the Wikipedia.org article on Ripping, there's an external link to Etymology of Ripping at the end, though I find it somewhat unsatisfying, but it's an act of extraction of a part that is wanted from a whole (especially when referring to extracting computer game music like SID or MOD), rather like terms such as hacking sound in their previous usage in English.
Dynamic – the artist formerly known as DickD

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #2 –
From the link "Etymology of ripping" in the Wikipedia article:
Quote
Q: What is "ripping"?

A:  Of the various definitions I've found, I think the first one listed below is the most correct.  I can remember as a kid 'ripping' the music out of a cool games.  I think the meaning of the word is more closely to that of ripping a page out of a magazine.  Getting the music or graphics out of a game or demo was not a straight forward task and you had to be both crafty and sneaky to do it.  Even five years ago, getting the audio off of a CD in digital form was left only to uber-geeks.  Considering that I can remember 'ripping' music out of games 15 years ago, I think this would be the most correct origin of the word.  - Brian
The origin of the word "rip" in this context is interesting. It originally came from Amiga/Atari/Commie64 D00DZ that used to "rip" audio and graphic images from games, and it often implied that a bit of hacking was necessary to extract the data. Apparently it's now used to refer to directly reading the digital data from an audio CD; while the connection is somewhat obvious, there's rarely any hacking involved on the part of the ripper grin)

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #3 –
Ha, "rip off", I like that.

I believe "ripping" refers to the process of pulling the raw data from the CD and storing it as a WAV file.  Turning the music into bits.  The next step for most of us is to "encode" the WAV using a lossy format (like MP3, Ogg or AAC) or a lossless format (such as FLAC or Monkey's).  Over time, the entire process has simply come to be called ripping.

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #4 –
i always thought of it as a cooler synonym of "extracting"


later

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Apesbrain on
Ha, "rip off", I like that.

I believe "ripping" refers to the process of pulling the raw data from the CD and storing it as a WAV file.  Turning the music into bits.  The next step for most of us is to "encode" the WAV using a lossy format (like MP3, Ogg or AAC) or a lossless format (such as FLAC or Monkey's).  Over time, the entire process has simply come to be called ripping.

Yes, but I didn't ask what ripping MEANS (I think we all pretty much agree on its meaning) - I asked where the term comes from.  Why "rip"?   

Thanks for the other comments - I did see the Wikipedia link but I didn't find it very attributed or convincing.  Even if it's true that it came from the " Amiga/Atari/Commie64 D00DZ that used to 'rip' audio and graphic images from games" it didn't explain why that was called "ripping".

And the "rip off" theory comes from the same link as the above - scroll to the bottom and it says "In better English it is called 'Audio Extraction'. The etymology of 'ripping' is probably ' to rip-off (a CD) from its files."

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Apesbrain on
Ha, "rip off", I like that.


I'm looking for a link but turning up empty... I remember a few years ago one of the RIAA bigwigs being all upset with Steve Jobs over Apple's "Rip. Mix. Burn." ad campaign. Seems there was a little misunderstood as to what 'rip' referred to.... (ie, actually thinking Apple was telling people to go rip off the music industry / steal music)

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #8 –
Did someone really start a thread about this, or are my eyes fooling me? Exactly how does the semantics of a technical term matter to what you're doing? Rip = take data from CD... as in to rip a sheet off a wall or something.

wow.
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Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #9 –
Quote from: joeshrubbery on
I'm looking for a link but turning up empty... I remember a few years ago one of the RIAA bigwigs being all upset with Steve Jobs over Apple's "Rip. Mix. Burn." ad campaign. Seems there was a little misunderstood as to what 'rip' referred to.... (ie, actually thinking Apple was telling people to go rip off the music industry / steal music)


I can verify this, I remember it too--in fact I was gonna post it but you got to it before me

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #10 –
Quote from: plnelson on
Why do we call the process of reading the data on a music CD and transcoding it to some other file format to store on our HD or iPod "ripping"?

My background is in image processing and we use the term "ripping" to describe the process of converting files in a vector image format to a raster image format because the acronym RIP = "Raster Image Processing".    So did RIP just becomea generic term for transcoding file formats, or is it from something else like "rip off" or what?


I can agree that the term "rip" has become too familiar to everyone, still not a good word for transferring audio data from source to destination. Transcoding is another thing which has nothing to do with "ripping"

I would suggest that someone at the forum comes up whith an appropiate term that can be amended to the wiki.

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #11 –
Quote from: von_Runkel on
I would suggest that someone at the forum comes up whith an appropiate term that can be amended to the wiki.

I hope you're kidding!

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #13 –
Quote from: kdo on
Quote from: greynol on

Quote from: von_Runkel on
I would suggest that someone at the forum comes up whith an appropiate term that can be amended to the wiki.

I hope you're kidding!


I vote for "PCM audio data acquisition".




That would rule out dvd-ripping

About why use the rip word in particular, I have no idea, but I asked myself that question a long time ago. It would be nice to know where it comes from.

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #14 –
LANJackal: semantics and etymology do not mean the same thing, at all. I think it is an interesting question that's been asked.

Why is it called "ripping"?

Reply #15 –
It is odd that we use such a violent word to describe an entirely benign act in which nothing is damaged or even modified.
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