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Topic: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion? (Read 3391 times) previous topic - next topic - Topic derived from Will the default EAC ...
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Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

I just came to this forum for the first time in 10 years and I gotta ask... why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion? The forum is flooded with gap threads. Why not just always detect and write gaps. Why not just always crc test and write the log file? Too many options IMO

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #1 –
Exact Audio Copy is designed to be highly configurable. If it is too complex for you, try another program with fewer settings.
Easy Audio Copy for example was created by the developer of Exact Audio Copy as an easier to use alternative. You can rip to WAV, FLAC and/or MP3. A few setting changes are available through a separate downloadable tool.
korth

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #2 –
Man options affect the copying speed, take additional time and stress the drive. The program is scalable from fast to extremely secure, avoiding the need to keep an additional program that can make copies quickly. Testing and logs are mostly needed as proof for someone else. If I make copies for personal use or extract only a few tracks, I might have no need to litter logs in every directory or grow them with multiple ripping attempts. Gaps get 'appended' in most cases, yielding the exact same output audio as if the indices were not detected at all.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #3 –
Quote from: j7n on
Many options affect the copying speed, take additional time and stress the drive.

So what? There are hundreds of cd ripping tools. This one is called "exact audio copy". So maybe I'm missing something, but how about just do what ensures an exact audio copy? Oh no it's slower. Better that than 500 threads about gaps.

And now I hear the same guy makes another program with the exact same acronym? Does that not seem like the most confusing possible name to choose? Oblivious.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #4 –
Quote from: bansheexyz on
So what?
Unless you were two or four back then when you said you registered 10 years ago, and are now in your early teens, I bet you're smart enough to guess this sort of attitude won't probably make you wish to come back again within another 10 years time, so arrogant you come across by using it and the antipathy it may attract.

Though I think I understand your points regarding its interface, I honestly think criticising EAC for its completeness and fully featured user experience in a forum where user experience range from my own erm, "simplistic one" to audio engineers and developers of other software you might have been using them yourself, is not too far IMO from whining about, say, Photoshop having too many "unnecessary" features, in a designers community, for just getting snapshots posted on social media - it simply ain't aimed at that sort of simplicity! But it is instead designed to cater for all sorts of use one may deem necessary according to their expertize level.

So, back to your particular case, why bother using it and keep on moaning when it clearly is too much for your needs? Move on to another tool, period!

As for wrong nomenclature, the above-mentioned maturity I still want to believe you possess, may have already given you that gut feeling you're barking at the proverbial wrong tree.
Listen to the music, not the media it's on.
União e reconstrução

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: bansheexyz on
So what? There are hundreds of cd ripping tools.

You cannot get "exact" and "simple" or "fast" at the same time. If your CD drive works well with other tools, use them. If not, you will have to learn a bit.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #6 –
Don't fear the configuration.  :))
EZ CD Audio Converter / FLAC or WavPack

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #7 –
You cannot guarantee "exact" and "simple" or "fast" at the same time.  Heck, there is no guarantee of "exact" ever, some CDs come defective from the plant.

Very often - with a reasonable drive and a CD with no damages and no manufacturing defects - you can and will get all three, and AccurateRip/CTDB will verify that.
Then there are those pesky cases where ...

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: bansheexyz on
I just came to this forum for the first time in 10 years and I gotta ask... why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?
Because it was made for hardware of 20 years ago.  It is after all a 20+ YO program.  A contemporary optical CD/DVD/BD recorder has all the data it needs to handle the disc far better than software sitting at the opposite end of the disc.  Millions still use Windows XP.  And many still use EAC.  Each still works, after all.
BANNED

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Porcus on
You cannot guarantee "exact" and "simple" or "fast" at the same time.  Heck, there is no guarantee of "exact" ever, some CDs come defective from the plant.

This has nothing to do with all the gap threads. Gaps are harmless and there don't need to be options to remove them or append them in different ways. All that does is make people mortified that they're going to screw up and have to repeat their efforts later "the right way". How many hours have been wasted explaining the stupid ass gap options to scared noobies? EAC should get rid of this nonsense, better late than never.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #10 –
Rather than ranting and soapboxing, try contacting the developer. (He isn't likely to read anything you posted here.)
https://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/index.php/information/contact/
korth

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #11 –
I use foobar2000 for a while now. Previously EAC.
Its a simpler way using one app instead of several.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #12 –
EAC working with some weirdo hardware was some point back then, but fast forward to 2021: of the relatively few music listeners who actually rip CDs, how many connect their drives by
* USB? And among those, how many use USB bridges that can transmit error handling and the like? (Not to mention subcode-only pre-emph flags, which EAC removed out of fear of stupid laws.)
* (e)SATA?
* IDE/PATA? I haven't had my PX-230A up for years, I would need to go up the attic to fire up a box with an old mobo.

Also, for troublesome CDs you would rather have a second drive than try to tweak EAC settings.

(I didn't use EAC much. I chose dBpoweramp over EAC, and since then we have gotten CUERipper which I would seriously have considered if I were to do the job again, Satan forbid.)

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #13 –
Quote from: bansheexyz on
I just came to this forum for the first time in 10 years and I gotta ask... why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion? The forum is flooded with gap threads. Why not just always detect and write gaps. Why not just always crc test and write the log file? Too many options IMO

I completely agree with you. This many configuration options really just give me the impression that the author is not confident in the direction of the tool.

Also, I expect Exact Audio Copy to do what it says in the tin - not require 20 minutes of setup and Googling to work correctly.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #14 –
Quote from: korth on
Rather than ranting and soapboxing,
This should definitely apply to my previous post as well.

Sorry to y'all for falling back, in the last two (personally 'trying') weeks, to my old "Speakers' Corner's preacher" mode and more polluted than contributed with them chatty, boring posts lately.
Listen to the music, not the media it's on.
União e reconstrução

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #15 –
Quote from: NateHigs on
Also, I expect Exact Audio Copy to do what it says in the tin - not require 20 minutes of setup and Googling to work correctly.
To be fair, while EAC once did require some setup now all that's necessary is to run the "Configuration Wizard" and set your filename format.

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #16 –
EAC Mobile in Microsoft Store FTW!
 

Re: Why is EAC designed to create this endless source of confusion?

Reply #17 –
First of all,  let's remember that EAC is free software So while the comments about ease of use might be valid, no one is forcing you to use it and there are other choices.

Second, Andre started writing this software a good number of years ago. He probably would design some of it differently based on what is now known about CDs and if he had the chance to start again.  At the time, the specification for audio cds was not public, Andre and many others spent a good amount of time figuring it out by reversing engineering it. Differernt cd drives behave differently amd EAC works well across a lot of them. The configration and setup is how it achieves this. While it may seem complicated, it works and has mine has endured across multiple operating system upgrades. There are a number of guides on how to setup EAC and use it. The configuration wizard makes it easier.

When he started writing EAC, i think Andre was a student. He  provided EAC for us for free. He still does and it works well for me. It quickly became the gold standard for extraction. Perhaps it could be better, but perhaps Andre is bored of working a lot on EAC and has other interests to prioritise. Perhaps he values backwards compatibility and doesnt want to break that. If EAC was an open source application and people other than Andre could improve it, but it's not. He owns the software but provides it for free. It's his choice, just like its your choice to use it.