CD to MP3 Ripper

MP3 is the preferred format for playing music and audio files on most portable players and cell phones.

Thus, if you want to play your CD music collection on one of these devices, you must convert it into MP3. This program allows to do exactly that. It has an easy-to-use, albeit unattractive, interface that allows you to select the input device (typically, your system's CD/DVD player) and set the output folder. Despite its name, the program not only lets you convert your files into MP3, but also into WAV, WMA, VQF and OGG Vorbis. You can also select the ripping speed and download information about the disk you are ripping from freedb.org. The program has a built-in music player, so you can listen to your music tracks before ripping them.

Although the program works well and has several customizable options, there are many free programs that perform basically the same tasks, so it may not be a good idea to pay nearly 25 bucks for such an application. The shareware version shows a "nag screen" at startup and only lets you convert the first 5 tracks of a given disk. If you want to get rid of it, you need to purchase a license.