What exactly is 'ripping' a CD?

I had an email exchange with a reader last week about replacing a small CD player.

He asked me for a CD player recommendation and I had to tell him that I don't really play CDs since I've ripped all my discs and use a media server to play the music files.

I sent him a recommendation for a good CD player and small stereo system, but during our exchange, the reader said, "When you start talking about "ripping" CDs and mp3s, I'm lost. I wish it were otherwise."

The last thing I want to do is leave a question unanswered, so let's talk about ripping CDs.

The term "ripping CDs" means copying the individual song files from the CD to your computer so you can play them back on your Mac or Windows PC or smartphone or tablet or any other device that can play audio files (anyone remember iPods?).

My car has a CD player, but the sound system can also play music files stored on a thumb drive.

So, what do you use to rip a CD?

You'll need a computer (Mac or Windows) with a CD drive and the right software for the job.

Macintosh users should use Apple's iTunes. If you insert a CD, iTunes should launch and offer to rip the CD for you.

If you'd like detailed instructions, go to support.apple.com/guide/itunes/import-songs-from-cds-itns2935/mac.

Depending on the speed of your CD drive and computer, ripping a typical CD should take less than 10 minutes.

Windows users can also use iTunes, following the instructions at support.apple.com/guide/itunes/import-songs-from-cds-itns2935/windows, but I know more than a few Windows users who will never load Apple software onto their PCs.

The best CD ripper for Windows PCs is Exact Audio Copy, a free program that is very appropriately named.

You can download it at exactaudiocopy.de.

You'll have to make some decisions during the program's initial setup, but they can be changed at any time.

You'll need to decide which audio format you want to use for the ripped files. MP3 files are compressed and pretty universally compatible, but audiophiles don't like them.

FLAC files are uncompressed and sound just like the originals, but they take up more space, and they don't play on all devices.

There are a few other audio formats, but most people seem to pick MP3 or FLAC.

TechRadar has a good EAC tutorial at techradar.com/how-to/how-to-rip-your-cds-to-flac.

Once the files are ripped and saved to your computer, you can decide where and how you'd like to play them.