Ripping CD collection

[krabapple]

I only have two or three CDs that seem to be suffering degradation of the lacquer side but I do worry about future longevity of CDs.

Regarding packaging, I remember reading this in the nineties. Luckily a web search was easier than than I thought it would be.
Cheap Packaging

That 1994 article is basically about original bronzing outbreak, tracked to the use of sulfurous cardboard at one factory. It warned darkly that if other factories don't check their paper stock, we would see more bronzing. But it's been almost 30 years and no explosion of bronzed discs has been reported in the meantime, indicating either that the error really was local in the first place, or other factories quickly and quietly corrected it at their sites.

So if you worry about the longevity of CDs, this would not be a good reason.

 

[krabapple]

I must admit I did not know that cds can deteriorate. I thought they were more or less bullet proof.

CDs aren't bullet proof -- a bullet will certainly damage them -- but age-related physical degradation seems to be a nonissue in the vast majority of cases.

 

[krabapple]

CDs < bulletproof

Why “disc rot” is a massive challenge for both archivists and collectors

This article first reports scary stories about game discs then switches gears to report , without any statistics, concerns of the Library of Congress about music discs. Which would seem to be the most scary thing But in the summary list near the end, the LoC archivist Youket is quoted thus:

1. Proper storage and handling helps. Ultimately, Youket notes that, according to LoC’s own aging tests (which determined the life expectancy of discs based on changes in their bit-level error rate), discs are much more likely to survive over long periods if they’re handled correctly and stored in good conditions. “These studies have shown that a well-made pressed compact disc can last many decades if stored and handled properly,” she noted, adding that “discs that are stored in harsh environmental conditions with elevated temperature and/or humidity will have shorter expected lifetimes than discs stored in more controlled conditions.”

THe archivist also notes

1. Discs with significant errors are often still at least partially readable, according to Youket. “In the case that a disc has an uncorrectable error, depending on where this error occurs much of the data is still recoverable,” she explained in an interview. “Many discs with high errors are still playable, and depending on the content—audio, video, or data—even an uncorrectable error may not be serious.”

The other four main points in the list are:

A scratch at the top of a CD is more problematic
DVDs generally have better integrity
Recordable discs don’t last as long
Proper storage and handling helps.

None of which suggests that spontaneous degeneration of music CDs is really a 'massive' issue if they are cared for properly. This article's title is little more than the usual scary clickbait

 

[DMill]

Out of 1,000-ish CDs, I’ve only had a few that have failed without being subject to physical abuse.

 

[oceansize]

Out of 1,000-ish CDs, I’ve only had a few that have failed without being subject to physical abuse.

Indeed, less than 1% of my discs have failed due to bronzing, rot, whatever - despite being properly cared for. So not a 'massive' problem...

 

[vco1]

Indeed, less than 1% of my discs have failed due to bronzing, rot, whatever - despite being properly cared for. So not a 'massive' problem...

But not a nonissue either. And mind you, this is only after 10, 20, 30 years.

 

[krabapple]

It indicates that your CDs stand a vastly, vastly greater chance of becoming unplayable from *careless use* and *improper storage*, rather than just *age*.

But hey, if you store them carefully, protect them from scratches when you use them, but are still paranoid, that's another reason rip them all to lossless right now, if you have not already.

I ripped all of mine ~20 years ago. All CDs since got ripped too. I do it for convenience. I'm not worried about 'disc rot'. Best evidence says I'll be dead before that becomes an 'issue'.

 

[DMill]

It indicates that your CDs stand a vastly, vastly greater chance of becoming unplayable from *careless use* and *improper storage*, rather than just *age*.

But hey, if you store them carefully, protect them from scratches when you use them, but are still paranoid, that's another reason rip them all to lossless right now, if you have not already.

I ripped all of mine ~20 years ago. All CDs since got ripped too. I do it for convenience. I'm not worried about 'disc rot'. Best evidence says I'll be dead before that becomes an 'issue'.

I’ll add that I lived in house without central AC for many years and temps would climb into 80-90F for a few weeks. But I did lose a batch of 30 or so I left in my car in the summer. But that’s totally on me. Temps in the car were probably well over 100F for a week or more.

 

[5-pot-fan]

I like MP3Tag, it is arguably the best tag tool. One neat way to get high quality album art from within MP3Tag is to use this:
(A simple script (given) in MP3Tag Tools section is all you need)

How to use AlbumArtDownloader in Tools for Cover Art

AlbumArtDownloader is arguably one of the best free album cover art downloaders around. It effortlessly searches a large number of cover art sources with standalone scripts that are constantly updated. And it presents all the found art with previews, sizes, etc. Download and install...

community.mp3tag.de

Thank you for this tip. I didn't know I was looking for it and it works well!

 

[Bsmooth]

Yes I put all my LP's on Cassettes as well, on my good old Nak. I've always believed If your going to do something do it the best you can. Also take care of your stuff, that includes hardware as well as software . Its all fleeting anyways, LP's,8 tracks, cassettes, even reel to reel loses its integrity after awhile .
Sometimes though the steadfast rules just don't apply, lossless is one of them. But we are talking about two different things. Was the recording good? If so lossless is the way to go. If the recording wasn't that great, then lossless only preserves a bad recording.
Its very similar to Photography in many ways. Best way is shoot RAW, for maximum flexibility, unless you can take all your images perfectly exposed, in which case you never need to do any further processing, so go ahead and shoot jpeg's.
It probably really won't make any difference anyways. By the time I finish with my CD's I'll probably be deaf.