Hi to all.

While Albert makes some good suggestions, there are a couple of changes that I advocate (I've also experimented with this) that may assist in making the ripping process easier for blind people.

First, in Windows Media 11, you don't need to use the Options/Tools menu to set this up if you have JAWS 9 or 10. Once you open Windows Media 11, you can tab through the window using the tab key webstyle. This is good, because while some of the same options are available that can be found under Options, they are much better defined when you press the spacebar on them and then arrow up and down through them in Windows Media player's main window. For example, the percentages listed in the tools menu now become kbps--which is much more useful in determining what quality you want to use. I've also learned through the RIP menus inside the Windows Media window that recording in the Windows Media format gives as good of sound using a lot fewer kbps than the MP3 option, meaning you can save on file space.

One thing on my system which I haven't unchecked (and I don't know how to recheck it if I were to uncheck it) is the menu of options that comes up when I place a CD in the CD-drive without opening the Windows Media player first. This box (you arrow up and down through it) gives me options like recording from Windows Media player, Recording from Realplayer, playing from the Windows Media player or Realplayer or Winamp, viewing a tracklist, etc. If this box opened the first time you popped in a CD and you checked the "don't show me this again" feature, the box will not show up again, and I don't recall how to reset that up--and it's an excellent box to have handy.

It is quite possible to rip only selected songs from the CD. Once the CD is in the drive and JAWS begins to read the main window inside Windows Media player, I tab quickly down until I find the "Stop Rip" button and press it. I then press Shift+Tab once, and i am in a list of CD tracks all checked for ripping. Using the arrow keys and the spacebar, I then uncheck the tracks I don't want to rip (obviously, I have to tab very fast through the screen before the first song has completely ripped to be able to uncheck it). I then tab down once, press the "Start Rip" button and shift+tab twice to review the list and see which of the songs I've checked have completed ripping.

Finally, I did check the "Automatically Rip to CD" option in the options menu in the Windows Media player, and it has actually made ripping for me easier. It does not override the box I was referring to earlier that occurs when I first put a CD in the CD-drive without Windows Media running. Similarly, it does not automatically rip when I first open Windows Media player before putting the CD in the CD drive (if I use that route, I still have to tab through the main window and tell the media player to start ripping). However, if I keep the Windows Media player open after ripping my first CD, all subsequent CDS will begin ripping automatically after I insert them, which saves some time. Experimentation shows that is still possible to rip only individual CD tracks even with this option checked.

Now I know this is not step-by-step, but I hope it makes those reading it realize that recording from the Windows Media player can be made a little easier, and it is possible for a blind person to select specific tracks to be ripped from a CD without ripping the entire CD and then going back and junking the tracks you don't want.

Ted
---- Albert Ruel <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
> 
> 
>  
> Hi Harry.  Here's what I do to set up Media Player 11 so that I can decide
> to either play a CD I put into the drive, or to rip it into the computer.
> You see, I use my computer's hard drive as my jute box.  That way all my CDs
> are in accessible, easy to use artist folders, which in turn contain the
> specific CDs.  When I want some music for the road I copy that which I think
> I'll want to listen to on to a thumb drive or SD card depending on what I'll
> be doing and how long I'll be away.  It also allows me to establish Media
> Player play-lists of specific genres or styles of music I might feel like
> listening to.  
>  
> So, here's how to set up Media player 11:
>  
> Step 1. Open Media Player and click on the Options Dialog Box in the Tools
> Menu.  
> Step2. Hold down the Control Key and type the Tab Key until you hear the Rip
> Page spoken.  
> Step 3. Tab to the Format list and curser to the MP3 icon, or the audio
> format of your choice.  
> Step 4. Tab to "Rip CD when Inserted" and uncheck by pressing the Space Bar.
> 
> Step 5. Tab to "Eject CD when ripping is complete" and make sure this is
> checked by pressing the Space Bar.  
> Step 6. Tab to "Audio Quality" left right slider and select your desired
> audio quality by pressing the up or down arrows.  I use 33% for audio books
> and prefer 66% for music.  
> Step 7. Tab to the OK Button and press the Enter Key to complete the changes
> you've just made.  
>  
> Note: I prefer to not have the CD start ripping as soon as I've put it into
> the drive because I like to have a choice of listening or ripping each time
> I insert a CD, and the reason I have the CD ejected once ripping is complete
> is that's what let's me know the job is finished.  There is no progress bar
> for JAWS to read as ripping takes place.  I do use the JAWS curser to
> investigate the page, and that's how you can determine which song is being
> ripped and to what degree it is complete.  If you want to see the list of
> choices each time you insert a disc though you will have to close Media
> Player after each rip job.  If you don't do this Media Player will play the
> next CD placed in the drive without offering you choices.  
>  
> I know you want your music on a thumb drive, however I'm not so sure you can
> rip directly to that drive.  I also don't think you can rip anything other
> than the entire CD.  So, I always rip the CD to the default folder, My
> Music, then I copy and paste the songs I want on to the device I'll use to
> listen with.  
>  
> The beauty of using the rip procedure is that it creates the folder needed
> for each artist, and any subsequent CD you rip by that artist will be placed
> in the same folder.  Rarely am I required to rename any folders.  
>  
> I currently have over 70 Gigs of music on an external hard drive and a very
> tall stack of very dusty CDs in the cupboard.  My computer can be piped into
> my surround-sound stereo for good quality listening, or the USB headphones I
> have can also give me the sound quality I want.  
>  
> I hope this helps.  
>  
> Thx, Albert
>  
> 
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harry Brown
> Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 10:07 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [VICUG-L] for Sherry Wells
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Sherry,
> I have windows media player 11.
> I have no clue how to do this stuff.  I don't use this much, but I have some
> accompaniment tracks, and I want to stop using CDS, and just want to put my
> accompaniment tracks on to the thumb drive so I can use them that way, then
> get rid of the CDS.
> Can you, walk me through the ripping process, step by step?
> I have the CD in the drive, and I open windows media player, then, I
> following the ripping process, and go to tools, then options, then the rip
> music page, and click ok and nothing happens.
> I don't know what I'm doing, I'm not the audio expert here.
> Harry
>   _____  
> 
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