In the past, listening from CD has been a good choice for audiobooks or other audios' fans, because of the high quality and the matchless experience CD brings. In 2020, CD seems gradually disappear from our life. What do we use to listen to audiobooks and other audios? We listen to them from MP3 Players, phones, or smartwatches. To play audiobooks on different devices, MP3 is the best choice. Thus, many people who own audiobook CDs tend to rip them to MP3 for better streaming and playing. It can be very easy if you use the methods of this passage to rip audiobook CD to MP3. Go on to read!
This tutorial will teach you how to burn DRMed iTunes, Audible audiobooks or DRM-free audiobooks to CD by using iTunes while introducing a way to remove DRM from iTunes and Audible audiobooks.
Method 1: Rip Audiobook CD to MP3/WAV/AAC/AIFF using iTunes
iTunes is not just a media player; it's a comprehensive digital hub for managing and enjoying your music, movies, podcasts, and audiobooks. With its built-in converter and CD ripper, iTunes makes it easy to digitize your audiobook CD collection and enjoy it across all your devices seamlessly.
Ripping an Audiobook CD using iTunes:
- Open iTunes on your computer. If you don't have it yet, you can download it from Apple's website for free.
- Go to the iTunes menu and select "Preferences." Click on the "General" tab, then click "Import Settings." Choose your preferred format such as "MP3 Encoder." Click "OK" to save.
- Insert your audiobook CD into your computer's CD drive. iTunes will recognize it automatically.
- Choose the audiobook tracks you want to rip. You can preview them in iTunes and deselect any you don't need.
- Click the "Import CD" button in the top-right corner. iTunes will start ripping your selected tracks into the chosen format.
- If your audiobook has multiple tracks for each chapter, you can join them into one file for convenience. Just select the tracks, right-click, and choose "Join CD Tracks."
- After ripping, check your files to make sure they're all there and sound right. You can organize them in iTunes or your preferred music library software.
That's it! With iTunes, ripping your audiobook CD to MP3 or other preferred format is easy. Now you can enjoy your audiobooks on any device, anytime. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your computer, and sync your converted audiobook files to it seamlessly.
Method 2: Rip Audiobook CD to MP3/WAV using WMP
If you're using a Windows computer, you can also rip your audiobook CD to MP3 or WAV format using Windows Media Player (WMP). However, by default, WMP uses Windows Media Audio (WMA) format for ripping CDs. You need to adjust the settings to ensure that WMP rips CDS to MP3 format. While not as versatile as iTunes, WMP provides a simple solution for digitizing your audiobooks.
Ripping an Audiobook CD using WMP:
- Launch Windows Media Player on your computer. You can typically find it in the Start menu or by searching for it in the Windows search bar.
- Go to the "Organize" menu and select "Options." In the Options window, navigate to the "Rip Music" tab. Choose your preferred format under "Rip Settings," including Windows Media Audio, MP3, or WAV. Click "OK" to save the settings.
- Insert your audiobook CD into your computer's CD drive. Windows Media Player will detect it automatically and display the tracks.
- Choose the audiobook tracks you want to rip. You can deselect any tracks you don't need.
- Click the "Rip CD" button at the top of the Windows Media Player window. Windows Media Player will start ripping the selected tracks into the chosen format.
- After ripping, check your files to make sure they're all there and sound right. You can organize them in Windows Media Player or your preferred music library software.
Method 3: Rip Audiobook CD to MP3/FLAC/OGG using VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player is a software giant. Most people use it as a universal video and audio player, but it hides a powerful secret: it's also a great, free CD ripper and audio converter. The best part? It's free and cross-platform, working on Windows, macOS, and Linux, so if you already have it installed, no extra software is needed.
VLC offers versatile formats, letting you select not just MP3, but also high-quality options like FLAC or OGG. The ripping process is straightforward, offering a surprisingly simple conversion once you know where to find the tools in the menu.
Ripping an Audiobook CD using VLC:
- Place the audiobook CD into your computer's disk drive.
- Launch the VLC Media Player application.
- Click on the "Media" menu at the top. Select "Convert / Save..."
- In the window that opens, click the "Disc" tab.
- Make sure the "Audio CD" option is selected.
- Change the "Starting position" to Track 1. This is crucial to ensure you rip the whole CD.
- Click the "Convert / Save" button at the bottom right.
- In the new window, look at the "Profile" dropdown menu. Select "Audio - MP3".
- Click the "Browse" button next to the "Destination file" field. Choose a folder on your computer where you want to save the MP3 file.
- Click the "Start" button.
- Once the progress bar stops moving and resets, the process is complete. Your new MP3 file will be in the folder you selected.
Because VLC often rips the entire CD into a single file, it's a perfect option for managing audiobooks and avoiding hundreds of small tracks!
Method 4: Rip Audiobook CD to MP3/FLAC using EAC
For audiophiles or users looking for advanced ripping options, Exact Audio Copy (EAC) provides a powerful solution. EAC is known for its accuracy and ability to extract audio with high fidelity. It offers advanced features and customization options for ripping audiobook CDs to various formats like MP3, FLAC, WMA and more.
Ripping an Audiobook CD using EAC:
- Download Exact Audio Copy from the official website and follow the installation instructions. Once installed, launch EAC on your computer.
- Upon launching EAC, you'll need to configure the settings according to your preferences. This includes selecting the CD drive, setting up file naming conventions, and configuring the encoder settings for your desired audio format (MP3, WMA, FLAC, or WMA Lossless).
- Insert your audiobook CD into your computer's CD drive. EAC will detect it automatically and display the tracks.
- Choose the audiobook tracks you want to rip. You can preview them in EAC and deselect any tracks you don't need.
- Click the appropriate button in EAC. The software will start extracting the audio from the CD tracks and converting them into the selected format based on your configured settings.
- After ripping, verify the ripped files to ensure they're accurate and complete. You can then organize them in your preferred music library software or file explorer.
Method 5: Rip Audible Audiobook CD to MP3/M4A/M4B/FLAC/WAV/AIFF using ViWizard
The four methods introduced above focus on ripping audio from a physical CD. However, most modern audiobooks are purchased and downloaded digitally from sellers like Audible. These files use Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection and are saved in formats like AA or AAX.
Important: Standard CD rippers (like iTunes, WMP, EAC or VLC) cannot process these protected digital files. To convert them to a universal format like MP3, you need a specialized DRM removal and conversion tool.
ViWizard Audible Converter is a dedicated tool designed to bypass Audible's DRM protection and convert your purchased audiobooks into unprotected MP3, FLAC, M4A, M4B, AIFF, and WAV files. All the converted audiobooks come with complete chapter and ID3 tags. With just one click, you can batch download all your titles at 100x faster speed. To make your audiobook smaller, you can also split the book into chapters, segments, or parts averagely.
This method does not require installation of the Audible app; you only need to make sure that you have an Audible account and at least one audiobook in your library. For these reasons, we highly recommend this tool to anyone looking for a dedicated converter for ripping Audible books.
Convert any protected Audible audiobook to lossless audio, MP3, FLAC, M4A, M4B, WAV, and AIFF formats with full ID3 tags, up to 100 times faster.
Step-by-Step Guide: Converting Audible (AAX/AA) to MP3:
Since this method deals with digital files, not CDs, the process is different. Follow these quick steps to convert your protected Audible titles to MP3.
Step 1 Open ViWizard and Log In
Install and launch the ViWizard Audible Converter software. The built-in Audible player will appear. Log in with your Audible account credentials. This connects the software to your purchased library.
Step 2 Set Your Output Format
Go to the Menu bar and click Preferences. Select the Conversion tab. Choose MP3 as the output format for best device compatibility. If you have a standard for the audio quality, don't forget to adjust the bitrate and sample rate.
Step 3 Select and Add Audiobooks
Go to your Audible Library within the web player. Click the plus (+) button in the bottom right corner. Choose all or specific title you want to convert. Click Add to List to prepare them for processing.
Step 4Convert and Locate Files
Click the Convert button to start the batch conversion. The software will automatically remove the DRM and convert the titles to MP3. Once done, click the folder icon to open the output folder. Your unprotected MP3 audiobooks are now saved and ready to play on any device.
Suggestions:
To rip audiobook CD to MP3, you have many choices: iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC Media Player, EAC, ViWizard Audible Converter. But some of them have different limitations, to which you have to pay attention. Here are my suggestions:
- If you have an unprotected Audio CD, use VLC Media Player (easiest, free) or EAC (best quality, but more technical).
- If you have a protected digital audiobook (Audible AA/AAX), you need to use a dedicated tool like ViWizard Audible Converter.
If you primarily deal with Audible downloads and want an all-in-one solution for your digital library, ViWizard is the clear choice.
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Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
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