I’ll be honest, this was around 2005-2008 — it was a long time ago and at the time I really enjoyed the ritual of it all.
The main advice I can give you is to use ripping software that integrates with AccurateRip (XLD, EAC, etc) and use a widely supported lossless format (like FLAC).
Also — I can’t remember all the details, but there’s a way to store a CUE file, along with some metadata alongside your rip such that you can recreate an exact copy of the original physical media.
At least for now, I’ve moved on to streaming services, but I’m happy to know that I have a large library of music that I ripped myself to fall back to using instead, should I ever choose to.
The main advice I can give you is to use ripping software that integrates with AccurateRip (XLD, EAC, etc) and use a widely supported lossless format (like FLAC).
Also — I can’t remember all the details, but there’s a way to store a CUE file, along with some metadata alongside your rip such that you can recreate an exact copy of the original physical media.
At least for now, I’ve moved on to streaming services, but I’m happy to know that I have a large library of music that I ripped myself to fall back to using instead, should I ever choose to.