DVD audio into iTunes?

On 2/22/06 at 12:49 PM, bill.stephensoncomcast.net (Bill Stephenson)
wrote:

> To keep my wife happy, I'm trying to record the audio track - one
> small portion - from a DVD into iTunes for her iPod.

This is certainly possible; I've done it a few times for DVD audio
content that has never been released on audio CD. (For example, the CD
version of Bill Cosby: Himself is seriously cut and missing entire
sketches from the full movie release. And this is really about the only
situation where I'd do something like this, and only if I own the DVD.)
Instead of recording using the audio input, I've done it as a direct
digital process (eliminating the recording and re-recording). However,
this does require several programs and a bit of work. (All of the
programs I mention below are available through VersionTracker.)

First, you need to rip the AC3 audio track for the part of the DVD you
want to use. I use MacTheRipper for this; to extract just one chapter
from the DVD, use the Mode tab in MacTheRipper, choose Title-Chapter
Extraction from the pop-up menu, then select the title (usually Title 1
is the main feature) and chapter range you want to extract. Then hit the
'D' button, and click the 'Streams' button the D button enabled. You'll
see a list of the various 'streams' that make up the movie; pick the
Audio Stream you want to use. Finally, hit the 'GO!' button, and pick a
location to save your file.

This gives you the audio in DVD-native AC3 format, which is not
understood by Quicktime Player or iTunes, so you'll need to convert it
to a format they do understand like MP3 or uncompressed AIFF. I use the
program mAC3dec for this; open it, pick a sound format and sample rate
(if you're going to work with it at all, I'd recommend AIFF/44.1 kHz).
Then drag your AC3 file into the mAC3dec window, and hit Start.

Now you've got a file that iTunes can work with. If you want to do any
further editing, there are several programs you can use; QuickTime Pro
(if you have it) can do simple trims, while freeware/shareware like
Audacity and Amadeus let you do more precise editing, amplifying, and
other audio effects.

Travis Butler
tbutlermac.com

On 22 Feb 2006, at 20:49, Bill Stephenson wrote:

> Any help you can provide will be appreciated, and will go toward
> promoting domestic tranquility!

For recording along the lines you are talking about there are several
products available but probably the simplest and cheapest that
springs to mind is an application called "Wiretap". It records any
noise your machine is making at the time (including alerts) at the
click of a button; good for quickly grabbing some radio you were not
expecting for example. There is also Audio HiJack and Audio HiJack
Pro for a level of higher capability but which you may not need. Any
of these should do the job, i.e. recording, not ripping. The
resulting file can be imported into iTunes.

Drew

On or about 2/22/06 12:49 PM, thus spake "Bill Stephenson"
<bill.stephensoncomcast.net>:

> I'm trying to record the audio track - one small portion - from a DVD into
> iTunes for her iPod.

See my review of Audio Hijack Pro:

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07961>

m.

--
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On 23 Feb 2006, at 14:29 , Travis Butler wrote:
> Now you've got a file that iTunes can work with. If you want to do any
> further editing, there are several programs you can use; QuickTime Pro
> (if you have it) can do simple trims, while freeware/shareware like
> Audacity and Amadeus let you do more precise editing, amplifying, and
> other audio effects.

Actually, I use iTunes for simple trims. Open up the Info for the
track, set the start and end times that you want, then click OK and
select "Convert to ____" in the Advanced menu.

I used that to trim Gerard Hoffnung's 1958 Oxford Union talk to the
oft-stolen and rarely attributed "Bricklayer's Report." It is quite
possibly the funniest seven minutes and 17 seconds of all time.

--
"I don't think the kind of friends I'd have would care."

Travis, Andrew, and Matt - thanks for your help. I look forward to the
challenge ahead, which I would have dodged completely without your help.

-Bill

 

Hi Bill, although you might already know what to do, I'd like to mention that I'm using Audio Hijack (actually won it at DealBITS!!!) and it works great. I had the problem that I wanted to listen to the songs from a DVD (concert) in my car, too. It took some time to figure out the best way to do it, but it was well worth the trouble. And if it keeps your wife happy - don't give up. ;-)

On 22/02/2006, at 21:49, Bill Stephenson wrote:
> To keep my wife happy, I'm trying to record the audio track - one
> small portion - from a DVD into iTunes for her iPod.

As all the others have said it is completely possible. Most of the
solutions that they are proposing go the digital way, which is the
best, quality speaking. But I would like to point that, if you don't
mind the possible quality loss, you can download from Griffin a free
utility called "Final Vinyl" that works perfectly with the iMic and
do it like you used to in the past.

Victor Bottacco victorskios.es