automated CD ripper and encoder
Rip a CD to the default format (usually Ogg Vorbis)
abcde
Rip a CD to MP3 format
abcde -o mp3
Rip a CD to FLAC format
abcde -o flac
Rip to multiple formats simultaneously
abcde -o flac,mp3,ogg
Rip using multiple CPU cores for faster encoding
abcde -j [4]
Rip in non-interactive mode (no prompts)
abcde -N
Rip specific tracks from a CD
abcde [1] [3] [5]
Rip from a specific CD device
abcde -d [/dev/sr0]
abcde [options] [tracks]
-o format
Output format: mp3, ogg, flac, opus, m4a, wav, spx, mpc, mka, wv, ape, mp2, tta, aiff
-d device
Specify CD device (default: /dev/cdrom)
-j n
Run n encoding processes simultaneously (for multi-core systems)
-a actions
Specify actions: cddb, read, normalize, encode, tag, move, replaygain, playlist, clean
-N
Non-interactive mode; never prompt for input
-n
Skip CDDB lookup; use generic track names
-1
Encode entire CD as a single track
-c file
Use specified configuration file
-C discid
Use specified CDDB disc ID for lookup
-p
Pad track numbers with leading zeros
-P
Use Unix pipes for encoding (reduces disk usage)
-r host
Remote ripping from specified host
-S speed
Set CD drive read speed
-t n
Start numbering tracks from n
-T n
Same as -t but also modifies playlist
-x
Eject CD after ripping completes
-w comment
Add comment to encoded files
-W n
Set disc number for multi-disc albums
-k
Keep wav files after encoding
-l
Use low disk space mode
-V
Show version information
-h
Display help message
abcde (A Better CD Encoder) is a shell script that automates the process of ripping audio CDs and encoding them to various compressed formats. It handles the entire workflow from reading the disc to tagging the final files.
The tool queries online databases (CDDB, MusicBrainz) to automatically retrieve track names, artist information, and album details. It uses backend programs like cdparanoia for secure ripping and encoders like lame, oggenc, flac, and opusenc for compression.
Multiple output formats can be generated in a single pass, and the encoding can be parallelized across multiple CPU cores using the -j option. Configuration is managed through /etc/abcde.conf or ~/.abcde.conf, allowing customization of encoder settings, output paths, and naming conventions.
/etc/abcde.conf
System-wide configuration file with default settings for all users.
~/.abcde.conf
Per-user configuration file that overrides system defaults. Controls output format, encoder options, file naming templates, CDDB server, and post-processing actions.
Key configuration variables include OUTPUTTYPE (output format), OUTPUTDIR (destination directory), LAMEOPTS / OGGENCOPTS / FLACOPTS (encoder-specific options), CDDBMETHOD (metadata lookup method), and MUNGEDFILENAME (filename character handling).
Requires backend programs for ripping (cdparanoia or cdda2wav) and encoding (lame for MP3, oggenc for Ogg, flac for FLAC, etc.) to be installed separately. CDDB lookups require network connectivity. Some encoders like lame may need to be installed from non-free repositories due to patent considerations.
abcde was created by Robert Woodcock in 1998 as a simple way to automate CD ripping on Linux systems. The name stands for "A Better CD Encoder," reflecting its goal of simplifying what was previously a multi-step manual process. It has been actively maintained and expanded to support modern formats like Opus and AAC while remaining a pure shell script.
cdparanoia(1), lame(1), flac(1), oggenc(1), opusenc(1), cd-discid(1)