Windows 7: CD ripping question using WMPlayer

So the scenario would be i bought a CD from a store, a legitimate real CD from FYE.

now i want to know what the file type is on THAT CD, does this vary? I hear .wav is the standard studio qual. filetype. When i pop in the store bought CD into my laptop's disk drive and go to "my computer" and look at the files they have the extension ".cda'

does this vary per Cd and label?

Really the end result i want is to have the WAV file to play from ym PC and the 320kbps MP3 for my ipod.



so if from this ".cda" i could rip using windows media player a real WAV a high fidelity or EXACT WAV file i would convert later to mp3 320kbps and do it that way, but first I need to know what files are on the CD i bought.


THE image below is of that disk in the drive, i see that the .cda's are KBs each meaning these cant be the real files there just so people dont , idk

but windows media player gives the option to RIP from a CD in the drive as MP3's and wavs and all sorts, so are those rips really the quality of what they should be?

CDA files are the standard file type found on all commercial CDs. I've never seen anything else. I think the CDA is just a representation of the underlying file, for playback purposes---obviously the real sound file is larger than 1 KB

If you want the best sound quality, rip to WAV and then convert that WAV to mp3 as needed. Or just rip it a second time as mp3 directly, rather than convert.

I've ripped all my favourite CD tracks in MP3 format and they sound fine on my iPod.

The default location for all your ripped tracks will be the My Music folder in your Music library.

but the file underlying the .cda
what is that file?

It's a shortcut file generated by Microsoft for each track on a CD - cda stands for compact disc audio.

http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/cda

File Extension .CDA Details

Obviously you can't record these .cda shortcuts, you need to rip the underlying track on the CD.

ah i see thanks, yeah ive seen them there.

right but it IS a representation of another file right??? the one i cant see?
what is that file?
is it the highest quality file that can be ripped as WAV and whatnot?
is the cda file reresenting a WAV?

I don't know if it is a WAV or an equivalent to WAV.

But it ultimately doesn't matter. A WAV rip is the sonic equivalent (lossless) of whatever underlies that CDA file.

I think the underlying file is a .wma file - wma I assume stands for Windows Media Player.

The important thing to remember is that the .cda file is just a shortcut to the underlying compressed .wma file.

http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/wma

Have a look at this article, which explains why it's better to rip your tracks in the high-quality AIFF format, and then convert them to MP3s later if you need to.

MP3s won't be of such high quality as AIFF files because of the compression they undergo during ripping or conversion.

oh i see so its a property of the .cda??? like i thought it could be possible that the file on the CD would not be a WAV, as far as i know in the non hyper tech world WAV is the highest quality and most likely on CDs right?

so i was afraid i was ripping not true WAVs... but youre saying ... wait like, a WAV rip is the sonic equiv? as in only in the case of cda and WAV its true WAV?

The underlying file on the CD could be a yadayada file. So what?

A WAV rip of the yadayada file is the best you can do. Period.

A WAV rip of a yadayada file is a WAV file. Not a yadayada file. But they are equivalent from the standpoint of sound quality.

CDAs are not sound files per se--at least the 1 KB representation of them shown in Windows. I think of CDAs as more of a table of contents indicating a chapter in a book--rather than the text of the chapter found on other pages.