GRABATOR
1.01
Written by Jose L. Diaz. (grabatorscript@yahoo.com)
April/2001
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/grabatorscript/index.html
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GRABATOR is a Bash script frontend under Linux that allows the creation of
audio/data CD's from WAV or MP3 files and others formats, MP3<->WAV conversion,
audio recording, playing and many others operations.

GRABATOR is designed to obtain the best quality in the creation of
audio CD's.

New additions in version 1.x:

	Now GRABATOR is an only executable file.

	- Multisession audio CD copy
	- LOOP device creation
	- View image data files
	- Convert audio file formats to CD copy audio file format
	- Modify CDRECORD configuration file

GRABATOR allows the following functions:

	1. Direct Audio CD copy to CD-R
	2. WAV files to CD-R copy
	3. MP3 files to CD-R copy
	4. WAV files to CD-R DUMMY copy
	5. MP3/MPEG files to CD-R DUMMY copy
	6. Data-CD direct copy to CD-R: Get data image and copy
	7. Data-CD direct dummy copy to CD-R: Get data image and copy
	8. On-the-fly Data-CD copy to CD-R
	9. On-the-fly Data-CD dummy copy to CD-R
	10. Get data image
	11. Copy data image to CD-R
	12. Dummy copy data image to CD-R
	13. Audio+Data CD copy / Dummy copy";
	14. Get WAV files from Audio-CD
	15. Get MP3 files from Audio-CD
	16. Get WAV files from several Audio-CD
	17. Get MP3 files from several Audio-CD
	18. Record audio in WAV format
	19. Play WAV files
	20. Play MP3/MPEG files
	21. Convert MP3/MPEG files to WAV format
	22. Convert WAV files to MP3 format
	23. Convert no 44.100 Hz sample rate to 44.100 Hz in WAV files
	24. View size of a directory in MB
	25. View SCSI devices for CDRECORD
	26. View free space in Hard Disks
	27. View Audio-CD information
	28. Multisession audio CD copy
	29. LOOP device creation
	30. View image data files
	31. Convert audio file formats to CD copy audio file format
	32. Modify CDRECORD configuration file
	33. Close multisession audio CD


GRABATOR uses these excellent programs:

	cdparanoia: Audio cd ripper
	cdrecord: CD'S copy
	mkisofs: Creation of image data files
	mpg123: MP3 Player
	bladeenc: MP3 Encoder
	sox: Audio converter

Not to have these programs it does not imply that GRABATOR cannot be
executed correctly, simply will not have that certain functionality.
Logically I recommend get all the programs (they do not occupy too
much disk) for a complete functionality.
These programs you can obtain from Web sites like:

www.freshmeat.net
www.rpmfind.net




INSTALLATION:
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Before nothing, install the indicated programs above,
CDRECORD and CDPARANOIA are necesary.
Configure the /etc/cdrecord.conf file (see note n 4 and the
documentation of CDRECORD) 

1.
GRABATOR is distributed in a gzip/tar file: grabator.tar.gz 
To uncompress the file, run:

	gunzip grabator.tar.gz ; tar -xvf grabator.tar

GRABATOR have the following files:

	grabator
	readme-grabator

2.
Copy the executable file:

	grabator

in your Bin directory: $home/bin
or in: /usr/local/bin

Be sure 'grabator' have executable permissions.

When executing GRABATOR for the first time, will create a directory
called "grabator" in your default directory ($home/grabator) and
within it will create two directories: CDAUDIO and CDDATOS that will
serve GRABATOR to store temp files.
These directories stay of automatic clean although there are options in
the menu of GRABATOR that allow to clean manually.
If these directories erased, when you run GRABATOR they would become
again to create.
GRABATOR is designed to use it from a no-Root user. When it needs it
will request the ROOT password to make the operation and when finishing
the operation returns automatically to its user.
The copies to CD-R always are from ROOT (Maximum priority).

The reason of this method is avoid any possible disaster in your system
using ROOT user. There are several GRABATOR operations in which the
ROOT user is not necessary. 


NOTES:
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1.
In order to obtain perfect audio copies I don't recommend the
"on-the-fly" option.
The best way is get the WAV files from audio CD and next copy them to
CD-R. Is slower than the "on-the-fly" option but you make sure that the
quality is the best.
If you do not have a powerful computer and a recorder with a great
buffer you don't make audio copies "on-the-fly". 


2.
Recording of audio it's made with SOX.
The recording is in WAV format, 16 bits, stereo and 44.101 Hz rate.
The rate for CD-R copy is 44.100. GRABATOR record to 44.101, so you must
convert to 44.100 before the CD-R copy.
GRABATOR has an menu option to make conversions from no-44.100 Hz
to 44.100 Hz (Go to menu AUDIO, option n 10 to convert it).


3.
The extraction of audio is made with CDPARANOIA. GRABATOR runs
CDPARANOIA by each track of the Audio CD (although it allows to obtain
all the audio tracks of the CD of once) since I have verified that
with this method CDPARANOIA obtains better results.
For that reason, in the direct copy, for example, it is necessary to
indicate the total
number of Audio CD tracks.
GRABATOR will show a listing to him with all
the tracks of the audio CD.


4.
In order to copy audio cd's GRABATOR it uses the configuration file of
CDRECORD for the copy, the file is: / etc/cdrecord.conf
You must to indicate device SCSI, the speed of recording and the size
of the buffer that will be used.
Go to menu OTHERS, oprtion 10 to modify the 'cdrecord.conf' file easy.
GRABATOR allows the visualization of SCSI devices that CDRECORD
recognizes.
Read the documentation of CDRECORD about it.


5.
CDRECORD uses only devices SCSI, reason why if you have a recorder
IDE/ATAPI you must have activated SCSI emulation to detects it.
In order to know if CDRECORD has detected devices executes the option
of menu that allows the visualization of the SCSI devices that CDRECORD
recognizes.
If CDRECORD does not detect your recorder, you must to activate SCSI
emulation. If your kernel is recent adding these lines to the
file  /etc/modules.conf:

options ide-cd ignore=hd?            # tell the ide-cd module to ignore hd? (? is your device letter)
alias scd0 sr_mod                    # load sr_mod upon access of scd0
pre-install sg     modprobe ide-scsi # before sg, load ide-scsi
pre-install sr_mod modprobe ide-scsi # before sr_mod, load ide-scsi

and this line to the / etc/lilo.conf file:

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.XX-XX
	label=XXXX
	read-only
	root=/dev/hdXX
	append="hd?=ide-scsi"   <<<---- ADD THIS LINE
	
Where ? is the device letter of your CD-Recorder.

SCSI emulation would have to activate.
If even so the emulation does not activate I recommend to you that you
read the "CDWriting-howto" document which you can obtain in www.linuxdoc.org
and the documentation of CDRECORD (the file "readme.atapi") 


6.
If you include GRABATOR in the menu through the menu editor of GNOME
or KDE, you must indicate that it is executed through a terminal, otherwise,
when executing it you will not be able to see it.
It remembers that in the terminal you can select text with the mouse,
copy and paste where you wish.


7.
Multisession data:
The data image files for multisession data are special. The first data image
to copy is different from the next data images. GRABATOR warning about this.
Be carefull.


8.
In multisession audio you must to close the CD-R after copy the last audio
track. Go menu AUDIO CD-R, option n 8.


9.
In audio conversions between diferent formats, the sound quality maybe not the
best. (See menu AUDIO, option n 10)


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This is free software.
Only, I would like to know how many countries of the world GRABATOR is being
used, for that reason would be thankful to you that you sent me a mail
(grabatorscript@yahoo.com) indicating your country, city and the date.
Thanks.

This software comes with NO warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk.

Report bugs or suggestions to: grabatorscript@yahoo.com

Jose L. Diaz.

