General
Can I do the digital
conversion task myself?
It is possible, but for many
people the right answer is to get expert, affordable help and
save a very large amount of time in the process. Converting an
individual CD to digital format can take 8
to 12 minutes
(including organizing) depending on
the speed of your hardware, software, and your attentiveness.
Multiply this times hundreds of CDs and it makes sense to
outsource the process.
Pickled Productions' technicians are experts at the conversion
process and guarantee high quality results utilizing
professional grade equipment.
Top
Is Pickled
Productions’ CD Ripping Service Legal?
Yes. Pickled Productions
abides by all copyright laws and expects our customers to do the
same. Generally, if you have purchased copyrighted materials
such as a music CD, you have the right to create a copy of that
material for your own personal use. Pickled Productions will
create this copy and return the original material and the copy
to you.
Top
Do you keep a copy of my music?
No, Pickled Productions does not
keep any copies of music we convert.
Top
Do I get my
original music CDs back?
Yes. We ship your CDs back with
your new Digital Music Library.
Top
Into what
file format will you convert my CDs?
Pickled Productions' standard
conversion output format is MP3. The MP3 file format is the most
widely used and is compatible with all PC (iTunes™ and Windows
Media Player™) and portable playback devices (iPod™, Rio™, Zen™.
iRiver™, etc.).
You are free to select any of the other
formats that we offer. If you would like a
different output format than what we offer,
please use our "Contact Us" request
form and one of our technicians will contact you.
Top
How do you
deliver my converted music collection?
Pickled Productions will deliver
your Digital Music Library
on DVD. About 35 -
45 CDs can fit on a single DVD at the standard encoding
rate of 320 kbps. We also can ship your music collection
on an external hard drive (purchased at the time of order
or supplied by you).
Top
Can you
load my iPod/MP3 player?
Yes. Simply click the Free iPod/MP3
loading option on our order form. When your packing material
arrives, simply pack the iPod/MP3 player with its power supply
and connector cable with your CDs.
Top
Will the
MP3 format work with my iTunes?
Yes. MP3 works just fine.
iTunes will see the MP3s and treat it just like its own file
format. If you ever get a car with a CD player that also
plays MP3s or any other MP3 device that is not an iPod, you
won't have to worry about the format. That is why we
prefer the MP3 format because of its universal playability.
If you still want your music in Apple's format, we can do that
too.
Top
Do
you use Genre information?
Yes. We
supply basic Genre information to help
organize your collection. Genre, in many cases,
is very subjective. Some people like to further define an
artist in the Rock genre by labeling them as Hard Rock, Soft
Rock, Acid Rock or Heavy Metal. Most software that comes
with iPods/MP3 Players like iTunes have the ability to select
multiple artists, albums or songs and mark them all at once to a
user specified genre. Your music will
be tagged with common genres to start out with. We also
supply software to easily update this information.
Top
What does
your Quality Control process do?
We ensure that all
music files are properly labeled and
that all of your music is consistently marked. Multiple
disc albums should read consistently like "Disc 1" and "Disc 2",
not "Vol. 1" and "Disc II". We also ensure artists are
labeled consistently throughout like "Simon and Garfunkel" vs.
"Simon & Garfunkel".
We even go the extra mile by making sure that
artists in compilation CDs are accurately tagged.
We want to make sure that in addition to your MP3s sounding good
that they look good too.
Top
Does my
computer read DVDs?
Most computers manufactured after
2003 will have a DVD drive. You can tell by looking at the
drive and checking to see if it has the DVD logo.
If you have concerns, please contact us and we can discuss other
methods of getting your collection back to you.
Top
Do
you convert Cassettes or Records (LPs)?
We currently
offer only CD conversion services. If you would like to
have your Cassettes or Records converted to CD and/or MP3, then
Reclaim Media can
help you. We highly recommend
Reclaim Media because
of their attention to detail and competitive pricing.
Top
Ordering
How many DVDs will I receive?
Pickled Productions can put about
35-45 CDs onto a single DVD, depending on the number of
minutes per CD. We provide all the DVDs necessary for your
music collection.
Top
How much
does it cost to convert a CD single?
Pickled Productions processes CD
singles the same way as regular CDs and therefore counts as one
CD.
Top
After I
place my order, when do you charge my credit card for the service?
When you place your order, a
temporary authorization is made against your credit card for the
amount of your order. We will wait until your order is received,
processed, converted, and placed with the shipper for return to
you before charging your credit card. We notify you of the
credit card charge via email along with tracking information for
the return shipment.
Top
Is there a
minimum order size?
There is a minimum of
100 CDs.
Top
Can you
accept custom orders or unusual requests?
Yes. Our technicians are experts
and can handle conversion to any format. Please contact us at
866-937-4748 or via our "Contact Us"
request form and one of our technicians will contact you.
Top
What
benefit does the hard drive option provide?
If your computer currently has
limited disk space, you should consider an external hard drive.
An external hard drive is an easy way to immediately add the
disk space necessary for your new
Digital Music Library. A typical
CD converted to MP3 requires approximately 100Mb of hard drive
space. A 100 CD collection will therefore require about 10,000
Mb or 10 GB of storage.
Refer to the table below to determine if and what size external
hard drive is right for you.
| Hard
Drive Size |
Approx. CD
Storage |
| 40
GB |
300 |
| 80
GB |
600 |
|
100 GB |
800 |
|
160 GB |
1200 |
|
300 GB |
2400 |
Top
Shipping
How do I send my CDs to Pickled Productions?
After you place your order, we
will send you all packing materials needed for you to ship your
CD collection to us. Once the box arrives, pack your
CDs using the materials
provided and then use the pre-paid
shipping label to return them to us
for processing.
Top
Do I send
my CDs in their cases?
No. CD jewel cases are heavy to
ship and notoriously fragile. Because your CD collection is
important to you and to us, Pickled Productions provides you
with specially designed spindle cases for safe and
cost-effective shipment.
Top
I have
selected the free iPod/MP3 player loading option. How should I ship
you the player, and will it be insured in transit?
Pickled Productions sends you all
the materials needed to pack your MP3 player as well. Make sure
to send us your power supply and connector cable. After we
convert your CDs, your MP3 player will be returned fully loaded
and ready to go. Your player is insured for its replacement
value in both shipping directions.
Top
How much
is shipping for your CD conversion service?
There are no additional shipping
costs for the CD service, it’s included in the per CD pricing.
Top
Are my
original CDs insured against loss or damage during shipment?
Yes. Your Audio CDs are fully
insured during shipment.
Top
How does
Pickled Productions ship my music back to me?
Pickled Productions currently
offers you two options for receiving your digital music library:
Pickled Productions returns all
orders on DVD. We also offer you the option to purchase and
receive your music on an external hard drive. We will ask if you
would like to buy a portable drive and, if so, what size. All
orders delivered on a hard drive also include the data DVDs as a
backup archive.
Top
Processing
How long does conversion
take?
Upon receipt of your CD
collection, Pickled Productions starts a very
comprehensive process of cleaning, repairing and converting your
collection. Depending on the condition of your CDs this
process usually takes between 2-4
business days
for the entire conversion process. Larger
orders
(500+ CDs), dual rips and special requests
may
take a bit longer.
You can always check your order status online so you will know
what stage of the process your order is at.
Top
How do you
convert my CDs?
We use an automated process on
high quality drives to convert your collection. CD
information such as Artist, Album and Track is retrieved.
The process of converting your CDs to your
format of choice is then done using the best encoders
available ensuring accurate playback and premium sound quality.
Finally, the converted MP3s are written to high quality DVDs.
Top
Can you
convert damaged or scratched CDs?
Pickled Productions utilizes the
latest tools to fix damaged CDs to the greatest extent possible.
These tools fix the CD by repairing the surface of the disk. In
many cases, we are able to convert a CD that was once damaged
and unplayable. However, badly
damaged CDs
and discs with top side damage may not
be repairable and will be returned to you.
We will not charge you for discs that we can't repair.
Top
Can you
convert my custom compilations?
No. Conversions of custom
compilations or copies may violate copyright laws. Pickled
Productions can only convert original CDs produced by the
original record labels. Please do not send us CD-Rs or CD-RWs
with custom collections or copies that you have created.
Please send only originals.
Top
Can you
convert a copy protected CD?
No. A very small percentage of
CDs are copy protected. Pickled Productions abides by all the
laws governing copy protection and will not attempt to convert
these CDs. Very few of our customers
have discs such as these.
Top
Are the
MP3s returned to me, CD quality?
Yes. Pickled Productions' default
configuration for converting your CD collection is a 320 kbps
MP3, while most software packages claim 192 kbps to be CD
quality.
Top
What audio
file formats does Pickled Productions offer?
Pickled Productions uses the MP3
file format as its default. The
MP3 file format is the only standard supported by all media
devices (e.g., Apple's iPod, Creative Lab's Nomad, Dell's DJ,
Gateway's Jukebox, etc) and software players (e.g., Apple iTunes,
Sony's SonicStage, MusicMatch, etc.). We will
also convert your music to other formats such as AAC, FLAC, WMA,
etc. If you would like a different output format
other than what we supply, please submit your request via
our "Contact Us" contact form.
Top
What
Format and Bitrate should I choose?
Pickled Productions recommends
using MP3 at 320 Kbps CBR. Here
is some information to help you decide.
Bitrate for the most part
dictates not only sound quality, but file size. As the
bitrate increases so does the quality and the file size.
As the bitrate decreases the quality and size also decrease.
Some things to remember. If you are only using your MP3s
on portable players with very little room, then choosing a lower
bitrate will benefit you with smaller files so you can fit more
on your player. If you have a large storage capacity
player or plan to listen to your music on a home stereo, then
the larger/higher quality would be appropriate. Most
people feel that 192 Kbps is more than acceptable.
|
Bitrate (kbps)
|
Quality |
# of songs/1,000 MB
(Approx.) |
|
128 |
Fair |
240 |
|
192 |
Good |
160 |
|
224 |
CD Quality |
140 |
|
256 |
Better |
120 |
|
320 |
Best |
100 |
Top
Using Your MP3 Collection
What do I do
with the DVDs you send me?
The DVDs that you receive from
Pickled Productions contain your new
Digital Music Library. Simply copy the contents
onto your PC hard drive and you will then be able to use your
new MP3s with your playback software. You can then store
the original DVDs in a safe place. If anything were to
happen to your computer or MP3 player, you will have a complete
backup of your music collection.
Top
How do I load
my music onto my computer?
Once you receive your DVDs,
simply insert the DVDs one by one and copy the files over to
your computer's hard drive.
Top
How do I load
my music onto my iPod?
You load your iPod in three
simple steps:
1. Load your music onto your computer.
2.
Import the files into iTunes.
3. Use iTunes to sync your
iPod with your computer.
Consult your iPod users manual or the iTunes sync page
for more details.
Top
How do I load
my music onto my portable MP3 player?
You load your MP3 player in three
simple steps:
1. Load your music onto your computer.
2. Import the files into your MP3 player's music management
software.
3. Use your MP3 player's music management software
to sync your player with your computer.
Consult your
MP3 player's users manual for more details.
Top
How will my
music library be organized?
Pickled Productions organizes
your music library by artist, album and track list. This
organizational information is included in both ID3 tags within
every file as well as within the file names themselves.
Top
How do I load
CDs I purchased after Pickled Productions converts my collection?
While converting an entire CD
collection is very time consuming, conversion of a single new CD
does not take much time or effort.
Top
How do I
install an external hard drive?
Picked Productions sells external
hard drives that plug directly into a spare USB port on your PC
or MAC. Modern operating systems such as Windows XP or Mac
OSX will automatically recognize the hard drive. Pointing your
music players at the library on the new hard drive is very
simple. Complete instructions are included when you
purchase an external Hard Drive.
Top
