Creating an *.iso file from an Audio CD
 

ALL,

I have been trying to create iso file from Audio CDs. I read the iso wiki and it stated that it can't be done.

Well, in searching on here and google some people say it can be done. I have yet to find any working software packages that do so.

So far I have used both Nero and Easy Media creator.

If this can't be done then what is the best format to store Audio Cds in for future use?

I only ask this because I was using Roxio Easy Media Creator and Toast but other programs do not recognize that. I would rather use a standard image format that make it so I did not have to go back to the orginal CDs everytime I need to make images.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_image

Check out K3b for copying/storing audio, either use flac(compressed lossless) or wav(uncompressed).

What you're going to want to do is rip the CD and then use an uncompressed archive format

IMO there is no reason to use an uncompressed format like .wav for audio. Or to create .isos from audio CDs either (yeah, yeah, you will find it very hard to create audio .isos, but it can be done...IF you only have 1 track. Theres ways around that, or you can use bin+cue, but really...dont bother)

If you use a good, free lossless codec (I'd agree with with jayfree, use .flac, its got the best support of the free lossless codecs) the eventual output is typically about 50% the size of the uncompressed audio or .iso.

Flac also has other advantages over .wav, like the internal checksum (you can check the intergerity of the audio files easily). Yeah, you can always create checksums for a .iso or .wavs, but the flac checksum is far more clever than that- it doesnt checksum the whole file, it just checksums the audio track. So you can change tagging and the checksum stays the same. ;)

BTW, you can have flac 'image' files. It will be 2 files (the .flac image and a .cue file) but if for some reason you dont want to have albums split into multipule tracks, it works just fine. The tracks should still be playable from any decent media player, though for windows use I would suggest using foobar2000.

I think you're a little off base as to what the OP is looking for though, cascade. MY interpretation is that he's trying to archive everything (at least, thats the only reason i can think of making an .iso out of an audio disk, instead of having X directories of each album with Y tracks, he's looking to have 1 directory, with x .iso (or comparable) files that contain his tracks) Which is why i would suggest an uncompressed archive (since any compression should be done at the file creation stage at this point, not in archiving)

You dont need to have 'X directories with Y tracks', its easy enough to rip to a .flac image file + a cue file.

You can even intergrate the cue file into the flac file, not that I suggest it as a good idea (more likely that media players, burning software, etc. will have problems with the file).

I suggest flac because IMO its a better 'backup' fomat in all ways than a wav file. Smaller, just as playable, tagging, and a built in checksuming. ;)