CDex

CDex is a free app that can record digital audio tracks directly from compact discs, without going through your sound card (a process known as "ripping"). You can save tracks as CD-quality .wav files, or use CDex's built-in encoding library to convert them into the space-saving .mp3 format. CDex also supports third-party encoders for .mp3, .vqf, and .aac files. One especially nice touch: CDex can extract just partial tracks from compact discs. Other cool features include the ability to encode existing .wav files to .mp3 format; basic CD playing functions; and CDDB support. If you're looking for a totally free solution to CD ripping and MP3 encoding, CDex is a "must download." Note: Your CD-ROM drive must support digital audio extraction using Adaptec's ASPI library Manager.