illustrate's founding vision was to create innovative high quality audio programs. With strong audio codec support: mp3, mp4, m4a (AAC, iTunes & iPod), Windows Media Audio (wma), Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, using dBpoweramp ensures maximum compatibility.

Major Improvements

CD Ripper is enhanced by the addition of 3 new meta data providers (GD3, MusicBrainz & TrackType), GD3 offers album art up to 500x500 pixels. These new providers allowed for the creation of PerfectMeta™.

PerfectMeta™

PerfectMeta™ uses 4 Internet meta data providers simultaneously, this allows any inevitable errors, such as spelling mistakes to be self corrected. In addition, there are 100's of internal rule sets to ensure that the metadata returned is consistent across discs & providers. Last year Illustrate were proud and confident R12 issued in a new era of secure-rippers (securest of the secure), R13 offers the best metadata solution obtainable today.

Reference R13 also includes: CD Writer and Batch Ripper. CD Writer allows for burning of audio CDs, whilst Batch Ripper is designed for those with large collections to rip (and commercial Ripping houses).

All Changes

CD Ripper

PerfectMeta data added - uses commercial AMG and GD3 as well as MusicBrainz and freedb simultaneously to correct meta data errors, up to 500x500 album art
Rip as One makes a return!
New reference feature: Defective by Design Ripping mode
Support for ripping Hidden First Track (HTOA)
Album Art: Load (from File), Paste (from Clipboard), Acquire (from Scanner)
Added SCSI Read(D8) mode for Plextor PX-40
Improved CD Eject
Improved album art display
Compatible with Batch Ripper
Should fix the issue of disappearing CD drives
Added new options to write cover.jpg, [filename].jpg or user choice
Using Multi-Encoder R2 it is possible for CD Ripper to write Album Art + AccurateRip ID Tags to multiple encoded files
New AccurateRip - no limit to submission size, no email submission, no messages if disc not in database
Genre list uses %appdata%dbpowerampgenres.txt
Album Art: Click to show full size
Options > Meta >> added option to resize album art down if above pixel size (AMG album art sizes removed, maximum always read)
Meta Data - Added new meta data providers: GD3 (requires AMG license), MusicBrainz (requires AMG license), TrackType
Meta Data - Album Artist is always set (except for Various Artists).
Meta Data - Disallow Multi xxx split into individual options
Added 'Profile' id tag / naming option
Shows AccurateRip Disc ID on secure info page
Added shortcut keys ALT+M (perfect meta review), ALT+R (rip), ALT+E (eject)
Added Filename Column (filename shown red if exists)
Makes sure filenames are unique (ie not same as another tracks filename)
Added 'Track Technical' column will show if CD is HDCD (install DSP Effects to rip as 24 bit), or has Pre-Emphasis set
Added secure options 'Abort if over Maximum Frames to Re-Rip' and 'Maximum time to spend Ripping a Track'
Saves meta data to cache if only album or artist edited
Detects new CD drives added to system
Naming - option to use the current disc meta data
AMG expiry, also say GD3 and MusicBrainz on the window
Default naming, added album folder to default
Any setting which is drive specific (not profile specific) is shown in light yellow
Write album art to path can use [album].jpg, etc

Batch Converter

'List' button added to show files converting
Much faster at opening folders / showing files
Many new columns to add (right click on column to select)
Detects new drives (USB) on insert
Network drives added
Hides hidden folders

Music Converter: can drag drop files to converting page
Music Converter: if there is a converter waiting to convert then RC >> Convert To will add to that one which is waiting

All Programs: Better Vista aware pathnames (ie Music Public Music)
All Programs: new button style

CoreConverter: Has the ability to read filenames when encoded with Multi-Encoder
CoreConverter: can pass ReplayGain tags to encoders which need them (such as [audio info])
CoreConverter: updates the 'Source' 'Encoder' 'Encoded By' and 'Encoder Settings' tags when converting
CoreConverter: Tries for 2 seconds to write IDTags after encoding (in case another program has the file locked, such as virus checker)

Compatible with DSP Effects: Multi-CPU Force & Audio CD - Silence Track Deletion

mp3 (Lame) Encoder: Changed to an optimized lame encoder, upto 150% the speed of the old one (R13 alpha)
mp3 Tagging: Rating more compatible with Windows
mp3 Tagging: URL tags can be saved
mp3 Tagging: iTunes Compilation (TCMP) supported
mp3 Tagging: Style tag mapped to 'Content Group Descriptor'
mp3 Tagging: Subtitle tag added
mp3 Tagging: idv2.3 Unicode used by default

Wave: Compatible with 'id3 ' ID Tags (including MusicMatch-out-of-RIFF-Chunk-Wave-Breaking ID3 chunk)
Wave: List tags more compatible with WMP11, also stores CD TOC

Popup Info & Audio Properties: Shows Compression as % compressed, not of original

Configuration has ability to check program versions (update check) for CD Writer, Sveta, dAP, Batch Ripper, DSP Effects
Configuration will offer AMG Activation if installed registered version
Configuration option not to drop ReplayGain Tags or update 'Encoder', etc Tags when encoding

DSP Effects in DMC + CD Ripper: can move selected up or down by dragging

Scripting: Added new ReadIDTagElementValue property (needed for BV scripting) returns "Element: Value"

Bug Fixes

freedb meta data for multisession (where DATA is before audio) will not have DATA as track2
[length_mmss] if used in naming was wrong length from CD Ripper
CD Ripper giving out CD Extra Adjusted CD TOC for ID Tags
mp3 tagging - certain fields could not be deleted if stored as COMMENT
CD Ripper - CD Text reading could crash CD Ripper
CD Ripper: AMG works with Kaspersky Internet Security

Program Information Category: Multimedia Type: Free Version: 13 Size: 4.1MB Works on: Windows Product page: here