So you want to rip a cd collection. You've heard it's not that hard to do and you're ready to get started. And even though it seems the rest of the world has "been there, done that" the truth is, lots of people still haven't ripped music from their cd collections. The big question you need answered right now is, "How do I rip a cd?"

At this point, you have two basic options. You can find cd rip software and you can start this project on your own. Or you can go online where you will find several companies that have the capacity to rip mp3s from cds in a fraction of the time it's going to take you to do it.

Here's what you can expect from each of these rip from cd options.

For those of you who want to pursue the "DIY" or the "do it yourself" option, what you're going to have to do first is locate cd rip software. You won't even have to leave home because you'll find plenty of cd ripping software right on the Internet. Just search for cd rip software and within seconds, you'll be bombarded with choices.

As you begin to dig deeper into each of these cd rip software options, you'll notice plenty of free cd rip packages and you'll also see that many will require payment prior to downloading. If you're unsure which cd rip software to choose, poke around a bit more and you'll find plenty of cd rip software review sites that will likely answer all your questions about each product's capabilities as well as the pros and cons of using it.

But if you cannot even make it past the semi-technical jargon you're encountering ? words like cd rip open source, OGG Vorbis, file converter, audio converter, batch file conversion, skinable user interface and others ? you probably want to stop what you are doing and proceed down a different route. Otherwise, you'll only end up frustrated.

Have someone else rip your cds

This is the other option and it's one that many people choose, so don't feel inept or inadequate. If you've got friends who are a bit more tech savvy than you are, it doesn't hurt to ask for a favor. If you don't, then go back to the Internet and start a new search. This time, search for cd ripping services.

When you work with a cd rip service, you send the service your cd collection and the cd rip service will rip mp3s from the cds for you. The service should know how to handle advanced editing features like tagging your newly converted song collection so that you can sort your music by genre, by artist, by cd, by cover art and more. You'll pay a couple hundred dollars or so for a cd rip service, but in a week, you'll have all your favorite cd rips. Then, you'll be able to take your music along with you anywhere you go!