cdparanoia

cdparanoia [options] [destfile] [range]

-v
    Increase verbosity level (can repeat for more detail)

-q
    Quiet mode, suppress status output

-d device
    Specify CD-ROM device (e.g., /dev/cdrom)

-B
    Batch mode: extract all tracks to separate files (track01.cdda.wav etc.)

-C
    Enable cue-sheet generation for output files

-Q
    Query CDDB for track info before ripping

-N
    Never skip sectors, force complete read (slow)

-Z
    Disable paranoia corrections, rip as fast as possible

-e
    Use ejector mechanism after rip

-s
    Force single-channel stereo (monophonic)

-E num
    Set maximum read retries (default 20)

-r num
    Set read offset adjustment

-H
    Disable hardware sector remapping

-O
    Disable overlap checking

-P
    Disable PRUNING stage

-K
    Disable KILLING stage

-L
    Generate .inf log file

-I mode
    Set interleaving test mode (scratchsim)

--help
    Show full usage help

--version
    Display version information

Cdparanoia is a robust command-line tool for extracting digital audio from CDs, emphasizing accuracy over speed. It implements the Paranoia library's advanced error-detection and correction algorithms to handle read errors from scratched, damaged, or low-quality discs. Unlike basic tools like dd, cdparanoia performs multi-pass reads, dynamically adjusting parameters such as speed, offsets, and jitter correction to achieve bit-perfect rips.

It supports extracting full CDs, specific tracks or ranges (e.g., 1-5), and outputs in formats like WAV, AIFF, or raw. Features include cddb/freedb queries for metadata, batch mode for individual track files, and verbose reporting of rip quality via symbols like V (verified good read), A (analysis pass), and error indicators. Best results come from SCSI/ATAPI drives with accurate firmware, such as Plextor models.

Widely used in audio archiving workflows, it's integrated into tools like abcde and morituri. Cdparanoia revolutionized CD ripping by prioritizing data integrity, making it ideal for preserving rare or degraded media.

Requires a compatible CD drive (SCSI/ATAPI preferred); poor results on cheap USB drives.
High CPU usage during corrections; may fail on heavily damaged discs.
Not for data CDs—audio only. Always verify rips with tools like cuetools.

V=verified good; A=analysis; R=rip; ==perfect; !=possible error; e=uncorrectable; E=unrippable.

Tracks as start:end (e.g., 1-10), index start:end:index, or @index for exact positions.

Developed in 1997 by Heiko Hellweg as 'Paranoia', evolved into cdparanoia by Monty (Xiph.Org Foundation). Integrated into libcdio-paranoia around 2000s. Maintained for Linux/BSD; peaked in popularity during early 2000s CD archiving era before streaming.

cdda2wav(1), cdrecord(1), abcde(1), sox(1), normalize-audio(1)