Convert Your DRM'd Music With SoundTaxi Platinum

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.soundtaxi.info/' target='_blank'>http://www.soundtaxi.info/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Easily convert DRM protected music files and various audio files to unprotected MP3, CD, iPod and other MP3 player file formats at high speed and CD quality- legally. With just a few mouse clicks you can enjoy all your protected songs on iPod, any other MP3 player, CD player, mobile phone or PC - without any restrictions or DRM protection. SoundTaxi is easy to install and use with a very handy and clear user interface. It lets you choose the compression level and it preserves ID3 tags for artist, album, title names etc. A batch mode and the drag&amp;drop function for folders and files allow to convert and unprotect large music collections with just 1 click."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/screen_shotbit_SoundTaxi.gif" /><br /><br />This program was referenced in a discussion thread, and I wish I had found it earlier - it looks like exactly what I'm looking for! It works with tracks from Napster, Yahoo Music, iTunes, Wal-Mart, and every other service I've ever heard of (and many I haven't). I imagine it simply plays back the song and records it via the analog loophole. I routinely buy digital singles from MSN Music, because most of their tracks are 160 kbps VBR, which is much higher quality than most online stores. But I hate the hassle of DRM, so I always burn a CD then re-rip it back to 256 kbps CBR MP3. I've listened very closely to hear a drop in quality from the double-transcode, and I can't hear any problems. Having to burn a CD and re-enter all the metadata manually is a huge waste of time (and a CD), so this program looks like it might be exactly what I need. Has anyone used it? What are your impressions of it? The price of $14.90 USD is cheap, so if it works it might be a good solution.

[Damion Chaplin]

Somehow I doubt this is 'legal' like they claim. By downloading and using DRMed files, you're agreeing to the DRM license, which undoubtedly has a clause against doing anything that would defeat the DRM itself...

Of course, I say this without actually examining said licenses. :wink:

[mghannigan]

I downloaded it and tried to install it only to get a Blue Screen of Death for my troubles. It must work through an analog hole because when I restarted, I was prompted to install what looked like a SoundTaxi driver. I hope I can clean it up manually, since it didn't make it far enough through the install to make it to the Add or Remove Programs applet.

I'd be very cautious about installing the program. Between the BSOD error and the way the FAQ is written on the website to throw as many search engine keywords as possible (e.g., "free convert mp4 to mp3", "tunebite keygen", "napster drm crack"), I'm pretty suspect of the whole thing.

[Jason Dunn]

Hrm. Interesting. I'll definitely be installing it onto my test machine, not onto a production computer. Thanks for the warning! I wonder, are there any better products on the market that do the same thing?

[mghannigan]

Yeah, either I did something horribly wrong during the installation or was running too many other programs or what I don't know. The effort managed to mess up the drivers and put yellow exclamations my Device Manager for my DVD drives, sound card, and modem as well.

Thank goodness for frequent System Restore points.

[Phronetix]

I don't have a Windows machine with which to test this app. Looks very functional. I wonder, though, if it will see the rage of the music and online music store community? And, can someone take a Napster song when buying by subscription, and remove the DRM?

If so, then "Ouch".

Jason, I agree with your sentiment regarding burning a CD to rerip the song. What a hassle! :-)

[encece]

And, can someone take a Napster song when buying by subscription, and remove the DRM? If so, then "Ouch".


That's a good question....anyone know the answer to this?

[jlp]

It looks like it could or should (not tried myself) convert Napster subscription files.

From what I've read on the Kiev, Ukraine!! based SoundTaxi site (http://www.soundtaxi.info/english/company.php?vid=43979) the software seem to act like the WinAmp Output to HDD driver; only it does it using WMP 9 or 10 libraries (AFAICT). While WinAmp driver writes to a WAV file, SoundTaxi directly writes to MP3.

Because SoundTaxi likely uses those WMP libraries, I doubt it could convert iTMS protected files tho.

BUT on second thought I may be wrong here and they could also use iTunes libraries likewise.

AFAICT the technical reason this is claimed legal is that it does NOT per se circumvent DRM, it just use those libraries to "play the songs to disk" in which case WM (and possibly iTunes ) libraries "unscrambles" the songs while "playing them to disk" with the help of SoundTaxi.


This is what I understand from their statement: "Is it illegal to convert DRM protected files with SoundTaxi? No, technically SoundTaxi does not circumvent Microsoft's or Apple's iTunes DRM protection. Microsoft's DRM protection system is unprotecting the protected DRM audio files." (emphasis added).

Look at the main page 2/3rd down the page end of first line just after the application screenshot.

That's my understanding of how it works.

[Damion Chaplin]

Microsoft's DRM protection system is unprotecting the protected DRM audio files." (emphasis added)

Yes, and I'm sure that's exactly how Microsoft's lawyers think too. :roll:

"Why, guns don't kill people, bullets do!"

[ptyork]

It looks like it could or should (not tried myself) convert Napster subscription files.

...

Because SoundTaxi likely uses those WMP libraries, I doubt it could convert iTMS protected files tho.

BUT on second thought I may be wrong here and they could also use iTunes libraries likewise.
I don't subscribe to Napster, but assuming you can play the subscription files using WMP, then I'd guess it would work. It does unprotect Apple's DRM'ed AAC files. I tried it earlier today. The trial gives 30 seconds, but I converted an ITMS purchased album to MP3 and had no trouble playing it in WMP 10. Just FYI, it does preserve the Artist, Album, and Title tags, as well, but appears to discard the Genre tag. At least that is how it appeared...

From a technical perspective, it seems to install two instances of a proprietary sound driver (SndTDriverV32). I assume it just plays the music (using API's from WMP and iTunes) to these devices (two at a time--others made in batch are queued) and the driver simply pumps the output to either MP3 or AAC (unprotected) files (again, likely using either the MS or Apple libraries). Pretty cool, actually. Legal, well, probably borderline.[/u]

[JPD]

Maybe I haven't read all this closely enough...

Has the music already gone through D-to-A before this thing gets ahold of it for recoding?

[jlp]

Microsoft's DRM protection system is unprotecting the protected DRM audio files." (emphasis added)

Yes, and I'm sure that's exactly how Microsoft's lawyers think too. :roll:

"Why, guns don't kill people, bullets do!"

PLEASE Damion, I did NOT say that but only quoted the SoundTaxi page.

Your quote makes it appear AS IF I wrote this sentence which I did NOT.

I'm sure this is a mistake in you editing the quote of my post so please go back and rectify it.

Thanks.

[jlp]

Anybody tried soundTaxi with Napster subscription files and/or iTMS DRMed files?

[jlp]

Somehow I doubt this is 'legal' like they claim. By downloading and using DRMed files, you're agreeing to the DRM license, which undoubtedly has a clause against doing anything that would defeat the DRM itself...

...

BUT isn't burning to CD and re-ripping to MP3 defeating DRM??? :roll:

(Asking the question is answering it...)

So how different is this program, xcept making the whole process much easier and less time consuming? (and it saves the planet too: no more wasted CDs).

The result is exactly the same: your DRMed file turned into DRM-less MP3.

:twisted: