Copy-Protected CD's From '89 and '96?

Don Symes asks: "In ripping my CD library (MP3c -> cdparanoia -> bladeenc), I've run across a couple of CDs that, when played as MP3s, produce a white noise "fet-fet-fet-fet" at about 2 to 3 pulses a second. The CDs in question are Ani DiFranco, _Ani DiFranco_, Righteous Babe Records, 1989; and Israel Philharmonic, _60th Anniversary Gala_, RCA, 1996. Are these early examples of copy protected CDs, or an encoding artifact/settings issue?" Has anyone else found rip-proof CDs in there collection that exhibit this behavior? Has anyone successfully ripped any of the problem CDs listed, either here or in the comments (if so, what did you have to do)?

Comments

bad CDs

[ameoba]

It sounds to me like you're talking about the noise that CDParanoia introduces when working with scratched CDs that it can't repair. Perhaps it could handle it a bit more gracefully, but that's what you get.

Doubt it

[Outland Traveller]

If you read the fine print on Ani's "Righteous Babe Records" CDs you will see that they are quite permissive with regard to copying.

It is highly unlikely that these CDs would be part of any CD-based copy control scheme.

Bit-rot and bad CDs.

[Deagol]

There are several known cases where CDs had errors introduced in production.

In my own collection, for example, I have a copy of Enya's The Celts, from 1987. The errors may span more than one track, but you can hear the "skipping" type sound very clearly in the track "I Want Tomorrow", which is unfortunately amplified in the ripping process (I use paranoia).

This has been a hot topic in the Enya newsgroups in the past, and I'm not sure if it was ever decided whether it was a pressing problem or a mastering problem.

Fortunately, that album was re-mastered and re-released in the mid-to-late 90's, sans the aforementioned flaws. If any other Enya geeks actaully have the 2 to compare side-by-side, please comment on the quality, as I haven't bought the newer release (and I love "I Want Tomorrow"!).

Also, I think the age of the CD has something to do with it. I have an import copy of Queen's Greatest Hits, and the surface is visually perfect, yet I simply cannot get good rips on about 4 or 5 songs. If I use paranoia's -z (--never-skip) option, it never gets through the entire CD. I picked this album up in Germany around 1992.