14 DAY TRIAL // It was really the name what drawn my attention for the very first time as my eyes passed on one of SoftPedia.com's pages and I read "1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper" and I immediately said something like "holy cow, I must see what's on with such a rather hilarious name!". I guess you'll agree with me that it is completely silly to name your creation "1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper"; what's next, names extended to half a page, containing the maiden name of one of the programmers' favorite aunt? Well, after all, I will only test it today; I don't have to wear a shirt with those words, so I'd better get used to this name.
Among so many similar softwares you find - either sober-looking ones or flashy and violently-colored and overcrowded GUIs - there's 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper, which - as I soon saw - is a very decent piece of code and its functionality has nothing to do with the completely uninspired naming.
The Looks. The Works. The Nice Surprise.
Despite the first (rather weird) impression the 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper has made upon me, its GUI is very nice and truly functional. The size is not fixed as sometimes seen in similar softwares: you can either make it some 1 square inch-large or set it to full screen-size and this is especially good when working with files whose names are even longer than the name of today's software (ha-ha, I'm being a little mean now)...
Three main areas have been delimited in 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper's main window and each has its own role: the first pane is some sort of "explorer"-like window in which you can browse and search for files you want to convert, or even browse the audio CD you are planning to rip. Just below this small window there is a list of (output) files you have selected to convert/rip. The right side of the 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper has been reserved for the output formats' settings as well as for tagging-related tweaks.
There is no skin support, nor any color-scheme available for the 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper's GUI and, in my opinion, this is rather a gain than a loss since the default looks are Win-native, eye-comforting, very readable and quite intuitive. The icons have a small graphic-work applied, but the result is very OK and it really belongs to the rest.
The output formats are selectable by means of very handy tabs, while for each one the rest of the settings are changeable using dropdown menus. A VBR checkbox is also available, should you not need Constant BitRate files at the end of the conversion/rip process. Even though MPC, FLAC and APE formats are not natively-supported in 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper and this is more a minus, once you have set up the proper third-party encoding data, one very cool feature can be fully used.
The 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper is intended for heavy-duty use, or at least this is what it looked to me like as I have seen the "Favorite formats" menu: in other words, you can manage various format-settings for your different purposes thus significantly reducing the time you usually spend setting up each processing-session. Just imagine you have 4 discs and after setting up the first 2 for MP3-rip you suddenly want to make the third in another format: instead of manipulating all the settings available in 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper, you just directly, simply and - more importantly - quickly choose the corresponding preset and run the processing. Cool, isn't it?
There aren't many general-purpose settings for the 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper, but those that do exist can become very handy at certain times: features like automated M3U/PLS playlist -generating/saving, popup hints, folder management and different auto-close settings can sensibly improve your 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper experience while making your tasks easier and faster.
Finally, options like a very easy-to-use wizard which will guide the completely inexperienced users towards the successful completion of their tasks or the pre-conversion listening add a lot of value for the software. I liked especially the latter because you can easily check or monitor the output result even before you actually proceed to the conversion/rip. Also, a lot of precious time can be saved here...
The Good
The 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper will surely have your work done in a short time while the resulting files will sound exactly as you have set them up; a very reliable program loaded with some very handy and interesting features: the format preset management system is really one extraordinary thing!
The Bad
I really hated the name (and I still do), but this is not such a dramatic event. Too bad that a system tray feature is not available yet...though I am sure the next version will sport it...
The Truth
Don't let yourselves be fooled by the silly name: the 1st Multiformat Converter and CD Ripper is indeed a very good program sworn to work hard for you and definitely a software you can rely on. The $25 is pretty decent money for what and how it does its work.
Be sure to check out the screenshots I made for you:
