How to use freedb with Mac OS Applications

*NEWS*

April 16, 2001

I now list in a new column whether or not each application still works with CDDB1 (since Gracenote started refusing access). I also added some info on freedb mirrors, and a hosts file for each one.

April 8, 2001

I put up a new version of the hosts file after I realised the old one had UNIX line endings, this one now has Mac line endings. Also, I discovered that with some kinds of net connections, you may need to restart after choosing the hosts file.

March 19, 2001

Gracenote (CDDB) made a deal with Napster to help them filter songs traded with Napster's service.

March 11, 2001

Gracenote (CDDB) seems to be getting tough with their licencing. Gracenote is now refusing access to CDDB1 to all unlicensed apps. I have not had a chance to try each application listed here, but SoundApp definately no longer works.

March 9, 2001

In early March 2001, freedb was updated to support level 4 of the CDDBp protocol. This is great news because the biggest obstacle to using freedb on the Mac was that most CDDB1-aware Mac applications expect level 4 and would fail because freedb only supported level 3. Most of this page explained how to alter applications to force them to use level 3. This is no longer necessary!

Thanks to this update, many applications do not need to be changed at all to support freedb! The only remaining obstacle is that some applications do not allow the user to choose the CDDB server explicitly, but this can be overcome with a little help from the Mac OS itself.

What are freedb and CDDB?

An audio CD does not store the names of the songs on the disk, which is why in the Finder you will see "Audio CD 1" containing "Track 1", etc. Put simply, freedb and CDDB both fix this. See here for more information.

What is the difference between them?

freedb is an open source alternative to Gracenote's CDDB. It exists because of Gracenote's restrictive licence agreement. Gracenote's database was created by free submissions from users everywhere, and as thanks, their licence agreement forbids a CDDB1-aware application from using a database other than their own! This is perhaps why most applications do not allow the user to choose a CDDB specific server.

Instructions on how to use freedb instead of CDDB

There are basically two classes of CDDB applications: those that let the user choose a server explicitly (the good ones), and those that don't (the bad ones).

The Good Ones

These applications allow the user to choose a server explicitly so all that needs to be done is to enter the particulars of the freedb server. No changes to the application are required, and you will be able to switch from using CDDB and freedb at any time. Instructions are in the table below:

Applications that let the user choose a specific server (the good ones!):

Application	Version	Application Web Page	freedb Instructions	Works with CDDB1?
NetCD	1.6.7 and 2.0.2	NetCD Web Page	here	yes
Audion	1.5 and 2.1	Audion Web Page	here	unknown
MusicMatch Jukebox	1.01.8000 and 1.0.2	MusicMatch Jukebox Web Page	here	unknown
N2MP3	1.0.3	N2MP3 Web Page	here	unknown

The Bad Ones

These applications do NOT allow the user to choose a server explicitly so something has to change to force them to do so. Since the user can't choose the server, the server name must be stored in the application somewhere. Thus one possibility is to find where and to change it. However, a better (and easier) possibility is to tell the Mac OS itself to reroute all requests to CDDB to freedb! This can be done using a "hosts file". With this technique, any application that tries to access CDDB will be rerouted to freedb.

Applications that DO NOT let the user choose a specific server (the BAD ones!):

Application	Version	Application Web Page	Works with CDDB1?
SoundApp	2.7.2 and 2.7.3	SoundApp Web Page	NO!
Toast Deluxe	4.1.2	Toast Web Page	yes
SoundJam	1.5 and 2.5.2	SoundJam Web Page	unknown
iTunes	1.0 and 1.1	iTunes Web Page	yes

Creating a Hosts File

I have created several hosts files for your convienence. The only difference between them is which freedb server they use (see the list of freedb mirrors). Please choose the one closest to you geographically to help evenly distribute the load:

• Main freedb server
• Vienna, Austria
• Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Berlin, Germany
• London, United Kingdom
• San Jose, California, USA

(After following one of the above links, if a window with text appears, just copy and paste it into a text file and save it. Or you may control-click and choose something like "Save As...")

If you already have a hosts file, just append the info from my hosts file into your existing one.

Using Your Hosts File in Mac OS 9.x

• The hosts file does not need to be anywhere spefic on your hard drive, nor does it need a special name.
• Open the TCP/IP Control Panel
• Choose "User Mode..." from the Edit menu
• Click the radio button for "Advanced"
• Click the OK button
• Click the button labeled "Select Hosts File..."
• Pick your hosts file.
• Close the control panel (you may see a dialog warning you about interrupting services--it's OK to save).
• You will need to at least disconnect and reconnect before the hosts file works. You may need to restart you Mac completely.

Testing Your Hosts File

You can test the changes by pointing your web browser to <http://cddb.cddb.com/>. The freedb web page should appear! :) If it doesn't, try restarting your Mac.

How It Works

Whenever an application tries to access one of the machines on the left column (such as cddb.cddb.com), it is automatically redirected to the machine on the right column (such as 207.20.109.231). 207.20.109.231 is freedb.freedb.org. See here for more on how this works.

This has worked successfully with versions 1.6.7 and 2.0.2. It may or may not work with others too. It does not work with version 1.2.

1. Launch NetCD and select "Preferences..." from the Edit menu.

2. While holding down the option key, click "Select New Server".

3. In the dialog box that appears, enter the following information:

CDDB Server Name: freedb

CDDB Server Address: freedb.freedb.org:80

CDDB Server Pathname: /~cddb/cddb.cgi

This has worked successfully with version 1.5 and 2.1. It may or may not work with others too.

1. Launch Audion and go to the Preferences.

2. Under the Network tab where it says "CD Info Server" enter "freedb.freedb.org:80".

This has worked successfully with versions 1.01.8000 and 1.02. It may or may not work with others too.

1. Launch "Musicmatch Jukebox".

2. Choose 'Preferences' from the 'Edit' menu. Choose the 'CDDB' tab in the dialog that appears. For the "CDDB Server" enter "freedb.freedb.org" in place of "cddb.cddb.com". Other settings remain the same.

This has worked successfully with N2MP3 1.0.3. It may or may not work with others too. I have not been able to try with 2.0.2 because the demo version does not support CDDB.

1. Open "N2MP3 Settings" (the control panel) and in the "CD Info" tab change the "CDDB Server" field to "freedb.freedb.org".