Also, I may as well ask, although there are undoubtedly other places where each of these posts probably belong.

I'm not extremely familiar with why so few rips are done with variable bitrate? To me, they all seem to sound just excellent, as long as they're not kacked. A friend tells me that the software adjusts it's ripping for a perfect combination of needed sampling for intense portions, along with not wasting disk space on soft spots/pauses etc. As an engineer by trade, it makes perfect sense technically, although someone just "said" once to establish a manual bitrate, and a variable shows up in the search as a blank so that might raise a flag or something. I've recently used the variable bitrate, and just love it's facets. Is there something else here?

Also, if anyone DOES happen to have the two Cardigans songs I've mentioned, let me know. I have lot's of stuff I would certainly not mind ripping for you in exchange. "Erase-Rewind" is on the Gran Turismo CD and also on the "Thirteenth Floor" and the "Never Been Kissed" soundracks. "Deuce" is off the "Matrix" soundtrack, and I think on one of the albums too. Literally every single burn...of these two are kacks. Probably because one person improperly kacked them and everyone else has just been redistributing the same kacks. But I'd hate to spend $40 or so for two songs, when I already have the other stuff off them I like.

Any help?