Anyone care to try to build this multi-drive music ripping script?

I am so new to Applescript I’m like a newborn trying to read.

I bought The Definitive Guide and I thought I’d just read a little and whip up a script.

Ha.

That being said, is anyone up for a challenge? It actually is probably pretty easy for a bunch of pros like you. Here it is:

I have two CD drives, one via USB.

I am in the process of ripping THOUSANDS of CDs, (I’m going to end up with the most awesome private MP3 collection I’ve personally ever encountered. I’m working with about 6 great collectors’ CDs, in exchange for the music itself. I’m already at about 40,000 songs, everything from Alternative to Zydeco.) I’m actually using several computers. But I also have these extra CD drives.

So here’s what I’d like to be able to do:

Insert first cd, script checks, sees that itunes is free, passes the disc to iTunes to rip and eject when done.
Insert second cd in second drive.
Script checks, sees that iTunes is busy working on a CD already, prevents itunes from grabbing it, passes it to LameBrain (and/or any other mp3 ripping program that would do the job equally well) to rip and eject.
After itunes ejects the first CD, I put in a third, script checks, sees itunes is free and passes it to itunes…

and so forth, and so on.

Given that the system prefs has has the “run script” built right into the CD/DVD prefs, it seems like this should be do-able. I just don’t have any idea how!

One of the biggest sticking points for me is the fact that itunes grabs every music cd that gets inserted, which is normally great, I can just mindlessly feed cds to the computer, itunes eats 'em and barfs 'em back, no worries. But add that second drive, and everything gets messed up. I can stop itunes from trying to rip everything by telling it to simply “show” cd, but then I have to constantly TELL itunes to rip and eject, which lowers my efficiency and ease so much it wipes out any advantages of having the second drive running.

Given that I have several extra drives AND computers, I could be blowing through stacks of Cds at a rate of about 80 per hour if I could get the glitches fixed and take control in this way, and scripting seems like the only way…and I just don’t have what it takes.

So, if anyone wants to give this a shot, tell me what you’d like in return! I’m open…

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