I just ordered an Empeg player and am pretty excited about it. I'm new to the world of MP3 Files and have a few questions. I apologize if some of these have been asked and answered previously, if so just send me the pertinent link to a faq, or earlier message thread.

1) What are some reccomendations for software to use for ripping CD's and converting them to MP3 files? Is some software faster than others? I don't really feel like spending days sitting in front of my computer ripping CD's.

2) Any suggestions on setting up the directory structure and organizing the files. In other words, what have been some common errors that have been made or if you had to do it all over again what would you do differently?

3) I know that there are different compression rates for the MP3 file format that result in different levels of quality. What is the best rate to use for the best size vs quality compromise? What is most commonly used?

Thanks in advance.

Jeff