StationRipper

Download Pandora, Slacker, Flavtap.com, Seeqpod, MySpace, and AOL Radio with StationRipper

The latest version of StationRipper introduces a new plugin to StationRipper, StationSniffer.  This new plugin joins our Shoutcast, Last.fm, and Podcast plugins.  It will allow you to download songs from Pandora.com, Slacker.com, MySpace, and AOL Radio.  It will also be able to optionally Download any song that gets streamed through your browser.

If you don't have it yet, you'll also need to get the latest version of .NET

This new plugin works very differently then the others, and will require some setup. It's very easy to use once you get it going - but changes in how many of the sites work have forced what was once automatic to be a mostly manual process. 

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Start Downloading

1. Bring up StationRipper, and click on the View->Start StationSniffer menu in StationRipper.

2. Bring up your favorite browser.  We recommend Firefox, but IE, Opera, or any other will work.  You can also click on the "StationSniffer" tab on the left on the main menu, to get to Pandora - and just have Pandora.com playing from inside of StationRipper.

3. If using an external browser, browse to Pandora.com  Let it come up and start playing.

4. Configure your browser to use the StationSniffer proxy (see below for specific instructions for your browser).

5. Change the Pandora station in your browser (the Sniffer will Download if you don't do this, but it won't have song names)

6. Songs will now Download (go back to StationRipper to see this)

7. NOTE: Once you exit StationRipper, or stop using the Sniffer, you MUST go back in and turn off your browser using the Sniffer proxy (see below).

8. Click on "My Music" on the top StationRipper toolbar to see and play the Downloaded music. 
    

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Browser Proxy Configuration

StationRipper acts as something called a "Proxy". What that means is you will need to configure your browser to use StationSniffer, to Download songs. To do this:

1. Setting proxy in Firefox:
   - Go to Tools->Options.
   - Click on the Advanced Tab.
   - Click on the Network sub-tab.
   - Click on the "Settings" button.
   - Click on "Manual proxy configuration"
   - Enter in "127.0.0.1" for HTTP Proxy:, and the "20069" for the Port. (NOTE: The default port can be changed in StationRipper by going to View->Options, and clicking on the Sniffer tab)

2. Setting proxy in Microsoft Internet Explorer:
   - Go to Tools->Internet Options
   - Click on the "Connections" tab.
   - Click on "LAN Settings"
   - Check "Use a proxy server for your LAN"
   - Enter in "127.0.0.1" for Address, and the "20069" for the Port. (NOTE: The default port can be changed in StationRipper by going to View->Options, and clicking on the Sniffer tab)

3. Turning off in Firefox:
   - Go to Tools->Options.
   - Click on the Advanced Tab.
   - Click on the Network sub-tab.
   - Click on the "Settings" button.
   - UNCHECK "Manual proxy configuration"

4. Turning off IE:
   - Go to Tools->Internet Options
   - Click on the "Connections" tab.
   - Click on "LAN Settings"
   - UNCHECK "Use a proxy server for your LAN"
    

NOTE: Once you have configured your browser to use the StationSniffer proxy, the Sniffer will need to be running for you to access the web.  If you stop using the Sniffer and have manually configured a browser, just go back in and disable using a proxy.

Helpful hits:

1. As soon as StationRipper shows that it has downloaded a song, you can go to the site and play the next song to let StationRipper download it.

2. If you open more than one instance of each site (e.g., two Pandora's in two IE windows), will not be able to accurately track song names - song names may be mixed up, or not available (So while using the Sniffer, please just have one copy of each site up).  If you have two different browsers installed, you can configure one to use the Sniffer, and then do whatever you want in the other, like playing another station.

3. You can turn on Auto-configuration if you'd like the software to try to auto-config IE.  Go to View->Options, Sniffer tab for more information.

4. The #1 problem we've seen is when users have a firewall or virus software that is blocking the Sniffer.  Make sure to add StationSniffer.exe as a trusted app, or it may not be able to work correctly.  StationRipper.exe should also be allowed to launch other applications (StationSniffer, in this case).

5. The sites will start playing a song before StationSniffer has it - and StationSniffer won't show any details until after the entire song is downloaded (so once a new song starts in the browser, wait a bit and it will show up in StationRipper).

6. If StationRipper looses track of the song name, just tell the site you are using to play a different Station. Sometimes skipping to the next song will also fix this.

7. Under IE, your proxy settings by default should look something like this:
   
    

8. Under Firefox, by default they would look something like this:
   

 

StationSniffer can also try to Download any song file that your browser steams.  If you go to View->Options, and click the "Sniffer" tab, you'll be able to check "Download all possible music".  This tells the sniffer to try to catch ANY song that comes through your browser, even from sites it knows nothing about.  The song name won't be set for these - you'll get a generic name, that you'll then have to rename... but it should get the song.

Here's a quick demo of StationRipper Downloading Pandora:

Here's a longer demo showing how to use the Sniffer: