Exact Audio Copy - EAC - help, tips and tricks thread

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Turnaround, Jun 2, 2009.

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  1. Lazlo Nibble

    Lazlo Nibble Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, Colorado
    Not to be pedantic about it, but I don't think this is a safe generalization.

    When generating a cue sheet from a disc you have in hand, what you get depends on the software you're using to read the disc. Your software gets the TOC flags for "free" when it loads the disc, so unless you request otherwise that's probably what it'll write to the cue sheet. But if you tell an older version of EAC to read the program-area flags, and then save a cue sheet for that disc, the cue sheet will have the flags that EAC detected in the program-area subcode blocks instead. (Which may not be correct, depending on the disc you're reading and the detection method you've specified...but that's a different discussion.)

    When writing a disc based on a cue sheet, the distinction between TOC and program-area control flags is meaningless because standard consumer-grade hardware can'twrite different values in the two areas. CD writers ignore any P/Q subcode values you include in the program-area frames in favor of the control bits you set in the table-of-contents definition, so the values you specify in the cue sheet will be written in both areas of the disc. This behavior is defined in the MMC standard.
     
  2. Lazlo Nibble

    Lazlo Nibble Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, Colorado
    Yeah, just using "subcode" is kind of ambiguous. When discussing this stuff I've started trying to very explicitly distinguish between the control flags in the TOC/lead-in and the control flags in the program-area subcode blocks.

    The mention of Unicode makes it sound like it could be a problem with the format of the file -- what program did you use to edit it, if any?

    You could also post the contents of the cuesheet -- just put it in a CODE block (created by the # sign on the message entry box) in your post so it's easier to read. I wouldn't expect a simple syntax problem to cause EAC to bomb out completely though.
     
  3. SOONERFAN

    SOONERFAN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, Oklahoma
    Here is the cue sheet that causes EAC to give me the Unicode thing and shut down:

    REM GENRE "Jazz"
    REM DATE 1956
    REM DISCID 33085905
    REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb3"
    CATALOG 0000000000000
    PERFORMER "Sonny Rollins Quartet"
    TITLE "Tenor Madness (DCC Gold)"
    FILE "Sonny.Rollins.Quartet.-.Tenor.Madness.(DCC.Gold).[1956].wv" WAVE
    TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Tenor Madness"
    PERFORMER "Sonny Rollins Quartet"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
    TRACK 02 AUDIO
    TITLE "When Your Lover Has Gone"
    PERFORMER "Sonny Rollins Quartet"
    INDEX 00 12:16:40
    INDEX 01 12:17:64
    TRACK 03 AUDIO
    TITLE "Paul's Pal"
    PERFORMER "Sonny Rollins Quartet"
    INDEX 00 18:30:27
    INDEX 01 18:31:70
    TRACK 04 AUDIO
    TITLE "My Reverie"
    PERFORMER "Sonny Rollins Quartet"
    INDEX 00 23:44:67
    INDEX 01 23:46:50
    TRACK 05 AUDIO
    TITLE "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
    PERFORMER "Sonny Rollins Quartet"
    INDEX 00 29:55:50
    INDEX 01 29:58:60

    The file started as a single WV file which I convereted to a WAVE file using dBPoweramp music converter. I then got the contents of the embeded cue sheet using foobar 2000 and edited from a pre-existing cue sheet for another disc using notepad. (I erased the info from the old cue sheet, then cut and pasted the new cue sheet info I got from foobar. I chanced the cue sheet title to the new disc as well obviously). This is perhaps a screwy way of doing it but I am not very computer savy. Anyway, I then take my new cue sheet and drop it into EAC at which point I get the error code and crash.
     
  4. Lazlo Nibble

    Lazlo Nibble Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, Colorado
    There doesn't seem to be anything weird going on in the actual syntax of the cuesheet. Try this:

    1. Open Notepad.
    2. Copy the cuesheet text FROM YOUR POST ABOVE.
    3. Post it into Notepad.
    4. Save the file and try THAT in EAC.

    If that causes the same error, try reinstalling EAC.
     
  5. GreenDrazi

    GreenDrazi Truth is beauty

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    There’s no reason to reinstall EAC, although having the latest version is advised.

    It’s likely a text/format issue. You can try saving in notepad to a different encoding and back again and/or eliminating most or all of the titles/names, leaving just the track times. I also recommend simplifying the image name to something like image.wav.
     
  6. SOONERFAN

    SOONERFAN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, Oklahoma
    I tried steps 1-4 and it indeed worked. Thank you so very much.:wave:
     
  7. steve_miller

    steve_miller Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago,IL
    Quick question, I searched this thread but did not get any hits, sorry if this has been answered. If so please point me in the right direction.

    Where does EAC search for cover art images. I received some interesting images for CD I was about to rip, and I wanted to know where it my be getting the images from.

    I tried an ordinary Google search, using the same and similar terms, but the same images did not come up.


    Thanks
     
  8. steve_miller

    steve_miller Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago,IL
  9. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    EAC is likely using more than just FreeCovers.net. I don't know the sites it is using.

    You can try Album Art Downloader. It's a free and open source program. It searches a number of different sites. Do be nice and limit the number of sites you have it search. It searches many of the sites by scraping which is a rude and abusive way to get data from a web site.

    Also try AlbumArtExchange. They have high quality edited album art.

    One problem with the album art you'll find at sites like FreeCovers is the album art has not been edited to remove the half-tone printing patterns in the images. Leaving the half-tone printing dots in the image causes moire pattern effects and other artifacts. The images have also been resized so many times that they are hopeless to edit on your own to attempt to remove the moire patterns. The images are garbage quality.
     
  10. steve_miller

    steve_miller Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago,IL
    Thanks Ham,

    Love the avitar
     
  11. Using EAC V 1.0 Beta 3, under 'EAC Options' and then 'Tools' in the first option it allows you to 'Retrieve UPC / ISRC codes in CUE sheet generation'. I have this selected but I'm not seeing UPC and/or ISRC codes in my CUE sheets.

    I've only tried this option while ripping a few CDs. Could it be that the UPC/ISRC codes aren't within the CDs which is why I'm not seeing them? Or could I be doing something wrong?
     
  12. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Not every CD has UPC or ISRC codes.
    Try some reasonably recent major label CDs. Indies seem to be less likely to have those codes.

    I'm not sure if some drives are unable to read those codes. It may also depend on what you have the gap detection method set to for the drive (I'm not sure). So try some different gap detection methods on the chance that it does affect it.

    I've never paid much attention to the UPC or ISRC codes. That info doesn't carry over to my FLAC tags. So whether or not it is there in the CUE when I rip doesn't make much difference to me. I do have that option set in EAC. And my drives do read it if it is there. It does slow down the ripping, so I probably ought to disable it.
     
  13. GreenDrazi

    GreenDrazi Truth is beauty

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    What Ham Sand. said. And the older the disc, the less likely.

    Also, some drives don’t support reading the codes and often the ISRC codes use odd characters that the drive may not be able to read.
     
  14. Thanks Ham Sandwich and GreenDazi! Based on what you wrote, I suspect that the CDs I've tried this with are too old and/or from too small of a label to contain the UPCs and ISRCs.

    I was hoping to capture the UPCs as it helps differentiate multiple pressings I have of the same title. I guess my alternative is to add the UPC - or probably just the catalog # - to the file names via the comment field? How does everyone differentiate files when they have multiple pressings of a given title (like, say, WHO'S NEXT, where I have a couple different CD issues).
     
  15. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    I put the label, catalog #, and release year in the comment field.

    There are also special tags for the label, catalog # and release year. How to display and edit those tags will depend on the software you use. You can enter the data in those tags if you like.

    I put the catalog data in the comment field because every piece of software can easily display and edit that field. I also put the info in the proper label, catalog # and release year tags when I get around to it and feel like editing tags and cleaning things up.

    I'll also name the albums something unique to differentiate multiple pressings or special pressings.
    For example with Who's Next I might use
    Who's Next [MCA 1986]
    Who's Next [MCA 1995]
    Who's Next [MFSL]
     
  16. I'm not seeing tags for label or catalog # in the list of available tags:

    %title% – Track title
    %genre% – MP3 music genre
    %year% – Year
    %cddbid% – freedb ID
    %artist% – Track artist
    %lyrics% – Lyrics
    %lyricsfile% – Filename of lyrics text file (ANSI)
    %bitrate% – Bitrate (“32″..”320″)
    %comment% – Comment (as selected in EAC)
    %tracknr% – Track number (same as %tracknr2%)
    %tracknr1% – Track number (at least 1 digit)
    %tracknr2% – Track number (at least 2 digits)
    %tracknr3% – Track number (at least 3 digits)
    %totalcds% – Total number of CDs in the given CD set
    %cdnumber% – Number of the CD
    %composer% – Track performer
    %trackcrc% – CRC of extracted track
    %coverfile% – Filename of CD cover image
    %numtracks% – Number of tracks on album
    %albumtitle% – CD title
    %albumartist% – CD artist
    %albumcomposer% – CD composer
    %albuminterpret% – CD performer


    Are you using some other method? Or am I missing the obvious?
     
  17. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Unfortunately there is no real tagging standard. The software you use may implement some tags and not others. How tags are mapped to determine what FLAC tag maps to what MP3 ID3 tag is a mess and inconsistent. Some software does it differently than other software. Some software will allow you to define your own tags so you can add a LABEL tag if you want.

    There's some info in the hydrogenaudio wiki about tagging standards proposals and how Foobar has generally gone about tagging. It gets even messier when you try to get FLAC, ALAC, MP3 and other formats to all behave together and have their tags map when each format has tags named differently. A mess.
     
  18. Lazlo Nibble

    Lazlo Nibble Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, Colorado
    EAC has a known bug in many versions that corrupts the ISRCs it reads. They can only have characters 0-9 and A-Z (uppercase) due to the encoding scheme used, so if you see anything else -- or if they violate the standard format in some other way -- it's a glitch.

    I also haven't really noticed that older discs are less likely to have them. Certainly most of my old PolyGram pressings do.
     
  19. I have a specific question and was wondering if someone has an answer to this.

    If I have an Image file (one wav-file for a complete CD) with a cuesheet, is there any easy way to convert this into individual mp3 tracks for an iPod etc.?

    I know that I could burn the image to a CD-RW and then rip that again to mp3, but I was wondering if there is an easier way which would avoid the step of burning a CD-RW. Maybe something like a virtual CD drive in which I could "load" the cue-sheet and wav-file and rip it directly?

    Any help would be appreciated.
     
  20. fredhammersmith

    fredhammersmith Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montreal, Quebec
    CUETools does that.
     
  21. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Or open the cuesheet with Foobar and convert the individual files to the format you like.
     
  22. SOONERFAN

    SOONERFAN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, Oklahoma
    I have an early CD version of Lionel Richie S/T and "Can't Slow Down" both of which have pre-emphasis. Since both albums will fit on an 80 minute CD-R, is there anyway I can put both on a CD-R with the Pre-emphasis flag set. I assume I would have to set up a custom cue sheet with both albums on it with the flags pre thing. I need some guidance on the details of setting up such a custom cue sheet.
     
  23. You have to put

    FLAGS PRE

    after the Performer and Title and before the start time of the song, for each track.

    Code:
    REM GENRE "Rock"
    REM DATE 1987
    PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
    TITLE "I'm No Angel"
    FILE "Gregg Allman - I'm No Angel.wav" WAVE
      TRACK 01 AUDIO
      TITLE "I'm No Angel"
      PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
      FLAGS PRE
      INDEX 01 00:00:00
      TRACK 02 AUDIO
      TITLE "Anything Goes"
      PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
      FLAGS PRE
      INDEX 01 03:45:00
    
     
  24. O.k., I understand.

    Code:
    REM GENRE "Rock"
    REM DATE 1987
    PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
    TITLE "I'm No Angel / Other Album"
    FILE "Gregg Allman - I'm No Angel.wav" WAVE
      TRACK 01 AUDIO
      TITLE "I'm No Angel"
      PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
      FLAGS PRE
      INDEX 01 00:00:00
      TRACK 02 AUDIO
      TITLE "Anything Goes"
      PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
      FLAGS PRE
      INDEX 01 03:45:00
    FILE "Gregg Allman - Other Album.wav" WAVE
      TRACK 03 AUDIO
      TITLE "Another Song"
      PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
      FLAGS PRE
      INDEX 01 00:00:00
      TRACK 04 AUDIO
      TITLE "And One More"
      PERFORMER "Gregg Allman"
      FLAGS PRE
      INDEX 01 03:15:00
    
     
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