Ripping CD's with pre-emphasis on a Mac

What happens if you used de-emphasis on a cd which doesn't have pre-emphasis, will it still try and do something?

 

De-emphasis is basically applying an EQ curve. So if you de-emphasise a CD that wasn't encoded with pre-emphasis, it will sound dull as the primary noticeable change in applying de-emphasis is a treble reduction.

Pre-emphasis boosts the treble. If you don't apply de-emphasis, the CD will sound bright and thin.

 

You are correct about the pre-emphasis and de-emphasis functions, but HDCD has more to the process than that. What you're describing is a function similar to the original Dolby noise reduction scheme used with analog magnetic tape recording and playback. HDCD implements multiple tricks in the digital domain to enhance dynamic range and transient response when decoded and finally converted to an analog signal. That part is not really about amplitude-frequency response equalization, but rather about getting around the sampling rate limit of the redbook standard for CDs.

 

We're talking about pre-emphasis, and not about HDCD in this thread…

 

Sorry, my bad. I realized later that my post was irrelevant.

 

Never mind. Brilliant signature, BTW.

 

Sounds like a good idea. I tried xAct on 'Heads Or Tales' and it is reducing the levels on an already quiet disc. God knows what it will do to Broadsword...

 

Reducing levels? That doesn't sound correct...

 

Sure, de-emphasis is going to reduce certain frequencies, perhaps (but not always) reducing the overall level of the tracks.

 

Exactly but I'm saying xAct does reduce peak levels. By a couple of dB...

 

But you understand that isn't a problem, right? That is what de-emphasizing something does, it lowers it (but only certain frequencies, in this case.

 

One way I've found to do this is using the drutil command line utility. For example, Michael Jackson - Off The Wall Japan Epic/Sony ESCA 5407 shows:

$ drutil toc

Vendor Product Rev
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SE-218CB MF00

First session: 1
Last session: 1
First track: 1
Disc type: 0 (CD-DA, or CD-ROM with first track in Mode 1)
Last track: 10
Lead-out: 42:40.32
Session 1, Track 1: 00:02.00 2ch audio, with pre-emphasis, digital copy prohibited
Session 1, Track 2: 06:06.62 2ch audio, with pre-emphasis, digital copy prohibited
Session 1, Track 3: 09:46.62 2ch audio, with pre-emphasis, digital copy prohibited
...

 

I use XLD. You have to configure some settings. This post describes it: Pre emphasis list? ».

 

Could the output numbers (DR and levels) differ from one computer or de-emphasis program to another? Are there sometimes slight variations? I've just de-emphasized a copy of Abbey Road (Black Triangle) with xACT, and while the DR numbers and levels are similar to those that other people have found - one person on the SH Forum and another person on the DR database - they 're not the same. In fact all 3 sets of numbers are different, if only slightly. I'm pretty certain that the Abbey Road (Black Triangle) that I have is the genuine article and not a forgery from the 1987 master (I hope so anyway....) as the pre-emphasis numbers are completely different from those of the 1987.

 

I think they can be different. I'm not sure if there is exactly one way to compensate for pre-emphasis, so probably different plugins will result in slightly different results. There shouldn't be much difference, though.

 

Some of those DR submissions are probably incorrect, one of them the DR was run before the proper EQ was set. The one with 9 looks correct. When the proper EQ is done DR will always be lower.
What are your peak levels before pre-emphasis? That's a good way to find what mastering you have.
Oop's I see Lukpac gave you a good answer in the way the different EQ curve may have thrown it off.