Ripping HDCD audio

foobar decodes HDCD-encoded files on the fly, how can a commandline tool be easier?

If you decode with hdcd.exe or the foo_hdcd plugin, then AFAIK they don't do anything with non-peak-extended files apart from padding to 24bit and halving the volume (which can be switched off for the foobar plugin), so I doubt you hear any other differences than that.

 

Brad also supplied a command "engine" (not sure if I am using the correct terminology. At any rate, you just drag the file into the folder, double click the .cmd, and out pops the decoded file. Truly simple.

 

They should be according to this post over at Hydrogenaudio. Note that this applies only to foo_hdcd, not the old foo_dsp_hdcd plugin.

 

When you don't want to play the CD or file, you want to decode it and save it.

That's not what the command-line stats tell me.

 

That's nice, but at least in my case I still would have to convert to some lossless format, tag the files, etc. With the foobar plugin I don't have to do anything at all. Can't beat that.

 

Whatever works for you.

 

That's what I do. I store all my CDs as flacs on hard disk as they were ripped with EAC. And when I want to play back HDCD-encoded files I don't have to explicitly decode them first, foo_hdcd does that on the fly. Of course, if you don't use an HDCD-capable program for playback, then batch conversion using hdcd.exe is indeed convenient.

These tools tell you what HDCD features they find in the files, but all they can actually do is peak extension, no transient filter processing.

 

I also store my music on hard drives too, but I don't exclusively use Foobar to play my music. I also burn CD-rs, create mp3s for the car, and use programs that do not utilize HDCD decoding.

I highly doubt you have used hdcd.exe, then, because "peak extention" detection and adjustment does show up.

 

Then Brad's tool is of course very helpful, no question.

You misunderstood me. It lists all HDCD features it finds, but peak extension is the only one it can actually decode. It doesn't do anything concerning transient filtering, so you shouldn't hear a difference for non-peak-extended discs when the volume is adjusted.

 

I am confused. I use an Apple server but I have a PC as well. Can some one correct the steps that I guessed at below and answer the questions I have.

1. Rip the HDCD disk on a PC. (What format will the HDCD disk files be written to?)
2. Copy the files to a directory with the convert.cmd and hdcd.exe.
3. Run hdcd.exe. (Will this create another set of files? Where do the files get written? What is the format of these files? Are they 24 bit files?)
4. Load FLAC files on my Mac server for used Pure Music/itunes.

Sorry for the dumb questions.

 

The HDCD files will be 24 bit wav and they will say so right in the file.

 

I found this yesterday and think it makes a huge difference on my Neil Young CD's. Thanks for the post.

 

I added the foo_hdcd component and then your string. That worked great. Thanks.

 

That's what I use. Select the hdcd decode option under the dsp option. You want to rip to 24/44.1. The last 4 bits are zero filled and hold the 6 db level increase when hdcd is properly decoded.

 

Huh?

I have a Oppo DV-980H, which decodes HDCD. But there is no mention of turning HDCD capabilities on or off in the setup menu or the manual.

And are you really saying that the digital out of a HDCD is not 16/44.1 in a Oppo? I find that hard to believe. Or do you mean the analog output?

Can anybody confirm or shed some light?

I am a big HDCD fan, for what it is worth.

 

The 95 has an audio option in which you can turn the HDCD decoding on or off. The default is on so I'm presuming that the Oppo is outputting something other than 16/44.1. Whether it's 20/44.1 or 24/44.1 I can't tell. My guess would be the latter.

 

I can see where the analog output would change depending on your preference and setting of that HDCD on/off switch, but wouldn't the digital output always be the 16/44.1 read straight off the CD?

 

The transient filter isn't anything that can be "decoded". This is true regardless of software or hardware playback:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=79427&view=findpost&p=737725

Grant: what?? You claim to hear a difference with discs that don't use peak extension, but Ulli indicated that isn't how the program works. What do "command-line stats" have to do with anything?

Also, it's worth noting that Peak Extension isn't the only feature that gets decoded - Low Level Extension can/does as well. However, from the above link:

In practice this generally only makes a difference on the tail end of fades. Essentially, the level is brought up slightly to keep things farther away from the noise floor. I've always noticed this with the Buffalo Springfield HDCD discs - the ends of the fades get slightly louder. When decoded, the levels are brought back down, since the 20-bit output allows for a lower noise floor.

It's also worth noting that Peak Extension may not make much of a difference if the mastering was not far into the red to begin with. For the aforementioned Springfield CDs, there's a *little* additional dynamic range to be had when decoded, but certainly nothing close to the 6 dB possible. If you listen to the difference between the 16 bit input and the 20 bit decoded output, there's only some very low level dither and some random pops/crackles that are the recovered peaks. And, the sound of the LLE compansion at the end of the fade.

 

Alright, I'm going to switch gears a little. I wasn't sure where to ask this or whether to start a new thread but I decided this thread was as good a place as any, so here goes....

I've been spending a lot of time monkeying around with the Squeezebox Touch my wife bought for my 40th last week. The vast majority of my music streams from my iTunes library (ALAC) with a good amount of hi-rez files (FLAC).

I have now turned my attention to my HDCD-encoded discs (starting my sizeable Grateful Dead collection). Although I have an Oppo-95 player, I prefer to rip my multi-disc HDCDs to 24-bit FLAC using DBPoweramp and burn them to DVD-A. However, since the Squeezebox does such a good job streaming 24-bit files I'm considering importing the 24-bit HDCD rips into iTunes and using them as the default for both Squeezebox and iPod listening. This helps save hard drive space by eliminating the need for duplicate copies of the same music (24/44.1 and 16/44.1) on the same hard drive.

Are there any potential pitfalls of this approach that I need to be aware of?

 

Am I reading this correctly that there's no reason to use hdcd decoding if peak extension and LLE are not present? For me the question comes up with Steve's Audio Fidelity discs that use HDCD. I have to decide whether to store them as plain 16-bit flac or 24-bit flac decoded with foobar and the HDCD plug-in. I'd just as soon save them as 16-bit as it's easier and I never discerned any difference listening.

 

If PE and LLRE were not used, the only effect of decoding will be a 1 bit shift (~6dB) down in level.

 

Thanks, there's one less detail to obsess over.

 

If you're using foobar, you can always store HDCD rips as 16bit flac, even if they're using peak extension. There's a foobar plugin that decodes the files on the fly upon playback: http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_hdcd.

 

I keep both the 24/44.1 version and the 16/44.1 version on disc. Disc space for the duplicates isn't a concern. One reason I keep both is so I can compare the HDCD decoded version with the undecoded version. Another reason is that I do MP3 on my iPod and I use the 16/44.1 version for the MP3 conversion.

NB: I've never tested or investigated using the 24/44.1 HDCD decoded files as a source for the MP3 files.

I posted a list of my HDCD discs and their HDCD features in the HDCDs with Peak Extend thread. A bunch of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia discs are listed there. You can check which ones have peak extend and which ones don't.

 

Thanks!

So my options are:

1) Convert only the CDs with peak extension and play them through Squeezebox and play the non-peak extended CDs on my Oppo
2) Buy a DAC capable of decoding HDCD (do they even exist anymore?).