Problem encoding to AAC

[weadley2004]

I'm trying to rip some CDs for my wife's iPod. I'd like to end up with .aac format files (the AAC codec). The issue is that when I finish a rip I have 0k .aac files in my directory, along with a collection of .tmp files. It seems like the toaac.bat file is not getting executed to finish the process...?

I've downloaded and installed both the m4A Nero (AAC) and the AAC codecs from dbPoweramp. I've also done the additional configuration steps to copy some of the Nero files into the encoder directories for the above. I hit the same issue when ripping directly from CD or using the batch converter from FLAC files.

What am I doing wrong?

[Wayne]

Can you turn on the Music converter debug option which can be found at the bottom of the Music converter tab on dBpowerAMP Configuration.

After you do so attempt to convert again and post the log here.

[weadley2004]

Here is the log:

Splitting Command Line:Done
->-> [dBCoreConverter::ReaddBCommandFile]
<-<- [dBCoreConverter::ReaddBCommandFile]
->-> [cldBCodecHandler::FindDecoder]
Checking Decoder 'C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\decoder\FLAC.dll' for extension '.flac'
Decodes [clDecoder::Get]
<<< Match, using decoder
Using Registry Cached Decoder: C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\decoder\FLAC.dll
->-> [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [cldBCodecHandler::FindDecoder]
BatchID [clDecoder::Set]
->-> [cldBCodecHandler::LoadEncoder]
Loading Encoder 'C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression).DLL'
<-<- [cldBCodecHandler::LoadEncoder]
BatchID [clEncoder::Set]
->-> [dBCoreConverter::StripCoreConverterCmds]
<-<- [dBCoreConverter::StripCoreConverterCmds]
SendRawUnCompressed [clEncoder::Get]
Communicate [clDecoder::Get]
Communicate [clEncoder::Get]
NeedHQAudio [clEncoder::Get]
Decode As [clDecoder::Set]
->-> [clDecoder::Open]
Opening file 'D:\Audio\David Bowie\Diamond Dogs\Diamond Dogs.01.Future Legend.David Bowie.flac' for read access: Opened
Init FLAC:
Reading Meta Data:
contained 25 tags:
replaygain_album_gain: -5.35 dB
replaygain_album_peak: 1
AccurateRipResult: AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 9) [7E5DB0F7]
AccurateRipDiscID: 013-0015d4b5-00dc5fb2-aa0ae20d-1
Album Artist: David Bowie
Composer: David Bowie
Disc: 1/1
Label: RCA
Style: Proto-Punk
Pop/Rock
Glam Rock
Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Hard Rock
Rating: 4
Source: CD (Lossless)
Encoded By: dBpoweramp Release 12.3
Encoder: FLAC 1.2.0
Encoder Settings: -compression-level-5 -verify
Length: 60533
CDDB Disc ID: AA0AE20D
replaygain_track_gain: -2.15 dB
replaygain_track_peak: 0.831055
Publisher: EMI (EMI)
title: Future Legend
Track: 1
Album: Diamond Dogs
Artist: David Bowie
Genre: Rock
Year: 1974
Contains picture block, size (bytes): 18232 type: 3
->-> [clDecoder::ReadIDTags]
<-<- [clDecoder::ReadIDTags]
->-> [clDecoder::FillAudioProps]
Encoder: FLAC reference libFLAC 1.2.0 20070715
Sample Count: 2,669,520
ID Tag: Vorbis Comments
Contains: Album Art, CRC, ReplayGain, ID Tag [Vorbis Comments]
<-<- [clDecoder::FillAudioProps]
->-> [clDecoder::FillAudioInfo]
Uncompressed WFX (sent to db): Format Tag: 1 Channels: 2 Bits per Sample: 16 Samples Per Second: 44100 Bytes Per Second: 176400 Block Align: 4 CB Size: 0
Audio Length: 60533 mili-seconds 6365062 bytes 1411 kbps
<-<- [clDecoder::FillAudioInfo]
Creating Decode Buffers: Created
<-<- [clDecoder::Open]
Setting Priority: high [dBCoreConverter::SetConversionPriority]
Priority [clEncoder::Set]
->-> [clEncoder::BeginConversion]
Converting to 'D:\Audio\David Bowie\Diamond Dogs\Diamond Dogs.01.Future Legend.David Bowie.aac' encoder settings ' -cli_encoder="C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)\neroAacEnc.exe" -cli_cmd="-q .65 -ignorelength -hinttrack -if - -of {qt}[outfile].tmp{qt}" -selection="0,7,0"'
Using Encoder 'C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)\neroAacEnc.exe'
Command Line '-q .65 -ignorelength -hinttrack -if - -of "D:\Audio\David Bowie\Diamond Dogs\Diamond Dogs.01.Future Legend.David Bowie.aac.tmp"'
Input Wave Format:Format Tag: 1 Channels: 2 Bits per Sample: 16 Samples Per Second: 44100 Bytes Per Second: 176400 Block Align: 4 CB Size: 0
Output Wave Format:Format Tag: 1 Channels: 2 Bits per Sample: 16 Samples Per Second: 44100 Bytes Per Second: 176400 Block Align: 4 CB Size: 0
Passing Wave Header: Yes
Using StdInput Pipe: Yes
dBpoweramp Writing Tags: Yes
<-<- [clEncoder::BeginConversion]
Communicate [clDecoder::Get]
Communicate [clEncoder::Get]
Encoding To: AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)
Encoder Cmd Line: -cli_encoder="C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)\neroAacEnc.exe" -cli_cmd="-q .65 -ignorelength -hinttrack -if - -of {qt}[outfile].tmp{qt}" -selection="0,7,0"
============= CONVERSION BEGIN =============
============= CONVERSION END =============
Communicate [clDecoder::Get]
Communicate [clEncoder::Get]
->-> [dBCoreConverter::CloseDecoder]
->-> [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [clDecoder::Close]
->-> [clEncoder::EndConversion]
Running program after conversion 'C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)\toaac.bat' Command Line: D:\Audio\David Bowie\Diamond Dogs\Diamond Dogs.01.Future Legend.David Bowie.aac
Program completed
<-<- [clEncoder::EndConversion]
->-> [dBCoreConverter::IDTagWriter]
->-> [cldBCodecHandler::FindDecoder]
Checking Decoder 'C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\decoder\aac.dll' for extension '.aac'
Decodes [clDecoder::Get]
<<< Match, using decoder
Using Registry Cached Decoder: C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\decoder\aac.dll
->-> [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [cldBCodecHandler::FindDecoder]
IDTags [clDecoder::Set]
<-<- [dBCoreConverter::IDTagWriter]
->-> [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [clDecoder::Close]
Communicate [clDecoder::Get]
Communicate [clEncoder::Get]
Conversion completed in 9.5 seconds x6.4 realtime encoding
->-> [clDecoder::Close]
<-<- [clDecoder::Close]


For what it's worth, the command-line above has an option included that I don't see in the NeroAacEnc -help file...?:


C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)>
neroAacEnc -help
************************************************** ***********
* *
* Nero Digital Audio Reference MPEG-4 & 3GPP Audio Encoder *
* Copyright 2007 Nero AG *
* All Rights Reserved Worldwide *
* *
* Package build date: Aug 6 2007 *
* *
* See -help for a complete list of available parameters. *
* *
************************************************** ***********

Usage:
neroAacEnc [options] -if <input-file> -of <output-file>
Where:
<input-file> : Path to source file to encode.
The file must be in Microsoft WAV format and contain PCM data.
Specify - to encode from stdin.
Note that multiple input files can be specified, they will be
encoded together into a single output file with chapter marks
indicating source file divisions.
<output-file> : Path to output file to encode to, in MP4 format.

==== Available options: ====

Quality/bitrate control:
-q <number> : Enables "target quality" mode.
<number> is a floating-point number in 0...1 range.
-br <number> : Specifies "target bitrate" mode.
<number> is target bitrate in bits per second.
-cbr <number> : Specifies "target bitrate (streaming)" mode.
<number> is target bitrate in bits per second.
When neither of above quality/bitrate options is used,
the encoder defaults to equivalent of -q 0.5

Multipass encoding:
-2pass : Enables two-pass encoding mode.
Note that two-pass more requires a physical file as input,
rather than stdin.
-2passperiod : Overrides two-pass encoding bitrate averaging period,
<number> : in milliseconds.
: Specify zero to use least restrictive value possible (default).

Advanced features / troubleshooting:
-lc : Forces use of LC AAC profile (HE features disabled)
-he : Forces use of HE AAC profile (HEv2 features disabled)
-hev2 : Forces use of HEv2 AAC profile
Note that the above switches (-lc, -he, -hev2) should not be
used; optimal AAC profile is automatically determined from
quality/bitrate settings when no override is specified.
-ignorelength : Ignores length signaled by WAV headers of input file.
Useful for certain frontends using stdin.

C:\Program Files\Illustrate\dBpoweramp\encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression)>

[Spoon]

Make sure you have the lastest m4a codec from codec central, we dropped the hinttrack option.

[weadley2004]

I am up-to-date on my m4a install (Release 7), but it looks like there may be an issue with the encoder.txt file laid down with the aac codec?

When I run the "aac Release 1 474 KB" install it puts an encoder.txt file in my \encoder\AAC (Advanced Audio Compression) subdirectory that includes the -hinttrack option. Conversion to AAC fails in this case.

If I copy the encoder.txt file derived from the "m4a Release 1 1047 KB" install from the "m4a Nero (AAC)" directory the conversion appears to work?

Should the "aac Release 1" codec be updated or was I wrong to install it?

Thanks for the quick responses!

Mike

[rlvlcv]

Has there been a fix for this? I am using 13.1 with latest codecs. My logs also show that the toaac.bat batch file completed. Thanks.

[Spoon]

The .m4a codec would be a better choice for the original poster. Are you sure that .aac is the right codec for you, not the m4a?

[rlvlcv]

I could really use either codec, but for a product I paid for, I'd really like to be able to convert to any format the product says it will. Not to be a *blooper**blooper**blooper**blooper**blooper* or anything.

[rlvlcv]

Bump

[Spoon]

I have marked it as a possible bug ot look at.

[weadley2004]

I switched to using m4a instead of aac and things are now working fine for me. I created custom encoder entries to encode Apple Lossless .m4a and Apple Lossy .m4a.