Only converting half the song??

[jhladik]

I am trying to convert several flac files to wav or mp3. however, oncer they are converted the files are not the full song? Any help with this would be great. Thanks.

[jhladik]

I am converting flac files to wav and they end up not having the entire song converted? For example the flac one plays to a time of 1:44 and the converted wav file only plays for :33 and the rest is gone? ANy help would be great. Thanks.

[xoas]

Do your Flac files play all the way through?
What Wav settings are you using?
Do you know what settings were used to create your Flac files?
You might try downloading and installing the latest Flac codec from Codec Central here: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central-flac.htm.

Good luck and best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

I am using the settings that are standard on dbpoweramp when I try to convert the files: 16 bit - 44100 Hz - 2 'stereo'
the songs basically are cut in half when they get converted? I tried the download for the flac codec but still the same deal? Any other suggestions? Thanks

[xoas]

Do your Flac files play all the way through?
Can you test convert them? (Same as a regular conversion except where you would select wav as your conversion format select Test Conversion).
When the window pops up to display the progress of your conversion, do you see a setting for the conversion priority? If this is set above normal, set it to normal or below normal (my preferred setting is below normal).
Do you have any DSP effects enabled in Power Pack? If so, which ones? If you unenable them, does your problem persist?
If you are trying to convert many files at once, do you have the same problem with single files?

Please let us know whether the file test converts or not. If it will not forget about the other issues for a while, but do let us know if you can play the Flac file ok and with what program. Also check your dMC Configuration screen (Start > All Programs > dBpowerAMP Music Converter > Configuration > dMC Configuration) to see whether it shows the Flac codec as being installed and let us know what that shows.

Good luck and best wishes,
Bill mikkelsen

[Spoon]

Using the latest FLAC codec? (one was released the other day)

[jhladik]

Yes the flac files play all the way through on winamp, but not itunes. I can test convert them and they play fine too on winamp. I don’t get the popup with conversion priority, and I don’t have the power pack. I have the codec for flac from release 5. Thanks for your help any other ideas?

[xoas]

What happens with iTunes (will they not play at all, will they play only part way)?
Your truncated files, what are they like-is the beginning missing or the end or both, does the part that is recorded play fast or slow or not at all? Are there skips, etc?
Have you tried converting to wav with frequency and channels and bits set to "As Source"? If not, does that make any difference?

[jhladik]

Ituntes will play the first part of the song fine, but then cuts off half or less the way through. For example a 9:57 song only converts to have 1:09 played. It plays fine but cuts off midway. There are no skips or anything. I have tried using different settings when converting, ie as source for frequency, ect. And the same thing happens. I believe I have the latest codec for flac. Any other ideas? Thanks for all your suggestions.

[xoas]

If you create a Flac file with dMC and then go to convert it, can you convert that file?

You might try to do some math thusly: Take one of your Flac files, look at the tag and write down the playing time for the track. Now test convert the file with dMC. When this is complete I believe you should see both a RealTime conversion speed number and total conversion time (this will be in the window that displays the progress for your conversion). Multiply the total conversion time (in seconds) by the Real Time Conversion speed. Does this amount of time equal (or reasonably approximate) the total playing time for the original Flac file? Please let us know whether it does or (as I suspect) does not.

You might try using the WinAmp Input Adapter codec from Codec Central to see if you can use your WinAmp Flac plug-in with dMC. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully for this codec. This does not work for all WinAmp Plug-Ins and may not work here.

You might try this: Go to your Control Panel, Click on Folder Options, Click on the File types tab, check your details for .flac files. If necessary, direct your system to open these files with dMC Music Converter.

An idea that would certainly work is to play your files in WinAmp and record them through Auxilary Input but if you have many files this would be awkward.

These are some ideas. Let us know what you try and what you find. It might also be helpful to determine the level of compression for your Flac files (from the file details numbers for original size and file size).

Good luck and best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

Thanks for your help thus far. Unfortunately nothing has seemed to work. I tried the math and the original & test both had playing times of 9:56 but then the conversion to wav only 1:09, the same 1:09 time when I tried to convert it to mp3 with lame , another ,mp3 codec, and the 3rd one on the codec site. I looked at the conversion rate and it said 149x real-time encoding when I checked the wav version of this it was only 131x real-time encoding? Also the file size is different in most every type of conversions. originally 55662 and uncopmed 102766KB, when it coverts to wav (and only 1:09 playing time) it is 11971 for both size & uncomped size?I also tried going through the control panel but I could not find the details part of the flac or ANY other program in this view? compression ratio keeps changing too, originally 1.8 to 1 and for the wav comp ratio it is 1 to 1. Also I tired converting to mp3 blade and still only got 1:09 play time but the size is 1629 and uncomped 11886KB with a 7 to 1 comp ratio and it finished in 5 secs with 13xreal-time encoding? I am not quite sure what this all means but any other help would be great. Thanks.
Jason

[xoas]

OK. Too much math!
Your first figures were right on the mark but not what I had expected. I wanted to compare the playing time for the original Flac file with an estimated playing time for the test converted file (which should be the conversion time multiplied by the Real Time conversion rate). Per your reports these are the same-which is what I wanted to know. I only wanted to know this about the test conversion because I had developed a hypothesis that perhaps the Test Conversion was only test converting part of the file as well (as is the case with wav and mp3). But I believe we have disproved that theory.

The compression ratio I am concerned about is only with respect to the Flac files you are trying to convert. You can get these details by right clicking on one of these files and either selecting Edit Tag or File Properties and then Tag Information. The Flac files may not have proper tags but there should be an area below that which reads File Details. It may help to know what the compression ratio for these files is. If it is 1.8 to 1, then that answers that.

If you create a Flac file on your own (use medium compression). Can you convert that file to Wav and/or mp3?

If you convert your other (problem) Flac files to Flac at Low Compression, can you convert that (low compression file) to wav?

What Windows version are you using?

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

Again thank you for all your help. I did create a flac file (converted from a working wav to flac) this I then could convert to wav or mp3 with blade. I also tried to convert the broken, so to speak flac files, to flac at low compression. Those would again only convert half the song? when I converted the flac that I "made" to low comp flac , they could be converted fine to wav or mp3. Keep the ideas coming, hopefully we can get this figured out. Thanks again.

Jason

[jhladik]

would there be another way to make a flac file other than converting a different type that was never flac? Thanks.

[ChristinaS]

would there be another way to make a flac file other than converting a different type that was never flac? Thanks.
I don't think you can say that an audio file is flac to start with. It will have to have been a wav at first (at least perhaps internally), converted to flac at some point. it oculd of course have be converted to flac form some otehr format but initially they'd all have been wav.

It almost sounds (and if this makes no sense, I'm sorry, but I'm only speculating here) as if your flac file is perhaps a series of separate flac files strung together. I wonder is there's any such thing as a flac playlist or flac metafile.

[xoas]

To followup on Christina's question, do your "problem" Flac files consist of more than a single song or track?

I am going to assume that this isn't the case. Logic dictates that if the test conversion will work that there ought to be a successful way to convert your Flac files. Usually, at this point, I start to think about why the test conversion won't work and why the test conversion will.

You might want to experiment with some of the other lossless codecs (Monkeys, WavPack, Shorten, WMA 9/9.1 Lossless) to see if you can convert a "problem" Flac file to a different lossless format without losing audio.

There is the idea again of going back and checking your Windows File Associations (Control Panel > Folder Options > File Types then find the .flac extension-you will have to scroll down the list of file types-and set the association to dBpowerAMP Music Converter).

My instinct is that there is some type of incompatability between the Flac codec that created these "problem" files and the dMC codec and the distinction between WinAmp playing the whole file and iTunes not and dMC only partly converting would seem to be consistent with this. But if that were the case, the test conversion shouldn't work and it does.

It does lead me to wonder about whether the situation would be different if you uninstalled the dMC Flac Codec, downloaded and installed the WinAmp Input Adapter, and used the WinAmp Flac plug-in, if that would work.

I don't suppose you have a smallish type "problem" file you could send to take a look at (you will find an e-mail link in my profile)?

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

Thanks for all your help Bill. First, it(the support administrator apparently) won't let me send you an email. I have a file that is 3 MB that I could send to you to check out. To respond to your last post: no all the files are separate and only one song per file. I tried converting them to shorten, which I have in the past and today converted fine to wav, and once in shorten it still only converts half the song to wav? I also set the control panel to use dbpoweramp for flac files, and still only half the song shows up when converted. I haven't tried the winamp thing because I don't want to mess up how that works and couldn't really find the thing you were talking about. If you could get me your email, I'll send you one of the problem files to check out. Thanks again for all your help.

Jason

[xoas]

I've sent you a private message with my address.
I do have profile edited to allow e-mail, so I am not sure what is up with that.
Your "problem" flac files wouldn't happen to be 24 bit, would they?
Anyway, I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Bill mikkelsen

[jhladik]

the songs are 16 bit not 24. Thanks.

[xoas]

The file you sent me converted straight away both to Wav, 16 bit, 44.1kHz stereo and to mp3 lame at 160 kbs cbr. Please confirm that this is a problem file. I will be sending you a copy of the mp3 file. Make sure it plays all the way through for you.
Assuming it will play all the way through for you, what version of dBpowerAMP Music Converter are you using? What Windows version are you using?

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

still I only get the 30 second verion on the file you sent me, even as I try to convert it again, and exactly like I converted it myself (same time and everything. I am running windows xp and have the latest(11) version of dbpoweramp? More help? Thanks so much I really want to solve this for other files, ect.

Jason

[xoas]

Are you saying that the original you sent was longer than 30 seconds? I thought it might be the complete file because the tag information for the original suggests that the Flac file is indeed 30 seconds long. It played for 30 seconds in the dBpowerAMP Audio Player. The converted files I created were also of the same duration.

On your computer, what playing time does the tag show for the original Flac?
Is there any particular plug-in you are using for Flac in WinAmp? Unless your original file happens to be the same as the mp3, I think I will need to track down your WinAmp Flac plug-in to confirm that the file handles differently in Flac.

You have SP2? You have no other problems with Music Converter?

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

Sorry about that I am resending the correct file to your email. As for the other things you mentioned, I'm not sure what a SP2 is? and where would I find my winamp flac plug-in? Thanks and you should be receiving the email shortly.

Jason

[Wayne]

By SP2 I think he is refering to Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, the latest collection of updates and bug fixes for Windows XP.

I would assume that the winamp flac plug-in itself should reside somewhere in the WinAMP folder in C:\Program Files. Possibly in a plug-ins sub folder.

Wayne

[xoas]

Yes, I meant Service Pack 2. This had been giving some users some problems, others (myself included) none at all, but I really don't think this is an issue at this point.

I have your new file and I'll work with it tonight or tomorrow am. I'm going to try to using the Flac Front-end with WinAmp/Foobar (another audio player)/Nero plugins if I need to. If you are using a different plug-in in WinAmp please let me know.

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[xoas]

I hope my e-mail has stopped sending you stuff. I have no idea what is up with that.

Anyway, I need to know where you got the plug-in that you are using with WinAmp to play your Flac files there. The Flac front-end loader on its own, in Foobar, in WinAmp and the dAP Flac codec all stop playing or converting the file after 30 seconds. The Flac front end has a test feature which appears to indicate that there is a disruption in the file string at 30 seconds which would seem to be what causes the file playing or converting to stop abruptly at that spot.

I also tried test converting the file but it test converted way too fast to get a reading but also so fast that it is almost certainly not decoding the full Flac file.

So it would be VERY helpful if you can direct me to where you found the WinAmp Flac plug-in that is playing the whole file.

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[jhladik]

Bill,

Thanks for all your help. I believe the file is corrupt at some point and have contacted the source to get a corrected version. Also, I got another flac file and was able to convert it, so it looks like the problem was in the original files. Take care.

Jason