Beta: FLAC R5.2

[Spoon]

Download: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/beta/dBpowerAMP-codec-flac.exe

Warning: If upgrading from FLAC R5 and you have audio files that are 24 bit - you need to convert your 24 bit flac files to something like monkeys audio, install the newer version then convert back to flac (the 24 bit encoder in dbpoweramp as not adhereing to the flac standard).

Changes:

Using FLAC 1.1.2 (speed improvements)
Compiled as static
Bug Fix: Was not data aligning 24 bit audio data
Bug Fix: Ready for it: 24 bit encoding and decoding was wrong, the upper and lower bytes were swapped - me==really sorry

[roytam]

I can't convert 24bit flac files to 16bit formats. Converted files come with noise.

[Spoon]

What created the flac file, and what are you converting to?

[ailean]

Think this is the same issue I had a couple of months ago. In the end I think it came down to the fact that flac.exe, winamp, foobar and all the other flac compatible software I can find expects >16bit wav content to have a different header then all the dbpoweramp based software. Spoon said something about Microsoft creating a new standard of header in the WAV files for >16bit data which is what he is now using in all his code.

Alas what this means is that you can either create a 24bit Flac file that can be processed by dbpoweramp while sounding fine but coming out as static/errors with every other package (including the latest 1.1.2 flac.exe) or you can create one that every other package can play/convert fine but dbpoweramp converts to static. :(

It's a real pain but the only way round it I've found is to create a seperate playlist for all my 24bit flacs and use foobar to convert them, including dithering to 16bit, to mp3.

I'm hoping that either the flac people will add compatiblity to the main source for these new headers at some point or if we nudge Spoon nicely enough he'll add a compatiblity mode to his flac codec so it'll deal with flacs in the same format as everyone else at the moment. :D

[roytam]

What created the flac file, and what are you converting to?
I create it by using CoolEdit 2 with flac 1.1.0 plug-in and I convert it to wave/ape/mpc with same result.

[Spoon]

@ailen: That problem was creating a .wav file with an extensible header which other programs would not read.

@raytam: can you send me a small example file - send both a .wav (created by cooledit) and .flac, my email is under 'site map' on toolbar

[roytam]

@raytam: can you send me a small example file - send both a .wav (created by cooledit) and .flac, my email is under 'site map' on toolbar
I upload them here:
http://kyosuke.billyjr.com/~cha/img/psl/aud.flac
http://kyosuke.billyjr.com/~cha/img/psl/aud.wav

[roytam]

@raytam: can you send me a small example file - send both a .wav (created by cooledit) and .flac, my email is under 'site map' on toolbar
I've upload them to a webspace instead of send them by email because I want people to test them also.
And Spoon have you test it?

[Spoon]

Thanks I have the files.

Did dbpoweramp create the flac file from the wave file? (I have looked and that file does not decode correctly). I hope to look more into asap.

[roytam]

Thanks I have the files.

Did dbpoweramp create the flac file from the wave file? (I have looked and that file does not decode correctly). I hope to look more into asap.
Yes it does. It creates a 24bit flac but full of noise.

[roytam]

Yes it does. It creates a 24bit flac but full of noise.
Maybe there's something wrong with the resampling?

[Spoon]

Found the bug and fixed. Updated - same download link as above.

[roytam]

Found the bug and fixed. Updated - same download link as above.
but I get same result with the above sample with new beta.

[Spoon]

Check in dbpoweramp\multiplayer\input\flac.dll

it should be 549KB

[roytam]

Check in dbpoweramp\multiplayer\input\flac.dll

it should be 549KB
mine is 561,238 bytes
and the installer's date is 21-03-2005

[Spoon]

Just looked again and it is still a problem - I tested with a FLAC file and it decoded it fine - but flac.exe cannot decode that file - so I have some bytes swapping somewhere. It will be fixed tomorrow.

[Spoon]

Finally now fixed, download link as before - read the new warning on that page.

[roytam]

Finally now fixed, download link as before - read the new warning on that page.
Thank you for your hardworking! :smile2:

[ailean]

Yep thanks Spoon, this sorted it out for me too. :thumbup:

[Spoon]

Fully Released

[Samizdat]

If I have a .wma file of 1411 kbps quality, which I encode to .wav, thereby reducing quality to 320 kbps, but raising sample rate from 16-bit to 24-bit (then encoding the .wav to .flac for uploading to the Internet Archive's audio museum), have I in fact gained or lost quality?

Kindly flesh out the theory/practice, if you would. Great thanks!

(See http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-contribute.php?stage=upload_info the Internet Archive riot act for background).

p.s. I'm using FLAC Frontend. Could Beta FLAC R5.2 be the missing link for me here?

[ChristinaS]

You cannot gain quality - at most you can hope is to preserve it.

Once you've gone to 320kbps you have reduced the quality. But you say that is wav at 320 - you must mean by that mp3 or mpeg layer 3 compressed wav.

If you need flac, why don't you go directly from your wma to flac? The 24-bit is not going to do anyhting except use up more space.

[Samizdat]

Excellent advice, ChristinaS, thanks! I had already done as you suggested, but I'm a hopeless tinker.