ALAC to FLAC conversion - No tags in Windows explorer

[Dat Ei]

Hey, hey,

usually I buy CDs and rip those to flac files or I buy downloads from qobuz and download those as flac files. For the first time I bought music from David Chesky's Audiophile Society and those music files are ALAC files.

To avoid any inconsistencies in my core library I want to convert those ALAC files to flac files. To my surprise Windows explorer shows only empty tags for standard tags like tracknumber, titel, album, album artist etc. pp., while those tags show content, if I look at those files with "Edit ID-Tags" or at the "Audio Properties" or "ID-Tag" register of the Windows file property dialog.

So what is the trick to get tags that can be seen in Windows explorer? What can / shall I do?

I'm still on R17.7 running under Windows 11.


Dat Ei

[Spoon]

Microsoft are no good at reading certain formats:

https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/forum/read-only/hints-tips-read-only/34084-replacing-windows-10-or-newer-system-codec-property-handlers-with-dbpoweramp-s

[Dat Ei]

Hey Spoon,

that doesn't help. To clarify the problem: Windows explorer does show the tgas for flac files generated by ripping or downloaded from qobuz, but it does not show the tags for flac files generated by converting from ALAC to FLAC.


Dat Ei

[Dat Ei]

PS: Now is still see the tags for downloaded flac files in Windows explorer, but no more in the "Edit ID-Tag" dialog. Things getting worse...

[Spoon]

Try reinstalling dBpoweramp, however the edit tag dialog would not use the shell stuff changed by the link above.

[Dat Ei]

Ok, after uninstalling, rebooting and installing the latest version of dBpa the problem is still there:

1.) Windows explorer shows in its folder view only empty tags for flac files generated by conversion of alac files.
2.) If I hover the mouse over the flac files, I see all tags as expected. The popup is presented by dBpa.
3.) If I look at the properties of such a flac files, I see all tags in the registers 'Audio Properties' and 'ID-Tag'.

So the problem seems to be a windows problem, not using the right handler to show the tags, or not to be able to show the tags. Any idea?


Dat Ei

[GBrown]

…Windows explorer shows only empty tags for standard tags like tracknumber, titel, album, album artist etc. pp., while those tags show content, if I look at those files with "Edit ID-Tags" or at the "Audio Properties" or "ID-Tag" register of the Windows file property dialog.

I had similar issues when converting from ALAC to FLAC for other tags too.

https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/forum/dbpoweramp/music-converter/325851-converting-alac-flac-loses-total-and-sort-tags

I believe one of the differences I also found was using the tag "Albumartist" rather than "Album Artist" as well. I had to create mapping for each of these to translate them during conversions.

[Dat Ei]

Even if I add 'Album Artist' manually to the flac files, Windows explorer doesn't show that tag. There is something else weird going on.

As I said - I have no experience with ALAC files at all. The original downloaded files have the extension "m4a" and the tags show, that those files are 2ch files, encoded with the encoder 'Apple Lossless (ALAC)', 24 bit, 192 kHz.


Dat Ei

[simbun]

If you open a FLAC file in a hex editor (such as HxD) on the right hand panel you'll see the tag names that are being used.

Alternatively if you have powershell 7 installed use:

Format-Hex -Path 01.01.flac -Count 1024

Compare a file that works with one that doesn't, but the Vorbis standard (ALBUMARTIST) works for me in Windows Explorer.

0000000000000240 12 00 00 00 41 4C 42 55 4D 3D 53 74 69 63 6B 20 � ALBUM=Stick
0000000000000250 53 65 61 73 6F 6E 16 00 00 00 41 4C 42 55 4D 41 Season� ALBUMA
0000000000000260 52 54 49 53 54 3D 4E 6F 61 68 20 4B 61 68 61 6E RTIST=Noah Kahan
0000000000000270 1B 00 00 00 41 4C 42 55 4D 41 52 54 49 53 54 53 � ALBUMARTISTS
0000000000000280 4F 52 54 3D 4B 61 68 61 6E 2C 20 4E 6F 61 68 16 ORT=Kahan, Noah�

[Dat Ei]

Thanks, simbun. I thought, I ask here, before diving into the deep with hex editors. I had the hope that I do something obviously wrong, or that there might be a software glitch.

Maybe I'll give it a shot as soon as I have time. Tomorrow I expect the delivery my new hifi system (amplifier and speaker). I guess that might change my priorities for the next days...


Dat Ei

[Dat Ei]

Hey, hey,

I had a look at the files with HxD but I don't see any obvious problem, but I've made another observation. If I convert the original alac file (extension m4a) to a flac file, this flac file can't be played by Windows Media Player (new one as well as the legacy one). It claims that the file can't be read and that the file type is unknown, or the extension is wrong, or the file is damaged. That file can be played i.e. by Google Chrome without problems.

It seems to me, that the conversion produces a (flac) file format Windows can't handle, neither the explorer, nor the Media Player.


Dat Ei

[Dat Ei]

Next observation: if I delete all tags from the flac file, it still can't be played by Windows Media Player. If I convert that tag-less flac file once again into a flac file with dBpoweramp, Windows Media Player is able to playback that file.

If I add tags to that second generation flac file, Windows explorer is able to show those.


Dat Ei

[Spoon]

Likely album art which creates a header in flac and MS are so poor at following standards cannot read over certain size header

[Dat Ei]

Ok, I'll try to delete the album art first before the conversion to flac. BTW: Windows explorer shows the tags for the original alac file.


Dat Ei

[Dat Ei]

Spoon, you've got it. It is the album art causing the trouble. After deleting the album art first and then converting to flac, Windows explorer shows the tags as usual. Thank you!


Dat Ei