audio file format problem

[bkaplan]

I have an RCA RP5016 (digital voice recorder) it saves the audio in a voc file format..however the voc converter for dbpowerAMP doesnt seem to convert it at all. Can anyone help me?

Thanks

Bryan

[xoas]

Re: audio file format problem

The voc codec for dMC only reads voc format files, it does not encode.
I have done some brief research. I am not sure that the RCA RP5016 can actually transfer material from the computer although it does advertise the ability to transfer to the computer. If it can be done, you should probably start with the manufacturer's software. You can update/download this software here:

http://www.rca.com/content/viewdetail/1,,EI700632,00.html

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[bkaplan]

Re: audio file format problem

the software that came with the rp5016 only converts the voc file into an .exe file and builds this digital voice manager software into it...all this software does is allow one to listen to the file, you cant convert to wav or mp3 or even edit the audio file...i dont get it..i thought that perhaps dbpoweramp could help me possibly

[ChristinaS]

Re: audio file format problem

the software that came with the rp5016 only converts the voc file into an .exe file and builds this digital voice manager software into it...all this software does is allow one to listen to the file, you cant convert to wav or mp3 or even edit the audio file...i dont get it..i thought that perhaps dbpoweramp could help me possibly

Well, if this allows you to listen to the voc file, then you're one step closer to being able to get an audio file out of it.

Use dMC Auxiliary Input in conjunction with the software for playing the voc file and capture the audio to a wav. Start dMC Auxliary Input, configure it properly to record to a wav (or some other format if you wish), start the player software for the voc and record what it plays.

There are many threads here dealing with how to use dMC Auxiliary Input. Just do a search.

When all else fails, dMC Auxiliary Input is really the ultimate solution :D

[xoas]

Re: audio file format problem

Are you trying to take your voc file from the recorder, open it and convert it to another format?
Or are you trying to take files from the computer, convert them to voc and feed them back into the recorder?
This morning I assumed you were atempting the second, but it looks like you might be attempting the first.
If so, you might try checking, and changing if necessary, your file associations for your voc files. To do this, you can go
Start>All Programs>dBpowerAMP>Configuration>File Associations or you can go Start>Control Panel>Folder Options>File Associations. Find the listing for .voc files and make sure that either dMC or Windows will associate dMC with your .voc files.
As a check, go Start>All Programs>dBpowerAMP Music Converter>Configuration>dMC Configuration. Scroll down the screen to the section that says "Installed Input Codecs (Read)". Make sure the voc codec is listed there.
Then you will have to see if you can access the files from the Voice Recorder through the USB. You will have to open dMC and navigate through your directory until you can access the Voice Recorder through the USB.
Is that what you've been trying to do?
If so, what has happened?
If this is not the process you have been following, what have you tried?
Details on the problems you are encountering (for example-dMC not recognizing your .voc files, getting codec error messages, screen freezing,...) would also be very helpful.
Let us know what you find out.
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[Unregistered]

Re: audio file format problem

I am also having the same issue with a rca digital voice recorder (rp5016)

It is a great unit(USB, removable memory(SD 70hr HQ w 256M)) except for the limited software and/or proprietary file format issue.
The software (Digital Voice Manager) only plays the files(no export or
editing functionality)
- VOC extension makes it look like a soundblaster file but it isn't
- I was able to figure out some of the format by inspection

00-0E "V432_Voice_File"
0F unknown (0x13)
10 Year (0x04)
11 Month (0x09)
12 Day (0x08)
13 Hour (0x0D)
14 Min (0x35)
15 Sec (0x25)
16 Dur - Hour (0x00)
17 Dur - Min (0x15)
18 Dur - Sec (0x14)
19-1C data_offset? (0x53 0x02 0x00 0x00) - this is where I got lost - I
am not sure if this interpretaion is correct.

I then wrote a C program to write out the next 100 bytes as
uchar/ushort/ulong/float/double but none of the output made sense to me ( I
produced output for both little and big endian just in case - I think it is Big Endian,

[Unregistered]

Re: audio file format problem

I just purchased an RCA 5016 digital recorder and am amazed and how well it works. Much better in every aspect than the sony ones I had....except one thing. FILE FORMAT
I CAN'T believe that a company would not make their format compatible with any other format, and not provide ANY conversion utility. I am so frustrated right now.
Yeah, sure I can plug the audio output to my PC input and record but then I might as well been of using a tape recorder or something.
Anyone out there know of a codec/ conversion utility from RCA VOC to any main stream file format?

[xoas]

Re: audio file format problem

I am not sure that the information I am about to give will help since there seem to be several types of programs that will generate .voc files. However, links to at least 2 voc>wav converters can be found here:

http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pc/pcConvert.html

Perhaps this might be of help.
If so, please let us know (ditto if it doesn't).
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[norvie72]

Re: audio file format problem - RCA RP5016 digital recorder

Mike, I just downloaded the voc2wav and unpacked it. When I ran the exe with a rca rp5016 .voc digital recorder file this is what I received;

C:\vox\voc2wav>voc2wav a0000084.voc

Copyright (c) Creative Technology Pte Ltd, 1991. All rights reserved.
File conversion from Creative VOC format to Muti-Media WAVE format.

A0000084.VOC : Not a VOC file

Any suggestions? This is also the first time on this board, so I hope I did everything as I should.

Norvie

[David Fullerton]

Re: audio file format problem

All of you be warned. I hate the RCA digital voice recorder. Yes, everyone above that has one is right, while all the nice people that are being helpful gives me us RP-5016A "warm fuzzies" ... but you're all wrong.

The guy talking about the "priorietary format" is right. It's not like moving an MP3 from a hard drive to MP3-player then back. It's not like that. Then, nothing recognizes the darned VOC file.

Then, the software (after you import all of your files from the digital voice recorder) will just be listed in its software. Linking extension to program is no good. Then, you can click on multiple files to play, but it will only play one at a time.

So, be warned. Do not buy. Find something MP3-straight format, even if it costs more. This would have been the "world-changing" product, but it sucks HARD due to the above.

Write me if anyone finds out how to convert these; yes, play it, but playing 200+ VOC files & waiting for each to finish is LUDRICIOUS. I've got a life.

DigitalVoiceRecorder@DavidBlaineFullerton.com

thanks,
DBF

[xoas]

Re: audio file format problem

Mike, I just downloaded the voc2wav and unpacked it. When I ran the exe with a rca rp5016 .voc digital recorder file this is what I received;

C:\vox\voc2wav>voc2wav a0000084.voc

Copyright (c) Creative Technology Pte Ltd, 1991. All rights reserved.
File conversion from Creative VOC format to Muti-Media WAVE format.

A0000084.VOC : Not a VOC file

I assume this means that this Voc decoder will not decode the type of .voc files that your RCA Digital Voice Recorder has generated. Your options are to keep hunting for a .voc decoder that will convert these files (if one exists-there may well be no such thing), or to follow ChristinaS' suggestion for recording them throough dMC Auxilary Input or similar program.
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[machine]

Re: audio file format problem

my only beef with the dvr is that it does not have a backlit display. that and the .VOC file extension.

[ibycus]

Re: audio file format problem

No luck for me either. Found plenty of people with the problem, but no one with a solution. Managed to determine a couple more things though:

The file is constant 700bytes/sec when the recorded is set to SP mode. There is an additional 49 bytes though (at the beginning? end?) which is a fixed size between files. HQ mode is ~1000bytes/sec (don't have a file to check exact size differences, and don't own the recorder, only have the voc files)

Anyone know the sample rate on this thing? That should give us #bits/sample. Then when we have that, we can figure out how the samples are encoded.

So file format thus far

32 byte header as described above, then possibly another 49bytes (maybe not) then sample data at 700bytes/second of recording. Obviously somewhere there has to be a setting in the file that tells is SP vs HQ, which shouldn't be too hard to find....

[djheater]

Re: audio file format problem

Ok, I've spent the better part of my work day messing around with this and as per usual the answer was in the beginning.
RCA's VOC format is not standard, I was unable to find a native converter for it anywhere.

Their most recent Software (available, as of this post, at http://www.rcaaudiovideo.com/en-US/D...oductID=RP5022)
allows you to convert the file to .wav and from there dbpoweramp can chew it up into anything you like.

[abrechbi]

Re: audio file format problem

I too purchased the RP5022A voice recorder. The supplied software is "not a valid WIN32 application". All links to rcaaudiovideo.com downloads for this application listed above and on the site are broken. However, I have learned that the RCA .voc is infact a G.729 file.

"VoiceAge G.729 is an 8 Kbps coder that encodes/decodes speech signals using the Conjugate-Structure Algebraic-Code-Excited-Linear-Prediction (CS-ACELP) algorithm. VoiceAge G.729 is a reduced complexity version of G.729 and is bit stream interoperable with the full version.
The coder operates on speech frames of 10 ms, corresponding to 80 samples at a sampling rate of 8000 samples/sec. In addition to the 10 ms speech frame duration, there is also a look-ahead delay of 5 ms, resulting in a total initial algorithmic delay of 15ms."

Any feedback with success would be appreciated.