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Gear / Technical Help => TS Knowledge Base / Archive => Computer Recording => Topic started by: Joe w. on July 19, 2004, 10:11:38 PM
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shntool and SBE's (sector Boundary Error) tutorial.
if anyone has any suggestions on how to do this stuff easier, feel free to post it here.
This tutorial will show you how to:
Fix Sector Boundary Errors on SHN, FLAC and WAV files.
Put shntool output in your posts.
1. You must have the following software:
flac (http://www.mikewren.com/flac/)
shorten (http://www.etree.org/shncom.html)
shntool (http://www.etree.org/shnutils/shntool/binary/windows/shntool-2.0.3.zip)
--AND--
have the following files in your path
shorten.exe
flac.exe
metaflac.exe
most of you should already have flac installed, so go grab shntool and shorten. Save the zip files
to your C: directory.
2. Install flac if you have not already, then unzip the shorten and shntool zip files to C:
3. Inside the shorten folder, you will find a file named "shorten".
Copy this file to a directory in your path.
To find the directory in your path, go to Start>run>then type "cmd"
next, navigate to C:, at the C: prompt, type "echo %PATH%"
If you are on an xp machine like I am, Your path is C:\WINDOWS\System32,
Copy the "shorten" file to this directory.
3. Inside the shntool folder, you will find a file named "shntool" and one named "cygwin1.dll".
Copy these two files to the same directory.
4. Next, go to the folder where your flac program files are located.
It should be in C:\Program Files\FLAC. In that folder you will see a
file named "flac" and one named "metaflac", copy these to the same directory.
Now we are all setup with the helper files for flac and shn. so with the batch files
I have attached to this post, you can fix SBE errors on flacs, shns and wavs and
shntool will ouput the same file type.
*******Keep in mind that we are running these batch files on each disc for a particular show.*******
So, when you fix a show or check a show, you want to put all of disc 1 files in the
C: directory and run the fix of choice, rename the files that get "fixed"
and move them out of the directory, repeat this process with disc 2, 3 and so on.
I use the C: directory because it is the easiest to navigate to once you go to
Start>run>then type "cmd". Change directories by typing cd.. at each prompt till
it gets you to C:
5. Unzip The attachment i put on this post to C:
The zip contains:
flacfix - this file will fix the SBE errors on .flac files.
flaclength - this file will send the shntool output for a set of .flacs to a .txt file in C: named "output.txt".
shnfix - this file will fix the SBE errors on .shn files.
flaclength - this file will send the shntool output for a set of .shns to a .txt file in C: named "output.txt".
wavfix - this file will fix the SBE errors on .wav files.
flaclength - this file will send the shntool output for a set of .wavs to a .txt file in C: named "output.txt".
flac and fix - this file will repair SBE's and encode to .flac at level 8 simultaneously.
execute these commands by simply double-clicking on them.
******If your files do contain SBE errors and you have new "fixed" files,*******
make sure to rename them and add a new MD5 checksum or flac fingerprint
since the signatures will no longer match.
6. After you run the fix files on each disc of flacs or shns and you have
corrected the md5 or fingerprint, you'll want to run the length
batch files on the WHOLE FILESET. Which means you'll have to put all of the
files back into C: and run the corresponding length batch file to get your
shntool output, which is outputted to output.txt in C:, copy this data to
your post and that will confirm your show is free of SBE's.
7. Pat yourself on the back for spreading quality, error-free music.
Again, If anyone has some better or more USER FRIENDLY suggestions, please let me know and
post them here. Also, if I have made a mistake in this tutorial, Please post it here or PM me.
Thanks.
Joe W.
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Great information. Thanks & +T
I have no clue how to use dos, and am using a Win ME OS.
The cmd function does not work, but I am able to pull of ms-dos promot thru accessories.
When I run echo %PATH% I get:
C:\WINDOWS;C\WINDOWS\COMMAND
Is that my path?
Also Ive been trying to read up on DOS at:
http://www.easydos.com/dosindex.html
Should I use that as my path?
Thanks for the tips!
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try 'command' instead of 'cmd'
then type 'cd..' until you get to a C: prompt
at the C: prompt type "echo %PATH%"
your path is either:
C:\WINDOWS\System32
or
C:\WINDOWS\System
I can't recall which one it is for ME
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a suggestion to enhance user friendliness -
******If your files do contain SBE errors and you have new "fixed" files,*******
make sure to rename them and add a new MD5 checksum or flac fingerprint
since the signatures will no longer match
it'd be really boss if you added this logic to your batch files, where if your shntool process creates some *-fixed.* files, it remove the offending old files and automagically rename the -fixed ones...
(create any -fixed files in a temporary sub-folder. rename the -fixed files to remove the -fixed extension, then move the contents of the temp folder into the parent folder, writing over the original contents. voila, a complete fileset with no need to manually rename anything)
... and then run md5sum against the new set.
;D
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easy enough. I have just become used to renaming the couple of files i may have.
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3 suggestions/thoughts
First, for shows I'm seeding, I've stopped using shntool alltogether and instead use the windoze flac frontend to fix sbe problems when it's flac-encoding my wav files. Very easy and automatic.
Second, re file renaming -- ckrename, available at http://www.musicsucks.com/CKSoft/CKRename/ (freeware?) is INVALUABLE -- it's saved me so much time renaming files, etc.
Third, for creating md5sums for flac filesets (making it easy to confirm that a bittorrent is complete/non-corrupt, I've used a program called md5summer which can be grabbed @ www.md5summer.org -- similarly easy/quick to use.
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i figured i should post the following question here, even if it is unrelated to joew's tutorial (+t btw)...
what flag do you set, in the command line, to delete the original file after encoding..?
_____
Second, re file renaming -- ckrename, available at http://www.musicsucks.com/CKSoft/CKRename/ (freeware?) is INVALUABLE -- it's saved me so much time renaming files, etc.
+t for the link
Third, for creating md5sums for flac filesets (making it easy to confirm that a bittorrent is complete/non-corrupt, I've used a program called md5summer which can be grabbed @ www.md5summer.org -- similarly easy/quick to use.
beware of the GUI version... the GUI version includes vanity lines in each *md5 file that are NOT commented out properly. thus, all of the *.md5s created by the frontend subsequently fail mkwACT verification, even thouigh the shn/flac files are OK, because the programs that verify the signature (mkwACT, etc.) read the md5summer url, etc. as errors...
my advice - use the command-line of this md5summer (to install, place md5sum.exe in the path), copy the resulting printout from the command window [right-click the top-right corner of the command window > edit > mark text > highlight (by dragging) > copy (press enter) ], and paste the info into a *.txt file. then change the "txt" extension to "md5"
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stumbed across some related info in this thread (http://www.taperssection.com/index.php?topic=22061) (while looking for something else - i love this place for that :D)... figured it should be in this thread, too...
>>does anyone know how to set the encoding level in shntool? i've looked at the -h documentation, and it doesnt say anything about setting the level...<<
shntool's custom output format allows you to specify custom arguments and encoders. you have to give it the flac command line arguments
if you want this command with a flac level:
shntool fix -s r -o flac *.wav
you want this:
shntool fix -s r -o cust ext=flac { flac -s -flacLevel -o %f - } *.wav
where the ext=flac tells is use .flac as extension for output files,
inside the { } is the actual arguments shntool will pass the flac program
-flacLevel becomes -6 for 6, -8 for 8, etc.
you want to actually pass the '%f' because that's the placeholder for the filename for flac.
so, for flac 8, you'd call:
shntool fix -s r -o cust ext=flac { flac -s -8 -o %f - } *.wav
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so this may sound sily but
i have everything installed correctly i believe, just a quick question or two
1. that shntool zip that you attached joe, well, do i save that to c:windows/system32 also, or just under program files?
2. this may sound real dumb but, how does one actually pick what songs/tracks they want checked? all of my music is on d: drive while windows in on c: drive
thanks
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Bean,
put the apps and that cygwin1.dll file in your system32 folder.
not sure about #2 though, workin' on it...
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go folder by folder...
shntool len *.shn
or
shntool len *.flac
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thanks guys, i'll give it a gfo
personally, i dont even know why i wanna use it, i have been tracking EVERYTHING out w/ cd wave, and do all of my encoding w/ frontend, so i doubt HIGHLY that i have any SBE issues, especially since i put a track mareker at the beginning and end of each set i record sooo...
kyle, nice hanging w/ ya saturday, JMP was rocking ;D
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thanks guys, i'll give it a gfo
personally, i dont even know why i wanna use it, i have been tracking EVERYTHING out w/ cd wave, and do all of my encoding w/ frontend, so i doubt HIGHLY that i have any SBE issues, especially since i put a track mareker at the beginning and end of each set i record sooo...
kyle, nice hanging w/ ya saturday, JMP was rocking ;D
actually, everytime i use cdwav, i get an sbe on the last track that needs to be fixed :P
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im an idiot, i need somebody to come to my house and show me how to do this stuff, its been months and i cannot figure it out, i officially give up :P
and macdaddy, i put one at the beginning and end of each set i record, THEN track out accordingly, so i doubt that error would be there, tho i will never be able to find out for myself :P
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put the shntool.exe, flac.exe, shorten.exe, and the cygwin.dll in the command folder. i also sometimes put these in the windows/system folder...
to check if it worked, goto start menu > run > type "command" and hit enter...
then type "shntool" and hit enter...
you should get a message like this
SHNTOOL: error: missing arguments
SHNTOOL:
SHNTOOL: type 'SHNTOOL -h' for help
then go to the harddrive you want to work with by typing "e:" and hitting enter - you will see the e drive heads the prompt...
then type "cd /myshortenfolder.shnf" and hit enter - this assumes that the shn files you want to check are in the folder named "myshnfolder.shnf" which is directly below e: otherwise cd tho the subdirectory (ie: "cd c:\windows\system")
e:\myshnfolder.shnf\ should show up - now type "shntool len *.shn" and hit enter. the printout will show the results...
i hope that helps...
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forgot the link...
to get ALL the software you need...
http://www.etree.org/shnutils/shntool/
put the shntool.exe, flac.exe, shorten.exe, and the cygwin.dll in the command folder. i also sometimes put these in the windows/system folder...
to check if it worked, goto start menu > run > type "command" and hit enter...
then type "shntool" and hit enter...
you should get a message like this
SHNTOOL: error: missing arguments
SHNTOOL:
SHNTOOL: type 'SHNTOOL -h' for help
then go to the harddrive you want to work with by typing "e:" and hitting enter - you will see the e drive heads the prompt...
then type "cd /myshortenfolder.shnf" and hit enter - this assumes that the shn files you want to check are in the folder named "myshnfolder.shnf" which is directly below e: otherwise cd tho the subdirectory (ie: "cd c:\windows\system")
e:\myshnfolder.shnf\ should show up - now type "shntool len *.shn" and hit enter. the printout will show the results...
i hope that helps...
+T macdaddy
i think i will try this again later for the 400th time ;)
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ok guys, i have all of the exe files i need in my system32 folder under windows, now how do i actually get the flacfix to work ??? do i need to save my shows in the system32 folder ???
i have a folder in there that is bhustlers2005-01-21 its in the windows/system32 folder, also, where do i ave the shntool zip that joe attached ???
thanks guys, thi is one of the hardest thing for me to do, its been months and i still havent figured it out
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you use cd (change directory) command...
like this...
shn files saved in e:\shn\gd1977-05-06.shnf
when you type command in the run dialog, you get this prompt...
c:\windows\system
type "e:" and hit return
you will get a prompt like
e:\ or e:\some directory
type "cd \shn\gd1977-05-06.shnf" and hit enter. you will get this prompt...
e:\shn\gd1977-05-06.shnf
now just type your commands...
like
shntool len *.shn
shntool fix -o shn *.shn
etc...
i hope this helps...