Topic: Encoding to Flac- Cd Wav Editor vs. Flac Frontend- problem with both

[Rockinman59]

Ok, I'm just starting to record in 24 bit and have tried using Flac Frontend to encode the 24/48 wav files instead of Cd Wav Editor which is what I'm used to using for 16 bit.  I have a problem with using either program.

If I use Cd Wav, I get a normal file size of 1.58 gb (raw wav file size is 2.52.gb) but if you play the flac files there is static (but not if you decode to wav).  I select Direct Wav and check the box to use alternate 24 bit format, then save as Flac and use level 8.

If I use Flac Frontend to encode (no boxes checked in the Flac window) and also do level 8, I come out with .99 gb as the file size (from the same 2.52 gb raw wav file) but there is no static when playing the flac files.

Another issue is if I select another method in Cd Wav, meaning if I select Wav as the output and then drop down the bit depth to 24 and the sample rate to 48000, I am not able to open those wav files in Soundforge 8, I get a codec error message.  I needed to open the wav files in order to paste together one track that was partially on both raw wav files.

So, what am I doing wrong?  Is there a better way using either of these programs so that you can encode to flac, can play the flac files and if need be open the wav files in Soundforge in order to join 2 partial wav files together to rename as one wav file?

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

[jerryfreak]

Another issue is if I select another method in Cd Wav, meaning if I select Wav as the output and then drop down the bit depth to 24 and the sample rate to 48000, I am not able to open those wav files in Soundforge 8, I get a codec error message.  I needed to open the wav files in order to paste together one track that was partially on both raw wav files.

i always use 'direct wav', alternate format to wav and then use flac frontend or TLH to encode to flac, works fine.

i too have had mixed results going directly to flac from cdwav, so i dont do it.

[Brian Skalinder]

There's a lot going on in this post, so...to help me keep it straight...numbers!

<1>  The difference in FLAC file sizes, even after using level 8 when compressing via CD-Wave or FLAC FrontEnd is probably due to a version difference - CD-Wave uses one FLAC version, FrontEnd uses another.  Don't sweat it right now.

<2>  The static could be strictly a function of the playback decoding and it may not have anything to do with the encoding to FLAC.  Without more testing, we can't know one way or the other.

<3>  Sounds like FLAC FrontEnd is working just fine...not sure what the problem is?

<4>  I thought you were starting with 24/48 files, so I'm not sure what you mean by "drop down the bit depth to 24 and the sample rate to 48000" in CD-Wave.  Isn't that your starting bit depth and sample rate?  At any rate, back when I used CD-Wave I would join my WAV files in my editor, do any processing I need, and then track in CD-Wave as the last step.  So try joining the master WAV files in SF first, do your editing, and then track in CD-Wave.  As an aside, if you'd like to figure out the error you're receiving, we'll need to know, at minimum <a> whether you selected the Alternate 24-bit Format when exporting from CD-Wave, and <b> what the SF error message says, exactly.

[Rockinman59]

There's a lot going on in this post, so...to help me keep it straight...numbers!

<1>  The difference in FLAC file sizes, even after using level 8 when compressing via CD-Wave or FLAC FrontEnd is probably due to a version difference - CD-Wave uses one FLAC version, FrontEnd uses another.  Don't sweat it right now.

<2>  The static could be strictly a function of the playback decoding and it may not have anything to do with the encoding to FLAC.  Without more testing, we can't know one way or the other.

<3>  Sounds like FLAC FrontEnd is working just fine...not sure what the problem is?

<4>  I thought you were starting with 24/48 files, so I'm not sure what you mean by "drop down the bit depth to 24 and the sample rate to 48000" in CD-Wave.  Isn't that your starting bit depth and sample rate?  At any rate, back when I used CD-Wave I would join my WAV files in my editor, do any processing I need, and then track in CD-Wave as the last step.  So try joining the master WAV files in SF first, do your editing, and then track in CD-Wave.  As an aside, if you'd like to figure out the error you're receiving, we'll need to know, at minimum <a> whether you selected the Alternate 24-bit Format when exporting from CD-Wave, and <b> what the SF error message says, exactly.

Thanks Brian once again and Jerryfreak too.  I know it's a lot of info I posted.

1. It's good to know that there is a version difference in compression with both programs.

2. I'll tell my taper friend about the static issue since he noticed it when playing the flac files as I had encoded them through cd wav editor

3. I'm sure Flac Frontend is encoding fine but it made me wonder why it was compressing to from wav to flac so much smaller than with cd wav, but you've already said it's the version difference in the 2 programs

4. I am starting with 24/48 wav's so after I split the tracks, I first tried Wav instead of Direct Wav (not knowing I should have done Direct Wav and alternate 24 bit format) and then you see a drop down window for bit depth and sample rate, so I made sure it was 24 bit and 48000 sample rate.  I know that's not the method to save the wav's as now.
    Cd wav won't allow more than a 2 gb wav file to open so I had to track out the first wav file of 1.86 gb separately from the 2nd wav file of 669mb.  I think SF will take 2.52gb and I could have combined both wav files, but then I couldn't have used cd wav to track the whole file.

    I had no problem opening a wav file in SF when I chose Direct Wav and alternate 24 bit format in cd wav, but that error I got when I tried Wav instead said "cannot open file, codec error".  I know codec is associated with flac but I was trying to open a 24/48 wav file to paste together with the other portion of the same song that continued on the 2nd raw wav file.  So this was my trial and error and I know to use the Direct Wav/Alternate 24 bit format method to encode.

    As long as .99gb is ok after Flac frontend does its thing in encoding, I'll stick with that but most 24 bit uploads I've seen are at least 1.5gb and it made me think it was somehow encoding to flac 16 since that file size is exactly . 98gb for the flac16 version I uploaded first.

[Teen Wolf Blitzer]

FWIW CD wave WILL open files larger than 2GB.  So will Audacity.  About the only programs out there that do!

[Rockinman59]

FWIW CD wave WILL open files larger than 2GB.  So will Audacity.  About the only programs out there that do!

thanks Mark for that info. I never tried it but was going by a couple of tapers telling me it wasn't possible.  I will try it tonight on another 24/48 wav file I have to track out