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Topic: What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet? (Read 8829 times) previous topic - next topic
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What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?  How can I use that CUE Sheet after I've ripped a CD?

When I ripped my CD collection about 6 years ago I used EAC to rip the CD's to FLAC.  EAC made a FLAC for each track, and in the folder it created put a Text document along with a FLAC for each track, but it left the CUE Sheet outside the folder in the main directory.  Why did it not put the CUE Sheet inside the folder for the album/CD being ripped?

If I remember correctly I think these were called Non-Compliant CUE Sheets.

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #1 –
EAC puts files where you tell it to, but yeah, typically people end up with the cue sheet separate.

Your other questions are answered here: http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Cue_sheet

In a nutshell, when you made the rip, you saved the audio to one or more files, but there's other info on the CD (or external info that the ripper wanted to save) that may not be in those files; the cue sheet has that info.

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #2 –
Quote from: mjb2006 on
EAC puts files where you tell it to, but yeah, typically people end up with the cue sheet separate.

Your other questions are answered here: http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Cue_sheet

In a nutshell, when you made the rip, you saved the audio to one or more files, but there's other info on the CD (or external info that the ripper wanted to save) that may not be in those files; the cue sheet has that info.


Thanks for that link.

I thought I had EAC setup correctly, so I guess your saying that I could have had EAC setup to put the CUE in the folder with the tracks and text file. 
I probably should keep the CUE and go through the trouble of figuring out where the CUE belongs and put it in the appropriate folder.  it is a pain because I have about 400 to do :-(

What programs would use this CUE to burn a CD?  Would you just select the CUE as long as it is in the folder with the tracks and it would just burn the CD?

And as I play my FLAC now via DNLA could this CUE as long as it is in the folder with the FLAC tracks play the tracks back as if it were the actual album with the correct gaps between songs?

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #3 –
Quote from: g725s on
What programs would use this CUE to burn a CD?  Would you just select the CUE as long as it is in the folder with the tracks and it would just burn the CD?


A number of programs can work like that to burn a CD, including EAC itself. But you normally have to decode the files to WAV first. Some programs can burn discs directly from FLAC files (they do the decoding to create temporary WAV files or data), but you first need to edit the CUE sheet and change all of the file references from .wav to .flac.

A handy little program for burning CDs directly from FLAC files is Burrrn. However, be aware that it can't burn a CD with a correct drive offset. If you want to be anal about offsets you need to use EAC or some other program. What I do when I rip a CD is have EAC create the CUE sheet, then after EAC finishes I do a quick edit of the CUE file, chancing ".wav" to ".flac". If I ever need to make a quick copy of the CD I can just double-click the CUE file, which loads Burrrn.

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #4 –
Quote from: g725s on
as I play my FLAC now via DNLA DLNA could this CUE as long as it is in the folder with the FLAC tracks play the tracks back as if it were the actual album with the correct gaps between songs?
Yes. The cue sheet is a text file you can open and read in any editor. Its FILE lines say what files have the audio, and for each TRACK there's an INDEX 01 which is the main start point of the song. It is safe to assume that whatever tracks you play will begin at that point, and will end just before the INDEX 01 point of the following track. This will naturally include the following track's INDEX 00 portion (the "gap" or "pregap"), if present.

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: JJZolx on
Quote from: g725s on
What programs would use this CUE to burn a CD?  Would you just select the CUE as long as it is in the folder with the tracks and it would just burn the CD?


A number of programs can work like that to burn a CD, including EAC itself. But you normally have to decode the files to WAV first. Some programs can burn discs directly from FLAC files (they do the decoding to create temporary WAV files or data), but you first need to edit the CUE sheet and change all of the file references from .wav to .flac.

A handy little program for burning CDs directly from FLAC files is Burrrn. However, be aware that it can't burn a CD with a correct drive offset. If you want to be anal about offsets you need to use EAC or some other program. What I do when I rip a CD is have EAC create the CUE sheet, then after EAC finishes I do a quick edit of the CUE file, chancing ".wav" to ".flac". If I ever need to make a quick copy of the CD I can just double-click the CUE file, which loads Burrrn.


I had only used Burrn in the past with Windows7.  But I tried a few months ago with my new Windows8 and could not get it to work.  So I saw a good deal on the new full version of Nero Classic(for only $19) and that has worked great out of the box, and I just threw only the individual FLACs in and it would burn a CD.  But that would not put the correct gaps in I assume.  I probably was not burning them correctly even in Burrn.  Thanks  Do you by chance have EAC and Burrn working on a 64bit Windows8 machine?

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: g725s on
Do you by chance have EAC and Burrn working on a 64bit Windows8 machine?


No, I don't have a Windows 8 system.

I think Nero can use CUE sheets and I believe it also can burn directly from FLAC files. So all you would need to do is edit the CUE sheets as described above, changing .wav to .flac. I'm not sure whether Nero sets up a Windows program association for the extension .cue, but you can check by double-clicking a .cue file. If not, it may set up a context-menu item instead, so see if Nero is listed if you right-click the .cue file.

What is the purpose of a CUE Sheet?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: JJZolx on
Quote from: g725s on
Do you by chance have EAC and Burrn working on a 64bit Windows8 machine?


No, I don't have a Windows 8 system.

I think Nero can use CUE sheets and I believe it also can burn directly from FLAC files. So all you would need to do is edit the CUE sheets as described above, changing .wav to .flac. I'm not sure whether Nero sets up a Windows program association for the extension .cue, but you can check by double-clicking a .cue file. If not, it may set up a context-menu item instead, so see if Nero is listed if you right-click the .cue file.


Right clicking the CUE Sheet file to see all options did not reveal any that would work to just run it as is.  There was the option to start NeroExpress Starter, but when I select that it kicked back error pop-ups.  Don't have the time now but will edit one to FLAC and see what happens then as they are all Wav.  Thanks for you help on this.