Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: Question about the channel descriptors in a flac file create from a SACD ISO (Read 1515 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Question about the channel descriptors in a flac file create from a SACD ISO

I created flac files from my SACD ISO files using foobar.

I get the following in the "Channels" field when I view the "Properties" of the flac file using foobar:

6: FL FR FC LFE BL BR

I currently have a 5.1 sound system:

Custom HTPC
Denon 4308
Bowers & Wilkins CM-5 (FL & FR)
Bowers & Wilkins CMC (FC)
Bowers & Wilkins M-1 (SL & SR)
HSU VTF-2 MK4

Currently everything plays appropriately.

Question is when I add rear surrounds as part of a 7.1 system will the BL & BR channels from the flac file play thru the rear surround speaker and not the M-1 surround speakers??

Are the channel descriptors in the flac file used?  Is there a way to change BL & BR to SL & SR??  Are BR & BL the same as RR & RL?  Is all of this standardized?  I did find this info:

1 channel: mono
2 channels: left, right
3 channels: left, right, center
4 channels: front left, front right, back left, back right
5 channels: front left, front right, front center, back/surround left, back/surround right
6 channels: front left, front right, front center, LFE, back/surround left, back/surround right
7 channels: front left, front right, front center, LFE, back center, side left, side right
8 channels: front left, front right, front center, LFE, back left, back right, side left, side right

in the flac documentation.  Seems like it could be difficult to get a HTPC and sound system to cooperate and get the right sound coming out of the correct speaker.  On top of that I do not see anything about 4.1 sound.  Is there a better file format for multi-channel audio?

My sound system is currently in storage so I cannot easily add the extra speakers and run tests with the different audio files.

Re: Question about the channel descriptors in a flac file create from a SACD ISO

Reply #1 –
I also found out something is wrong with the channels.

I did convert the PCM from a High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-ray to FLAC.
Foobar shows only 6 in the Channels field in Properties on the FLAC files.
If i play a file i have output on BL BR.

If i lock at the same file as wav the Channels field shows 6: FL FR FC LFE SL SR
So this is correct and also the sound output is SL SR.

But the funny thing is that MPC-HC plays the FLAC correct (SL SR).