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Topic: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper? (Read 2756 times) previous topic - next topic
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How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

I have some HDCDs that I ripped (Cold - 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage, Pitchshifter - PSI, Pleymo - Doctor Tank's Medicine Cake), yet the ripped file is 16-bit wav instead of the 24-bit wav that I have it on.

I have the following settings on:
- Detect HDCD Encoding
- Decode HDCD To 20-Bit
- Store As 24-bit lossless

Then I have stop looking after 750 frames option off

What am I missing? I have just the base app downloaded, didn't install the FFmpeg plugin dependencies "addon". Not sure if that's an important part or not.

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #1 –
A lot of "HDCD" marked CDs are not. Even more so, several that have HDCD packets don't use any "HDCD features". And, Case here at HA has found that the hdcd.exe application doesn't really do everything like Windows Media Player does (why care about WMP? Microsoft owns HDCD and hdcd.exe tried to replicate what WMP would do).

Bottom line: You should not decode them upon ripping. If you want to, that can be done later.
HDCD is flagged in-signal, so unlike e.g. pre-emphasis, there is no information in having the physical silver disc, that isn't in the rip.

Case's HDCD component for foobar2000 is under development, use with caution and keep your undecoded backups: https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,126955.msg1055958.html#msg1055958

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #2 –
The settings you describe do not exist in CUERipper > Options
These options do not exist in CUERipper. Some users have requested them so they are on the WishList

As for the settings.txt file, much of the code used in CUERipper is shared with CUETools. Many of the default CUETools settings written to the CUETools settings.txt file are also written to the CUERipper settings.txt file when it is created. The settings not used by CUERipper are simply ignored while other settings that are used by CUERipper are locked to a specific value.

The following settings are ignored by CUERipper
DetectHDCD=1
Wait750FramesForHDCD=1
DecodeHDCD=0
DecodeHDCDToLossyWAV16=0
DecodeHDCDTo24bit=1

see reply#6
korth

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #3 –
i consider cueripper and cuetools to be the same program since they need each other to work. Anyway, the setting I posted are in cuetools. How to I decode the HDCD files?

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #4 –
CUETools.exe and CUERipper.exe are dependent on the same files. All settings are independent.

Okay, you ripped the CD with CUERipper. I assume you did not change any settings in Options.
* Launch CUETools
* I assume HDCD settings mentioned above are still enabled. I assume no other settings were changed.
* Drag the CUE file or Track 01 from your rip into the Input box
* Set Action to Encode
* Set the Output Template to
Code: [Select]
[%directoryname%\]new[%unique%]\%filename%.cue
This will create a new subfolder in the rip's location '\new'
* Set Mode and Audio Output to match CUERipper
* As you probably already tagged the cue/files in CUERipper you can untick Edit Tags
* Click Go
The file(s) in folder \new should have a double extension (filename.24bit.wav)

korth

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: korth on
CUETools.exe and CUERipper.exe are dependent on the same files. All settings are independent.

Okay, you ripped the CD with CUERipper. I assume you did not change any settings in Options.
* Launch CUETools
* I assume HDCD settings mentioned above are still enabled. I assume no other settings were changed.
* Drag the CUE file or Track 01 from your rip into the Input box
* Set Action to Encode
* Set the Output Template to
Code: [Select]
[%directoryname%\]new[%unique%]\%filename%.cue
This will create a new subfolder in the rip's location '\new'
* Set Mode and Audio Output to match CUERipper
* As you probably already tagged the cue/files in CUERipper you can untick Edit Tags
* Click Go
The file(s) in folder \new should have a double extension (filename.24bit.wav)

[attach width=500]34604[/attach]
Thank You!

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: korth on
The following settings are ignored by CUERipper
DetectHDCD=1
Wait750FramesForHDCD=1
DecodeHDCD=0
DecodeHDCDToLossyWAV16=0
DecodeHDCDTo24bit=1

There was a discrepancy in my notes so I ran a few new tests on CUETools, CUERipper and HDCD
The default settings in settings.txt are
Code: [Select]
DetectHDCD=1
Wait750FramesForHDCD=1
DecodeHDCD=0
DecodeHDCDToLossyWAV16=0
DecodeHDCDTo24bit=1
and are not ignored by CUERipper but they do not work in a favorable way.

When 'Stop looking after 75 frames' is true and Decode HDCD is true
Code: [Select]
Wait750FramesForHDCD=1
DecodeHDCD=1
CUERipper will only rip the CD if HDCD is detected or abort the rip when not detected.

When 'Stop looking after 75 frames' is set to false and Decode HDCD is true
Code: [Select]
Wait750FramesForHDCD=0
DecodeHDCD=1
Both CUETools and CUERipper will apparently try to encode every CD rip to 20bit/24bit whether HDCD is detected or not.
korth

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: korth on
Both CUETools and CUERipper will apparently try to encode every CD rip to 20bit/24bit whether HDCD is detected or not.
"Both CUETools and CUERipper will apparently try to encode every CD rip to 20bit/24bit whether HDCD is detected or not."

Is that why my regular cd rips sound weird? Cause I have it on detect hdcd, or is it just that I'm used to using windows media player ripping and im playing it on a dap (Hiby R3 Pro Saber) / phone? So when I rip a regular CD, I should have detect HDCD setting turned off? I don't use cuetools to encode / decode anything, I just use cueripper to rip wav files then transfer them to my digital player without change

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #8 –
Leaving 'Detect HDCD encoding' enabled is fine (and default)
The issue is when you change
'Stop looking after 750 frames to 'disabled'
WHEN
'Decode HDCD to 20 bit' is 'enabled'

X

The above image represents settings in CUETools only.
CUERipper's default is
Stop looking after 750 frames 'enabled'
and can only be changed to the problematic 'disabled' setting by the user when altering the settings.txt file (settings shown in Reply #6)
korth

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #9 –
So I should just keep all hdcd settings off including dectect hdcd encoding in cueTOOLS so it doesn't effect rips of normal cds in cueRipper, and ONLY have them on when it's a hdcd that's playing. Is that correct?

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #10 –
You have been warned already that HDCD decoding is flawed.
Don't blame CUETools, which included the "at the time only" software decoder (all others were based on that one) - but if you don't want permanently flawed files, then keep your undecoded CDs.
 

Re: How To Rip & Decode HDCDs In CUERipper?

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Wickedfox on
So I should just keep all hdcd settings off including dectect hdcd encoding in cueTOOLS so it doesn't effect rips of normal cds in cueRipper, and ONLY have them on when it's a hdcd that's playing. Is that correct?

Quote from: korth on
CUETools.exe and CUERipper.exe are dependent on the same files. All settings are independent.
Any setting for CUETools.exe has no effect on CUERipper.exe. Any setting for CUERipper.exe has no effect on CUETools.exe.

You should leave HDCD settings in settings.txt file for CUERipper at default (default settings shown in Reply #6).

You can leave HDCD settings in CUETools at default

X

If you use CUETools to decode HDCD, you should avoid unchecking
Stop looking after 750 frames
if you plan to use CUETools for anything other than decoding HDCD.
Unchecking this setting in CUETools alters ALL rips encoded in CUETools when
Decode HDCD to 20 bit
is checked.

korth