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Topic: EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers (Read 7341 times) previous topic - next topic
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EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Dear HydrogenAudio community,

I've read all the Hydrogen Audio guides for EAC, and still it's overwhelming how little I can actually be sure I'm handling correctly some of the EAC settings. Mostly, it's just that something is lacking in translation from German.

I've got several questions -- if you can help with even ONE of them, it would be awesome. I'd be glad to add the info to the Hydrogen Audio Wiki in exchange. For any answer, just paste a link if it's easiest. I've been using EAC for a while now, but I want to be able to use this program with confidence. So far, it feels like I'm getting nowhere.

Thanks for ANY advice with these.

DRIVE OPTIONS -> DRIVE -> SPIN UP DRIVE BEFORE EXTRACTION

The warning says "Some drives already read data on spin up. This will cause problems on some ... drives". Now, what's "this" referring to? Does it mean that if I DO select this option, I'm AT RISK of having this problem, or I'm AVOIDING THE RISK of having this problem?

DRIVE OPTIONS -> OFFSET -> USE READ SAMPLE OFFSET CORRECTION

This is greyed out after going through the setup Wizard. The value in there is +667, which I vaguely remember having been accurate when I last checked it. Any reason why it's greyed out?

DRIVE OPTIONS -> GAP DETECTION

How do I check out which method is "fastest"? One guide suggested trying all the settings, but didn't say how.

DRIVE OPTIONS -> WRITER -> CREATE OFFSET TEST CD and DETECT WRITE FEATURES

Both of these launched BurnProof and then bombed the program. BurnProof ran but froze at the end in each case, and I lost all my settings. I'm running 0.99pb4 on Vista x64 SP1. Furthermore, it's unclear to me what the "Create Offset Test CD" is going to be used for on this tab. Doesn't it belong on the Offset tab?

EAC OPTIONS -> EXTRACTION

I'm afraid there's too much here for me to list. Any recommended settings?

COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> EXTERNAL COMPRESSION -> USE CRC CHECK

I'm using FLAC. The help bubble says that enabling this will "check the consistency of a file on playing." Playing by what? By EAC? Is it checking the consistency against the CRC values when ripped? How does EAC play FLAC back, then? I assume it doesn't. So, then it's checking consistency by any player whenever I play it? Does this mean it's checking the consistency of the PLAYER, rather than the file?

For FLAC, is it useless to check this, as the EAC help suggests?

COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> EXTERNAL COMPRESSION -> ADD ID 3 TAG

Will FLAC use ID 3 tags? I know it has an "Ogg Vorbis header", but I don't know what format it uses.

COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> OFFSET

WTF? After I ask EAC to test the offset on FLAC, I get the readout that there was an "Error on Compression." So now what? Do I USE the option, or NOT?

COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> ID 3 TAG

I'm not making any sense of this.


Again, thanks. I really feel like a total moron at this point, but I'm not. How is anyone supposed to learn what these settings do without an immense investment of time? Blah.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #1 –
Quote from: a.k.a. on
DRIVE OPTIONS -> DRIVE -> SPIN UP DRIVE BEFORE EXTRACTION

The warning says "Some drives already read data on spin up. This will cause problems on some ... drives". Now, what's "this" referring to? Does it mean that if I DO select this option, I'm AT RISK of having this problem, or I'm AVOIDING THE RISK of having this problem?
You run the risk of getting a bad rip with some drives by ticking the option.  I suppose the converse is true, otherwise the setting wouldn't be there.

Quote
DRIVE OPTIONS -> OFFSET -> USE READ SAMPLE OFFSET CORRECTION

This is greyed out after going through the setup Wizard. The value in there is +667, which I vaguely remember having been accurate when I last checked it. Any reason why it's greyed out?
AccurateRip is configured.  Untick "Use AccurateRip with this drive" will make the setting available once again.

Quote
DRIVE OPTIONS -> GAP DETECTION

How do I check out which method is "fastest"?
By trying all three and seeing how long detection takes.

Quote
DRIVE OPTIONS -> WRITER -> CREAT OFFSET TEST CD and DETECT WRITE FEATURES

Both of these launched BurnProof and then bombed the program. BurnProof ran but froze at the end in each case, and I lost all my settings. I'm running 0.99pb4 on Vista x64 SP1. Furthermore, it's unclear to me what the "Create Offset Test CD" is going to be used for on this tab. Doesn't it belong on the Offset tab?
The setting is in the proper place.  I'm guessing your problem is that your drive isn't working correctly with whatever engine is currently configured.  Check the CDRDAO option (F9 -> Write tab, last option).

Quote
COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> EXTERNAL COMPRESSION -> USE CRC CHECK
This option isn't going to do anything unless you use %C...%C in your command line options, assuming you're using our wiki guides which tell you to select User Defined Encoder as the parameter passing scheme.

Quote
COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> EXTERNAL COMPRESSION -> ADD ID 3 TAG
Untick this option.  Flac files use vorbis comments/flac tags and should not contain ID3 tags.  The wiki explicitly tells you how to add tags to flac files through the command line options.

Quote
COMPRESSION OPTIONS -> OFFSET

WTF? After I ask EAC to test the offset on FLAC, it tells me there was an "Error on Compression." So now what? Do I use the option, or not?
Not.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #2 –
Greynol,

Thanks a mil. I just spotted one other Hy Audio guide that sorted out a couple, but without explaining. So your reply really helps too.
http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?ti...Lossless_Backup

On the "Offset test CD" and "Detect write features" CDRDAO was already checked. So I'm still stumped. But I did verify the offset was correct, so I guess that renders the "offset test CD" unnecessary. The question still remains about "Detect write features."

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #3 –
The point of the offset CD is to determine your drive's write offset.  You burn a test disc with the write samples offset set to zero and then use it with the test to detect your drive's read offset correction.  The number returned is the combined read/write offset correction.  You subtract the read offset correction value and you have your write samples offset.

Regarding the CDRDAO option, when I said check, I meant look at; sorry about that.  Did you try it with the option unticked?

EDIT: I was being sloppy by saying offset when I meant offset correction.

EDIT2: Test disc needs to be burned with the write samples offset set to zero.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #4 –
Interesting. Now my head is clearing. Thanks for explaining that.

When I unchecked the CDRDAO option, the Detect Write Features test ran perfectly.

And the Write Offset CD burned successfully too.

BUT THE QUESTION IS: What do I do with the Write Offset CD at this point? The Write Offset value did not seem to change, and I'm not finding the button to actually TEST the CD.

BTW, the read offset is +667. So if it automatically ran the write offset test without telling me, did it find a write offset of +667, so the net actual write offset is 0? Or has it not run the test yet?

Moderation: Removed useless quotation.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #5 –
Quote from: a.k.a. on
The Write Offset value did not seem to change
It won't; it's not automatic.

Quote from: a.k.a. on
I'm not finding the button to actually TEST the CD.
Offset/Speed tab, it's the button that says "Detect read sample offset correction".  You'll have to uncheck "Use AccurateRip with this drive" in order for the button not to be grayed-out.

BTW, looking at daefeatures.co.uk, it would seem that your drive does have a write samples offset of zero.  If this is the case then testing the offset disc should return a value of 667.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #6 –
Ok, greynol, the live chat here is IMMENSELY helpful. THANKS!

The thing is, I already know from the offset database that the standard read offset for this drive is such and such (+667). So, does that mean that there's nothing more to do? Or should I run it anyway, to see if it's, say, +670 or +665?

Is there any point to knowing the Write Offset if you have a database telling you the read offset? Will the Write Offset always be 0? Maybe I misread the post above.

I'll run the test, and maybe you'll fill me in in the meantime.

Ok, three times, and the read offset is definitely +667.

Now, what do I enter under the write offset tab? 0?

Moderation: Removed useless quote again.  There's no reason to quote the previous message in its entirety (or at all if not addressing specific points.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #7 –
Burners can also introduce an offset when writing, which is why there is this setting.

After looking at daefeatures.co.uk, it does seem that your drive does have a write samples offset of zero, which agrees with the result that you got.

EDIT: Just to throw out some examples, I have three burners:
[blockquote]One has a combined offset correction of +739 and a read offset correction of +733.  Therefore, the write samples offset is +6.

Another has a combined offset correction of 0 and a read offset correction of +30.  Therefore, the write samples offset is -30.

The last one has a combined offset correction of +69 and a read offset correction of +99.  Therefore, the write samples offset is -30.[/blockquote]

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #8 –
I just read your own reply about the database results for the write value. I may have used an old database that didn't have the write value, or maybe didn't notice it.

Ok, so this was a pointless exercise.

Still, I'm not clear in theory on how you WOULD get the write offset. If I understand, you test the read offset normally. Then you burn a write offset test disc, and run the read offset test again. If the values differ, then you'll know that there is a value other than 0 for the write offset. Is that it?

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #10 –
Got it -- though I just want to confirm: You're doing the test twice -- the first time with an audio CD from the EAC site (see the ToolTip for the read offset test button) to get the read offset, and the second time with the write offset test CD. The discrepancy (if any) is how you determine the write offset. Is that right?

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #11 –
Not exactly.  Thanks to AccurateRip, there is no need to use EAC's tedious method of determining your read samples offset.  These days the test is only useful for finding your drive's write offset.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #12 –
Crud. I just ran the read offset test on three calibration CDs I seem to have on the list.

1st CD: +585 three times.
2nd CD: +3719 three times.
3rd CD: +1661 three times

I have a fourth one of the titles, and it said the CD couldn't be found in the test database. So that makes me think that it actually has correct pressing in the database for at least some of the other three, and has given me a good value somewhere, not one tricked by the pressing alone. The problem is that the closest one, +585, is from a mid-80s pressing, so it's really dubious that that's the most accurate.

But what's the implication now? I apparently got +667 on the write offset test I ran earlier, and the DAE database returned +667 as the correct read offset value, and 0 for the net write offset value.

Thanks.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #13 –
Don't bother with testing your read offset with EAC's test.  The number on the inner ring must match exactly to those listed on the EAC site.  Out of some 200 discs, only two in my collection matched up.  AR is a far better way to go.

As for re-testing, you better hope you get the same number every time, otherwise you have either have a bad disc or a bad drive.

Regarding your offsets, you've got it straight: +667 for the read offset correction (and combined read/write correction, as well); 0 or the write offset.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #14 –
greynol, you rock. Thankye for lernin' me sompin today.

Best,
a.k.a.

EAC settings confusion - need a few brief answers

Reply #15 –
You're welcome.  Thank you for pointing out some of the holes in HA's wiki.  Exec mentioned updating the Drive Options page and now I know what he was talking about.