Converting FLAC to WAV Settings

I'm a bit confused as there is no resampling when going from 44.1 to 44.1 so the SoX resampling algorithm doesn't come into play.

Or are you resampling a high res FLAC here?

VHQ Linear Phase would the absolute best if I understand SoX correctly.

You do not have to go via SoX to decode .flac files. If you are on a mac you should be able to open a terminal and enter

find . -name '*.flac' -exec bash -c 'flac -d "$1"; rm "$1"' -- {} \;

at the command line. This will convert all your .flac files in the current directory and in all its subdirectories to .wav files. If you want to keep the original .flac files, just drop the 'rm "$1"' bit in the above script. You should check that you have installed the flac command before calling the script. More details on http://archive.oreilly.com/pub...etween_mp3_flac.html. Best, nbpf

Great suggestion nbpf, thank you! But link don't work. I will look up with google anyway.

Sorry, it's http://archive.oreilly.com/pub...etween_mp3_flac.html Best, nbpf

Apart from my 24/96 FLAC files, which are Hi-Res downloads. The rest were transcoded from WAV files, that were originally ripped using my UnitiServe (which I no longer have). I'm afraid that terminal command lines are way, way over my head. 

I would just like to return the files back to their original form, or is that not possible?

You're right Aleg, but something needs to be ticked in the Algorithm drop down box.

I'm afraid that I don't use a mac, so unfortunately cannot recommend an alternative at this point, but this does not appear to be the tool for the job.  There should be no need for any re-sampling algorithm to decode a FLAC to WAV with same sample rate and bit-depth.

When using XLD, you are given various choices of file types that you can transcode to. FLAC, WAV, MP3 etc...Originally, the files were WAV ripped from my UnitiServe. I converted those WAV files to FLAC. I now wish to transcode some of them back to WAV, their original form.

If I select WAV as the file I want to transcode to, I am also presented with the drop down box in my pictures above.

Sure, encoding and decoding are the inverse of each other:

> flac -s test.wav -o test.flac

> flac -sd test.flac -o test.1.wav

test.wav and test.1.wav are identical. What is the problem with the command line ? Just open a terminal, copy-paste the command and press enter. Here it goes ...

> ls

> 16bit-44.1kHz.flac  24bit-192kHz.flac

> find . -name '*.flac' -exec bash -c 'flac -ds "$1"' -- {} \;

> ls

> 16bit-44.1kHz.flac  16bit-44.1kHz.wav  24bit-192kHz.flac  24bit-192kHz.wav

... and, please, do not forget that In the Beginning... Was the Command Line. Best, nbpf

For obvious reasons already mentioned, I can't test it, but have you tried using this?  It's recommended by the developers of the FLAC format for conversion.

http://www.freac.org/

In the beginning was the command switches...

http://www.colossus-computer.com/colossus1.html

OK, I'm not quite that old.

Actually, in the beginning was the difference engine.  No chance of RFI interfering with your bits there.

http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/engines/

I think ...I've sussed it. I Found a forum based in the States, which basically says, when transcoding in XLD, from any file type (in my case FLAC) to WAV, it gives options to change the Sample Rate, the Bit Depth, and SoX. Within the choices of Sample Rate and Bit Rate, is 'Same as original'. If this option is selected, the SoX choice is 'greyed out'. It suggests that the SoX choice is only to be used, if you want to change the Sampling Rate, or Bit Rate. Not for simply converting from one file type to another.

Clear as mud! 

Hi Meerkat.

Yep, sounds good.

Just watch out for hippos in the mud. 

Absolutely ! .. and memory was realized with resonance tubes and probes at one tube's end: a wave bouncing back and forth would be a one, no wave a zero. And one had to wait for the wave to bounce back (if it was in) between two consecutive read ops ! Best, nbpf

Correct. You don't need to check the "Option" box next to "Output". If you do, the default is as shown below. Leave it as is.

Cheers Jan, got there in the end. 

I have the ECDL qualification. I can set up my NAS, Media Server and home network. But, I have to hold my hands up, and admit, I didn't have a clue what 'Command line', and 'Opening a terminal', meant 

I just hope that Naim never decide to 'pull' the forum, otherwise people like me would be stuffed! 

This is such an easy and quick process. The software is making something which is simple look difficult. No wonder some think that downloading, ripping and streaming is too complicated to contemplate. 

Meerkat,  I know you are a Mac user  but your really should go get a copy of dBpoweramp Mac beta,  it is just so simple.  

No faffing around,  it just simply converts .flac to .wav (or whatever format) with one click of your mouse.  

Hello Mike...That dbpoweramp beta version for Mac, has been around for yonks, if I'm right? Why are they dragging their heels with the proper version?

To be honest, and fair to XLD, once I had read the comment on a forum in the States, it made sense. If you are doing a simple file conversion, in my case FLAC to WAV, it gives the natural option of transcoding to the original version, which is probably what 95% of us want. However, for the very technically minded, it has additional options of tweaking the Sample rate, and Bit depth. God knows why someone would want to do that, perhaps for the Hi-Res stuff, for streamers that cant handle 24/96, or 24/192 files. But the option is there.

As usual, I was being a pedantic Meerkat! What is amusing though, my FLAC music is stored in a share called 'Music'. When I checked the 'Multimedia' share, I found it full of my original UnitiServe rips! Which were all in.......WAV! Happy days!

Actually not, Babbage's difference engines (No 1 and No 2), as I remember from one of my analogue computing modules, was a great piece of theoretical design but was never actually built as it was just too complicated for that time... However it was finally built  quite recently I have just discovered by the Science Museum in 2002.

Simon

Simon, that is quite correct and a fair point.  Someone has managed to make a difference engine out of Lego too.  How hard can it be?

And also in Minecraft, I believe.

Now that is something I would love to see

Right, I meant acoustic delay lines from the fourties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delay_line_memory

I should have a scan with some hand written notes by A. Turing somewhere, documenting the computation of acoustic memory lines based on tubes filled with mercury. In the beginning ... was the sound. Best, nbpf