EAC to FLAC, reading the Cuesheet in Foobar, (I know it's not supported..) :) Options

[Recusant]

I have EAC automatically detect gaps, and when i rip a CD that is gapless, the cuesheet reads fine in Foobar (i rip and create the cuesheet to multiple files).

However, when i have a CD that does NOT have gaps, it won't read in Foobar.

I realise that Foobar doesn't support the non-compliant cuesheets, but why does it read perfectly well if the CD i'm ripping from has no gaps?

Here's an example of the gapless CDs cuesheet that seems to read fine in Foobar:

CODE

REM GENRE Techno
REM DATE 1996
REM DISCID B40E520F
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb5"
PERFORMER "Various"
TITLE "Strictly Techno 3 (Mixed by DJ Peewee Ferris)"
FILE "01. DJ Tom & Norman - Thunder God (Remix Version).flac" WAVE
  TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Thunder God (Remix Version)"
    PERFORMER "DJ Tom & Norman"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "02. DJ Quicksilver - Bingo Bongo (Club Mix).flac" WAVE
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    TITLE "Bingo Bongo (Club Mix)"
    PERFORMER "DJ Quicksilver"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00

Here's a cuesheet from a CD that is NOT gapless and doesn't read fine in Foobar:

CODE

REM GENRE Soundtrack
REM DATE 1986
REM DISCID 8509130A
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb5"
PERFORMER "Various"
TITLE "Top Gun"
FILE "Various\Top Gun (1986)\01. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone.flac" WAVE
  TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
    PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    TITLE "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
    PERFORMER "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
    INDEX 00 03:31:64

Note that i rename the file extension so it works straight up in Foobar, but also the in the burning software i use (CDBurnerXP). Interestingly, CDBurnerXP also reads and burns the gapless cue fine - but doesn't like the cuesheet from a CD that has gaps.

Foobar's error in this case is: "Unable to open item for playback (Error parsing cuesheet: invalid index list (line 18)):
"C:\Users\Public\Music\_Archive\Various\Top Gun (1986)\Top Gun.cue""

I get varying line numbers, but always the same error.

I gather it has something to do with the Index 00 but i don't understand what, and just as important, what setting i might have to change in EAC to get it to work 'compliantly' for CDs that are not gapless. I turned on the advance settings to try to figure it out, but it's just confused me.

I've discovered this after archiving some 50 CDs too If i can simply edit my .cue files to fix this problem that would be handy to know too)

Thanks.

[Recusant]

Another way to restate what dv1989 said is that a new TRACK designation can never come before a new FILE in a compliant sheet.

If there are any gaps (00 indices) other than before the start of the first track, then a CUE sheet for gaps appended to the previous tracks ripped as one track per file will be noncompliant. Appending gaps to the previous track is the standard method of ripping tracks to individual files in all programs; it is also what you get if you use EAC in beginner mode or if you rip prior to detecting gaps. If your disc has gaps between tracks and you want the corresponding cue sheet to be compliant and also retain the gap information, you must either rip to a single-file image, rip with the gaps prepended to the current track (appended to the next track in EAC-speak), or rip with them left out.

When i ripped the two discs, i used the beginner/default settings which i believe to be: Append Gaps to previous track (default) - there's no option to detect gaps (F4) before ripping.

I've generated the cuesheets for Top Gun again, using all three methods (in advanced settings) to compare and i think i'm starting to see what happens. Top Gun produced 3 separate results:

1. Multiple files with gaps (non-compliant) -- didn't work

CODE

REM GENRE Soundtrack
REM DATE 1986
REM DISCID 8509130A
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb5"
PERFORMER "Various"
TITLE "Top Gun"
FILE "01. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone.flac" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
PERFORMER "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
INDEX 00 03:31:64
FILE "02. Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings - Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys"
PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys"
INDEX 00 03:49:28
FILE "03. Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys - Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Teena Marie - Lead Me On"
PERFORMER "Teena Marie - Lead Me On"
INDEX 00 03:55:58
FILE "04. Teena Marie - Lead Me On - Teena Marie - Lead Me On.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Berlin - Take My Breath Away"
PERFORMER "Berlin - Take My Breath Away"
INDEX 00 03:44:17
FILE "05. Berlin - Take My Breath Away - Berlin - Take My Breath Away.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "06. Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights - Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights.flac" WAVE
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights"
PERFORMER "Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes"
PERFORMER "Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes"
INDEX 00 03:36:23
FILE "07. Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes - Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 08 AUDIO
TITLE "Larry Greene - Through The Fire"
PERFORMER "Larry Greene - Through The Fire"
INDEX 00 04:03:17
FILE "08. Larry Greene - Through The Fire - Larry Greene - Through The Fire.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 09 AUDIO
TITLE "Marietta - Destination Unknown"
PERFORMER "Marietta - Destination Unknown"
INDEX 00 03:42:13
FILE "09. Marietta - Destination Unknown - Marietta - Destination Unknown.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 10 AUDIO
TITLE "Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem"
PERFORMER "Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem"
INDEX 00 03:45:33
FILE "10. Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem - Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem.flac" WAVE
INDEX 01 00:00:00

2. Multiple files with left out gaps -- worked

CODE

REM GENRE Soundtrack
REM DATE 1986
REM DISCID 8509130A
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb5"
PERFORMER "Various"
TITLE "Top Gun"
FILE "01. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone.flac" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "02. Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings - Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings.flac" WAVE
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
PERFORMER "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
PREGAP 00:02:46
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "03. Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys - Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys.flac" WAVE
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys"
PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys"
PREGAP 00:01:44
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "04. Teena Marie - Lead Me On - Teena Marie - Lead Me On.flac" WAVE
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Teena Marie - Lead Me On"
PERFORMER "Teena Marie - Lead Me On"
PREGAP 00:01:00
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "05. Berlin - Take My Breath Away - Berlin - Take My Breath Away.flac" WAVE
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Berlin - Take My Breath Away"
PERFORMER "Berlin - Take My Breath Away"
PREGAP 00:01:35
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "06. Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights - Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights.flac" WAVE
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights"
PERFORMER "Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "07. Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes - Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes.flac" WAVE
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes"
PERFORMER "Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes"
PREGAP 00:01:72
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "08. Larry Greene - Through The Fire - Larry Greene - Through The Fire.flac" WAVE
TRACK 08 AUDIO
TITLE "Larry Greene - Through The Fire"
PERFORMER "Larry Greene - Through The Fire"
PREGAP 00:00:61
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "09. Marietta - Destination Unknown - Marietta - Destination Unknown.flac" WAVE
TRACK 09 AUDIO
TITLE "Marietta - Destination Unknown"
PERFORMER "Marietta - Destination Unknown"
PREGAP 00:01:37
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "10. Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem - Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem.flac" WAVE
TRACK 10 AUDIO
TITLE "Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem"
PERFORMER "Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem"
PREGAP 00:01:14
INDEX 01 00:00:00

3. Multiple files with corrected gaps -- didn't work*

CODE

REM GENRE Soundtrack
REM DATE 1986
REM DISCID 8509130A
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb5"
PERFORMER "Various"
TITLE "Top Gun"
FILE "01. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone.flac" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "02. Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings - Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings.flac" WAVE
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
PERFORMER "Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:02:46
FILE "03. Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys - Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys.flac" WAVE
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys"
PERFORMER "Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:01:44
FILE "04. Teena Marie - Lead Me On - Teena Marie - Lead Me On.flac" WAVE
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Teena Marie - Lead Me On"
PERFORMER "Teena Marie - Lead Me On"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:01:00
FILE "05. Berlin - Take My Breath Away - Berlin - Take My Breath Away.flac" WAVE
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Berlin - Take My Breath Away"
PERFORMER "Berlin - Take My Breath Away"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:01:35
FILE "06. Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights - Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights.flac" WAVE
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights"
PERFORMER "Miami Sound Machine - Hot Summer Nights"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
FILE "07. Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes - Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes.flac" WAVE
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes"
PERFORMER "Loverboy - Heaven In Your Eyes"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:01:72
FILE "08. Larry Greene - Through The Fire - Larry Greene - Through The Fire.flac" WAVE
TRACK 08 AUDIO
TITLE "Larry Greene - Through The Fire"
PERFORMER "Larry Greene - Through The Fire"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:00:61
FILE "09. Marietta - Destination Unknown - Marietta - Destination Unknown.flac" WAVE
TRACK 09 AUDIO
TITLE "Marietta - Destination Unknown"
PERFORMER "Marietta - Destination Unknown"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:01:37
FILE "10. Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem - Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem.flac" WAVE
TRACK 10 AUDIO
TITLE "Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem"
PERFORMER "Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem"
INDEX 00 00:00:00
INDEX 01 00:01:14

*Worked in Foobar, but CDBurnerXP had this error when i tried to use no.3:
"Index was outside the bounds of the array." So for my purposes it didn't work.

When i did the same for Strictly Techno, using the three available methods, all cue sheets were identical - presumably because there is no gaps in the disc (in the proper sense) so there is nothing for the program to fiddle with.

I know that cuesheets aren't playlists - i'm only using foobar and compliance to help me move into a better understanding of cuesheets now, and to ensure that if i want/need to restore a CD in 10 years time - the normal software will work fine (when EAC is no longer able to work on Windows 10 ).


Anyway - the point of this post is: Short of playing the CD on a player to see if the -01 seconds comes up, is there a way to tell if the CD has gaps, can i trust EACs "detect gaps" feature (does it select the appropriate setting)? -- how does one know when to use prepended or left out?

and

Does the actual extraction of the file ever differ, or is that only cue-sheet that differs? It would certainly be quicker to regenerate the correct cuesheet instead of re-ripping everything i've done so far.

[mjb2006]

The index out of bounds error is a generic problem in that burning program, and probably has nothing to do with the kind of indexes we're talking about; it's just a coincidence.

Anyway, realize that the style of the cue sheet is not just the style of the sheet, it's the style of the files that the cue sheet is for. If you only ripped the CD once, in beginner mode, then the gaps are at the end of each file. Cue sheets for gaps-left-out files or for 'corrected' (prepended) gap-containing files might 'work', but that's more of an accident.

Short of playing the CD on a player to see if the -01 seconds comes up, is there a way to tell if the CD has gaps

Not really. Track boundaries are stored in the disc's TOC. Gap/index info is stored in the disc's subcode. You need a program which reads the disc's subcode, and AFAIK only rippers even attempt it. But not all ripping software has subcode-reading features, and some disc & drive combos just won't work (I have some CDs I simply can't get any subcode info from, or the subcode reading fails on the last track). Subcode has its own offset (I've only seen one program which detects it), and sometimes you'll get different results when scanning the same disc (gap & index positions can be a sector off, from read to read).

can i trust EACs "detect gaps" feature (does it select the appropriate setting)? -- how does one know when to use prepended or left out?

You still seem to be not understanding something. You really never need to use "detect gaps". EAC will do that automatically when it needs gap info in a cue sheet or when doing an index-based rip. The choice of what setting to use at rip time is for what kind of audio files you're creating. Do you want them to have the gaps at the beginning, the end, or not at all? If a cue sheet is being created at the same time, it'll be made to match. If you're generating the cue sheet separately, you need to choose the kind that matches the files you've got. If you did a gaps-appended rip, you need to generate that kind of cue sheet.

This post has been edited by mjb2006: Sep 27 2010, 06:44