I did not find any program that can do what I wanted so I have written one.

You can download from HERE

Please test it if you like, and put comments here about it.

Hi

It seems like when it rains it pours.
ponchorage came out with a similar program , you can see it in this thread,
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....topic=28497&hl=

However I find that program, flacattack, a bit better that it doesn't require to encode the whole file to mp3 and then to cut them up.
However thumbs up for the alternative.

Looks quite interesting, although I think I need to read the documentation a few more times to get a complete understanding.

One initial question: if you use a variable as a file or folder name are all illegal characters (i.e.: \ / : * ? " < > |) stripped out?

I spent quite a bit of time developing the batch files that I am currently using to back up my CD collection. I think this application could have saved me a whole heap of time.

It seems like you are confusing the issue titling your post as "New free program for EAC, FLAC img & individual mp3s at one" - it's far more flexible than that. From my understanding this is a bridge between an application like MAREO, and writing your own batch files - although you do still need a basic understanding of batch file scripting to be able to get the best use out of it.

It does (or could) deal with a lot of the more confusing aspects of EAC batch file writing, such as creating valid file/folder names, and using the parameters passed to create other useful, and necessary, variables.

I think if you could push this closer toward MAREO than batch file writing you'd have a real winner.

Well done.

Edit: Any chance of the source being released?

Edit 2005-01-13: Updated URL to blueyonder address[/url]

Yes, I think flacattack and batrun was being made at the same time. I did not announced it earlier because I had to finish documentation, and made some testing, and were not at home at the weekend.
If flacattack had been released 2-3 days earlier I would not have written batrun.
No problem, I like progrmming and did not take much effort to develop batrun, it is quite a simple progam.

However I find that program, flacattack, a bit better that it doesn't require to encode the whole file to mp3 and then to cut them up.

You need not encode whole file to mp3 if you grab and compress individual tracks with EAC (shift+F5)
Batrun actually does not do anything no encoding, no splitting. What batrun does only is to write a batch file and then run (or not run) it. Batrun uses other commandline programs those do effective work. Batrun only collects them into batch file.
I don't know if Flacattack can grab a wav image from a CD, and flac it and can do individual mp3s without splitting either the big wav or mp3.

I dont think to be a problem to split a mp3 image to tracks. It takes about 3 seconds. It has a big advantage on gapless playing, because mp3split splits mp3 image on frame boundaries, and there will not be padding "silence" added.

So image and individual tracks cannot be done by one rip without splitting or glueing something (wav or mp3/flac/etc.).

flacattack creates the FLAC CD image, and then uses the cuesheet info to split it and pipe the individual track data directly to LAME.

Looks quite interesting, although I think I need to read the documentation a few more times to get a complete understanding.


I hope documentaion can be understood since I am Hungarian, my English is not very good.

One initial question: if you use a variable as a file or folder name are all illegal characters (i.e.: \ / : * ? " < > |) stripped out?

I seem to not understand this question well.
Triing to explain.
You mean that if batrun.exe gets a parameter with a value of garbage?
I.e.: batrun.exe xyz.ini "filename" "foo" "John Doe" "+%=(sdgf!%/!="
Then batrun will not care about the value of parameters if it is garbage, then the correspondig '@variable@' will be replaced with the garbage.
Nothing is stripped out. Batrun is not intelligent, batrun's users must be intelligent.

t seems like you are confusing the issue titling your post as "New free program for EAC, FLAC img & individual mp3s at one" - it's far more flexible than that.

Yes, I was thinking about that. Batrun might be used for other purposes. Not only as EAC "plugin"

I think if you could push this closer toward MAREO than batch file writing you'd have a real winner.


I do not want to push closer to MAREO or simplify the settings. Its flexibility may decrease then.
So some batch programming skill is needed to take advantage of using batrun. Batch programming skill can be used for other purposes.

Why is better cutting wav and encoding them to mp3tracks than encoding wav and cutting it to tracks?
The same work and time.

I have put the sources (batrun.dpr, setcue.dpr, setcue2.dpr) into the rar so download it again. They can be compiled by Delphi.

It beats the Hell out of my Hungarian. My line manager just came back from a holiday in Hungary. That Unicum is weird stuff!

Hmmm... I don't really agree.

If batrun doesn't deal with illegal characters then it makes it unusable in some instances. Users can't work around it without some serious scripting - and in that case they may as well just use a 2KB batch file to do the job.

E.g.: If the value of @artist@ is "AC/DC" and you try using a command like:

move "@dest@mp3" "e:\Music\MP3\@artist@\(@year@) @album@\(@0tnumb@) @tname@.mp3"

... as per your sample.ini you will end up with a folder called "ac" instead (with a subfolder called "dc"). More seriously, in other cases like ":" or "*", you will get an error and the batch file will exit.

I was more thinking that it can be used with any encoder or application with EAC, not just FLAC and LAME - but, yes, it could be used in other scenarios also.

Fair enough.

I think there is a definite niche for an application somewhere between MAREO and batrun. Maybe I'll get some time to write it myself one day. In the meantime however I will continue to hassle other people to do it

Edit: grammar

Unicum is a Hungaricum.
I don't like Unicum

[quote]
E.g.: If the value of @artist@ is "AC/DC" and you try using a command like:

move "@dest@mp3" "e:\Music\MP3\@artist@\(@year@) @album@\(@0tnumb@) @tname@.mp3"
[quote]

You are right. I never listened to AC/DC so I did not think about it.
I'm working on it.

Good news. I assume this would involve adding child variables to some core variables like Artist, Album and Genre.

Since I have started using my batch files to back up my CD collection I have found a few processes long and complicated to achieve with DOS commands. It took me a while to develop a function that will create a new string with illegal characters removed - something that is so simple to do in more advanced languages.

I also have problems when ECHOing some characters to the screen - e.g.: ampersand (&).

I look forward to the next version.

Character replacing and deleting has been implemented on artist, track title, album title, and genre.

Read again sample.ini to get help on using.

You can download from HERE

Thanks Tangerine.

I'll check this out as soon as I can. I appreciate the extra work.

Seems to work well. Up to now I ripped 12 CD-s using batrun.

Your character replacing/deleting idea was good.
A lot of tracknames contain ',' or ':'

Changed replace line to this:

REPLACE=/\!@$%^*|?,: --**********

Yes, commas, ampersands and colons have been the most problematic for me. I think I've had to work with 80% of the characters in your replace string so far, and I've done around 180 albums.

I'm hoping to try to port my batch files to batrun this weekend

Some of them can be made as directory/file

I have tried:

these works:
md "@"
md "$"
md "&"
md "^"
md "%"
md ","
md "!"

these don't:
md """
md "*"
md "?"
md ":"
md "/"
md "\"
md "|"
md ">"
md "<"

So there is no need to replace/delete if works, but some of them must be quoted betwen " "

OK, I'm going to push my luck a little here - although I don't think it would be too much work for you.

When you parse the CODE section of the INI file could you pick out any ECHO statements and escape any illegal characters?
Those I know of are: \ & | > < ^ (taken from http://www.ss64.com/ntsyntax/esc.html).

E.g.: if I have a line in my INI file:

ECHO Album: @album@

...and the album name is "Reading, Writing & Arithmetic", batrun will create the batch file with the line:

ECHO Album: Reading, Writing & Arithmetic

However, as you will know, ampersand (&) is a reserved character, used to run two separate commands on one line, so this will result in:

Album: Reading, Writing
'Arithmetic' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

If batrun could pick out any line beginning "ECHO", and escape all text on that line, this would result in batrun creating the batch file with the line:

ECHO Album: Reading, Writing ^& Arithmetic

... which will work correctly.

I don't know if you bother ECHOing within your batch files, but I find it quite useful.

Just a suggestion, but I would find it very useful.

NB: I can't just use @album*@ instead - as folders can use ampersand, so I'd rather keep the character if possible.

If you use ECHO like this:

ECHO Album: "@album@"

would be:

ECHO Album: "Reading, Writing & Arithmetic"

And the result would be:

Album: "Reading, Writing & Arithmetic"

Is not this OK?

Anyway I will do what you are saying.

Hmm... Yes, it is. It think it would be better for me to just do that, rather than you implement my suggestion. I thought of one downside to just escaping all ECHO statements: If you want to use:

ECHO This text > mytextfile.txt

... it wouldn't let you.

Sorry to be a pain

Update: I'm confused now. I've checked my batch files and they always surround any text that may contain ampersands in quotes - yet I'm sure I've had problems with this, whcih is why I asked for the functionality. I will need to do some tests with my batch files to see where this problem lies. I'll let you know if I find it. It may have been a problem with an earlier version...

Edit 2005-01-13: Updated URL to blueyonder address[/url]

Batrun 1.2 nearly done:

Working like this:

I made an escape char (actually it is two chars) @@
It will escape from escape.

You write in the ini:
ECHO This text > mytextfile.txt

The bat will be:

ECHO This text ^> mytextfile.txt

if in ini:

ECHO This text @@> mytextfile.txt

then in bat would be:

ECHO This text > mytextfile.txt

if in ini:

ECHO This text @@>@@> mytextfile.txt

then in bat would be:

ECHO This text >> mytextfile.txt

and so on

This is the same with these other special chars: \ & | > < ^
(but only in lines begin with echo)

Batrun v1.2 is ready. Look at the first post for download.
Read sample.ini and changelog.txt for explanations.

Tangerine, I like the way you do things. Every time I have asked for new functionality you have surpassed my requirements.

I just hope other users writing batch files for EAC will eventually come to understand what a useful tool this is.

I worked out why I had problems with ampersands in my batch files. It was actually from my functions to make the file/folder names, and to format the CSV fields. Both stripped the quotes from the text before they started, and as soon as that happened the ampersands caused problems. I have actually reworked them to get around this now, but to save any further problems I believe I will just port them to use batrun anyway.

Sorry for highjacking this thread - I hope you get some interest/appreciation from other users.

Nice work. Much appreciated.

Edit 2005-01-13: Updated URL to blueyonder address[/url]

Not much interest up to now, as I see you are the one who is really interested.
More than 1000 views makes me think that there are some other people interested just watch this topic.

No problem, I made batrun for myself. If someone else uses it that make me happy.
If somebody wants me to add some features, I will do that if I think that to be useful and easy to implement. The 'replacing/stripping' and the 'escaping' was easy and worth to implement. If you or anybody else ask for other feature don't be afraid to write in this topic. I will do my best.

V 1.3 available, new feature added: setting priority (normal, belownormal, low)

Thanks Tangerine. I like the bat logo

I've almost finished porting my batch files to batrun now.

I've had to make things a little complicated as I use two scripts, eac-enc.bat and eac-post.bat. eac-enc opens eac-post before it closes, allowing eac-post to work with the properly named file (EAC renames the file from its temporary name when eac-enc closes).

The way I have gotten around this with batrun is to get EAC to call another batch file. This batch file runs batrun to create eac-enc.bat (but not run it), and then again to create eac-post.bat (but not run it). It then calls the newly created eac-enc.bat, to get the actual processing started.

The main benefit of this for me is the character replacement, but also it is easier to maintain a script that uses:

@dpath@\@ofname@.@dfext@

... instead of:

%~dp3%~n1%~x3

NB: minor suggestion, but you should get batrun to write:

@REM Created using BATRUN, Version nn.nn

... at the top of each batch file - so you know what version was used.

I was having a bit of trouble getting the ECHO escaping to work last night - @@>@@> wasn't working so I went back to >> and it did. I was sure I was using v1.2, but I guess I can't of been. I've tested the same using v1.3 and @@>@@> works fine. If batrun told me what version it was (by writing the REM statement) I could have been sure it was, or wasn't, v1.2. That can really wait until you really need to release another update though.

If I could compile Delphi I'd do this myself, but I can't find a free compiler.

Edit 2005-01-13: Updated URL to blueyonder address[/url]

> Thanks Tangerine. I like the bat logo

It took me hours to find a cute bat icon on the net.

> NB: minor suggestion, but you should get batrun to write:
> @REM Created using BATRUN, Version nn.nn
> ... at the top of each batch file - so you know what version was used.

Has been implemented in v1.4 (almost ready)

> I was having a bit of trouble getting the ECHO escaping to work last night - @@>@@> wasn't working so I went back to >> and it did. I was sure I was using v1.2, but I guess I can't of been.

That must have been v1.1

New version: 1.4

You can download from HERE

1.4 Some minor changes:
- adding version info into batch file
- copiing empty lines from ini to batch (for easier reading)
- Replace line format changed. Oldformat: replace=123 abc ; new format: replace="123" "abc"
- variable '@replace@' added (see replace.txt and img-track.ini for more information)
- variable '@tn@' added (see tagcorr.txt and img-track.ini for more information)

Utility programs added:
- 'replace.exe' - replaces illegal characters in cue sheet (see replace.txt and img-track.ini for more information)
- 'tagcorr.exe' - tags mp3 tracks (using tag.exe) getting album/trackname/artist info from cue sheet
(see tagcorr.txt and img-track.ini for more information)

New version: Batrun v2.0

Completely rewritten.
Synthetic Soul, please check it.

I also changed my way to make mp3s from CD, because I realised that mp2splt sucks, and put noise (sometimes) into the splitted mp3 track.
Old way: cdimage.wav -> cdimage.mp3 -> split to tracks
New way: cdimage.wav -> split to wav tracks -> mp3 track (gapless)

For doing this I had to make some other programs (wavsplit, cuemod, tagcue, rentag)
And "catwalk" for making all the mp3s again from flac images. I had already grabbed/encoded 47 CD-s to flac images and mp3 tracks when I realized the errors in mp3s.

I'm a bit baffled by the complexity (and power) of Tangerine's programs. Any help would be great.

I have a collection of FLAC files with embedded CUE's. What is the best way to transcode to single, tagged MP4 files playable on my iPod? I know I'm asking a lot here so if anyone could at least point me in a direction....

thanks in advance.

EDIT: Or am I somehow horrible missing the fact that this can be done in Foobar2000?

I know nothing about mp4 or tagging mp4. Is mp4 tag format the same as mp3's?
If that is the same as mp3 then I have to modify tagcue and rentag to work with mp4s.
You should have the original cue sheets for tagging, because the embedded cue sheets do not contain album/track title artist info. Only contain length of the tracks, but no other infos from the album.
So if you extract cue sheets from flacs then you can use those cue sheets for splitting the wavs, but cannot use for tagging/renaming.
You will also need a command line mp4 encoder. I think there exist at least one.

Actually my embedded cuesheets have all of the tag info necessary.

I'm not familiar with the AAC tag system. I found out that all of this is possible in Foobar but unfortunately not in a single step. What I would love to be able to do is on-the-fly transcode to temporary AAC files properly tagged for iPod and transfer them in one step. I haven't yet figured out how to configure foo_pod's transcoding function to read the cue and split/tag FLAC to AAC.

If anyone has accomplished this I would love to know how he/she did it.

Thanks tangerine for the info! I tend to have a closer look at your programs...they seem extremely useful.

How can you export it to file from the flac?

I tried this:

metaflac --export-cuesheet-to=xx.cue "(1981) Exit.flac"

xx.cue will be this:
----------------------------------
FILE "dummy.wav" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
INDEX 00 09:19:65
INDEX 01 09:21:67
TRACK 03 AUDIO
INDEX 00 13:41:37
INDEX 01 13:43:35
TRACK 04 AUDIO
INDEX 00 17:51:00
INDEX 01 17:53:27
TRACK 05 AUDIO
INDEX 00 23:26:55
INDEX 01 23:28:50
TRACK 06 AUDIO
INDEX 00 28:24:42
INDEX 01 28:26:45
REM FLAC__lead-in 88200
REM FLAC__lead-out 170 97276956
----------------------------------

The original cue was this:
-------------------------------------------
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
TITLE "Exit"
FILE "(1981) Exit.flac" flac
REM YEAR "1981"
REM GENRE "Electronic"
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Kiew Mission"
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Pilots of Purple Twighlight"
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
INDEX 00 09:19:65
INDEX 01 09:21:67
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Choronzon"
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
INDEX 00 13:41:37
INDEX 01 13:43:35
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Exit"
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
INDEX 00 17:51:00
INDEX 01 17:53:27
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Network 23"
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
INDEX 00 23:26:55
INDEX 01 23:28:50
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Remote"
PERFORMER "Tangerine Dream"
INDEX 00 28:24:42
INDEX 01 28:26:45
-------------------------------------------

The time positions are correct, and is enough to split the wav image to tracks or burn a CD, but is not enough for tagging/renaming.

As far as I'm aware, embedded flac cuesheets only bring over "FILE", "TRACK" and "INDEX" markers. From my experience the only way to do what you want to do, is by manually adding the cuesheet as a tag. Then, you can do a copy, paste into Notepad to recreate a seperate cuesheet file.

I think I can add AAC support to tagcue and rentag. There is a component for AAC in Audio tools library (ATL) If it can tag well then I can add. But did not you you talk about mp4? Or are mp4 and aac the same? What is the extension of aac?
So if it is possible to extract a proper cuesheet from flac, and aac component is ok and there is a command line aac-encoder (I'm sure there is one) then it will be possible to extract/split/transcode/tag/move using some of my utils.

[/quote]
As far as I'm aware, embedded flac cuesheets only bring over "FILE", "TRACK" and "INDEX" markers. From my experience the only way to do what you want to do, is by manually adding the cuesheet as a tag. Then, you can do a copy, paste into Notepad to recreate a seperate cuesheet file.
[/quote]

How can you add 'manually' as tag?
I don't really understand the way.

I have added aac support to tagcue and rentag.
So if you want tagged aac tracks from flac image then I will help you, but I need some irformation:

1. directory structure of your source flacs (i.e.: "c:\cd_backup\artist\(year) album.flac")
2. directory structure and renaming scheme of the destination files (i.e.: "c:\output\artist\(year) album\(tracknumber) trackname.aac")
3. what command line aac encoder you prefer (i.e.: faac.exe)
4. what type of tags you want in aac (id3v1, id3v2, apetag)
5. how you extract the cuefile from the flac

I use Flacattack which adds track information to the cuesheet and then embedds it as an OGG tag to the FLAC file.

Foobar2k currently does the job for me when transcoding to single AAC files as I stated above. My wish is to be able to transcode to temporary MP4 files which go to my iPod in one step. I am aware this is well beyonde the scope of your software and really a feature request for the foo_pod group : )

Thanks for your help anyway I may well resort to using your excellent programs.

I see.
I did not know that your flacs have the cue sheets as tags.