Hi, I am very new to all of this. I am having problems with Flac Frontend and EAC. I know next to nothing about any of this except what I have read from all the guides I could find on the Internet. I would very much appreciate it if someone could help. I have looked around a lot to try and solve these problems, have played with the programs on my computer, but cannot find the solutions.
My basic computer info is
· Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 with service pack 2
· Hard disk drive: ST 380013A
· CD drive: SONY CD-ROM CDU5211 Adapter: 1 ID: 0
· CDRW drive: LG Electronics CDRW GCE-8520B or also called
HL-DT-STCD-RW GCE-8520B Adapter: 1 ID: 1
· Display adapter: Nvidia GeForce2 Integrated GPU
· Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2100+
· 1.30 GHz
· 352 MB RAM
· Network Adapters: Nvidia nForce MCP Networking Controller
· Sound Card: Nvidia nForce Audio Codec Interface
o Nvidia nForce MCP Audio Processing Unit
· Exact Audio Copy (EAC) v 0.95 beta 3 from Aug 26, 2005
· Drive that EAC preferred (except see problem #2) is SONY CD-ROM CDU5211 Adapter: 1 ID: 0 Accurate stream
· Drive that it will use to copy in problem #2 is LG Electronics CDRW GCE-8520B—the info I copy from EAC logfile says: HL-DT-STCD-RW GCE-8520B Adapter: 1 ID: 1 Cache 2
· Gap detection B (was using A); accuracy: inaccurate
· Autodetect read command
· Offset speed actual; speed reduction checked
· Writer: “reset drive by ejecting” selected, but it never does this: nothing else checked.
· Extraction method:
o With Sony drive, it’s accurate stream
o With LG drive, it’s the other 2 boxes.
· External compression
o Use external program checked
o User-defined encoder checked
o Extension: .fla
o C:\Program Files\Flac\flac.exe
o Command line: -8 -V -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
o check for external program codes return is checked
· I don’t know if this matters, but one of the guides says the following: “Installed external ASPI interface: (Default: Enabled, Recommended: Enabled) An external SCSI/IDE interface, called ASPI, will be used. For best compatibility you should use the one from Adaptec. Obtain the Adaptec ASPI layer. Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000: (Default: Disabled, Recommended: Disabled) The SCSI/IDE interface used will be the one provided by EAC. This works only for Windows NT and Windows 2000, but it could result in some problems because bugs could occur anytime.” I have the Native Win32 enabled.
· I have installed the .Net file.
· When I downloaded flac, what I get is a file entitled FLAC that contains a readme of flac and flac frontend, but the only program that is available is flac frontend. I have downloaded a couple of times and reinstalled. Is this the way it’s supposed to be?
· THE PROBLEMS
1. The first try: No CD I have copied (except in one case—see question 3 below) becomes a single file. Every track is on a different file. Is that the way it is supposed to be? I get flac files and also winamp files. I have followed the instructions I have found in various guides on the web. In the Compressed options I am using -8 -V -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
a. File extension I am using is “fla” not “flac’, as the latter did not work.
b. I’m hitting the MP3 key to record.
c. Every time, except once, I get an error message after nearly every (but not necessarily all) tracks as they are copied saying, “Returned external compressor error,” and citing ‘-8 –V, etc” stuff. Never has anything copied to a single file, regardless of whether or not I have gotten this message with a CD.
2. The 2nd try: I loaded a CD, had it tested, then tried to copy it by hitting Action, then Copy Image and Create Cuesheet, then Compressed. I get an error message: “Detection mode not possible for this drive.” This is the drive I have been using all the time for doing this stuff. This time, in contrast to other times, I created a cuesheet before testing or copying. I can only create a copy by hitting the MP3 button. Also, in contrast to other times, in the filename, when I hit Action, etc., it gives the actual name of the CD rather than “Filename will be ignored” as previously.
a. This is the logfile:
EAC extraction logfile from 1. January 2006, 17:45 for CD
Various / Sacred Treasures - Choral Masterworks from Russia

Used drive : SONY CD-ROM CDU5211 Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, NO disable cache
Combined read/write offset correction : 0
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No

Used output format : C:\Program Files\FLAC\flac.exe (User Defined Encoder)
320 kBit/s
Additional command line options : -8 -V -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s

Other options :
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000


Track 1
Filename C:\Music\01 Russian Cathedral Bells Sacred Treasures - Choral Masterworks from Russia.wav

Peak level 86.1 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 725661EE
Copy OK

Track 2
Filename C:\Music\02 Sergei Rachmaninov- Great Ektenia - Russian State Symphony Capella, Valery Polyansky Sacred Treasures - Choral Masterworks from Russia.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 15BDC1D0
Copy OK

…….etc………

No errors occured
End of status report


3. This is weird. I just tried two more CDs, both to no avail. Now, if I change the drive to the drive that EAC does NOT prefer (a CDRW drive vs the Sony hard drive), it starts writing without any error message when I select Copy Image and Create Cuesheet. This CD also already has a cuesheet and, like the CD for which I printed out the logfile above, the name of the CD appears in the Save box, not “Filename will be ignored.” It comes out as a SINGLE file, not a bunch of tracks, but I haven’t a clue why. I also get a WinAmp file. Here is the log file:

EAC extraction logfile from 1. January 2006, 18:43 for CD
Hummel / Piano Concertos 1 Am Op85 2 Bm Op89 - Stephen Hough Bryden Thomson

Used drive : HL-DT-STCD-RW GCE-8520B Adapter: 1 ID: 1
Read mode : Secure with C2, accurate stream, disable cache
Combined read/write offset correction : 0
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No

Used output format : C:\Program Files\FLAC\flac.exe (User Defined Encoder)
320 kBit/s
Additional command line options : -8 -V -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s

Other options :
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000

Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename C:\Music\Hummel - Piano Concertos 1 Am Op85 2 Bm Op89 - Stephen Hough Bryden Thomson.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Range quality 99.9 %
CRC 848421A4
Copy OK

No errors occured
End of status report

Is this the following the cuesheet? Unlike any other text file EAC created, it has an fla extension.
REM GENRE Classical
REM DATE 1986
REM DISCID 4E0F8906
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.95b3"
PERFORMER "Hummel"
TITLE "Piano Concertos 1 Am Op85 2 Bm Op89 - Stephen Hough Bryden Thomson"
FILE "Hummel - Piano Concertos 1 Am Op85 2 Bm Op89 - Stephen Hough Bryden Thomson.fla" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "1 1 Am Op85 Allegro moderato"
PERFORMER "Hummel"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "1 2 Am Op85 Larghetto"
PERFORMER "Hummel"
INDEX 00 15:31:01
INDEX 01 15:33:00
etc.
The other files that are in notepad don’t have an fla extension and look like this. I get one of these for the above CD (Hummel) as well, I think form when I created the cuesheet on its own (before copying).
CD: Various - Sacred Treasures - Choral Masterworks from Russia
01. Russian Cathedral Bells [0:00:22.15]
02. Sergei Rachmaninov: Great Ektenia - Russian State Symphony Capella, Valery Polyansky [0:03:48.30]
03. Sergei Rachmaninov: Hymn of Praise - Russian State Symphony Capella, Valery Polyansky [0:03:03.47]
etc.

4. Once more, I have tried EAC. Used the Sony drive, hit the MP3 button. I get winamp files (how do I keep from getting these?—each track is individual—I don’t want them) but no FLAC file. Here is the log file:
EAC extraction logfile from 27. January 2006, 19:32 for CD
Stephen Coombs, BBCSSO, Ronald Corp / Gabriel Pierne

Used drive : SONY CD-ROM CDU5211 Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, NO disable cache
Combined read/write offset correction : 0
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No

Used output format : C:\Program Files\FLAC\flac.exe (User Defined Encoder)
320 kBit/s
Additional command line options : -8 -V -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s

Other options :
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000


Track 1
Filename C:\Music\01 Piano Concerto in C minor Op.12 - 1. Allegro Gabriel Pierne.wav

Peak level 89.2 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 8594B552
Copy OK

Track 2
Filename C:\Music\02 Piano Concerto in C minor Op.12 - 2. Scherzando Gabriel Pierne.wav

Peak level 39.6 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 1F46D1AD
Copy OK

etc.

No errors occured
End of status report
Now, when I attempt to copy the CD by Click Action\Copy Image & create CUE Sheet\Uncompressed (Alt+F7), it says “detection mode not possible for this drive.” If I ask it to create a cue sheet, it says the same thing. Yet, when I click MP3, it copies it to winamp files. If I ask it to copy cuesheet and create compressed files, I get the same error message.
Next, I try to copy as a wave file. I don’t get any error messages, but all it does is create another set of winamp files and no flac files.

5. This paragraph is written after spending tons of time trying to figure out frontend and eac. I have configured frontend as follows:
verify
add tags
replaygain
cuesheet: CDImage
Delete input files
Output Directory: C:\Music\FLAC files\
I also changed EAC slightly, following some user guides, so that under additional command line options I have added first “C:\Program Files\FLAC\flac.exe” and then -8 -V -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s. Everything from 8 on was in EAC on all other tries.

6. How do I save the configuration of FLAC frontend?

7. When I go to Flac Frontend, I become confused as to what to do next. I went to Add Files, added all the files from one CD, then hit the Decode button. A black Dos screen comes up, stuff happens. Then I end up with another bunch of Winamp files that now have the flac filename (minus the flac extension), e.g., 0tmp1!542. If I want to burn to a CD, what do I do? I have Nero Express.
8. I don’t need Winamp and flac files, do I? Just keep flac files? Why don’t they have the track names? Do I have to type something in to the box next to Cuesheet?

I know I have written a lot, but I wanted to let you know of all my attempts so that perhaps someone will understand what is going on and be able to help. I would really, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Linda