Reencode to Monkey's Audio with tags?

[Forteen88]

Hi, I wonder, how do I reencode for example FLAC-files to Monkey's Audio but keeping all the tags (like the artist name, year etc)?
Monkey's Audio program only allows for reading .WAV files. It's time-consuming writing that info manually when I reencode to APE.

I want to encode to Monkey's Audio (.APE) files, because they compress some megabytes extra compared to FLAC.
I know that IIRC, FLAC is better for playing those files though, since it decodes faster than APE, but I still want to save those few extra megabytes.

Thanks

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi, I wonder, how do I reencode for example FLAC-files to Monkey's Audio but keeping all the tags (like the artist name, year etc)?
Monkey's Audio program only allows for reading .WAV files. It's time-consuming writing that info manually when I reencode to APE.
MuldeR's LameXP can probably do what you require.

Personally though, I recommend you remain using FLAC as it has greater software and hardware player support, including meta-data tagging support.

[tebasuna51]

Like say SeeMoreDigital LameXP support conversion to .ape but I don't know if convert tags from flac to ape.

With Foobar2000 seems the conversion preserve the tags.
You need configure the conversion:

[Forteen88]

Thanks again, SeeMoreDigital & tebasuna51 (I use -c5000 for highest compression in Monkey's Audio though, else I would rather use FLAC).

[SeeMoreDigital]

Thanks again, SeeMoreDigital & tebasuna51 (I use -c5000 for highest compression in Monkey's Audio though, else I would rather use FLAC).Just-so-you-know...

If ever you decide to play your 'high compressed' APE or FLAC encodes using a hardware playback device (ie: a device which does utilise a software coded/driven media player/front-end), your files my not play due to compatibility issues.

Cheers

[Forteen88]

SeeMoreDigital, I'll use APE mostly as backup/archive on 25GB writable BDR for my original music-CD:s, as safety if my original music-CD:s gets scratches. APE makes it fit more (than FLAC) of my CD:s on a 25GB writable BDR.
I'll probably use AAC-codec (TVBR quality=0.91) mostly when I listen to the music on my cellphone etc.

[tebasuna51]

I use -c5000 for highest compression in Monkey's Audio thoug.
Of course you can configure the encode like you want.

...I'll probably use AAC-codec (TVBR quality=0.91) mostly when I listen to the music on my cellphone etc.
I'm not sure what is TVBR quality=0.91
NeroAacEnc quality=0.91 (VBR)
or
Qaac -V 91 (TVBR)

File Size % Min/Avg/Max Kb/s
------------ -------- ---- ----------------
Source WAV 29933972 100 =/1411/=
FLAC 5 17151940 57.3 809
FLAC 8 16968401 56.7 800
APE c2000 16306761 54.5 769
APE c5000 15810313 52.8 745
Nero q=0.91 7887253 26.3 5/372/468
Qaac TVBR 91 4526224 15.1 4/213/345

For me a bitrate average of 213 Kb/s is more than enough to listen music in cellphone or car.

Each user can select the desired quality.

To finish this thread I want know if LameXP support the tag transfer between flac and ape. In my test with LameXP v4.18 [2019-12-18] with MAC v4.73 (2019-05-15) the included tags in flac aren't transferred to ape.

With Foobar2000 I used the last one MAC v5.55

[SeeMoreDigital]

To finish this thread I want know if LameXP support the tag transfer between flac and ape. In my test with LameXP v4.18 [2019-12-18] with MAC v4.73 (2019-05-15) the included tags in flac aren't transferred to ape.I have just performed a quick test using LameXP v4.18 Final-1 Build 2240. The FLAC meta-data looks like this: -

General
Complete name : C:\Users\SeeMoreDigital\Desktop\[1976] Rocks\01 Back in the Saddle.flac
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec
File size : 29.9 MiB
Duration : 4 min 39 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 898 kb/s
Album : Rocks
Track name : 01 Back in the Saddle
Performer : Aerosmith
Genre : Rock
Recorded date : 1976
Cover : Yes
Cover type : Cover (front)
Cover MIME : image/jpeg
Comment : Encoded with LameXP
track : 1

Audio
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec
Duration : 4 min 39 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 897 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 44.1 kHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossless
Stream size : 29.9 MiB (100%)
Writing library : libFLAC 1.3.2 (UTC 2017-01-01)


The APE meta-data looks like this: -
General
Complete name : C:\Users\SeeMoreDigital\Desktop\[1976] Rocks\01 Back in the Saddle.ape
Format : Monkey's Audio
File size : 28.0 MiB
Duration : 4 min 39 s
Overall bit rate : 841 kb/s
Album : Rocks
Track name : 01 Back in the Saddle
Track name/Position : 1
Performer : Aerosmith
Genre : Rock
Recorded date : 1976
Comment : Encoded with LameXP

Audio
Format : Monkey's Audio
Duration : 4 min 39 s
Bit rate : 841 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 kHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossless
Compression ratio : 1.678
Stream size : 28.0 MiB (100%)
Encoding settings : High


Sadly the 'cover art' was not copied across...

[tebasuna51]

I have the same LameXP version.
You are right MediaInfo show the metadata ok, but Foobar2000 only read the tags created with Foobar2000 and ignore the created by LameXP.

Each user must select regarding the player than use, for me I need use Foobar2000.

[SeeMoreDigital]

For me...

After generating (AAC or FLAC) encodes with either LameXP or CUEripper, I run them through MP3tag to tidy-up their meta-data and cover-art.

With regard to AAC.m4a file playback, my Android phone and webOS televisions recognise their meta-data and cover-art just fine.

With regard to FLAC file playback (the files are located on my NAS), my OPPO BDP-103 and UDP-203 recognise their meta-data and cover-art just fine too.

I also have an old Onkyo AVR that recognises their meta-data and cover-art. But it's very slow to respond...

It's interesting how we all do things differently ;)

[Forteen88]

I'm not sure what is TVBR quality=0.91
NeroAacEnc quality=0.91 (VBR)
or
Qaac -V 91 (TVBR)Yeah, I meant Apple TVBR (Q 91 setting) through QAAC. I used to use NeroAACEnc some years ago.

Hmm, I thought that Nero q0.91 would have the same size like TVBR q91.

[tebasuna51]

Hmm, I thought that Nero q0.91 would have the same size like TVBR q91.

I make a test, over only one song, with many AAC VBR encoders to see bitrate equivalences between them:
Over: 15 Here Comes My Baby (Cat Stevens) Fraunhofer Fraunhofer
ffmpeg NeroAacEnc iTunes Qaac Android WinAmp
q Avg/Max qualit Avg/Max V Avg/Max FDK Avg/Max FHG VBR
------------- -------------- ------------ ----------- ---------
2.6 257/336
2.5 248/327 0.66 252/332 99 251/411
2.4 237/310 0.64 242/324
2.3 230/306 0.62 232/313 5 230/451
2.2 224/307 0.60 222/296
2.1 219/284 0.58 213/284 91 214/387
2.0 211/272 0.56 204/271
1.9 209/261 0.54 196/271
1.8 199/251 0.52 186/258 5 189
1.7 177/239 0.50 180/249 82 175/367
1.6 164/228 0.48 170/234
1.5 157/216 0.46 160/221 73 158/359
1.4 149/206 0.44 149/217
1.3 141/191 0.42 139/206 64 139/350 4 134/287
1.2 132/180 0.40 129/191 54 124/340 4 130
1.1 122/167 0.38 121/219
1.0 114/159 0.36 111/198 45 108/318 3 109/254
0.9 104/146 0.34 101/175 3 102
0.8 94/140 0.32 94/163 36 89/294 2 93/224
0.7 85/128 0.30 HE 86/125 27 83/237 1 86/219
0.6 76/114 18 73/195 2 68 HE
1 37 HE

Then Qaac -V 91 is, more or less, equivalent to NeroAacEnc -q 0.58

[Forteen88]

...
Then Qaac -V 91 is, more or less, equivalent to NeroAacEnc -q 0.58The Hydrogenaudio audio forum used to write that AAC with TVBR q91 or NeroAAC q0.91 was transparent (in ABX-test), I'm not sure now which one of them they meant though.

[tebasuna51]

Of course these AAC average bitrates (213 Kb/s) for a source wav stereo 16 bits samplerate 44100 are transparent in ABX-test.
For that I say "is more than enough to listen music in cellphone or car."