Two audio tracks(MP3) with different bitrates.

[nine_mm]

Tried to search the forum for similar request. Wasn't there.

Well, here it is:

I'd like to encode the first audio track with 128kbps ABR stereo MP3 settings (already possible)
and the second audio track (director/actor commentary) with 64kbps CBR mono MP3 settings.

Could that be done in AutoGK?

Cheers and thank you for this GREAT tool!!! :-D

[unskinnyboy]

You didn't search hard enough. This (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=99172) thread talks about that. No word from len0x on it though.

[len0x]

I just don't see a simple way of representing that in the GUI without complicating it...

[unskinnyboy]

len0x, If I may suggest -

Why not have 2 options under 'Advanced Options' - "Output type for Audio #1" and "Output type for Audio #2", the sub-options remaining the same?

"Output type for Audio #2" should only be enabled if the second audio track is selected under 'Step 2'. Alternatively, the settings for "Output type for Audio #2" can also be ignored if a second audio track isn't selected (same like the way the "Output Audio type" is ignored atm if no audio is selected).

Once that is done, it is only a matter of passing the commandline options to lame.exe.
Hope it isn't easier said than done :). I would think it is really useful since I don't think anyone would want to encode the Director's Commentary with the same bitrate as the primary audio track.

[len0x]

what if (hypothetically) I'd like to support any number of audio tracks in one interface?

[unskinnyboy]

You mean more than 2 audio tracks, right? Then it becomes a bit complicated, but not that much.

First thing is that the main GUI will have to be a bit bigger to accomodate more drop-down boxes under 'Step 2'. You really can't have more than 4-5 tracks unless you want to really complicate the main GUI. But let's say you want to support 5 audio tracks, the only way is to have a button inside 'Advanced Options' called 'Advanced Audio Settings' which would open out like the hidden options window and which would have all the suboptions.

I am thinking aloud here..

[len0x]

I wasn't talking about main GUI (and more drop-down boxes is definitely not a way to go), but the problem is user should be able to see at any given time what are the settings for all audio streams in a convenient way both on the main form and in advanced settings...

[unskinnyboy]

Hmmm, what about expanding the status bar a bit and show as below:

Codec: XviD - Audio #1: Auto - Audio #2: VBR MP3 128 kbps ....<other audio stream info> - Auto Width - .AVI format

Or maybe do away with the status bar altogether? I don't know about others, but I seldom look there. Upto you. Pretty difficult to get this done without complicating the GUI a bit for sure.

EDIT: You could even increase the main GUI window size from the current 711x506.

[hat3k]

len0x i don't believe you can not invent that :)

[chilled]

I think autogk users do not need >2 audios here, but if you are planning bigger things...
I agree with the need of encoding second audio with different quality and unskinnyboy's suggestion sounds good

[hat3k]

also it would be great to prelisten audio tracks i choose, cos i for example need to first load vob in VD-mpeg2 to see is it #0 or #1, and only then choose track in AGK, problems can be solved by adding some small buttons in "Advanced opts" dialog, or to main window (IM and not only MHO)

[len0x]

If that was possible without demuxing of audio - it would be there already. I don't find this feature useful because every time you wanna listen to audio track you have to wait 5-10 min for audio to be demuxed. You're much better off launching some player and listening to audio there...

[zacoz]

I also would appreciate different bitrates for the different audio tracks. Possibly having this changable within the advanced settings panel, and displayed to the right of each relevant audio track on the main panel (would need stretching the width of the window a little).

While so far I haven't wanted to encode more than 2 audio tracks, I respectfully disagree with chilled, in that I would like the ability to encode more than 2 audio tracks. I do have some DVD's with 2 or 3 audio comentaries, and therefore would appreciate the option of being able to include up to 4 audio tracks.

I think if more than 2 audio tracks were to be included, then different bitrates becomes a necessity to minimise the wasted space from using unnecessarily high bitrates on some tracks.

[hat3k]

You're much better off launching some player and listening to audio there...
simply players show names line : Russian or English, or 1st track or 2nd track.
but AGK needs to choose 0 or 1.

Ah - now i see, i remember in drdivx was button to preview - but it waited so long to do something with batch of vobs.

[len0x]

simply players show names line : Russian or English, or 1st track or 2nd track.
but AGK needs to choose 0 or 1.


why don't you just open IFO file instead of VOBs?

[len0x]

I think if more than 2 audio tracks were to be included, then different bitrates becomes a necessity to minimise the wasted space from using unnecessarily high bitrates on some tracks.

I would have to agree with that, which means that until I'm ready to redo the GUI and internals to support all that - I'm not gonna change anything :)

[hat3k]

why don't you just open IFO file instead of VOBs?
cos many DVDs with more than one movies are buggy, and using IFO results strange movie (part of one+parts of another), or chapters are from end to beginning, etc. That's why. Not all russian DVD-makers are professionals.

[len0x]

well, my point is that if your software player is able to show language labels like "English" then the only place that it would come from is IFO file because VOBs do not contain that into...

[hat3k]

Yes, thanx, i often use IFO mode, but sometimes s#it happens

[zacoz]

cos many DVDs with more than one movies are buggy, and using IFO results strange movie (part of one+parts of another), or chapters are from end to beginning, etc. That's why. Not all russian DVD-makers are professionals.
Earlier versions of AGK were not ignoring VTS_xx_0.VOB (Menu vob) when selecting *.IFO, therefore menu cells were also getting included - this may explain some (if not all) of what you were experiencing. I used to get around it by deleting / renaming VTS_xx_0.VOB. Current beta ignores menu vob so this no longer occurs (thanks len0x).

[len0x]

Back to the subject - I was playing around with some ideas about different audio settings for different audio tracks (more than two) and its really a bitch to persist them in an easy way and keep GUI simple... Would settings like "First audio" and "second or more" suffice for a start (i.e. first audio has one settings and 2nd,3rd... has different from the first but the same amongst them)?

[chilled]

definately YES. I mean, Im thinking about 2 common uses of >2 audio tracks:

1- you want 2 or more audiocommentary: 1st audio good quality, 2nd and 3rd etc audios at average quality, maybe mono: oops I think enabling .mono only for some audios is going to be hard.

2- you want the original language, your country dub and audiocommentary etc: in this case most people should prefer good quality for 1st and 2nd audio and lower quality for 3rd etc.
In this second case I dont think this could be a problem, and IMHO you just put your prefered audio first, meaning original or dub, and then you get lower quality for the second one and the commentaries.


maybe a solution for this 2 little problems could be a hidden option to enable .mono encoding from the XX audio to the last one processed. User just has to tick this option and select a number, i.e. "3", so he can choose diferent or same quality for original audio and dub, but will get audiocommentary with the settings of the 2nd audio PLUS in mono encoding: half-size, and its just voices so even if it is mastered as stereo or 5.1 or whatever, i.e. a persons voice = a channel, converting to mono would NOT distort the sound quality.

[unskinnyboy]

@len0x, That is better than than nothing anyway. Would asking for "First Audio", "Second Audio" and then "Third or more" sound like greediness? :D Most of the DVDs have at the minimum 2 audio tracks - I tend to give the English track the max bitrate, a notch lesser for the next track (usually French/Spanish) and quite low a bitrate for a third track if it's Director's Commentary. So, yes, if "third or more" is tasking to implement, "second or more" would definitely suffice for a start.

I think you should also increase the GUI window from the current 711x506 (suggested couple of threads above), which can accomodate the changed audio settings and avoid cluttering.

[len0x]

As I said previously main window is not a problem. It would look like this:

[unskinnyboy]

Looks good :)

[zacoz]

Would settings like "First audio" and "second or more" suffice for a start (i.e. first audio has one settings and 2nd,3rd... has different from the first but the same amongst them)?Personally, this would suit me completely, as English being my native tongue, I don't have need for more than one "Movie" track. All my 2nd, 3rd, etc tracks are always commentaries. That said, I admit to being ignorant as to what percentage of AGK's users do desire / require multiple language "Movie" tracks - I'm likely in the minority.

[len0x]

Would asking for "First Audio", "Second Audio" and then "Third or more" sound like greediness?

It would :) But it does makes some sense though... In this case its definitely gonna go away from advanced options to a separate audio form launched from main form. Hm, may be it makes leaving advanced settings as it is, but providing separate "audio hidden options" window that also includes mono settings for all three options...

[unskinnyboy]

Yes, kind of similar to my initial suggestion in post #6, 'Advanced Audio Settings', but this will work too. Mono for all 3 tracks would be great too, if it can be done (I guess the control files then would be .mono1, .mono2, .mono3 etc?). Also, just to confirm, the properties of the 3rd track is applied to all the subsequent tracks, right?

P.S: So AutoGK development didn't stop really, right? :-)

[len0x]

P.S: So AutoGK development didn't stop really, right? :-)

No, but I decided to quit my day time job and make AutoGK pro version which includes tweaks like what we discussing here plus exposing avisynth filters and codec properties, support of x264 codec and MP4 container, cropping window and may be some of the features discussed in the fun thread. Of course that will cost you at least 50 bucks and won't be available in shareware version, but only for payed users (you know what you're getting already anyway).

Now, if you read all this and still not laughing - congratulations, you have no sense of humor :D

[unskinnyboy]

Hehe, GK on steroids eh? Not a bad idea, the pro version. Count me in :). But don't quit your day job, just do it in your free time. Once the software pirates get their hands on it, you'd wish you didn't. :p

(the above is true, even though you were joking)

[len0x]

I know :) Seriously though - what is being discussed has nothing to do with when it might be implemented. Having a solution is far from having implementation - for all I know if I come back to this in a year I will have an idea of what to do...

[hat3k]

May i suggest also to add an ability of usin external audio?

[chilled]

Now, if you read all this and still not laughing - congratulations, you have no sense of humor :D

shit, you caught me! I really thought it was for real. ugh :)

great the .mono implementation. external audio would be good but I dont think it suits the newbie-oriented style. I do a lot of VDMod audio muxing. Its so easy...

[len0x]

Looks good :)

That was done long time ago, actually, and has a big flaw - there is no easy way to specify which track is first, second etc. Its not a problem if you keep the same settings for all the tracks, but a major bummer if not...

[chilled]

why not just "first audio settings", "2nd" and "3rd or more". Its just a bit bigger than your own sugestion.

[len0x]

what was that in reference to?
I was talking about actual audio selection, not its settings...

[guada2]

Hello Lenox,

I note that you have great project for AutoGK.
What will become its dolphin then? a reducing treatment or revitalizing care?

[chilled]

eps, sry I was tlaking about its settings, but the audio could just be like it is now plus a button under the actual two audio tracks called "3rd or more" and then you choose the order of the other ones (meaning 3rd 4th etc) just like in the persistent job queue. I guess if have yey not done it this way there must be a GUI or coding obstacle.