BatchEncoder (Audio Conversion GUI)

[wisodev]

I would like to introduce my project called BatchEncoder (formerly known as theFrontend).

BatchEncoder is an audio files conversion software. It supports most of popular audio file formats including lossy and lossless compression. The program is very simple to use. BatchEncoder is basically GUI front-end for command-line tools. All it does is create background processes and pass arguments to it with options set in presets/format menu and additionally adds input and output file paths. For specific options for each format use help available for command-line tools.

Features:

- Front-end for command-line tools.
- Supports popular audio formats.
- File transcoding between audio formats.
- Multi-threaded conversion.
- Full UNICODE support.
- Multi-language user interface.
- Out of the box configuration for new users.
- Advanced options for experienced users.
- Open-source, fast and simple.

Website:

https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/BatchEncoder

Download portable version:

BatchEncoder-4.0-Win32.zip
BatchEncoder-4.0-x64.zip

Download installer version:

BatchEncoder-4.0-Win32.exe
BatchEncoder-4.0-x64.exe

Screenshots:

FileList.png
FileListConverting.png
ConfigureFormats.png
ConfigurePresets.png
ConfigureTools.png

Documentation:

Wiki Pages

[tebasuna51]

Thanks wisodev.

Like you know I'm work in similar tools like BeHappy or UsEac3to.
And I tested, from the beginning, the Justin Ruggles Aften encoder, and I use it many times (at end with your last build from 2009).

AFAIK Aften is not a decoder and you list it like AC3 decoder, I don't see any AC3 decoder in your build.
Even Justin Ruggles consider Aften deprecated and recommend ffmpeg to encode AC3.

If you include in your build ffmpeg you can use it like AC3 encoder (or others) and like decoder for other formats (without decoder in your build): DTS-HD, TrueHD, E-AC3, AC3, etc.

[wisodev]

Thanks for tips tebasuna51, I did not finish updating the tools part (most of the configuration is from 2008), this is one of the remaining things I plan to do before release.

[manolito]

Originally Posted by tebasuna51

Even Justin Ruggles consider Aften deprecated and recommend ffmpeg to encode AC3.

Sorry for the Off Topic post, but are there any listening tests which support this statement? Using standard bitrates (96 kbps per channel) and above can you really hear a difference between the latest Aften and FFmpeg?

The reason I ask is that my Normalizing Plugin for AVStoDVD uses Aften exclusively for the final encode. Would it be worth the time and effort to switch from Aften to FFmpeg for the final encode from WAV to AC3?


Cheers
manolito

[tebasuna51]

Originally Posted by manolito

Sorry for the Off Topic post, but are there any listening tests which support this statement? Using standard bitrates (96 kbps per channel) and above can you really hear a difference between the latest Aften and FFmpeg?

Don't exist listening tests between Aften and ffmpeg, also don't exist between free encoders and certified DD encoders.
But I know at least 3 differences between Aften and ffmpeg:

1) Channel coupling:

Justin Ruggles say :

So far the only significant difference I've found between the Aften output and the DD output is channel coupling. The bandwidth reported for DD is the upper end of the coupling range. Aften does not support channel coupling yet.

The ffmpeg encoder, developed with Justin Ruggles support, have channel coupling.

Maybe for that the cutoff frecuency is improved (you can check a Aften encode and a ffmpeg encode at same bitrate and the last one support more bandwith).

2) Stereo encode bug.

Aften have a little bug and mix the two channels (reported by me in Aften thread). The output FL have traces from FR input and viceversa. At very low volume but exist.

Bug solved in ffmpeg.

3) Some audio hardware can't decode properly Aften encodes.

Problem solved recoding to AC3 with ffmpeg.

[manolito]

Thanks very much tebasuna,

looks like I will switch over to FFmpeg for my Normalizing plugin...
Next thing I need to check is if FFmpeg can use STDIN for long (non-standard) multi-channel WAV files like Aften can - if the readtoeof option is used.

Cheers
manolito

[manolito]

No luck using FFmpeg for AC3 encoding when input WAV is > 4GB. This always happens for 6-ch WAV files longer than 2h 4m (for 16-bit files, for 24 or 32 bit the max duration is shorter).

I tried piping to STDIN and also using a temp WAV file, but in both cases FFmpeg truncated the resulting AC3 to 2h 4m (without any error message). Aften handles both cases without issues, so I will stick with Aften for my AVStoDVD Normalizing plugin.


Cheers
manolito

[tebasuna51]

Yep, we need send a .w64 instead a .wav.

I can do that with eac3to and BeHappy.

[manolito]

Originally Posted by tebasuna51

Yep, we need send a .w64 instead a .wav.

I can do that with eac3to and BeHappy.

Too bad, but this will not fit into my workflow for AVStoDVD...

One path which looks promising is to replace WAVI with FFmpeg to extract the souirce WAV file from AviSynth. Even when using "acodec copy" FFmpeg seems to write WAV files in the extensible format if necessary. It still complains that the size is too big for the WAV extension and the resulting file will be broken, but this file will be accepted as input for another instance of FFmpeg and it gets processed without truncating. Need to do more tests... (And it would be nice if there was some reliable documentation for FFmpeg - right now it is mostly trial and error).


Cheers
manolito

[tebasuna51]

@wisodev
I let these Off Topic post in this thread because maybe are of your interest, but I can make a separate thread if you want.

@manolito
If you use wavi to send avs, or even wav files, to encoders you can modify the wav header to w64 header with it.

Now wavi can modify the simple wav header to WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE header, we can add a new parameter to change the header to w64.
I think is easy and I can help you.

[wisodev]

Originally Posted by tebasuna51

@wisodev
I let these Off Topic post in this thread because maybe are of your interest, but I can make a separate thread if you want.

@tebasuna51 Yes please let them here, there are useful for me.

[manolito]

As far as I am concerned we can stop the OT section here...

After spending most part of last night doing more tests with long 6-ch audio files which will create temp WAV files > 4GB I think I will put this to rest.

The problem is SoX. This is an essential part of my normalizing routines, I cannot give up using it. And whatever I do trying to get SoX output into FFmpeg, be it through piping to STDOUT or using temp files, it always crashes using 32-bit sources after about 30 min duration. Piping SoX output to Aften works like a charm.

I also think giving up Aften for FFmpeg is not worth the trouble. I did a few listening tests with high quality headphones using AC3 224 kbps stereo files created with Aften and FFmpeg (all default parameters). I could not hear any differences, regardless of the sources.

Still I wonder why noone made the effort to port the FFmpeg AC3 improvements over to Aften...


Cheers
manolito

[tebasuna51]

Originally Posted by manolito

The problem is SoX. This is an essential part of my normalizing routines, I cannot give up using it.

Yep, the same problem, "SoX is already able to read both W64 and RF64 via libsndfile.", but seems than can't output these headers.

I try:
eac3to trak5.1.dts stdout.wav | sox --ignore-length - -t w64 | ffmpeg -i - ...

And I get:

sox.exe FAIL formats: no handler for given file type `w64'
or:
sox.exe FAIL formats: no handler for given file type `RF64'

Of course the problem can be solved if ffmpeg have a parameter like --ignore-length for sox, or -readtoeof like Aften.

I already try the request to ffmpeg, and to Justin Ruggles (the Aften update), without success.

[manolito]

Thanks tebasuna for the confirmation...

During my tests it occurred to me that I could basically build my whole normalization plugin based on FFmpeg. It contains SoX, it can do EBU R128 analyzing, it has DynamicAudioNormalizer built in, and it comes with Loudnorm. But this would mean a total rewrite of my plugin, and frankly I am not up to this...


Cheers
manolito

[wisodev]

BatchEncoder 1.0 preview running under Ubuntu 16.10 (32-bit) using wine 2.0:

https://youtu.be/6_Ro_OP2OgM

[wisodev]

BatchEncoder version 1.0 was released today.

Download portable version:

https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...-1.0-Win32.zip
https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...er-1.0-x64.zip

Download installer version:

https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...-1.0-Win32.exe
https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...er-1.0-x64.exe

[tebasuna51]

Originally Posted by tebasuna51

Of course the problem can be solved if ffmpeg have a parameter like --ignore-length for sox, or -readtoeof like Aften.

Please read https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.p...99#post1795599

We can use ffmpeg like Aften with the parameter:

-ignore_length true

[manolito]

Thanks very much to tebasuna and richardpl...

Works beautifully, now I have no more excuses to stick with Aften for my AVStoDVD Normalizing plugin.


Cheers
manolito

[wisodev]

I have added in the latest CI builds support for ffmpeg ac3 encoder.

Downloading latest CI builds: https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/BatchEncoder#ci-builds

For version 1.0 you can add this format definition into your BatchEncoder.formats configuration file.

<Format id="FFMPEG_AC3" name="AC3 (ATSC A/52) - ffmpeg" template="$EXE -ignore_length true -y -i $INFILE -acodec ac3 $OPTIONS $OUTFILE" input="true" output="false" function="- none -" path="ffmpeg.exe" type="0" formats="WAV" extension="AC3" default="21">
<Presets>
<Preset name="CBR 32 kbit/s" options="-ab 32k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 40 kbit/s" options="-ab 40k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 48 kbit/s" options="-ab 48k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 56 kbit/s" options="-ab 56k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 64 kbit/s" options="-ab 64k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 80 kbit/s" options="-ab 80k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 96 kbit/s" options="-ab 96k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 112 kbit/s" options="-ab 112k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 128 kbit/s" options="-ab 128k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 160 kbit/s" options="-ab 160k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 192 kbit/s" options="-ab 192k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 224 kbit/s" options="-ab 224k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 256 kbit/s" options="-ab 256k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 320 kbit/s" options="-ab 320k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 384 kbit/s" options="-ab 384k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 448 kbit/s" options="-ab 448k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 512 kbit/s" options="-ab 512k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 576 kbit/s" options="-ab 576k"/>
<Preset name="CBR 640 kbit/s" options="-ab 640k"/>
</Presets>
</Format>

If the presets could be expanded or corrected your feedback is welcome.

[wisodev]

BatchEncoder version 1.1 was released today.

Changes:

- Added multi-language support.
- Added Polish language translation.
- Added ffmpeg ac3 encoder support.
- Added language editor tool.

Download portable version:

https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...-1.1-Win32.zip
https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...er-1.1-x64.zip

Download installer version:

https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...-1.1-Win32.exe
https://github.com/wieslawsoltes/Bat...er-1.1-x64.exe