Anathema - Weather Systems (limited edition CD/DVDA)

[SMS]

As an interim, you can create a cue file from the DD stream from the DVD or even the stereo files using Audiomuxer (assuming timings are the same) , or via a rip of the CD via Imgburn. I assume you used Audiomuxer to create the AVCHD?

I wouldn't assume the timings are the same as the stereo mix given that they sound so different. But I will try to create a .cue file from the DD stream. That is a good idea. Thanks! Yes, I used Audiomuxer to create the AVCHD.

Brad

 

[SMS]

That worked. Thanks LizardKing. I am not sure how to attach a file, but if you paste this into a new .cue file with any text editor, it should work. Hopefully this will save others some typing:

REM GENRE Progressive Rock
REM DATE 2012
PERFORMER "Anathema"
TITLE "Weather Systems"
FILE "Surround-Anathema - Weather Systems 5-1 24-48 WAV files-op L 01-WAVE File.flac" FLAC
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "untouchable part 1"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "untouchable part 2"
INDEX 01 06:14:13
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "the gathering of the clouds"
INDEX 01 11:46:00
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "lightning song"
INDEX 01 15:15:33
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "sunlight"
INDEX 01 20:42:67
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "the storm before the calm"
INDEX 01 25:34:42
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "the beginning and the end"
INDEX 01 35:00:06
TRACK 08 AUDIO
TITLE "the lost child"
INDEX 01 39:52:66
TRACK 09 AUDIO
TITLE "internal landscapes"
INDEX 01 46:53:42


Brad

 

[LizardKing]

Thanks - FYI - the track times ARE slightly different on the CD....

 

[LizardKing]

From the flac files I will author a Blu-ray disc using Audiomuxer https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...7-Audiomuxer-new-software-on-surroundbyus-com to play on my blu-ray player. I'll convert the flac to WAV and then use the WAV files to author a blu-ray disc.
......

Actually I didn't need to convert to WAV from FLAC... but I did need to use the cue file SMS provided to get the tracks when authoring a Blu-ray.

 

[LizardKing]

........
The sound is sooooo much better than the DD DVD. You can hear the difference within seconds. The DD encoded disk is simply a waste of plastic. I never did listen to more than 10 minutes of it because it sounded so bad. The flac sounds great!

I've listened through the album once. It sounds crisp and clear now. But, the mix is not perfect. The surrounds for the most part aren't very discrete, although they are certainly active. They are mostly used to widen the soundstage, with discrete elements on occasion. But, what was the most odd is that the 5.1 mix is not very true to the stereo mix. Some songs sound quite different. Some vocal layers are totally missing from the 5.1 mix, or at least very quiet. At other times i found the opposite, I hear sounds in the 5.1 mix that don't appear in the stereo mix.

Here is the most obvious example: Listen to the first 2.5 minutes of "The Storm Before the Calm". At about 1:10 you hear the chorus "It's getting colder...". In the stereo mix, this is dominated by Lee Douglas' female vocals, with some processed vocals (likely Vincent) layered underneath. While, on the 5.1 flac, there is a rather unprocessed male vocal singing the chorus. I can't hear Lee's female vocals being used at all. It sounds totally different, like a totally different vocal track. Very odd. I don't remember any 5.1 mix being so different from the stereo mix. It is not bad... just VERY different.

I just checked the DVD, and it is indeed the same mix as the flac.

As others have noted, the LFE track is a bit too strong, which is a little distracting. Not a big deal. I am used to adjusting the subwoofer.

Despite the above "complaints" I think it sounds quite good. I really love the music, and the 5.1 mix is decent, despite being unfaithful to the stereo mix. If you have been delaying buying the Special Edition because of the DD format, go to Burning Shed and buy the flac download. I think it is important that we encourage the release of 5.1 music in any way we can.

Brad

I really enjoyed We're Here ....... now I'm (finally) enjoying this one too in glorious hi-rez 5.1!!!!

I'll have another listen before I comment on the differences, but who listens to stereo anyway?


:51banana:

 

[SMS]

I'll have another listen before I comment on the differences, but who listens to stereo anyway?
:51banana:

LOL... I listened to this one a lot in stereo in the two weeks since my wife happens to like as well, and the DD stream was so pathetic. So, I became very accustomed to how it sounded in stereo. Do a quick comparison of that track and you will understand what I am saying. The mixing difference is like night and day.

It must've been a different person who mixed the two, and they must've never talked to each other. The liner notes don't explicitly say who mixed the 5.1. It just says "Produced Engineered and Mixed by Christer-Andre Cederberg". So, I initially assumed he did both the 2.0 and 5.1. But, after hearing the two mixes, I can't imagine he did both.

Brad

 

[timbre4]

Now that I've burned two ISO coasters, one each from images as FLAC and WAV with ImgBurn using this cue file (modded for WAV as needed), what did I miss?

Cirlinca plays it fine as one track, but I'd like to get it track happy for a DVD-A if you know what I mean. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: These discs sit @ 00:00 and that's it, so the tentative CUE file must be confusing the player?

 

[LizardKing]

Now that I've burned two ISO coasters, one each from images as FLAC and WAV with ImgBurn using this cue file (modded for WAV as needed), what did I miss?

Cirlinca plays it fine as one track, but I'd like to get it track happy for a DVD-A if you know what I mean. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: These discs sit @ 00:00 and that's it, so the tentative CUE file must be confusing the player?

Maybe split the flac (or wav) using the CUE file above (via Audiomuxer) before authoring, then add the split files into Cirlinca?

 

[Steve Schoultz]

I used the provided CUE file and audiomuxer to create an iso file, then burned with imgburn. It works fine.

 

[timbre4]

Thanks LK, splitting tracks for DVD-A is last resort.

Steve - Did you create DVD-A or AVCHD? I have the FLAC loaded into Audiomuxer but do not see how this gets me an ISO, I'm new to Audiomuxer. Any additional details are appreciated. Thanks

EDIT: Is Audiomuxer used to convert FLAC to WAV? I already tried this with a FLAC decoder that has always worked in the past and then had ImgBurn create an ISO to then burn.

 

[LizardKing]

Thanks LK, splitting tracks for DVD-A is last resort.

Steve - Did you create DVD-A or AVCHD? I have the FLAC loaded into Audiomuxer but do not see how this gets me an ISO, I'm new to Audiomuxer. Any additional details are appreciated. Thanks

EDIT: Is Audiomuxer used to convert FLAC to WAV? I already tried this with a FLAC decoder that has always worked in the past and then had ImgBurn create an ISO to then burn.

The steps to create a Blu-ray or AVCHD in Audiomuxer are:

• Make sure your settings are similar to the screen shot - except you need the ISO box checked to create an ISO (on the fly):
• Load the Flac via the "Select Audio" button. It converts on the fly to LPCM with authoring.
• Select the flac file and hit the "Cue Split" button.
• Attach image(s) if you want images in the disc...
• Hit the "Mux to" with MKV option set (not DVD).

This will create :

• A mkv file of the disc, the disc structure, and then an ISO via IMGburn..

 

[Steve Schoultz]

Tim,

I had no idea what I was doing as this was my first time using audiomuxer. My steps are a bit different the ones above:
- Extract the flac zip file to a wav file first.
- Open Audiomuxer, then press Select Audio button and open wav file.
- You will see the wav file in the box below the Select Audio button
- Press Cue Split button, then open the Cue file
- Now the individual tracks should be listed.
- Create iso on the fly by checking the Export To and ISO boxes next to the drop down Export To Blu-ray/AVCHD.
- Select AVCHD.
- Select Mux To MKV, then specify name for of the output file.
- Choosing AVCHD created a bunch of folders I have no idea what to do with, but it did create the proper iso file.
- Finally, I used imgburn to burn the DVD from the resulting iso output file.
Clear as mud?

 

[timbre4]

Thanks, I now have a playable AVCHD BD disc. Pretty simple once you get over the initial effort.

I'd actually like to make a DVD-A disc for the car, let's see if I can reverse engineer one!

 

[Steve Schoultz]

Please let us know when you figure it out. I want to make a DVD-A as well.

 

[timbre4]

Between last night and today:

1. DVD-Audio Solo Ultra 2.0 seemed to stop responding well. After toying with it a long time waiting, I went and got the suggested upgrade 4.2 version. $39 and and a very nice upgrade.

2. Discovered that while this XP PC reported that the DVD-R drive was functioning properly, it was as dead as a doornail. (so DVD Solo Ultra was choking on this) No drawer movement, nothing. Swapped in one I bought for son's PC just decommissioned and got down to work.

I've managed to burn a single track DVD-A with a pretty cool graphic (but not what I intended!) So I will advise of my progress and finalization soon I hope.

 

[timbre4]

Last night I was able to make a DVD-A with separate tracks; the timings in the cue file seem correct or very very close. DVD Audio Solo will use the CUE file (drag to center window to select and then edit to your liking) with the FLAC file in the same folder. Once I quit making it difficult, it all started to fall into place quickly.

Just working out the graphics today to finalize this effort. This has been a good exercise to get me thinking about related projects.

 

[timbre4]

Okay I've got some album/band related graphics that don't look totally home made, (virtually hurl proof) there's one question I have now and its about the DVD-A authoring.

I checked the box for 'Autoplay disc' because if I don't, the disc goes in and sits at STOP. However with Autoplay selected, the disc goes in, flashes the main screen menu and THEN also goes to STOP. Menu button on player brings it up as intended. Does anybody know what the deal is with this?

It also does this if you hit Top or menu during play of a track. Hitting menu on the player brings it up again. this is the last detail I'm going to sweat because other than that a DVD-A now exists where it didn't before (but should have as the story goes).

 

[neil wilkes]

You can also use DVDDecrypter to extract a simple text file with the track timings.

 

[Ge Someone]

Ah, I just saw what a great customer service Burning Shed is giving. I'm out of luck though as I ordered my Digipack set locally to save me the shipping cost. I like Burning Shed and their stuff but not their shipping cost.

 

[SMS]

Ah, I just saw what a great customer service Burning Shed is giving. I'm out of luck though as I ordered my Digipack set locally to save me the shipping cost. I like Burning Shed and their stuff but not their shipping cost.

Hmmm... I don't find their shipping cost too terrible to Canada. Often the overall cost of the album (including shipping) is cheaper through Burning Shed than buying it through Amazon.ca (with free shipping), probably because Amazon.ca considers these albums an import. And Royal Mail must be pretty good, because it tends to arrive very quickly.

If you like the music, I suggest buying the flac download and using the Dulby DVD as a coaster. There is no shipping cost on flac

Brad