Help for a noob converting SACD to multichannel FLAC

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impetigo

Active Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2019
Messages
65
Location
Seattle
So I started the long journey finally of converting all my MC (multichannel) discs to FLAC so I can stream them over my Apple TV using Plex. Blu-rays and DVD-A have been easy peasy. SACD of course is a more difficult process. After researching quite a bit I decided to keep it simple and got a Sony BDP-S590 from ebay and downloaded Autorip and put it on a USB stick and ripped my first SACD (Depeche Mode's Violator, which contains stereo and MC).

I took the resulting SACD ISO file and put it on my computer to convert to FLAC. I decided to use Foobar2000 to do that but after completing the process I ended up with a FLAC file with only the stereo track on it, no MC. I don't know how to verify if the ISO file even has both stereo and MC tracks. If it does have both, then the issue would be to selectively choose the MC track for converting to FLAC. I do have a MAC also and could use the Sonore programs (not sure which one(s), but probably ISO2DSD and/or DSD2FLAC) but don't want to deal with transferring files between PC and Mac as my PC is connected to the SSD I use for Plex.

Any suggestions/input on the best way to get the MC tracks off of the SACD ISO file and convert it to FLAC? I do like the Autorip on a USB stick method and would like to keep using that method to rip the SACD.
 
So I started the long journey finally of converting all my MC (multichannel) discs to FLAC so I can stream them over my Apple TV using Plex. Blu-rays and DVD-A have been easy peasy. SACD of course is a more difficult process. After researching quite a bit I decided to keep it simple and got a Sony BDP-S590 from ebay and downloaded Autorip and put it on a USB stick and ripped my first SACD (Depeche Mode's Violator, which contains stereo and MC).

I took the resulting SACD ISO file and put it on my computer to convert to FLAC. I decided to use Foobar2000 to do that but after completing the process I ended up with a FLAC file with only the stereo track on it, no MC. I don't know how to verify if the ISO file even has both stereo and MC tracks. If it does have both, then the issue would be to selectively choose the MC track for converting to FLAC. I do have a MAC also and could use the Sonore programs (not sure which one(s), but probably ISO2DSD and/or DSD2FLAC) but don't want to deal with transferring files between PC and Mac as my PC is connected to the SSD I use for Plex.

Any suggestions/input on the best way to get the MC tracks off of the SACD ISO file and convert it to FLAC? I do like the Autorip on a USB stick method and would like to keep using that method to rip the SACD.
If somebody else can help you with converting DSD files to FLAC then I believe that I might be able to help you with the rest.

First off, your SACD ISO file should contain both MC and stereo. You should download ISO2DSD for Windows. Once you open it you should select the SACD ISO file that you want to convert to DSD. Next, on the right side of the program window you will see a drop down menu to select Dual(stereo) or Multi(MC). You can convert either or, if you prefer, both in two separate DSD conversions. If you do both then the folder with MC will have a larger file size. And you convert the same SACD ISO to MC AND stereo then the second conversion folder will have the same name as the first, except followed by “(1).”

Next you should select DSF as you preferred type of DSD file as only the DSF option will contain the metadata.

Now click on Execute and wait several minutes until you see the words “We are done.” You will now see that you have a completed MC DSD album folder in the same folder that contained the ISO2DSD.exe program.

Hope this helps.

Also, get a good antibiotic to treat your impetigo. 😉
 
No need to split .iso if you want to convert to 5.1CH flac. Foobar can do with the sacd plugin to read DSD and convert to flac.
 
If somebody else can help you with converting DSD files to FLAC then I believe that I might be able to help you with the rest.

First off, your SACD ISO file should contain both MC and stereo. You should download ISO2DSD for Windows. Once you open it you should select the SACD ISO file that you want to convert to DSD. Next, on the right side of the program window you will see a drop down menu to select Dual(stereo) or Multi(MC). You can convert either or, if you prefer, both in two separate DSD conversions. If you do both then the folder with MC will have a larger file size. And you convert the same SACD ISO to MC AND stereo then the second conversion folder will have the same name as the first, except followed by “(1).”

Next you should select DSF as you preferred type of DSD file as only the DSF option will contain the metadata.

Now click on Execute and wait several minutes until you see the words “We are done.” You will now see that you have a completed MC DSD album folder in the same folder that contained the ISO2DSD.exe program.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the ISO2DSD recommendation! After researching and trying different things, I found that to be the easiest method to extract the DSD in separate tracks. The transfer times from my Mac to my PC though is slowing my workflow so much though, but for now I guess it'll have to do.

Also, get a good antibiotic to treat your impetigo. 😉

Haha thanks! Never had impetigo actually, have no idea now why I used it for my name now!

No need to split .iso if you want to convert to 5.1CH flac. Foobar can do with the sacd plugin to read DSD and convert to flac.

Thanks! I did download the SACD plugin for Foobar2000 but it seemed like I couldn't get the individual tracks that way, only one big FLAC file. Did I miss something and it is actually possible to take the ISO and use Foobar2000 to convert it to individual FLAC tracks? That would be ideal actually since I could do all the work on my PC rather than my Mac and PC (my Plex drive is NTSC so is connected to my PC).
 
So I started the long journey finally of converting all my MC (multichannel) discs to FLAC so I can stream them over my Apple TV using Plex. Blu-rays and DVD-A have been easy peasy. SACD of course is a more difficult process. After researching quite a bit I decided to keep it simple and got a Sony BDP-S590 from ebay and downloaded Autorip and put it on a USB stick and ripped my first SACD (Depeche Mode's Violator, which contains stereo and MC).

I took the resulting SACD ISO file and put it on my computer to convert to FLAC. I decided to use Foobar2000 to do that but after completing the process I ended up with a FLAC file with only the stereo track on it, no MC. I don't know how to verify if the ISO file even has both stereo and MC tracks. If it does have both, then the issue would be to selectively choose the MC track for converting to FLAC. I do have a MAC also and could use the Sonore programs (not sure which one(s), but probably ISO2DSD and/or DSD2FLAC) but don't want to deal with transferring files between PC and Mac as my PC is connected to the SSD I use for Plex.

Any suggestions/input on the best way to get the MC tracks off of the SACD ISO file and convert it to FLAC? I do like the Autorip on a USB stick method and would like to keep using that method to rip the SACD.
When you rip the ISO , and load it into foobar, you can verify whether you are accessing the stereo or the MC tracks like so:.
If you ripped the SACD to ISO correctly, when you load it into foobar it should display the separate tracks in the playlist. If you ripped both layers, you will see each track twice. Otherwise you see it once. To check if its stereo or multichannel , right click a track title, select Properties-->Details, which includes channel number. When you know what you've got, select all of the tracks you want and export to .wav or flac (right click/drag-->Convert--...-->Output foramt -->WAV or FLAC (edit -->compression level) --> Back-->choose destination etc --> convert). They will output as separate files if foobar is configured correctly (i.e, the wav/flac export 'Destination' option in foobar should be configured to NOT merge the tracks)

Doing so will also require having the DSD plugin installed in foobar. (I use foo_input_sacd) . This too should be configured correctly.


It sounds like one or more steps went wrong for you.
 
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I've decided converting dsf files to flacs isn't worth the trouble. I can play the dsfs on almost everything I use, and I think they sound a bit better sometimes. Main drawback is that they take up more storage space, but I've got lots.
 
There should be no sonic difference. FLAC files are of course far more popular/widely supported, and don't require a DSD DAC for 'native' playback.

(If there's DSF output without there being a DSD DAC in the system, it is being converted to PCM somewhere along the line).
 
I've decided converting dsf files to flacs isn't worth the trouble. I can play the dsfs on almost everything I use, and I think they sound a bit better sometimes. Main drawback is that they take up more storage space, but I've got lots.
I had an issue combining both dsf and flac's in the same playlist. It choked playback. Well worth the effort in my case.
 
There should be no sonic difference. FLAC files are of course far more popular/widely supported, and don't require a DSD DAC for 'native' playback.

(If there's DSF output without there being a DSD DAC in the system, it is being converted to PCM somewhere along the line).
My headphone amp and portable player both have DSD DACs. But that's stereo. if I'm playing multichannel then I think it is getting converted.
 
Why should that be a problem?
No problems now. Everything is pcm and I have moved on. Between loading DTS, PCM and DSF, changing formats one song after another caused issues. There was no issue if I converted to PCM before output but that defeated the purpose. If I bitstreamed one song DTS, and the next song was PCM, I got a click between the tracks. Why? Don't know. Resyncing the new format? Click free now.
 
No problems now. Everything is pcm and I have moved on. Between loading DTS, PCM and DSF, changing formats one song after another caused issues. There was no issue if I converted to PCM before output but that defeated the purpose. If I bitstreamed one song DTS, and the next song was PCM, I got a click between the tracks. Why? Don't know. Resyncing the new format? Click free now.
OK but the equipment should be able to handle multiple formats without bumps.
 
I was testing some various file formats in my jailbroke Oppo 103 yesterday. Definitely did not like MP4 & M4A (atmos). Then the menu stopped coming up and the AVR started flashing the HDMI light probably indicating some HDMI handshake issue, and a floating message on the screen from the 103 indicated it did not like the video settings (the player is set for 1080p so I guess it's related to the handshake issues). Bummer. I got an email in to the service guys in Cali.
 
OK but the equipment should be able to handle multiple formats without bumps.
foobar2K handles raw DTS and PCM one after the other just fine, in my system. No clicks. (chain: foobar on laptop --> WASAPI --> HDMI --> AVR -->5.2 out. No hardware disc player.)

However, like himey, I'm committing to storing everything as PCM going forward. From here on I'll rip all DTS/DD sources as decoded PCM, instead of raw DTS/DD files. It just makes things a tiny bit simpler and uniform on the playback side. I've always saved my SACD rips as PCM.

I haven 't had to deal with Atmos yet, so that's TBD.
 
foobar2K handles raw DTS and PCM one after the other just fine, in my system. No clicks. (chain: foobar on laptop --> WASAPI --> HDMI --> AVR -->5.2 out. No hardware disc player.)

However, like himey, I'm committing to storing everything as PCM going forward. From here on I'll rip all DTS/DD sources as decoded PCM, instead of raw DTS/DD files. It just makes things a tiny bit simpler and uniform on the playback side. I've always saved my SACD rips as PCM.

I haven 't had to deal with Atmos yet, so that's TBD.
Whatever you do, be sure to hold onto your ISO files.
 
Hmmm. I have not done that in a while but I'll give it a shot.
I always save the original and the DSF files I use to create the PCM conversion (FLAC).

If you don't ever do shuffle play, you may not even notice the format issue I ran into. I usually play just one album and it will always be the same format, but every once in a while, I shuffle my library when I can't choose what to listen to, and that is when I noticed that it will get funky between tracks if the format changes, if your player is doing pasthrough, and the Oppo is doing the decoding.
 
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