Music Media Helper (Tools for Multichannel Audio & Music Videos)

[HomerJAU]

MMH 8.0.6 beta 1 released:

Version 8.0.6 beta 1 (October 2 2024)
-------------
New:
Extract Audio from MKV/MKA tool: Added new option to Apply ReplayGain when Output is FLAC, WAV or M4A (option is enabled after split/conversion) @seantro
Channel Remix tool: Added new 9.1.4 channel layout definition to the user defined remix option @AudiophileStyle

Fixes:
Extract Audio from MKV/MKA tool: Converting multiple mp4 files to m4a would fail (deleting input mp4 files) - fixed @spearse

Changes:
MMH Atmos Helper: Decoder: Decoding EAC3 Atmos (Dolby Digital Plus) now has louder decodes** (previous DRP command line argument was ignored) @seantro @himey

Updated 3rd party UI controls to latest 24.1.6
Updated BS1770Gain to 0.8.8

** This also makes the volume levels more consistent for tracks in albums with varying DialNorm settings

The beta 2 installer link:
https://reva.blob.core.windows.net/mmh8/beta/MMHInstaller.msi

 

[HomerJAU]

MMH 8.0.6 beta 2 released:

Version 8.0.6 beta 2 (October 5 2024) change log from 8.0.6 beta 1
-------------
New:
Channel Remix tool: Added support for DSF file channel remixing in User Defined Remix option** @steelydave

**This is quite slow as MMH splits each DSF file into temporary mono files then recreates the DSF file with new channel order. This also supports silent channels creation (MMH creates pure silent dsf channels)

MMH Channel Remix tool already supported pre-defined remixing of dsf files (example: Adding silent channels etc). The new User Defined option allows swapping left rear with right rear etc.

Beta 2 installer link in previous post (above)

 

[dabl]

Speaking of DSF manipulation with MMH has anyone else ever had problems with 'pops' sometimes introduced by the adding silent channels process to some DSF files?

After googling around I saw this was not entirely uncommon and had come up before in other discussions including related to MMH which I believe uses SoX for this process. I believe root cause of the problem is unfortunately related to SoX and that the developer isn't too keen on helping with DSF issues but wanted to at least ask in case someone who's run into it has some kind of solution.

Specific titles and tracks I've seen the problem with include the recent Billy Joel - Piano Man 4.0 SACD

Where a pop is introduced between the start and end of tracks 01 and 02, 05 and 06, 06 and 07, 08 and 09.

I have some other titles and specific tracks I've seen this with as well including the Audio Fidelity Sly & The Family Stone - Greatest Hits 4.0 SACD and the John McLaughlin - Carlos Santana - Love Devotion Surrender 4.0 SACD

I'm using the below tools to first convert the .iso to .dsf before adding silent center and LFE using MMH.

Thanks for any comments.

HomerJAU, I'd be happy to start another thread on this and/or provide source files if you like.

sacd-ripper

sacd_extract-gui

 

[HomerJAU]

Speaking of DSF manipulation with MMH has anyone else ever had problems with 'pops' sometimes introduced by the adding silent channels process to some DSF files?

Yes of course. This issue also causes DR miscalculation.

The solution is to use MMH to recreate the silent channel. That removes the audible click and other non audible noise in the SACD ‘silent ‘ channel.

In the MMH Remix Channel Layout tool there is a Refresh option that will do that but it’s based on the number of channels not real silence so it’s left to the user to select the correct refresh option. So if Billy Joel Quad has Quad in a 5.0 file with silent C then use that option, but that option will also load all 5.0 files even files with a real centre, so be careful what you load.

 

[dabl]

Yes of course. This issue also causes DR miscalculation.

The solution is to use MMH to recreate the silent channel. That removes the audible click and other non audible noise in the SACD ‘silent ‘ channel.

In the MMH Remix Channel Layout tool there is a Refresh option that will do that but it’s based on the number of channels not real silence so it’s left to the user to select the correct refresh option. So if Billy Joel Quad has Quad in a 5.0 file with silent C then use that option, but that option will also load all 5.0 files even files with a real centre, so be careful what you load.

Thank you.

Can MMH also recreate the silent LFE channel?

The reason I ask is I suspect it may be when I use the option in MMH to add both a silent center and LFE to a 5.0 file that the problem happens.

My target playback system is Kodi on an Nvidia Shield TV feeding a Sony HT-A9 and the HT-A9 insists on having all 5.1 channels to recognize it as multichannel.

My other Nvidia Shield Kodi system feeding an Denon AVR can work with 5.0 files made from 5.0 + silent center (only) in MMH and I don't see the problem there.

Thinking back I remember seeing and trying whatever re-creating a silent channel options there are in MMH and was unable to solve the problem that way but it may well be the exact set of steps I'm following in MMH with these (original) 5.0 .dsf files

 

[HomerJAU]

Yes on silent LFE.

Originally MMH used Sox to create the silent channels, this has a click and won’t get fixed in Sox. I think the click is also in SACD converters silent channels (not sure now).

A while back (June 2021) I changed MMH to create its own silent DSF channels (it encodes a new silent DSF channel,with silent content) then merges into the original DSF file using Sox. That fixes the clicks in DSF silent channels but it takes a bit longer as it needs to split the source MCH DSF into mono DSF files then merge back into a MCH new DSF with new silent channel(s).

EDIT: You may need to refresh your silent channels if you created them a couple years ago with old MMH

** Silent DSF click fixed 29 June 2021:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...-audio-music-videos.22693/page-34#post-569980

 

[dabl]

Yes on silent LFE.

Originally MMH used Sox to create the silent channels, this has a click and won’t get fixed in Sox. I think the click is also in SACD converters silent channels (not sure now).

A while back (June 2021) I changed MMH to create its own silent DSF channels (it encodes a new silent DSF channel,with silent content) then merges into the original DSF file using Sox. That fixes the clicks in DSF silent channels but it takes a bit longer as it needs to split the source MCH DSF into mono DSF files then merge back into a MCH new DSF with new silent channel(s).

EDIT: You may need to refresh your silent channels if you created them a couple years ago with old MMH

** Silent DSF click fixed 29 June 2021:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...-audio-music-videos.22693/page-34#post-569980

Ah ok good thanks all makes sense now.

The only problem is I did all this with a very recent version of MMH.

Hopefully I'm just missing a critical step/doing something wrong, will try again taking what you've said into consideration.

 

[HomerJAU]

I’ll take a look at the code later today.

A while back I started removing as much Sox code as I could (for MacOS compatibility). Maybe I’ve broken something in MMH 8.

So just to confirm: You used a recent MMH version to add silent channel(s) to a quad DSF and you are getting a click at beginning. Can you upload a sample file for testing?

 

[HomerJAU]

DSF silent channels have low level noise that causes DR measured by apps to give incorrect readings. You can either use the MMH Channel Remix tool to fix the noisy channels or use MMH Channel Volume tool to measure DR as it ignores low level noise in channels and a single spike (click).

Other DR measurement tools ignore channels that are silent but since DSF is not silent (very low level noise that’s inaudible but still measurable) they calculate wrong DR averages. With silent channels made by Sox the Click is audible and so it causes incorrect DR too. One causes DR to be very high, typical readings of around 20, the other makes readings low of around 7 or 8.