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

[Bill Mac]

I just starting Music Media Helper 8 so it's my first post in this long thread. Everything works great and it seems to be quicker than DVD-AE. The one issue I'm having is that the track titles are not showing. Instead I'm seeing "Output - 01" and not the track name. On the few Blu-Ray Audio discs ripped so far I've gone in in manually added the track names in place of "Output - 01". Is there a setting in MMH 8 or a program that will add the track titles? Can one rip DVD-As straight from MMH 8 without MKV?

Is there a tutorial on how to utilize all the tagging options for MMH 8? It is an excellent program and really appreciated Andrew Dixon's YouTube video on how to rip Blu-rays with MKV and MMH 8. Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

 

[M-K]

I was running a batch to check all DRs of my Porcupine Tree collection and I got this error:

The log looks like this:

foobar2000 1.6.6 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1 compatible (Music Media Helper created)
log date: 2024-10-31

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Porcupine Tree / Atlanta (2.0)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 0.00 dB -17.72 dB 9:31 01_Porcupine Tree_-_Fear of a Blank Planet.flac
DR13 0.00 dB -17.96 dB 8:04 02_Porcupine Tree_-_What Happens Now.flac
DR11 0.00 dB -16.13 dB 5:15 03_Porcupine Tree_-_Sound of Muzak.flac
DR13 -0.03 dB -19.04 dB 5:36 04_Porcupine Tree_-_Sentimental.flac
DR0 0.00 dB -17.62 dB 5:51 05_Porcupine Tree_-_Drown With Me.flac
DR12 0.00 dB -17.11 dB 17:30 06_Porcupine Tree_-_Anesthetize.flac
DR11 0.00 dB -16.45 dB 4:44 07_Porcupine Tree_-_Open Car.flac
DR13 0.00 dB -19.85 dB 8:51 08_Porcupine Tree_-_Dark Matter.flac
DR11 0.00 dB -17.56 dB 8:37 09_Porcupine Tree_-_Cheating the Polygraph.flac
DR12 0.00 dB -18.61 dB 5:30 10_Porcupine Tree_-_A Smart Kid.flac
DR12 0.00 dB -17.36 dB 4:58 11_Porcupine Tree_-_Blackest Eyes.flac
DR16 -0.09 dB -22.36 dB 5:58 12_Porcupine Tree_-_Half-Light.flac
DR12 0.00 dB -17.44 dB 7:41 13_Porcupine Tree_-_Way Out Of Here.flac
DR10 0.00 dB -16.03 dB 8:46 14_Porcupine Tree_-_Sleep Together.flac
DR13 0.00 dB -17.99 dB 6:11 15_Porcupine Tree_-_Even Less.flac
DR12 0.00 dB -18.09 dB 7:23 16_Porcupine Tree_-_Halo.flac
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 16
Official DR value: DR11

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 1656 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistics for: 01_Porcupine Tree_-_Fear of a Blank Planet.flac
Duration: 9:31
Dynamic Range: DR12

Channel 1 Channel 2
Peak Value: 0.00 dB 0.00 dB
Avg RMS: -17.71 dB -17.73 dB
DR channel: DR12 DR12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistics for: 02_Porcupine Tree_-_What Happens Now.flac
Duration: 8:04
Dynamic Range: DR13

Channel 1 Channel 2
Peak Value: 0.00 dB 0.00 dB
Avg RMS: -17.74 dB -18.19 dB
DR channel: DR12 DR13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistics for: 03_Porcupine Tree_-_Sound of Muzak.flac
Duration: 5:15
Dynamic Range: DR11

Channel 1 Channel 2
Peak Value: 0.00 dB 0.00 dB
Avg RMS: -15.71 dB -16.58 dB
DR channel: DR11 DR12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistics for: 04_Porcupine Tree_-_Sentimental.flac
Duration: 5:36
Dynamic Range: DR13

Channel 1 Channel 2
Peak Value: -0.03 dB -0.05 dB
Avg RMS: -19.06 dB -19.03 dB
DR channel: DR13 DR13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistics for: 05_Porcupine Tree_-_Drown With Me.flac
Duration: 5:51
Dynamic Range: DR0

Channel 1 Channel 2
Peak Value: 0.00 dB 0.00 dB
Avg RMS: -17.50 dB -17.75 dB
DR channel:


It stopped here. Using DR Meter 0.7 with foobar I get:

foobar2000 v2.1.5 / DR Meter v0.7
log date: 2024-10-31 20:42:03

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Porcupine Tree / Atlanta (2.0)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -14.72 dBFS 9:31 01-Fear of a Blank Planet
DR13 -0.00 dBFS -14.96 dBFS 8:04 02-What Happens Now
DR11 -0.00 dBFS -13.15 dBFS 5:16 03-Sound of Muzak
DR13 -0.03 dBFS -16.06 dBFS 5:37 04-Sentimental
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -14.61 dBFS 5:51 05-Drown With Me
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -14.11 dBFS 17:30 06-Anesthetize
DR11 -0.00 dBFS -13.44 dBFS 4:45 07-Open Car
DR13 -0.00 dBFS -16.86 dBFS 8:51 08-Dark Matter
DR11 -0.00 dBFS -14.56 dBFS 8:38 09-Cheating the Polygraph
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -15.63 dBFS 5:31 10-A Smart Kid
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -14.37 dBFS 4:58 11-Blackest Eyes
DR16 -0.09 dBFS -19.36 dBFS 5:59 12-Half-Light
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -14.44 dBFS 7:42 13-Way Out Of Here
DR10 -0.00 dBFS -13.03 dBFS 8:46 14-Sleep Together
DR13 -0.00 dBFS -14.99 dBFS 6:11 15-Even Less
DR12 -0.00 dBFS -15.08 dBFS 7:24 16-Halo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 16
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 1770 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

Any idea? It happens sometimes. This is not the only album having this error.

 

[HomerJAU]

I just starting Music Media Helper 8 so it's my first post in this long thread. Everything works great and it seems to be quicker than DVD-AE. The one issue I'm having is that the track titles are not showing. Instead I'm seeing "Output - 01" and not the track name. On the few Blu-Ray Audio discs ripped so far I've gone in in manually added the track names in place of "Output - 01". Is there a setting in MMH 8 or a program that will add the track titles? Can one rip DVD-As straight from MMH 8 without MKV?

Is there a tutorial on how to utilize all the tagging options for MMH 8? It is an excellent program and really appreciated Andrew Dixon's YouTube video on how to rip Blu-rays with MKV and MMH 8. Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

You’ll should use the ‘Get Titles from MusicBrainz’ option for MMH to get the album information including sing/track titles. Take a look at the MMH PDF docs.

Also, if you load your MKV file into the MMH ‘Chapter Editor’ tool you can use its MusicBrainz tool to get the chapter/song names. When you split a MKV with song names the MMH split tool uses the chapter names for its song titles.

There is also a ‘Tag and Rename’ tool in MMH to load album folder files and tag from a MusicBrainz lookup or copy and paste from selected text on a webpage etc. all documented in the PDF.

MakeMKV will only create MKV files for DVDVs (or the DVDV files on a DVDA disc). It does not read DVD-Audio files.

 

[HomerJAU]

Any idea? It happens sometimes. This is not the only album having this error.

I’ll take a look today. I’d need to replicate the issue. Can you provide names of any other releases that give this error? (I don’t have your PT release).

 

[M-K]

Lightbulb Sun 5.1 and 2.0. Deadwing 5.1 (BDA). May be you own one of those.
Atlanta was a burning shed download years ago. Indeed, a nice concert. Using foobar and dr 1.1.1 is ok, see below.
Thank you in advance, Garry.

foobar2000 1.6.17 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2024-10-31 20:17:46

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Porcupine Tree / Atlanta (2.0)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 0.00 dB -14.73 dB 9:31 01-Fear of a Blank Planet
DR13 0.00 dB -14.97 dB 8:04 02-What Happens Now
DR11 0.00 dB -13.15 dB 5:16 03-Sound of Muzak
DR13 -0.03 dB -16.07 dB 5:37 04-Sentimental
DR12 0.00 dB -14.61 dB 5:51 05-Drown With Me
DR12 0.00 dB -14.11 dB 17:30 06-Anesthetize
DR11 0.00 dB -13.45 dB 4:45 07-Open Car
DR13 0.00 dB -16.84 dB 8:51 08-Dark Matter
DR11 0.00 dB -14.57 dB 8:38 09-Cheating the Polygraph
DR12 0.00 dB -15.64 dB 5:31 10-A Smart Kid
DR12 0.00 dB -14.38 dB 4:58 11-Blackest Eyes
DR16 -0.09 dB -19.37 dB 5:59 12-Half-Light
DR12 0.00 dB -14.44 dB 7:42 13-Way Out Of Here
DR10 0.00 dB -13.04 dB 8:46 14-Sleep Together
DR13 0.00 dB -14.99 dB 6:11 15-Even Less
DR12 0.00 dB -15.09 dB 7:24 16-Halo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 16
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 1834 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

 

[paligap]

I'm trying to move my albums (folders) from one "Surround" folder to "Atmos," "5.1," and "Quad" folders. I'm using the Media File Manager to identify and sort the albums by their codecs. The Copy function is useful, but it does take a lot of time, and I still have to delete the folders after they've been copied. Those aren't complaints, just observations. Another approach I've tried is to identify and sort the albums and manually move them in Windows. Of course, that also takes time, and I have to create destination Artist folders for artists with more than one type of album in their source folders. Would it be possible to create a Move button in the Media File Manager to move the files instead of copying them?

Another problem I'm encountering is when MMH identifies albums with "5ch" codecs. Because 5ch can be either 4.1 or 5.0, I've tried to use the Channel Volume function to view the waveforms, but the labeling appears to be off with the 5ch files. For example:

For my 5ch files, I'm trying to determine if the fifth channel is Center (5.0), or LFE (4.1). I've had some success loading the files into Foobar, right-clicking for Properties, and going to Details, but sometimes it still just shows "5" under channels. Is there another function in MMH I could use to make the determination?

Edit: I forgot about MediaInfo. That works to identify what the 5 channels are.

 

[HomerJAU]

I don’t think there was ever a standard 5 channel 4.1 file and I believe they are not recognised by most players. 5 channels are 5.0 and for 4.1 you need to place them in a 6 channel file with a silent centre.

To create multiple music sources in Kodi I’d recommend changing to its Artist Information folder format:

That is having a single root folder for Artists:
Artist Information
(This contained one folder for each artist, with artist name, and all artist artwork and information, but no media.

Changing your album folders to this naming format:
[ARTIST] - [ALBUM]

Then a Source folder for each of your categories will contain alum folder like this:

Source1\Artist 1 - Album 1
\Artist 1 - Album 2
Source2\Artist 1 - Album 3
Etc

MMH has a tool to move albums from ‘artist\album’ to ‘artist - album’ folders (try a test run).

Any major media file restructuring will take a long time as hires multichannel files are large and network file copying is slow. And once you’ve copied everything you need to redo your backup disks too!

 

[paligap]

I don’t think there was ever a standard 5 channel 4.1 file and I believe they are not recognised by most players. 5 channels are 5.0 and for 4.1 you need to place them in a 6 channel file with a silent centre.

To create multiple music sources in Kodi I’d recommend changing to its Artist Information folder format:

That is having a single root folder for Artists:
Artist Information
(This contained one folder for each artist, with artist name, and all artist artwork and information, but no media.

Changing your album folders to this naming format:
[ARTIST] - [ALBUM]

Then a Source folder for each of your categories will contain alum folder like this:

Source1\Artist 1 - Album 1
\Artist 1 - Album 2
Source2\Artist 1 - Album 3
Etc

MMH has a tool to move albums from ‘artist\album’ to ‘artist - album’ folders (try a test run).

Any major media file restructuring will take a long time as hires multichannel files are large and network file copying is slow. And once you’ve copied everything you need to redo your backup disks too!

Well, I've come across at least one 4.1 album so far (20 out of 86 "5ch" albums), and it plays fine on my Vero:

However, it's an "unofficial" album, and it might be the only one I have. I'll update if I find more.

I'll have to think about the folder format you recommend. I've actually used the MMH tool you mentioned to change from ‘artist - album’ to ‘artist\album’. I do this when ripping blu-rays because at some point I thought MakeMKV needed the former format and Kodi needed the latter. Either I misunderstood, or something has changed. It's interesting that the tool works both ways. I'm at least halfway through creating separate folders (sources) for my quad and Atmos albums. If I were to change to the format you recommend, I suppose it would be best to finish that task first.

Since I gave up on a NAS, I now have two PCs with audio and video libraries that have to be maintained, one with 4tb as a Kodi player for one system, and one with 12tb that also has more files that I use elsewhere. Of course, they each have backup disks. Yes, it's a lot of work, but it gives me something to do in retirement.

 

[himey]

it might be the only one I have.

There may be others that aren't authored that way to be more compatible. Isn't This Was 4.1?