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

[whoareyou]

Is it possible for you to upload one of those files for testing please? PM me with a link. Also can you please zip the wav prior to upload, much smaller file then.

You have message. Thanks!

 

[Geone Dennis Artillero]

What version of MMH are you using?

I am sorry. It's all working now. I re-read the manual and found out that I had set a wrong DEE location.

 

[leefarber]

Hey Garry,

On the latest beta, my settings have all reset, and I'm having trouble recreating the setup for JRiver tagging. I see that I needed to reselect "JRiver Tagging" in preferences, but now it's generating both "mka_JRSidecar.xml" files and ".xml" files for each track. It's also generating a .xml file for the original mkv. Have I done something wrong?

 

[gorman]

May I suggest an improvement? Or, at least, what I think could be an improvement?

The Extract Audio from MKV tool starts extracting as soon as you drag and drop a file to it. I suppose a confirmation dialog could save unwanted files creation. I keep forgetting to set it up before dragging and dropping because other tools in MMH do not work like this.

 

[HomerJAU]

Hey Garry,

On the latest beta, my settings have all reset, and I'm having trouble recreating the setup for JRiver tagging. I see that I needed to reselect "JRiver Tagging" in preferences, but now it's generating both "mka_JRSidecar.xml" files and ".xml" files for each track. It's also generating a .xml file for the original mkv. Have I done something wrong?

I’ll take a look. Also I should be able to get MMH9 to copy MMH8 preferences in next beta,

 

[leefarber]

Thanks! Do my preferences from MMH8 still exist if I've installed MMH9? I'm not too terribly Windows savvy, so I'm not sure where they would be stored.

EDIT: Never mind, I think I found it. It's extra confusing since I'm using Parallels on Mac.

 

[HomerJAU]

Do my preferences from MMH8 still exist if I've installed MMH9?

Yes. MMH 8 and MMH 9 are totally independent. (but Settings are stored in Isolated Storage - see below)

I have just added to MMH code to upgrade MMH 8 settings to MMH 9 settings and changed the location of the settings file from Windows Isolated Storage to the user's 'Music Media Helper' folder in AppData. So it can be easily found by users (and me). The new code should also copy a users MMH 8 settings even if they have already used a MMH 9 beta (it will overwrite current MMH 9 settings with MMH 8 settings).

Isolated Storage was code I used from back in 2012 and its just stayed in all my code since. It stores data in randomly named (for obfuscation) multiple level sub-folders to confuse users (and developers). Now gone in next MMH 9 beta.

The naming is random enough MMH doesn't even now where the folder is (Isolated Storage is a Windows library). I just call the code and it creates/save/reads from my setting.xml file, directly location invisible to MMH). The original idea was to stop users from mucking with the settings file, causing bugs for me to chase. But it was overkill!

 

[tormento]

I use MMH mostly for ATMOS conversions.

I think that for MMH v9 could be interesting to have a more flexible queueing system.

Would be possible to add different files with different settings in the decoder and the encoder queues?

I use 5.1.2 and 9.1.6 and I'd like to schedule tracks with different configurations.

Is positive, the indication of the destination parameters in queue columns would be nice too.

 

[HomerJAU]

Would be possible to add different files with different settings in the decoder and the encoder queues?

Let me think about this. It’s quite a big UI change. For music the files a typically all from the same album so it’s a nice batch of conversions.

Is the only difference in your settings the channel layout? I could add that to the initial row and make it editable on a file by file basis before it added to the queue.

I can also look at allowing more files to be added to the queue after it’s started too, so if you have large/long running files in the queue you can just keep appending more while the queue is being processed.

 

[HomerJAU]

MMH 9 Beta 2 now uploaded:

Version 9.0.0 beta 2 (January 9 2024) - Changelog from current MMH release:
-------------
New:
MMH updated to .NET 9 Desktop runtime (faster processing)
Media File Manager tool: Added support new Reporting option that includes cover art for Music, Music Videos/Concerts, Movies, TV series and - new
Media File Manager tool: Now reads additional metadata from Kodi nfo files for Movies & TV Series (adds: Genre, Plot, Cast, Director, IMDB Rating etc)
Channel Volume tool: Added support for viewing & editing wavpack (.wv) file channel volumes (up to 16 channels supported)
Chapter Editor tool: Now tags MKA files with MusicBrainz & other tags compatible with Kodi's upcoming release support for reading MKA music tags (no need for a CUE file)
Batch Audio tools: Getting/Creating DR readings - Added support for wavpack (.wv) files
Remix Channel layout tool: Added new option to Remix Multichannel to Stereo (experimental) - new (Remixes 7.1, 5.1, 5.0 and Quad to stereo
MMH9 now copies MMH8 settings on first run (keeps user's MMH settings)
MMH9 settings are no longer stored in Windows Isolated Storage. Now in user's '..\AppData\Roaming\Music Media Helper' folder
MHH Atmos Decoder: Added new option to Decoder: 'Auto add Decoded WAV files to the Encoder dialog' - allows for automatic Decode then Re-encode
MHH Atmos Decoder: Added a progress bar for file decode progress, replacing the pop-up windows showing progress in previous versions
New MMH Auto Update features:
- Added new 'Opt in to Beta Release notifications' option in Application Preferences - users will get in app notifications of new Beta releases
- Added new light weight update system to quickly download only changed files and auto-unzip into user's MMH Program Files folder (no full MSI installer)

Changes:
Added support for getting year from file and folder names with square brackets '[1970]' - previously only '(xxxx)' was supported
Media File Manager tool: Now attempts to get music data from untagged files (based on file and folder naming)
When MMH creates a Dynamic Range file it no longer changes the album folder's Last Modified timestamp
Batch Audio tools: When running option 'Check Cover Art...' a new sub-option added to extract embedded art to 'folder.jpg' if art file does not exist
Chapter Editor tool: Now tags files on 'Save' if user has used 'Get Tracks from Musicbrainz' option (previously tags only saved if 'Save CUE' was used
Extract Audio from MKV tool: When user loads a file from 'Open MKV/MKA/M4A' button before the conversion starts a new dialog pops to Confirm output type
Tagging from Musicbrainz: If an album has tracks with different multiple artists, MMH no longer prefixes the track title with Artist name (only the track's artist is updated)

Updated 3rd party UI controls to latest 24.2.3

Fixes:
Chapter Editor tool: Failed to load chapters if a chapter has > 3 tags - fixed


NOTE: MMH 9 uses the .NET 9 Desktop Runtime (x64). Please download and install this first:
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/...u/runtime-desktop-9.0.0-windows-x64-installer

MMH 9 beta 2 installer:
https://reva.blob.core.windows.net/mmh9/beta/MMHInstaller.msi

 

[Geone Dennis Artillero]

If I have a 24 channels (22.2) MHA1 m4a file and I want to convert it to Dolby Atmos m4a, will the 22.2, 9.1.6, 7.1.4 wav decodes produce the same Dolby Atmos output (since it would always produce a 6ch eac+joc no matter what the wav layout) or will there be a difference sound-wise or technically?

 

[Mickb]

Hi Garry,

Many thanks for the new features in Beta - used the Remix from 7.1 -> stereo & it worked superbly

 

[HomerJAU]

If I have a 24 channels (22.2) MHA1 m4a file and I want to convert it to Dolby Atmos m4a, will the 22.2, 9.1.6, 7.1.4 wav decodes produce the same Dolby Atmos output (since it would always produce a 6ch eac+joc no matter what the wav layout) or will there be a difference sound-wise or technically?

The Dolby Atmos encoder cannot encode from a 22.2 channel wav, you would need to use the MPEG-H Decoder to decode to a 9.1.6 or 7.1.4 channel layout.

I would not recommend creating a lossy encode (Atmos DDPlus JOC) from another lossy encode/decode. You should make a TrueHD Atmos encode (lossless). This is a bit like half x half = a quarter (0.5 x 0.5 =0.25) - each lossy conversion damages the audio.

If you are playing back on a 7.1.4 system I would think both your 7.1.4 and 9.1.6 decode/encode scenarios would sound the same. Why not try it and let us know your findings?

 

[tormento]

Is the only difference in your settings the channel layout? I could add that to the initial row and make it editable on a file by file basis before it added to the queue.

For ATMOS decoder part, usually I change Output Channel Layout and Target peak (please let us change the default one from -10dB to whatever we need).

For ATMOS encoding, I change Source Channel Layout, Encode framerate, Format, Bitrate and Dialnorm (this one is luckily sticky).

Thanks in advance for any effort.

 

[leefarber]

For some reason, my MMH 8 preferences are not getting transferred over. Case in point: In the Extract Audio from MKV tool, I select Preferences, and "Create/Update JRiver XML Tagging" is not selected (but I've always had it selected in MMH8). Just letting you know. Thanks Garry!

 

[HomerJAU]

For some reason, my MMH 8 preferences are not getting transferred over

Did you use the first MMH beta? Did you download and install the latest MMH installer I posted yesterday (today your time?). Please reply to this question.

As I mentioned in a recent post, MMH 8 does not know its settings folder location in Windows Isolated Storage, Every MMH major version* has its own settings folder but uses the same file name. In MMH 9 beta 1 it used Isolated Storage,

* Isolated Storage reads the version data embedded in the file.

MMH 9 Beta 2 converts settings to a known folder; in the user’s appdata folder. It tries to get the latest MMH 8 Settings file to copy by finding every MMH Settings file and by sorting the lastmodified date. (Just prior to that MMH 9 creates a new settings file in ISW if it doesn’t exist (so both new MMH 9 and previous 9 beta users have a MMH 9 settings file in Isolated Storage). Now MMH has a sorted list of settings files with most current one MMH 9 just created, and then copies the next most current Settings file (presuming that must be MMH 8’s file).

So from your usage of MMH can you see a flaw in my logic? For instance if you’d run MMH 7 just before MMH 9 beta 2.

The workaround would be for you to delete the New MMH9 settings file in AppData, run MMH 8 and change a setting, go to Preferences and change a setting, save, reopen Preferences and change your setting back to original if you want), then run MMH 9 beta 2 again and it should copy MMH 8 settings to 9.

I’m on my iPad now so can’t tell you exact folder name but it’s in c:/users/[username]/appdata/remote../Music Media Helper. File name is MMH9Settings.xml

 

[HomerJAU]

For ATMOS decoder part, usually I change Output Channel Layout and Target peak (please let us change the default one from -10dB to whatever we need).

For ATMOS encoding, I change Source Channel Layout, Encode framerate, Format, Bitrate and Dialnorm (this one is luckily sticky).

Thanks in advance for any effort.

Thanks @tormento

Before the Official MMH 9 release I will create a new Queue that will allow you to add many files, even when the current queue is already running. So you can add new encodes with different settings, just set them up and ‘add to queue’). The only limitation will be the space you have on your output drive for the files generated

Also before MMH 9 is release I will add a new queue to the decoder, and allow parallel (multi threaded) decodes (like how encodes run 4 at a time now). Decoding will then support 4 parallel decodes (currently it’s one at a time of course).

All this is a lot of work for me.

Since I’ve recently asked for donations to fund my expenses, about donating for (a case of Peroni ($60 Australian equivalent to about 36€). You can PM me for my PayPal address. BTW, I will do this for you even if you don’t donate.