Questions about Sonore ISO2DSD

[B&W Driver]

If I understand correctly, he still wants the ability to rip SACD via the Oppo and thinks the newer GUI might be better/easier/what he wants to try.
So my .iso isn't really the whole story here, we've moved past that I think.
He may have only a Mac, in that case Foobar wouldn't be much help to him.....I know many these days are enamored of flac, and I am too, but I still keep backup .iso's of all my discs. Call me paranoid...

Anyway I can't speak for him, just thinking out loud here.

Exactly. When I started the thread, I was trying to convert an ISO file that I received (not an SACD). I was very happy to receive something like this, so I didn't ask a lot of questions and, instead, thought that I would use our Sonore ISO2DSD to start the conversion to FLAC. Keeping in mind that I used the Sonore utility once, about 14 months ago, to convert a stereo SACD, I'm nowhere near cognizant of this software...but, after seeing Mister A's version of the GUI (in Post No. 4), it was obvious that our conversion tools are antiquated.

In the interim, we received the flac files from the ISO file in question, so there really is no urgency here. I'm simply endeavoring to update our SACD ripping tools. We still have SACDs in our collection that haven't, as yet, been ripped to FLAC and, as I recall, it wasn't exactly an intuitive process...so anything that makes things simpler is a good thing to me. Having written that, I'm not even close to being a digital music expert, so I'm still learning about ripping and conversions, in general.

 

[B&W Driver]

I've used the very same Sonore iso2dsd Javascript based app. It's crude but appears to work OK. Found it a few years ago and never looked back.

The unix executable goes in the same folder as the Java GUI app as mentioned. I guess this GUI is someone's home brew and this is supposed to be a command line app? Not sure what features I might be missing if any?

Are there features available that are command line only?

The GUI looks like what B&W Driver posted above on the Mac. I haven't tested it beyond OSX 10.13.6 yet. That's still my daily driver. OS XII Monterey is still pretty "experimental" at present. I've looked over my shoulder at a couple Windows screens in recent times and they do still like that DOS look!

The important bit is to know to convert the dsf files to 32 bit floating point wav with 32:1 decimation. That lands on 88.2k 32 bit floating point files.
The peak value transcoding from DSD to PCM can land anywhere from -6db to +6db! The -6db examples simply lose a bit of resolution but the +6 examples will clip if you were to go straight to 24 bit fixed!
I use XLD (X Lossless Decoder) in 32:1 decimation mode for that transcode.

So the 2nd step is to normalize the whole album to be just under 0db. Then render to 24 bit fixed.

My questions might be:
Is there something more modern and not so "home brew"?
Is the command line version more featured?
Is there a "better" GUI version someone made?
Is there a version that outputs whole disc at once?

Does that Mac only DSD2FLAC mentioned have more features?
Does it do the intermediate 32 bit floating point and normalize parts automatically?

The big complaint about iso2dsd is corrupted track segues for tracks with audio that segue between them. It's either a crude chapter split error like video apps that only have frame resolution or fallout from DSD needing to know what the last sample was and that getting screwed up at track boundaries. A disc at once feature would work around that.

Jim... I'm not a programmer or a digital music expert, so please bear with the layman thoughts and/or questions. I gleaned from your message that you use the old version of Sonore ISO2DSD on a Mac and, in general, that you're pretty satisfied with it. I also understand that you're employing macOS 10.13.6 as you're Mac operating system. We use two MBPs here. One is an old MBP 17 (early-2011) that operates via OSX 10.12.6 and the other is a newer (mid-2015) that operates via the OSX 10.11.6 operating system.

As you're obviously way more advanced when it comes to ripping via a Mac, would you kindly write back with your thoughts on how we might best go about ripping our remaining SACDs -- including some multichannel SACDs -- with our older Mac machines?

As I mentioned in one of the earlier posts, we downloaded the Unix executable file named sacd_extract but, as you now know, we have no file(s) to place in the folder to start the GUI shown in Post No. 4 of this thread. The sacd_extract file we downloaded came in a zip "package" -- which we were linked to in Post No. 10 of this thread -- was intended for Mac use, but the remaining question seems to be how to get executable file to work with a GUI? I should also mention that we have negligible command line experience -- especially in OSX -- so, if that's necessary, I'd appreciate some words about how one would go about using the command line utility via Mac. In other words, my only command line experience was way back in our Windows days, so I don't have experience using it in the Mac environment.

EDIT: We employed our Oppo 105D as the source drive when we last ripped a stereo SACD. It was the only time we did it, and that was about 14 months ago (far enough back to test our old brains).

Thank you kindly for your time,
B&W

 

[jimfisheye]

Hey B&W,

My computer knowledge is a solid level of "Knows enough to be dangerous."

It looks like I have Java v8.171 at present in my 10.13.6 system.
The iso2dsd GUI app says v6
I know this version runs with OSX 10.6.8, 10.13.6, and 10.15.6. Certainly everything in between those.
(Again, haven't tried yet with OS XI Big Sur or OS XII Monterey.)

I believe I downloaded it here: (I just googled: sonore iso2dsd osx)
https://sonore.us/iso2dsd.html
It may be the only Java running app I have. I remember it held my hand and sent me to a Java download the first time around.

I didn't do too much of a deep dive. I remember looking around for something else that did disc at once and not finding anything. I never went after the command line source.

Mac command line is basically standard Unix. I think the Windows version is similar. I know they switched some things around like the directory separator "/" and escape character "\" are swapped in Windows command line. Just like many command (Win key) and control key modifiers are swapped between Mac and Win. Like I said, I know just enough to be dangerous.


My main trick for getting out of trouble:
Keep a backup clone of my system drive.
If something goes wrong: Boot into the clone. Clone back over the primary. Boot back into the primary and carry on. (Oblivious to what I did or how to actually fix it manually.)

 

[B&W Driver]

Jim.... Your words about cloning your system drive are very sage indeed. We lost two (2) HDDs in the early-2011 MBP, so we know, the hard way, about cloning drives.

 

[B&W Driver]

Although the lack of a Mac version of the SACDExtractGUI zip package gave me pause, I went ahead and downloaded the Linux zip file -- found on the videohelp dot com site -- and unzipped it into the same folder containing the Mac version of the executable file named sacd_extract. Once the file named SACDExtractGUI.jar was in the folder, I opened it and here's what I got:

As you can see, I tried selecting an ISO file from our system drive, but, unfortunately, the sacd_extract program only ran for a split second before the [DONE] statement appeared in the output text window of the GUI. I also checked the destination folder and, once again, no joy.

Is it possible that the ISO file needs to be in the root directory along with the folder containing the other SACD Extract files?

As I mentioned before, we still have stereo SACDs and MC SACDs that need to be ripped, so this is an experiment with a more intuitive GUI than the one we get with Sonore ISO2DSD. There's no urgency here; I'm just hoping to upgrade our ripping utilities.

Thank you for your time...

 

[boxhead]

Firstly (and I assume you have checked this) but is the file LARRY CARLTON.ISO definitely an SACD disc image? Not a DVD image?

I just tried ripping an existing SACD image I have on an external drive using the exact same settings that are in your dialog box to a folder on my C: drive. ie neither the source ISO file nor the output files are in the root directory. It extracted the tracks without any problems. Mine is a Windows PC, so maybe there is something different going on with your MAC?

 

[B&W Driver]

Firstly (and I assume you have checked this) but is the file LARRY CARLTON.ISO definitely an SACD disc image? Not a DVD image?

I just tried ripping an existing SACD image I have on an external drive using the exact same settings that are in your dialog box to a folder on my C: drive. ie neither the source ISO file nor the output files are in the root directory. It extracted the tracks without any problems. Mine is a Windows PC, so maybe there is something different going on with your MAC?

It has now been confirmed that the ISO file that I used to test out the SACD Extract interface was taken from a DVD. I suppose that I got so focused on seeing the newer interface run that I wasn't really thinking clearly about what I was testing it with...but I know very little about the ripping process, in general, so I'll chalk it up to a learning experience and, more importantly, moving one step closer to having our physical media collection converted to a digital format. Cheers for the lesson, mate.

 

[mandrix]

In post #15 I noted that for the Windows version of the SACDExtractGUI I found instructions to employ it from the command line only, and I was able to bring up the GUI.
I just wanted to verify if that's what other Windows users are seeing or if there's an alternative method to load the GUI from within Windows? With other java apps I have not had to invoke from the command line but java is outside my wheelhouse.
Maybe some sort of scripting would allow it to work from inside Windows or just be happy I got it to work? lol. Guess I could just try a batch file.

It's more a curiosity at this point since all my SACD's are ripped but you never know, Dutton-Vocalion might come out with another interesting batch of SACD releases. One hopes so!

 

[B&W Driver]

Disclosure: We are Mac OSX users

For the sake of thread clarity, once I downloaded the SACD Extractor and the SACD Extractor GUI "packages" from videohelp dot com and placed all of the unzipped files into the same folder, I was able to start the interface (GUI) shown in Post No. 25 simply by right-clicking and opening the file named "SACDExtractGUI.jar," which, as it turns out, is exactly how I start the interface employed by Sonore ISO2DSD. In other words, if you place the executable file and the associated .jar file in the same folder, you can start the interface without employing a command line.

By the way, the video help dot com link in Post No. 10 of this thread will take you to the zip file list referred to several times in this thread (shown below). If you look at the screen shot, taken from the page the links brings you to, you will see that there's a "Download" section and a "Download Beta and other versions" section. As you can see, the sacd_extract zip packages come in three flavors, including Mac. The sacd_extract GUI zip packages, on the other hand, don't include a Mac option. As Mac users, we [eventually] went with the Linux version of the GUI files and, thus far, combining them with the Mac version of the sacd_extract files -- in the same folder -- seems to be working out for us.

Regardless, I will get back to this thread with the results after we try employing SACD Extract and its interface (GUI) to convert/rip one of our SACDs...

 

[JediJoker]

Just a note of caution, @B&W Driver: the versions of macOS you are running are deprecated and should be considered no longer secure for Internet connectivity, as they have not received security updates in years. As a self-employed audio professional with one main computer I use for both work and play, my policy—which follows general wisdom—is to run the oldest major OS revision that is both compatible with my hardware and still supported by the Apple, as well as any critical third party hardware and software. This imparts a level of stability to the system and ensures best compatibility with any legacy software I might want or need to use. Today, that revision is macOS 10.15 Catalina. Compared to all earlier versions of OS X, including the versions you are running, it no longer supports 32-bit applications. If you rely on 32-bit applications, you may consider running a separate boot drive or partition with an earlier version (up to 10.14) that does still support those apps, but I would recommend keeping it disconnected from the Internet. Relegate your Internet use to 10.15 or newer.

(As an aside: to be fair, this is not best practice; I should really have a separate computer, or at least a separate boot drive, for work that only sees Internet usage for critical updates. Better yet, download the updates from a different boot drive and transfer them to the work one, then install offline.)

PS: If you need installers for any version of macOS from 10.10 to 12—all of which are free, but difficult or impossible to access unless you have previously downloaded them from the App Store/Software Update—I would be happy to share them with you (or anyone else).

 

[SACD_ripper]

It has now been confirmed that the ISO file that I used to test out the SACD Extract interface was taken from a DVD. I suppose that I got so focused on seeing the newer interface run that I wasn't really thinking clearly about what I was testing it with...but I know very little about the ripping process, in general, so I'll chalk it up to a learning experience and, more importantly, moving one step closer to having our physical media collection converted to a digital format. Cheers for the lesson, mate.

As a sidenote, in your screenshot above you had not specified the correct path to sacd_extract in the Program field, it still has the pre-populated value there.
Use the Browse button in the Program field to specify that path, you need to overwrite what comes pre-populated, otherwise even if your next ISO is indeed an SACD, you will still not be able to extract from it.

 

[B&W Driver]

As a sidenote, in your screenshot above you had not specified the correct path to sacd_extract in the Program field, it still has the pre-populated value there.
Use the Browse button in the Program field to specify that path, you need to overwrite what comes pre-populated, otherwise even if your next ISO is indeed an SACD, you will still not be able to extract from it.

Thank you for the great advice, Ripper.

 

[B&W Driver]

Accidental duplicate post...

 

[B&W Driver]

As mentioned in Post No. 29 of this thread, I finally got the time to set up and rip a second single-layer stereo SACD from our small collection. Unfortunately, the newer SACD ripping program, known herein as SACDExtractGUI, didn't work for me, so, after spending a lot of time trying various scenarios, I went back to Sonore ISO2DSD to accomplish the rip. In the end, I got an ISO image and DSF audio files from the subject SACD...but I still have questions about our inability to get the newer program to work properly.

Needless to say, QQF member @Mr. Afternoon seems to have had some success with the newer interface, but my question is whether or not one needs additional files to get there? In other words, is there more to it than simply placing a folder loaded with the files from the videohelp dot com website into one's system drive? My feeling is that I don't have files pasted into our USB thumb drive that "match" and/or work with the files I downloaded from the website I just mentioned, but that's only a guess.

I already asked another forum member on a similar thread about this (and am awaiting a response), but does anyone know of a set of written instructions that describe how to employ the Oppo 103 or the Oppo 105 player(s) to rip an SACD using the newer SACDExtractGUI interface?

I already have two sets of instructions written around the Sonore ISO2DSD program, so I want to be clear that I'm hunting for a set of instructions that were written to explain how to use the newer program.

Thank you for your time ~
B&W

 

[mandrix]

I just tried the SACDExtractGUI and it fails saying it can't open the port. I tried different ports but no go. Not sure what's happening here. Otherwise the GUI can ping my Oppo on the network with no problems when I hit the "test" button on the app.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

This is the directory that I run the .jar file from and the display in use:

 

[B&W Driver]

I just tried the SACDExtractGUI and it fails saying it can't open the port. I tried different ports but no go. Not sure what's happening here. Otherwise the GUI can ping my Oppo on the network with no problems when I hit the "test" button on the app.

I'm with you, my friend. I'm experiencing the same exact thing on my MacBook Pro (MBP).

 

[B&W Driver]

As opposed to the screen shot of Kal R's GUI, here's ours... As you can see, the Ping Test seemed to work fine, but the problem occurs when the program reaches out to the Oppo player, which is located at 192.168.50.219 on our internal LAN. Specifically, the program states that it "Failed to connect libsacdread: Can't open 192.168.50.219:2002 for reading"

Although the results of the Ping Test and the results of the program Run seem to conflict, my thought is that the GUI file on our system drive's root is not "hand-shaking" with the sacd-extract file on the USB thumb drive.

I read somewhere that certain versions of the SACDExtractGUI will only work with certain versions of sacd_extract, but I can't find that warning at the moment. Once I find it again, I will post more information to this thread.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Although the results of the Ping Test and the results of the program Run seem to conflict, my thought is that the GUI file on our system drive's root is not "hand-shaking" with the sacd-extract file on the USB thumb drive.

It seems that way but, generally, that should not be an issue because I am using older versions of sacd-extract on my flash drive and I have been told that the two instances of sacd_extract need not match.

I read somewhere that certain versions of the SACDExtractGUI will only work with certain versions of sacd_extract, but I can't find that warning at the moment. Once I find it again, I will post more information to this thread.

One big difference between mine and yours is that I am not (yet) using the Euflo version.

 

[SACD_ripper]

One big difference between mine and yours is that I am not (yet) using the Euflo version.

That won't matter, all versions of the EuFlo enhanced version of sacd_extract (Windows, macOS, and Linux) are fully compatible with the front-end tool SACDExtractGUI, as well as the original version of the AutoScript for use in Oppo Blu-ray players.