You are here:Home»KB»Hardware»Other Devices»Transferring Music Tracks from Sony MiniDiscs
Sunday, 15 September 2024 13:25

Transferring Music Tracks from Sony MiniDiscs

Written by

There are a few ways to recover music from Sony Minidiscs and these will vary between devices:

  • Digital download
    • Digitally without loss.
    • This will be the actual audio file 'as-is' from the disk. (aea)
    • Tracks will be split into individual files.
  • Analogue
    • Output via the 3.5mm jack.
    • This is a universal method.
    • There will be no track data.
  • SPDIF / Optical / Coax
    • Digital with minimal loss
    • There will be no track data.

This article is dedicated towards digitally downloading tracks direct from the Walkman with no sound quality loss.

My Kit

  • Hardware
    • Windows 11 Laptop
    • Sony Portable Minidisc Recorder MZ-N710 (NET MD Walkman)
    • USB cable (USB A to Mini-B)
    • Edge browser (Google Chrome can be used)
  • Software

Dump the Music Tracks from your MiniDiscs

This YouTube tutorial covers everything from grabbing tracks using Method 1 to converting the .aea files to a more useful format.

  • Connect device to the computer
    • Using the USB A to Mini-B cable.
  • Install Zadiag
    • Short instructions
      • Connect your MZ-N710 via the USB cable.
      • Download Zadig
      • Run the Zdiag installer
      • Click install
      • Reboot windows
    • GitHub - asivery/webminidisc
      • The Windows USB stack requires a driver to be installed to communicate with any USB device. The bad news is that there are no official Windows 10 drivers for NetMD devices. The good news is that we don't need it! We can just use a generic driver like WinUSB to access the device.
      • You can find installation instruction here, but the easiest way to install is to use Zadig.
  • In Edge
    • Open https://web.minidisc.wiki/
      • This is "Web MiniDisc Pro" and is a fork of the original but can also download tracks digitally.
    • Click connect
    • Select Netman MD
  • Safety
    • Make sure all your discs have write protect enabled to protect you from mistakes.
  • Insert your disc
    • Simply put your first disc into the MZ-N710
  • Download the tracks
    • Method 1 (use this)
      • Click on the 3 dots and select Enable Homebrew Mode Ripping in Main UI
      • Select all of the tracks you want
        • Clicking the top track, hold shit and then select the last track will select them all.
      • Click "Download"
        • We don't want to convert them here, we want the RAW data.
      • The track(s) will now download as .aea files labelled with their track number and name (if present).
    • Method 2 (old)
      • Enter Homebrew Mode
        • Click on the 3 dots and select Enter Homebrew Mode
      • Homebrew Mode explained
        • See: Homebrew mode [MiniDisc Wiki]
        • You will be now present with a some tables representing Tracks and the TOC
        • The "Track Junction Map" has one track per sector thing
        • Track 0 is not a track, it possibly is the TOC.
        • You can only download one track at a time.
        • Not all tracks are named
        • The unit must be power cycled between each disk (i think) to clear the TOC which also happens when you swap the disc.
        • If you press the Shift key the track names should be displayed but I never got this to work, maybe my tracks did not haven names on them.
      • Download the track
        • Click on a sector in "Track Junction Map"
        • Click on the download icon.
        • The track will now download as an .aea file labelled with their track number and name (if present).
  • Swapping Disc
    • Stop the disk spinning before ejecting
      • On my MZ-N710 if I hold the CANCEL/CHG button this will stop the disc spinning and allow you to swap the disc without restarting "Web MiniDisc Pro" but this does not always work.
    • You might need to restart "Web MiniDisc Pro".
    • Repeat the download method you choose.

Convert the AEA files to something useful

In this section I will shown you how to take the tracks from each disc and put them into 1 file and the container we will use is MKA. This makes it much easier to manger your disks. Of course this extra step is optional.

Getting Files Setup

  • Once you have dumped all of your discs, each disc's AEA files should be in their own folder, within a parent folder as shown. This will make managing and transcoding them much easier. 
    C:\dumpedmusic\
C:\dumpedmusic\1\01. No title.aea
C:\dumpedmusic\1\02. No title.aea
C:\dumpedmusic\1\03. No title.aea
C:\dumpedmusic\2\01. No title.aea
C:\dumpedmusic\2\02. No title.aea
C:\dumpedmusic\2\03. No title.aea
C:\dumpedmusic\flacoutput\
.....
  • Extract the FFmpeg binaries (..\bin\ffprobe.exe, ffplay.exe, ffmpeg.exe) to C:\dumpedmusic\

Convert all AEA files to FLAC

  • My AEA files (995 files, 29 folders) 3.46GB --> 10.3GB FLAC files

AEA is not supported in the MKV container so we need to change the format of the files. FLAC is a lossless codec so is a good one to go with even thought there are a few considerations (size and no strict support). If you do not want to use FLAC the next best codec to go for is the OPUS codec which is heavily supported and is better than MP3. There are no issues with OPUS codec but it is a lossey codec.

  • Open PowerShell
  • Navigate to C:\dumpedmusic\
  • Run the PowerShell script below which will create an individual FLAC file from each AEA and put it in the same folder 
    Get-ChildItem -Filter *.aea -Recurse | ForEach-Object {
    ffmpeg -i $_.FullName -vn -hide_banner -c:a flac -sample_fmt s16 -ar 44100 "$($_.DirectoryName)\$($_.BaseName).flac"
}
    • While running some basic information will be shown.
    • All FLAC files will be overwritten if present, but your AEA files will be untouched.
  • Right click on the parent folder C:\dumpedmusic\ and select Agent Ransack
  • Now search for File name: *.aea
  • Select all of the results and delete them
  • You are now left with each of the disc folders only containing .flac files.

Multiplex Individual Disc Track Files into a Single Container File

We will now use MKVToolNix to combine the tracks into one MKA file with chapters signifying the tracks.

  • Open MKVToolNix
  • Add Track 1
    • Right click in the Source Files window, click "Add files".
    • Select your Track 1.
    • Click "Open".
  • Add all of the other tracks for the disc.
    1. Right click on the file you have just added (Track 1) in the Source Files window and select 'Append Files'.
    2. Select track 2, hold shift and then click on the last track to select them all. It is important to select them in the order required.
      • They can now be added in one go, instead of one by one (unless you want too !!)
    3. Click "Open"
  • Additional Settings
    • Output Tab --> Miscellaneous --> Additional options: --engage append_and_split_flac
      • You can also click on the button to the right to add this switch.
      • This allows use to merge FLAC files. See notes for more information.
    • Output Tab --> Chapters --> Generating chapters: One chapter for each appended file
      • For each track add, this sets chapter markers for it.
  • Set the output location and file name.
    • eg: C:\dumpedmusic\flacoutput\disc1.mka
    • MKA should already be set as the filename
    • Recently used folders can be selected by using the favourites button to the right.
  • Now to run click on 'Start multiplexing'
  • This software will now create a single MKV file with chapters using the FLAC files.

Adding Metadata into the MKA

We have now created our disc files but the tracks have no information, we will fix that in this section.

Once you have opened your file in MKVToolNix you can swap between the Header editor and Chapter editor without have to close and reopen the same file.

  • Headers
    • Open MKVToolNix
    • Select `Header editor`
    • There is extra meta data here that you can set but I am not sure what is needed.
    • Maybe add a name for the file like 80's Rock in the Title field.
    • Be careful in here as you might break stuff.
    • Save
      • Header editor --> Save
  • Chapters
    • Open MKVToolNix
    • Select `Chapter editor`
    • Click on `Open supported chapter file format`
    • Open your MKA disc file.
    • Select a Chapter
      • NB: Chapter and Track name are interchangeable as they do the same thing.
    • Edit the Name field to something useful like:
      • Track 01 - Status Quo - Lonely Night
      • Status Quo - Lonely Night
    • Edit each chapter as required.
    • Save
      • Chapter editor --> Save

Notes

  • General
  • Web MiniDisc / Web MiniDisc Pro
    • GitHub - asivery/webminidisc:
      • Upload your Music to NetMD and HiMD MiniDisc devices thanks to WebUSB and WASM
      • Differences between Web Minidisc and Web Minidisc Pro
      • Web MiniDisc Pro was forked from the original Web MiniDisc to provide a more advanced workflow for interacting with NetMD devices.
      • https://web.minidisc.wiki/is the new webapp. Web MiniDisc Pro = Brings NetMD Devices to the Web
    • Web MiniDisc Pro - Brings NetMD Devices to the Web
      • Bring back to life your old NetMD MiniDisc player. Upload music to MiniDisc from the Browser.
      • the new version of the webapp.
      • Web MiniDisc Pro - It is a complete replacement for Sony's SonicStage and Simple Burner software. It is considered the flagship NetMD software project.
    • Web MiniDisc - Brings NetMD Devices to the Web
      • Bring back to life your old NetMD MiniDisc player. Upload music to MiniDisc from the Browser.
      • This is the original version of the webapp.
    • The Web MiniDisc Application - Use your old NetMD device in the browser - Get control of your MiniDisc device thanks to WebUSB and WASM
      • Some of the last MiniDisc players, branded as NetMD units, were equipped with a USB port that allowed for recording music onto the device by using the infamously SonicStage software (Windows only, of course). When Sony abandoned the MiniDisc, that software was left unmaintained and, nowadays, it can’t run outside virtual machines or without using dangerously unsigned drivers.
      • I’ve been lucky enough to find my old MZ-N710
    • The Web MiniDisc Application - YouTube | Stefano Brilli - A short demo of how the Web MiniDisc application works.The GitHub project also contains a few instructions to make the app work fine if you're on Windows or Linux.
    • Web Minidisc Update: ToC Cloning and ATRAC download via USB on Type-S Sony NetMD portables | Reddit
      • I'm very happy to announce a new version of Web Minidisc Pro. It's now possible to transfer tracks via USB back to the computer from Sony Type-S portables.
      • To enable this new functionality, you must check the "Factory Mode Ripping In Main UI" switch in the ellipsis menu.
      • After enabling that functionality, the 'Record' button gets replaced by the 'Download' button. If a warning shows up, saying that the current version is not supported, please use the full factory mode to download the RAM and ROM, then contact me.
      • It can definitely rewrite the TOC of an errored disc, but if the disc itself is damaged, the data just won't persist, so it will go back to its old, errored self.
        • Has instructions on fixing a disc's TOC
      • Worked with my MZ-N710 today
      • You can convert them in vlc media player if you need to, under media /convert. Vlc also does batch conversion as well.
      • AEA files are supported by VLC you can convert them/batch convert them directly from vlc media player under Media/convert/save. (to mp3 should you want to).
      • It won't be possible with the MDS-S500. The button to enter the factory mode won't even be displayed. This works only on portables because of how they're built (the CPU and the USB controller are one chip, this is not the case in bookshelf systems / decks).
      • Sony made a tool to convert from ATRAC to MP3: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/downloads/W0002971
    • Managing tracks [MiniDisc Wiki]
      • Web MiniDisc Pro has two ways to copy tracks on a MD back to the PC: recording and downloading. The Sony MZ-RH1 also allows downloads similar to the exploits method below.
      • If many options are disabled, the disc may be write-protected. Check the write-protect tab on the disc (open = writable; closed = protected).
    • Ignore vs Skip?
      • Bad Sector - Web Minidisc Pro | Reddit
        • asivery
          • Skip this sector discards this sector's data, and jumps to the next one.
          • Ignore writes the corrupted data to the output file you'll download.
        • NeoG_
          • Skip = Delete corrupted data , audio will jump slightly as part has been removed. Track length is slightly shortened.
          • Ignore = Keep corrupted data, audio will act unpredictably while going over the corrupted data such as making glitchy sounds, Track length is preserved.
    • Web Minidisc Pro - Atracdenc vs Remote Atrac encoder, which gives best quality ? | Reddit
      • This is for transferring music to the device
      • I also read this on the web minidisc pro guide page :
        • "SP mode does not need any encoder as the ATRAC processing is performed by the recorder. This also means SP mode records much slower than LP modes."
        • So I guess choosing the Remote Atrac Encoder, doesn't change anything quality wise, when you choose SP mode ?
      • The remote encoder uses Sony's propriety ATRAC3 encoder from the PSP SDK and has a much higher output quality when compared to atracdenc.
        • And indeed, the remote encoder does not impact SP (ATRAC1) audio.
  • Other Sites
  • Buying Guide
    • MiniDisc Buyer's Guide [MiniDisc Wiki] - MiniDisc Buyer's Guide This page is intended to be a compliment to the Getting Started guide, with more details about particular generations of machine, decks, and “gotchas” - for someone new to the MD format, please check the Getting Started guide first. What do you need?
    • All NetMD devices [MiniDisc Wiki] - All NetMD devices Page / USB Capable players
    • Sony MZ-RH1 / MZ-M200 [MiniDisc Wiki]
      • Sony MZ-RH1 / MZ-M200 The last portable MiniDisc recorder produced by Sony.
      • When originally released, it was the only device capable of transferring recordings made on standard MiniDiscs back to a computer. However, this functionality is now available to all USB-equipped HiMD portables as well as a number of NetMD portables thanks to the WebMiniDisc project. A list of the NetMD portables which support this feature can be found Here
    • Devices that support Homebrew features [MiniDisc Wiki]
      • This page lists Type-S and Type-R portables from Sony (as well as direct clones) that support the netmd-exploits as described on the Web Minidisc Pro guide.
      • The exploits for Type-S devices are older and more thoroughly tested. The exploits for Type-R devices currently operate slower and there may still be errors to work out, and not all functions are available.
      • As of this writing, ripping performance is roughly: - Type-R devices will rip at roughly half of real-time, for SP audio. - Type-S devices will rip at roughly 4x real-time, for SP audio.
  • Hardware
    • Write Protect
      • MINIDISC WRITE-PROTECT SWITCH - YouTube
      • Check the write-protect tab on the disc (open = writable; closed = protected)
        • Open mean the tab is there, closed the tab is pushed in so there is a gap/hole.
  • Sony MZ-N710
    • Buy a `Sony MZ-N710`
      • MZ-NF810 same as MZ-710 but with radio tuner.
      • The Italian programmer who originally wrote this software used his MZ-710.
    • Sony MZ-N710 [MiniDisc Wiki] - Sony MZ-N710 Compact and durable NetMD recorder, with its only significant downside being a reliance on gumsticks for internal power, not AA batteries. Works perfectly in both Web MiniDisc and SonicStage. Identical to the MZ-NF810, with the exception of lacking a TV tuner.
    • Sony RM-MC33EL [MiniDisc Wiki] - The remote.
  • Copying MiniDiscs to PC
    • Copying MiniDiscs to PC [MiniDisc Wiki]
      • This guide covers real time audio transfer from a MiniDisc to a PC for archival.
      • Be aware that the most common USB sound card with SPDIF input, the C-Media CM6206, does not accept inputs with a SCMS copy protection signal.
      • Optical and Coaxial digital signals can be converted with an inexpensive adapter.

ATTRAC/.AEA Format Information

  • General
    • AEA files are supported by VLC you can convert them/batch convert them directly from vlc media player under Media/convert/save. (to mp3 should you want to).
    • The music/tracks on the minidisc are stored in ATRAC1 digital format and when dumped, the file type is AEA.
  • File information
    • AEA File - What is a .aea file and how do I open it? - Learn about .AEA files and view a list of programs that open them.
      • An AEA file contains audio data encoded in the ATRAC1 format, which is a data compression format developed by Sony. It stores audio most likely dumped from a MiniDisc (MD), which is an optical disc similar to a compact disc (CD) that can be played with various MD players.
      • AEA files are not common, since MDs were introduced back in 1992 and overshadowed by CDs. You will most likely never encounter an AEA file unless you dump audio from an MD you own. You may also receive an AEA file from a friend sharing music dumped from one of his MDs.
      • The ATRAC1 format is a variation of the ATRAC format, which stands for Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding. Besides being used in MDs, the format was also utilized in the Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) theater sound system in the 1990s.
  • CODEC Information
    • ATRAC: Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding for MiniDisc | minidisc.org
      • Compression of 16-bit 44.1 kHz stereo audio into less than 1/5 of the original data rate with minimal reduction in sound quality.
      • 16-bit 44.1 kHz = (16/44.1)
    • .AEA File Codec Info Question... | Reddit
      • DCT based audio formats don't really have a bit depth, so VLC decodes them all to 32-bit PCM internally. Newer versions of VLC identify this as "decoded bit depth" and report the original bit depth if available, but I suspect for atrac files it is not available, and only the sample rate is.
      • I'm still looking for the most viable way of converting ".aea" files extracted with WebMiniDisc Pro, and although ffmpg is a good option I have the doubt about wich are the best settings for the conversion to WAV or FLAC, since in the VLC info about the ".aea" file, it says that the bit depth is 32 bits wich I find too high but altough the source is only 16 bit I don't want to convert to 16 bit as I would be cutting information from the original minidisc file... so is trully 32 bit the depth of the minidisc files (SP)?
      • VLC worked fine for converting multiple at once but otherwise I used Audacity. For some reason VLC wouldn't play some of the tracks but Audacity does. You can use a software called SPEK to see if information is lost during conversion.
      • The AEA files should be 16/44.1.
      • The decoding is happening with the open source ATRAC1 decoder in ffmpeg/VLC and is itself passable but still not quite as good as if you'd played the audio on a minidisc machine and recorded it onto your computer.
      • I haven't tested converting the AEAs to anything yet but I'd say if the result is any greater than 320 kilobits per second, something is lying along the way. The SP format is only 292kbit/sec and ATRAC isn't that miraculous.
      • An alternative ATRAC decoder (and encoder...) exists in the form of "atracdenc" here: https://github.com/dcherednik/atracdenc
      • I'd just go with converting to a very common lossy format once now (320 kbps MP3 if you want to overdo it, but 128/192 is probably "just fine", and if it's spoken word only - not music - even less than that should be plenty - YMMV) for everyday use and easy accessibility, and keep the AEA files for long-time archival (you can always turn the AEA files into WAV/FLAC using ffmpeg).
      • ffmpeg's source code won't go away that fast, so there will always be the possibility of converting later (assuming the AEA files are smaller than a corresponding FLAC file, so you can save storage space by hanging onto the AEA files + ffmpeg instead of just FLAC). Also, VLC will most likely "forever" be able to play back AEA files on the fly.
    • Analyse the .aea file with FFmpeg (Use ffprobe) to see the properties: 
      ffprobe input.aea

[aea @ 000001bb2aec5e40] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
Input #0, aea, from 'input.aea':
  Duration: 00:05:02.25, bitrate: 292 kb/s
  Stream #0:0: Audio: atrac1, 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 292 kb/s

or

ffmpeg -i input.aea

[aea @ 00000225f2775cc0] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
Input #0, aea, from 'input.aea':
  Duration: 00:05:02.25, bitrate: 292 kb/s
  Stream #0:0: Audio: atrac1, 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 292 kb/s
At least one output file must be specified
      • ffmpeg -i appears to do the same thing as ffprobe, however it expects an output file and will give the information but also an error.

Converting ATTRAC/.AEA

  • Guides
    • Converting ATRAC files to other formats [MiniDisc Wiki]
      • Converting ATRAC files to other formats with FFMPEG.
      • This will keep all the audio information in the WAV file as is. To create FLAC files with better tag and error correction support, use this command instead: 
        for f in *.aea; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -vn -hide_banner -c:a flac -sample_fmt s16 -ar 44100 "${f%.aea}.flac"; done
        • My PowerShell script for Windows was based off this.
      • There are Windows and Linux scripts here.
    • Convert ATRAC3 Plus to ATRAC1 · Issue #9 · dcherednik/atracdenc · GitHub
      • Q: Is not possible yet. It's only possible to decode Atrac1, not Atrac 3 or Atrac 3 Plus.
      • A: You can decode ATRAC3PLUS by FFMPEG to PCM and than encode PCM to ATRAC1. The result will be same.
      • The New Year present ))
        • I added support of reading from stdin for windows and POSIX. So now it should be possible make a pipe from ffmpeg to atracdenc. Example: 
          ffmpeg -i input_audio_file_supported_by_ffmpeg -f au - | atracdenc -e atrac1 -i - -o out.aea
        • https://github.com/dcherednik/atracdenc/releases/tag/0.0.2
          • For Windows Win32 Api based reader is used. Limitation: only AU(SND) 16bit 44100Hz stereo/mono input stream supported.
    • Is there a fool's guide to the new NetMD backup exploits? | Reddit
      • With that in mind, here's an easy way to convert AEA files to something else: 
      • If these are LP2 or LP4 recordings, you can achieve Sony-quality conversions on your computer by renaming the AEA files to OMA and using ATRACtool. 
      • Important to note: the aea files are ATRAC and not lossless to begin with. They are however the original data on the disc and thus the highest quality rip possible.
      • It's also important to note that the files are ATRAC, and there are differing qualities of ATRAC decoders. In particular, Sony made significant improvements to the ATRAC decoding on Type-S machines. 
      • So, whilst if you archive the raw ATRAC data, you are getting a bit-for-bit copy of what's on the disc, however in order to play the files, they need to be converted to raw PCM at some stage of the process. Playing back these files using software decoding may result in reduced sound quality versus playing them back through a Type-S player and recording the bitstream with a lossless codec. 
      • I'd hazard a guess and say that a Type-S MiniDisc player has a more advanced ATRAC decoder than VLC. Many (all?) currently available software decoders are based on reverse engineering the ATRAC spec. Sony never publicly released detailed technical information on how ATRAC works, nor what improvements they made to the encoder and decoder over the years, particularly the improvements made to the decoder in Type-S machines. 
      • Type-R, that came out before Type-S, had a more efficient encoder - it used more processing power to optimise the allocation of bits to more "important" sounds. Discs recorded on a Type-R machine will sound better, even on older equipment, than discs recorded on older machines. Then Type-S came out, this rolled in the encoding improvements of Type-R and added decoding improvements. This could take older ATRAC data and somehow do a better job of decoding it, as well as use the Type-R improvements when recording. 
    • VLC Converting Guide - Is there a fool's guide to the new NetMD backup exploits? | Reddit
      • There's been some discussion about the merits of ATRAC ripping versus recording the optical audio output of a deck. My apologies for contributing to the noise on that. Whenever this ocmes up I consider it important to mention there's different options with different trade-offs in terms of quality.
      • Although on technicality this isn't fully correct, everyone who says ATRAC ripping is the best possible method is right that it's the fastest, most convenient, and cheapest method and typically good enough. But not always -- we've had a couple people come by who had recordings where getting every last bit of quality that existed in the recordings was important and for them, ripped ATRAC files wasn't the answer.
      • Guide using VLC is given.
    • Trying ATRAC1 in software way? | Reddit - Some technical information about using FFmpeg, foobar2000, atracdenc, traconv.
    • Convert AEA to MP3 - Easily Convert AEA ATRAC1 Audio Files - YouTube
      • Have some old AEA audio files lying around and want to convert them to the more common MP3 format? This video shows you how to convert AEA ATRAC1 audio files to MP3 effortlessly.
      • WonderFox / VideoConvertoryFactory Advert.
    • How to Convert AEA (ATRAC1 Audio) to MP3?
      • Have some old AEA audio files lying around and want to convert them to the more common MP3 format? This post shows you how to convert AEA ATRAC1 audio files to MP3 effortlessly.
      • WonderFox / VideoConvertoryFactory Advert.
  • Tools (ATRAC)
  • Tools (Other)
    • BatchEncoder (Audio Conversion GUI)
      • An audio files conversion software.
      • It supports most of popular audio file formats including lossy and lossless compression.
      • The program is very simple to use. BatchEncoder is basically GUI front-end for command-line tools.
      • All it does is create background processes and pass arguments to it with options set in presets/format menu and additionally adds input and output file paths.
      • For specific options for each format use help available for command-line tools.
    • MKVToolNix
      • MKVToolNix is a set of tools to create, alter and inspect Matroska & WebM files under Windows, macOS, Linux and other Unices. It is the de-facto reference implementation of a Matroska multiplexer.
      • MKVToolNix consists of the following command-line tools and GUI:
        • mkvmerge
          • is a tool to create Matroska & WebM files from other formats.
          • used for merging or multiple files into one MKV file, or to rewrap a single file into an MKV file. In this process you can also select which tracks from which files you want.
        • mkvinfo
          • allows one to get information about the tracks in Matroska & WebM files.
          • It just reads out all the metadata and contents of an MKV file.
        • mkvextract
          • can extract tracks from Matroska & WebM files to other formats.
          • used to extract individual tracks from an MKV file into separate different non-MKV files.
        • mkvpropedit
          • can edit properties such as header and chapter information or attachments without remuxing.
          • Just modifies the properties and metadata of an MKV file without remuxing or rewrapping the whole thing.
        • MKVToolNix GUI
          • sits on top of the commands
          • an easy-to-use program making the functionality of those command-line tools available as a GUI.
      • What it does: Designed for Matroska containers (MKV/MKA), it lets you easily mux (combine) multiple audio files into a single MKA container without re-encoding.
      • mbunkus/mkvtoolnix (Codeberg.org) - Creating and working with Matroska files
      • MKVToolNix community & help forum - helping others use & understand MKVToolNix to its fullest potential.
      • Making a .MKA with many tracks (like a CD) - Need some help and clarification - Help - MKVToolNix community & help forum
        • ATRAC is not supported. FLAC is supported, but appending FLAC files is currently disabled by default. You can enable it manually. Please see this FAQ entry for details & instructions.
        • A lot of people append FLAC with mkvmerge with the options given in the FAQ entry. For most of them playback works fine. However, this depends on the player.
        • The sentence you quoted should probably read something like this:
          • "So basically in order to support appending and splitting FLAC tracks properly and be widely compatible with other devices I would have to implement my own FLAC decoder, something I’m not willing to do."
        • FLAC is the only audio format for which this is a problem in mkvmerge.
        • And again, please read about adding vs appending, as “only the first track plays” is the usual symptom for when you add all files instead of appending the second & all following files, causing content of all files to be laid out in parallel instead of in sequence.
        • mbunkus
        • Personally I use Opus for everything. For my personal audio I usually encode at 140 or so, but please look elsewhere for evidence-backed info on which bitrates to use for it. It’s been a while since I looked into it.
        • Generally it depends on the devices you want to play your stuff on. Most software players support Opus, and I don’t think there’s really one that supports Matroska but not Opus. Hardware players are obviously a different topic.
        • If I don't use FLAC, and I cannot use AEA, what si the next best codec to use = OPUS
      • Adding files vs. Appending files vs. adding as additional parts - mbunkus/mkvtoolnix - Codeberg.org
        • mkvmerge can lay out content either in parallel or sequentially:
          • Parallel: when you have three files that are laid out in parallel, the content of all three files will be played simultaneously.
          • Sequentially: when you have three files that are laid out sequentially, all of the content of file 1 is played first followed by all of the content of file 2 and finally followed by all the content of file 3.
      • Appending & splitting FLAC audio tracks not supported - mbunkus/mkvtoolnix - Codeberg.org
        • FLAC audio tracks cannot be appended or split with mkvmerge. Versions up to and including v44 did not actually emit error messages; however, the result was that the resulting FLAC tracks were invalid and could often not be played.
        • Starting with version 45 mkvmerge will refuse to append or split FLAC audio tracks and emit an error message instead.
        • Starting with version 47, the old behavior can be restored by adding --engage append_and_split_flac to mkvmerge's command-line options (in the GUI: multiplexer → "Output" tab → "Miscellaneous" → "Additional options"). Please note that this will result in broken tracks: the official FLAC tools will not be able to decode them and seeking will not work as expected.
      • Muxing | The Wiki - Muxing files with MKVToolNix

Editing Metadata Apps

  • Lists
  • Apps
    • MKVToolNix
    • MediaInfo
    • FFmpeg
    • MetadataTouch (Paid, not just for AV media files)
    • VLC
      • Tools --> Menu --> Media Information
      • The "General" and "Extra Metadata" tabs allow you to edit or add a wide variety of tags to the container.
    • WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro
    • Wondershare UniConverter

Other Codec/ Container and Tools

  • Audio Containers

    TL;DR

    • Local Files: MKV
    • Web: WebM
    • MKA / MKV
    • WebM
      • WebM - Wikipedia - The WebM container is based on a profile of Matroska. WebM initially supported VP8 video and Vorbis audio streams. In 2013, it was updated to accommodate VP9 video and Opus audio. It also supports the AV1 codec.
    • M4A
    • MKV vs WebM
      • MKV vs. WebM - What's the Difference? | This vs. That - What's the difference between MKV and WebM? MKV and WebM are both popular video container formats that are widely used for storing and playing multimedia content.
      • mkv vs webm - Bing Search - Here’s a comparison of MKV vs WebM:
        • MKV (Matroska):
          • Supports a wide range of audio and video codecs, making it versatile for high-quality video storage.
          • Ideal for storing movies and TV shows due to its ability to hold multiple audio tracks and subtitles.
          • Generally larger file sizes compared to WebM, which may not be suitable for web streaming.
        • WebM:
          • Specifically designed for web use, optimized for streaming and lower file sizes.
          • Supports VP8/VP9 video codecs and Vorbis/Opus audio codecs, making it efficient for online video.
          • Less versatile than MKV, as it is primarily used for web applications and may not support as many features.
        • In summary, MKV is better for high-quality video storage, while WebM is optimized for web streaming and lower file sizes.
      • MKV vs WEBM: Which One Should You Choose?
        • What distinguishes MKV from WEBM? You may find a thorough comparison between the video formats MKV vs. WEBM here, along with MKV to WEBM conversion tools.
        • It is possible to think of the WebM container format as a simplified version of the MKV format. The lack of support for other codecs is WebM's primary issue. It is only compatible with free codecs, such as VP8 and VP9, among others.
        • In MKV vs WEBM, WEBM files can also be stored in MKV format. However, not every MKV file can be converted to WEBM format. 
        • WebM, a constrained variant of MKV, is supported by several web browsers. The permitted video codecs are the main limitation. Only the open and free VP8 and VP9 codecs are used for the WebM video. Between MKV vs WEBM, all MKV files were WebM files, although not every MKV file is WebM-compliant.
  • Audio Codecs

    TL;DR

    • Lossless Audio: FLAC
    • Lossey Audio: Opus (maybe @140bps)
    • Video:
      • H.264 (defacto standard)
      • H.265 (better than H.264 but not everything can read this)
      • AV1 (this is open source and is becoming the new standard but it is still relative new)
    • General
      • MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC: all the audio file formats explained | What Hi-Fi?
        • Do you know your OGG from your ALAC?
        • Digital music comes in many different formats – almost everyone knows MP3 thanks to Napster at the end of the last century, but what about OGG, AIFF, MQA or DSD? Confused? Don't worry, we're here to help you chart a course through this alphabet soup.
        • Here we'll break down what these file formats are, what makes them different from their alternatives and why that matters. We'll also spell out which qualify as hi-res audio.
        • MP3s encoded at 128kbps will incur more sound loss than those encoded at 320kbps (kilobits per second, where each “bit” is essentially a “piece” of the song). Now that storage is so much cheaper, we'd avoid 128kbps at all costs, though 320kbps MP3s still have their purpose if your storage is limited – and they remain a standard on download stores.
      • Which audio format is the best? - Live Sound Blog
        • Find out which audio format is the best for quality, storage, and compatibility. Compare MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and more to make the right choice!
        • Casual Listening: MP3 (320kbps) or AAC
      • Best Audio File Formats: Which One Should You Use? | Headphonesty - A comprehensive guide to understanding the different audio file formats and who they are for.
      • Comparison of video container formats - Wikipedia - These tables compare features of multimedia container formats, most often used for storing or streaming digital video or digital audio content.
    • FLAC
      • General
        • FLAC - FAQ
          • A free, open source codec for lossless audio compression and decompression.
          • FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an audio format similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. 
        • audio - Converting m4a (alac) to flac using ffmpeg, output is lower quality? - Super User
          • Don't pay heed to the bitrate shown for the output during conversion - that is germane only when the encoder's rate control method targets a bitrate. The FLAC encoder doesn't. Run ffprobe on the output file after it has been generated. It will show the actual encoded bitrate.
          • FLAC is a lossless codec, so irrespective of the bitrate obtained, it will be lossless i.e. of identical quality, relative to the source.
          • s16 and s16p refer to the sample formats generated by ffmpeg's decoder for these formats. s16p means the decoded samples are signed 16-bit integers, with each channel in a separate plane i.e. C1 C1 C1 C1 and C2 C2 C2 C2 whereas in s16, they are stored interleaved as C1 C2 C1 C2 C1 C2 C1 C2. To clarify, this is the layout and format of the uncompressed output produced by the decoder. The actual data in the files is coded (hence the term encoded).
          • There is a PowerShell script with explanations simiiar to mine.
        • FLAC compression options unclear: --exhaustive-model-search, --qlp-coeff-precision-search - Sound Design Stack Exchange
          • A table of the different compression switches and there different outcomes.
        • Codecs - XiphWiki - This wiki describes our free and open protocols and softwar and covers the main codecs.
      • Tools
    • Opus
      • Opus (audio format) - Wikipedia
        • Opus supports constant and variable bitrate encoding
        • Opus packets are not self-delimiting, but are designed to be used inside a container of some sort which supplies the decoder with each packet's length.
        • Still in active development.
  • Audio Players (ADTRAC support)
  • Forums

Troubleshooting

 

Read 1259 times Last modified on Thursday, 28 August 2025 16:33
Published in Other Devices
back to top