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Sonicstage no longer plays WAV files/don't transfer...?


tommypeters

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I have SonicStage 4.3 Ultimate R2 installed on a 64-bit Windows 7 (all updates) computer and I have a few version 1 Hi-MD players.

Since the MZ-NH900 and the other Hi-MD players I have can't play MP3 files I usually use Foobar2k to convert to WAV files and then import them to SonicStage. Then I transfer to a 1GB HiMD disk after an automatic conversion.

This has worked on my computer since I installed the Ultimate version, until today. When I tried to transfer to a freshly formatted disk I just got a flash of "Converting 0%" for each track and then an error report - "Transfers are not allowed".

I see nothing strange with the tracks, but when I try to play one of them inside SonicStage I get "Cannot load the rights information for the selected tracks. The file format may not be supported by SonicStage. (0000010d)". I have however used exactly the same settings (preset) in Foobar as before. I have also tried with .WAV files that came with Windows and old .WAV files from recordings of my own, also with converting MP3 files that I have earlier converted and transferred without problems.

For me it mainly looks like a Windows Update has replaced a file SonicStage needs to be able to play WAV files, but then I would like to try a reinstall and that doesn't seem to be possible (or is there a link to a self-contained installer of Ultimate anywhere, the link I used earlier is no longer working)?

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Just found out that the DL links here works, will download and try to reinstall.

In the meantime I tried the original SonicStage on and old laptop with 32-bit Win7 and it works with the files I converted in Foobar. But the memory there is a bit on the low side and SS usually crashes during transfers because of out-of-memory, but with some/a lot of manual work it may eventually create a complete transfer...

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Sounds complicated.

The download link should be fine, I have no idea what you mean about self-contained installer, as that is always and only what the download here has been.

There has been historically some issue with the PCM (WAV) codec getting rearranged in pecking order.

But the usual reason WAV tracks don't play in SS is because some one or some thing modified them (even if only the date).

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Yes, but the original SS isn't a self-contained installer. I had a bookmark to the Ultimate version that no longer worked, but when looking at the top of the Ultimate thread here I found the DL link and it worked. But the program still doesn't, as I wrote probably because something else has changed my system. The same WAV files are importable on my old computer with original SS, and SS has worked here until when I tried it this time.

That codec issue sounds possible...

Thanks for your answer.

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Yeah, but I think (not sure) that WMP "does its own thing". I recall how to fix this in XP, but have never tried in 7 (or 8).

Before panicking, I strongly suggest you "delete" them from SS and re-add. Maybe in the course of doing that (and close inspection of the file dates) you may remember or figure out what went wrong with your SS database (assuming I am correct and these work after doing so). Just a clue (Azureal may be more help than I am) the database files are common-or-garden Microsoft Access databases.

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I tried Graphstudio http://blog.monogram.sk/janos/tools/monogram-graphstudio/ but it crashed on every WAV file...


Deleting and re-importing the files was the first thing I tried. Re-encoding and then re-importing was the second. Trying with files I haven't encoded myself was the third. Posting here was the fourth... :this:

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You know that SS doesn't handle 24-bit wav files?

Let's turn this around a bit. Instead of telling us what your setup DOESN'T do, try tell us what it DOES do.

Maybe that will help us make a better picture of what's messed up.

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Yes, it's 16-bit LPCM .WAV files. I have also tried with .WAV files that SonicStage earlier could convert, so something has happened to my system. It's seems like all other programs I have, including the current Windows Media Player, use built-in codecs so all other programs can play every file. It's just in GraphStudio I can see how it renders all other files (FLAC, mp3, AVI, mp4...) but GraphStudio barfs on .WAV files...

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I now tried on my work computer (lunch...) and GraphStudio renders a WAV file using Wave Parser --> ACM Wrapper --> Default DirectSound Device. Everything seems to be in quartz.dll. I saw nothing strange yesterday at home when looked at the filters with ffdshow, but of course since it was a couple of years ago since I had to change anything in this era of self-contained players I didn't really know what to look for. Now I know what pieces should be involved in the render chain, not sure if that will help, though.

SonicStage of course also works on my work computer, but lunch break is too short for anything productive to be done on the MD front...

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I don't know if you've been tinkering with the registry at all.

1. Have you tried going back 1 week (just before this all started)? There are even utilities that can "diff" the registry before and after and you can learn what happened

2. I had reason to jiggle the bits relating to WMP playback on a newish machine here. I found that WMP was ignoring the stuff in the 64-bit registry, you have to look HERE

HKLMSOFTWAREWow6432NodeMicrosoftMediaPlayer....

(intead of the more obvious HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftMediaPlayer....)

Stephen

PS by sheer coincidence (maybe not!?) there is a post in an old thread (well, not that old) about SS refusing to boot, I'm sure you will see it. You might try his trick too.

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Forget about WMP... ;) I first thought WMP would be a good test of Windows filters, but it seems like it was several versions since WMP didn't use built-in filters the same way as MPC-HD and VLC does. Since WAV files play in WMP it's not interesting to look at WMP.

Graphstudio has taken the place for me in the test for system health. If I can get WAV files to render in GraphStudio then I expect the files also to play in SonicStage. But using ffdshow to change merit of filters nad then a restart of the computer didn't help on the first try.

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Did you check this:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/codecs-frequently-asked-questions#codecs-frequently-asked-questions=windows-7

Here's what the output from mine looks like:

wmpsupport.htm

Probably you are way ahead of me, but I recall in XP there was a control panel and the codecs (MSADPCM and the like) needed to be tweaked.

Note that on this system, everything works. I hope.

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BTW, I have always only converted to WAV files and imported them, it seems like SonicStage should be able to import .wma and .mp4 files as well? I will try to convert to one of those formats and see if SS can import that...


No, I get the same "Cannot load the rights information on wma files as well... :(

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Questions:

1. are you logging into a different user than 2 weeks ago?

2. Has some "security" patch been applied (possibly through windows update)? Can you undo that?

3. Where is the root of the file storage you use? I strongly recommend moving it to something like c:music

4. Try inspecting the file properties of one individual track, from within SS. Anything weird strike you? Can you MOVE the file location?

5. Have you figured out where the db files are? There's postings by azureal where he investigated them and dumped them out in MS Access. Perhaps doing that would give you a clue. Could be you have the backup db and the real one is munged, or something like that?

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1. Only one user on the computer

2. Too long time since last time I used SS, too many updates...

3. F:md

4. I will check that when I come home

5. I use SS only to create minidiscs anddon't care about the SS database (use Foobar2k for play on computer) so I could scrap the db

Is there any other program that could convert from WAV to LP4 and then maybe SS could transfer those files to discs?

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2. It's not SS updates I care about, but Windows updates.

I dont think ffmpeg writes files in LPx. Converting WAV to LP4 is not a safe conversion anyway. Better to convert via an intermediate rate such as LP2 or Hi-SP.

You cannot do without Sonic Stage's database. Also if you have a lot of similarly named long named files, bad things can happen if you delete and re-add lots of files. These bad things are happening in Windows not Sonicstage although it's probably SS's fault. See if you can play that file using SS.

It sounds as though you've recently started doing something SS doesn't like.

I strongly recommend to stop using WAV if you need MDLP on disks.

I'm sure there's a way to get a fresh db. Easiest is to find it, delete all copies including backup, and reinstall SS.

Another test is to see if you can rip a CD direct to HiSP using SS.

I would study carefully what's different between the computer that works and the one which doesn't. Maybe the LFN data structures are messed up. Try a file with a real 8.3 name ie 8 chars uppercase and 3 char extension (.oma).

Something fundamental is bust on your system.

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2) Yes, mee too, but too many Windows Update since last time I know SS worked (2 months ago).

Maybe the name LP4 is wrong - what's the name of the 48kbit/s Hi-MD mode?

Stop using WAV? OK, what should I use instead? I don't know if SS cares, it probably spits everything out now...

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Did you already try Database optimization in SS, I get sometimes the same message "Transfers are not allowed" and after optimizing the database the tranfers succeed without any problem.

Tools > Options > Advanced settings > Optimize

Give it a try, you never knows.

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You can import the mp3's you have directly in SS and convert them while tranferring to (Hi)MD, you don't need to convert them to WAV.

Some VBR MP3's are not converted well by SS and that's the reason I convert VBR MP3's to WMA-lossless 44.100 hz 24 bits, I use MediaMonkey to convert this MP3's to WMA-lossless. This way the tags of the MP3's are kept when importing the WMA's in SS.

After succesful transfers I throw away the WMA's and the optimized (OMA) files and keep the original MP3's (and back-up them).

I use MediaMonkey as my main musiclibrary (>10.000 tracks) and I import only the files I want to transfer to Hi-MD in SS, after that I empty SS and the optimized files directory. This works well for me.

English is not my native language, so there will be some errors in this text.

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Are you sure Mp3:s are converted in SS? I believe 2nd generation Hi-MD play MP3, while 1st generation (as I have) don't, and SS doesn't convert...

 

I may remember this incorrectly, it was a few years ago I started with converting to WAV, could be because of the problem vith VBR.

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Look in Sonicstage Help, you can find a lot of info.

 

Click for example on File>Import>Scan Folder>Settings to see which files you can import in SS: WAV, MP3, WMA, AAC and of course Atrac.

In the Help you can find the following message:

  • Playback and conversion to OpenMG Audio format of imported MP3 (and WMA) files is only guaranteed for files with a constant bit rate (CBR).

When transferring to Hi-MD, Net MD or Atrac Audio device you choose the settings to convert.

You can also see and change the settings by clicking: Tools>Options>Transfer>Hi-MD (or MD)>Transfer Settings.

There are two possibilities:

  • Standard transfer mode in combination with the Advanced button to choose the settings when conversion is required
  • Specified bit rate transfer mode, here you choose the Atrac3 or Atrac 3 plus bitrate SS must use when transferring the track

The resulting files of the conversion are saved in the Optimized Files directory, you can also choose to let SS delete the files after the conversion.

 

Look in the Help of SS for a lot more information.

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  • 1 month later...

While it doesn't work doing like in the SS help files - the program can't see that I have a Gen1 device and tries to transfer the MP3 files even if I have configured to always transfer to Atrac3/Atrac3+ - there is a way around that. I import the MP3 files, then mark all the files in SS and select Convert from the menu. Then delete (move) the MP3 files and SS decides to transfer the converted files instead...

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