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Questions/Comments for Marc's uploading utility.

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Coming soon to a HiMDRenderer program near you:

* A built in "Find .oma/.omg files" function  (will only be available to GUI version....)

I take all your comments seriously... I didnt know finding .oma files could be difficult for some people, so now im doing something about it.

That's why I always create my music-database in a directory called E:OpenMG or D:OpenMG for easy finding the oma-files and cleaning the database.

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Anyone for version 0.20?... The changelong is quite descriptive so i wont repeat it here.

http://www.marcnetsystem.co.uk/himdrenderer020.zip

Read changes athttp://www.marcnetsystem.co.uk/himd/

Nice build! The program immediately found my OMG-dir being E:OpenMG (probably in the registry) and found about 719 OMA-files :cool:

The only thing it might lack is being able to select more than one file from the "found" list with CTRL and SHIFT for batch-conversion, you now have to select every file separately to get it into the batch-list.

It may be a minor change/add but with converting more files can be very handy (probably you just forgot to implement it).

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The only thing it might lack is being able to select more than one file from the "found" list with CTRL and SHIFT for batch-conversion, you now have to select every file separately to get it into the batch-list

Try version 0.21 :smile:

http://www.marcnetsystem.co.uk/himdrenderer021.zip

'll give it a try. I just used 0.10 to convert a bunch of my band gig recordings; on one of the tracks that opens with harp solo, I got lots and lots of repeats. I re-ran that track using a 45 second block size instead of the default 30 and it came out much cleaner. So far that's all I've noticed.

Should be no differnece in version 0.20. I would, however, like a like log file to see why this happens. Please make sure the "Generate log file" option is selected and PM me the resultant file.

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Exactly like I ment! Very nice (as always)!

It would be a real joke if this program could do more and better than the official Sony tool that we are still waiting for, but if I see how the developement is going now, this would not be entirely impossible! :cool: :laugh:

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Version 21 looks great!! The only thing I can suggest adding to it is that when you go "Find" for the location of the .oma files, when the path has been found, you can scroll down, but not across. My file location is very long, so I cannot see the actual file, if there was a scroll ACROSS bar, this would be excellent!

Keep up the excellent work!

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Short of turning down the volume, is there any way to turn off the sound while rendering? It's not a big problem, but it caught me by suprise the first time I used the program.

No. Sorry. The program uses DirectShow.. and the Sony modules expect some sort of clock to sync to when I modify the seek position... The best thing to use for a reference clock is DirectSound.

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Version 21 looks great!! The only thing I can suggest adding to it is that when you go "Find" for the location of the .oma files, when the path has been found, you can scroll down, but not across. My file location is very long, so I cannot see the actual file, if there was a scroll ACROSS bar, this would be excellent!

Keep up the excellent work!

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as I use HIMDRENDER or the windows version, I always get an error message

Success !

add direct sound to graph Success !

get input pin from dsound Get omgsrc_baseSuccess !

Success !

Get omgsrc_base output pin Success

Create OMG TRANSFORM Success !

Success !

Add OMG TRANSFORM to graph Success !

get input in from omg trans Success !

get output in from omg trans - Success!

Get sony wav writer Success !

Success !

Success !

Add sony wav writer to graph Success !

Delete output File: d:temptest.omg.wav.tmp -- FAILED

Set up sony wav writer Success !

get input in from sony wav writerSuccess !

Get smarttee interfaces Success !

Success !

Add smarttee to graph Success !

Get Smarttee pins Success !

Success !

Success !

Attempt connection between omgsrc and omgtrans

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You're trying to convert a OMG file, not a OMA file. Either

a) Use the OMG->OMA file upgrade utility provided by Sony in the later versions of SonicStage (2.1+)

cool.gif Get the latest version (0.21) of my program and use the EXPERIMENTAL (ie: it may not work properlly) and try converting the file with that.

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While I dont have a HI-MD yet nor have i used any of this software I just want to say that its amazing what you have done marc! I was holding off on buying a HI-MD to record concerts with because I couldnt transfer my shows to the PC for editing.

Ive got a job at best buy and they are up on the website so im going to see what kinda deal i can get on the NH1 or NH900 and a bunch of discs.

One question tho...from what ive read, correct me if im wrong, i only get *ONE* shot at uploading from HIMD to the computer? WTF is that?!

Anyone taped a show with the NH900 email or pm me..id like to know what you thought of it.

----------

Greg

www.enemyzero.com/greg/

aim: dunebug81

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Jadeclaw: thanks for that bit of info [deleting on the HiMD via SS = editable file]. I was rather frustrated with not being able to combine tracks .. having used the auto track mark function to keep tracks short, so that SS's track-trashing feature would only destroy short chunks instead of entire recordings.

Incidentally, did you know that if you try to transfer a track a 2nd time, it simply deletes the track from your disc? Rude buggers.

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I have already asked this.... about 1 week ago, and havn't got any replies. Just wondering if you can consider this marcnet - The only thing I can suggest adding to it is that when you go "Find" for the location of the .oma files, when the path has been found, you can scroll down, but not across. My file location is very long, so I cannot see the actual file, if there was a scroll ACROSS bar, this would be excellent!

Keep up the excellent work!

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, you can scroll down, but not across. My file location is very long, so I cannot see the actual file, if there was a scroll ACROSS bar, this would be excellent!  

Keep up the excellent work!

I know. Ive done that and it will be in the next release.

Im also working on a built in bug and log submitting system to make things a bit easier for me.

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i searched for an answer, but couldn't find it, so maybe someone can help.

Two problems: First, starting Sonicstage 2.2 just causes it to crash. The crash message that comes up is: "<process has already exited> has generated errors and will be closed."

Second, trying to convert with himdrender .21 brings that same error msg, as well as a log file. The last few lines are:

####

Add smarttee to graph T h e f i l t e r h a s b e e n a d d e d t o t h e g r a p h

Success !

Get Smarttee pins Success !

Success !

Success !

Attempt connection between omgsrc and omgtrans C o n n e c t : T r y i n g t o c o n n e c t o u t p u t p i n 7 a 7 1 d c t o i n p u t p i n 7 a 7 f 1 4

C o n n e c t : T r y i n g d i r e c t c o n n e c t i o n f r o m o u t p u t p i n 7 a 7 1 d c t o i n p u t p i n 7 a 7 f 1 4

####

Thanks for any ideas :smile:

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Hey marc, great work...i've been using your program to record lectures at my university and then transfering them for archiving, burning, whatever I need...but your program gives me a lot of freedom I wouldn't have without it!

So, in recording my lectures, I first transfer to Sonicstage, then use your program to get it to .wav, but then I have to use adobe audition or some other audio program to change the file from stereo (it only records to the left channel) to mono so that I can hear the lectures from both ears/speakers.

I was wondering, is there a way you could make a checkbox for mono-recordings? I would think this would be pretty popular since mics are mono devices by nature. I assume it would be only as hard as capturing the L audio stream and not the R as well through directsound, but then again I know next to nothing about the programming behind this marvel! If it isn't too much trouble, and maybe if there are others like me that might want to speak up, do you think you could look into it Marc?

Thanks for your time,

Rob

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but then I have to use adobe audition or some other audio program to change the file from stereo (it only records to the left channel) to mono so that I can hear the lectures from both ears/speakers

I am sorry if this information is totally wrong, but I believe I read somewhere that one could set the record type to "mono" which would then record the track (lecture in this case) to both left and right channels at the same time. Since you are using a mono mic, wouldn't this work to save you the step chanding from stereo to mono later ? My MZ-N1 has this option, but of course that is not HiMD, nor "current" hardware, so my experience might not apply.

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You can set any MD-Recorder to mono, but that is old MD, which CANNOT be uploaded.

Since almost noone is using mono, it has been left out of PCM/Hi-SP. On low bitrates, Joint-Stereo is used, so an extra Mono setting would gain nothing in recording time. What could be done is connecting both channels together in the microphone plug, so that both channels get the same signal. That can slightly reduce the noise from the microphone amp when adding the channels later in the wave editor.

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r2j, regarding your question, I'd suggest to read back this thread, since most answers seem to be there.

:whatever: I'd consider this first:

- Install SS vs. 2.1 or 2.2. Use the Sony-b(we)a®ckuptool to save your Library first! Save it on a place you will remember btw.

- Convert your .omg-files to .oma-files, using the SonicStage File Conversion Tool.

Then try again with Marc's HiMDrenderer.

huh.gif good luck

AH

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I have. OMG support is in version 0.21 onwards. Its experimental and buggy. But its in there.

I have tested it by encoding a wav using the OpenMg software that was available prior to SonicStage 2.0 (I had it installed on my laptop for NetMD transfers before I bought my big PC which I now use for HIMD transfers)

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Marc,

Another big "Thankyou" for the time and effort you've put into this project! An absolutely essential tool for Hi-MD owners, and I'm frankly appalled that the software supplied with the units doesn't have this function built in already.

I've only tried it briefly, it did work but produced some errors in the output wav file. I think I know what might be causing them, but first a question:

Why is conversion from OMA to WAV such an imprecise process, requiring all this overlap business / searching for near-matching samples etc.? Any other audio format conversion will always give exactly repeatable, unique results with no risk of repeats or clicks, so what is different about OMA files?

Thanks,

Jonah

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Because the Sony Direct show modules only allow a maximum of 1 minute to be rendered in one go.

So I have to pause and resume the Direct Show graph before each minute (the block size).

And because simply resuming from the paused point will cause loss of data, I step back the Direct Show position by a small amount (the overlap amount). This, however, produces bits of repeated audio.

Repeated audio is easier to deal with than missing audio, so thats why my program does what it does.

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You mentioned earlier in this thread that when you step back and restart playback, the samples it gives you are not identical to the ones you got the first time around, so you need to search for near (but not exact) matches in the overlap region to stitch the blocks together. (if I've understood correctly!)

So effectively, each time you request a block of audio from the Direct Show software, it gives you different results?? Any idea why this is happening?

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I'm going a bit out on a limb here...

When the decoder recreates the audio from the compressed data, then the data from the previous frames is part of the process. Yet, when the decoding process is restarted, these frames are missing, thus the difference, which slowly averages out. Now add the unprecise positioning of the directshow filters, which is partly to blame on the filter and partly to blame on the operating system, that is what makes the whole process so tedious.

The alternative would be to reengineer the whole encryption/atrac-decoding process, which takes quite a time and effort. We're talking about a few man-years here...

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Sounds feasible...

Is was wondering if this sample difference, and/or the imprecise positioning, could also be related to the frame size used by ATRAC. HIMDRenderer allows you to specify a block size and overlap in seconds, but assuming the ATRAC frame size is 4096 samples (which I think I remember reading somewhere), then an integer number of seconds doesn't translate to a whole number of frames. Would it be worth experimenting with block sizes that are a multiple of 4096 samples instead of whole seconds?

Also - am I right in thinking that the sample difference doesn't happen when converting PCM sources? If so, then the "Max allowed sample difference" could be safely set to zero - which the program currently doesn't allow. This might improve the reliability of the block lining-up process.

Apologies if I'm talking complete rubbish though! :wink:

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When decoding LinearPCM, there should no difference between multiple playbacks. However, due to the imprecise positioning, you need overlap as well, otherwise you lose samples.

The ATRAC framesize might play a role as well, but since the directshow filters don't allow frame based positioning, it won't help you here...

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