Moving Sonic Stage to New Computer

[Broonie]

Hi There,

I've just got a new laptop (Win 8) and successfully installed SS 4.3. I simply copied over all my music files to the new machine, imported them into SS, initialised the HDD on my NW-HD5 and started the sync process but none of the .oma (i have a mixture of .MP3 and .OMA) files have been imported into SS.

Do I have to do a backup using the SS backup tool and then do a restore on my new laptop to successfully install the .oma files?

I tried doing a restore once before with that tool and it was a bit of a disaster.

[sfbp]

More importantly you should run the File Conversion Tool. That way if the backup and restore fails you can still add the decrypted (for that is what it is, a decryption) files can be played on any installation of Windows instead of being tied to the one under which they were uploaded.

But go ahead and do the Backup. I recommend you do the FCT conversion first, though.

[Broonie]

More importantly you should run the File Conversion Tool. That way if the backup and restore fails you can still add the decrypted (for that is what it is, a decryption) files can be played on any installation of Windows instead of being tied to the one under which they were uploaded.

But go ahead and do the Backup. I recommend you do the FCT conversion first, though.

What's the File Conversion Tool?

[Broonie]

Actually I've found it. I dowloaded the version from the Sony site rather than use the one built into SS and it's currently running - look like it's going to take some time. Is the idea that once the conversion tool has finished I copy over the new MP3 files to my new laptop and import them into SS and then they'l transfer to my NW-HD5 with no problems?

[Broonie]

Also, do the new MP3 files have tags after conversion?

[sfbp]

You didn't find the File Conversion Tool, you found the OMA2MP3.EXE which is quite different. You don't really want to convert to MP3.

You should stop that and run the FCT. DO run it from within SS.

But whatever you do, no System Restores until you have converted everything.

[Broonie]

So what does the File Conversion Tool do?

[sfbp]

The FCT will enable you to move your files (after using it) to the new machine (or anywhere, such as play them via a LAN). The problem is dealt with, for some bitrates only, in VLC, avlib, and ffmpeg. However it would be better for your sanity to get them decrypted now, particularly because the ETA of the remaining formats being dealt with by those new software packages, is at present unknown. It *is* in the pipeline, but I wanted to warn you BEFORE you got all your music half way to new machine only to discover you couldn't play it.

Please look again at post #2, and then search with google like this: File Conversion Tool site:sonyinsider.com

Thanks and good luck.

[Broonie]

Well I don't what I did was the best but it has worked. I used the MP3 conversion tool on the old laptop (which seems to have decrypted them too), copied the resulting MP3 files to my new laptop and am now in the process of importing them all into my NW-HD5. It looks like it's all going well so far. I did a quick test with one album and it certainly worked so I'm presuming everything will go well with the other 1200 tracks.

[sfbp]

Evrrything's obviously fine EXCEPT that you ended up with mp3s. Most here on the board would prefer ATRAC.

[Broonie]

But that was always my planned outcome. Whilst I realise ATRAC is a superior format I need to make my music playable on other devices. I also need to get away from the horror of SS.

[THIS SUCKS]

you lose quality when you convert to mp3

[sfbp]

And you don't actually need to use SS to play things.

[henry's cat]

Does anyone know if the authentication server for Sony Sonicstage restore is still working?

I've just built a new P.C and am in the process of migrating all data and software to the new

machine. I've installed Sonicstage Ultimate V4.3 and it is working fine. I have tried several

times, at different times of the day, to restore my minidisc library from a back-up but

repeatedly get the error message - Other error has occured. Error code=0x304 - at the connecting

to the internet to authenticate stage. I have a broadband connection and have tried turning Windows firewall off but it makes not difference.

I can import and play .oma files from copies on a removable hard drive to the new machine's

Sonicstage installation, but only music ripped from CD's which have no copy protection. Files

that were originally copied from minidisc and are part of my library from the old machine can be

imported to my new one, but when I try to play them back I get a message about the file being

unauthenticated.

I am going to try the File Conversion Tool to try and remove the copy protection so I can play

back MY OWN recordings on the new P.C. Failing that I will have to re-import from master copy

minidiscs or convert to WAV format for recordings that I do not have back-ups on minidisc.

[sfbp]

by and large, what format are your recordings in?

Anything lp2, lp4 that's been uploaded can now be played with VLC or ffmpeg thanks to the work of some clever people "somewhere in Europe". That is, you no longer care about the encryption.

However, I would strongly recommend putting everything back on your old PC and running the FCT from there, if it's not too late. Also never let a week pass but check your library contains no tracks that are encrypted. If you save CD tracks in Atrac Advanced Lossless, there's no encryption, but it's probably too late for you for that.

There's another trick which may help. Rather than trying to restore backup, do a :junction: with that external hard drive. Like this:

junction importedfiles Q:sonicstageimportedfiles

You can find junction on the Sysinternals site (now part of MSFT) if you don't know about it. The result of this is that the external drive appears to be part of your hard disk.

As to the authentication server, historically it has been up and down a fair bit over the last 4-5 years. Maybe you were unlucky for some reason.

[henry's cat]

Thanks for the reply. I've a large mixture of ATRAC & ATRAC3 tracks ranging from LP4 to ATRAC3 Plus Advanced Lossless mode. I'd rather stick with Sonicstage than use VLC although VLC is very good.

I tried again in vain yesterday to restore from a back-up, but nothing doing from the authentication server. The last time I did a full restore to a new PC was several years ago and that's when I had a much smaller library and dial-up internet access!

Can I just check that the File Conversion Tool mentioned is the one within Sonicstage on the Tools menu labeled Convert Format?

I've tried the Sonicstage File Conversion Tool within the sub-menu on the Windows programs menu after importing a copy of my library and then trying to convert them and unchecking the copy protection option but this failed with the copy protection staying intact.

I have successfully transferred some recordings from a master minidisc into Sonicstage on my new PC and then used the Convert Format to convert them back to the same codec but removed the copy protection.

If I've understood the above posts properly is this what I should do?

On my old PC, use the Convert Format feature to create a new version of the file in the same codec but uncheck the copy protection option. Then, move or copy the newly created second version onto my removable caddy hard drive, then import those files into Sonicstage on the new PC.

Is it any wonder that Minidisc lost out to MP3 and the IPlayer because of Sony's obsession with digital rights management?

[sfbp]

Interesting post. Makes you sound like the average board-posting MD addict around here. You want it all, now.

Some random thoughts, not in order (sorry I might need more time to contemplate the comprehensive solution to get you out of where you are):

1. Always run FCT from within Sonic Stage. Bad things happen if you do not.

2. Check your firewall and turn it off. I'm NOT thinking of Windows firewall here. I'm thinking of your LAN. It should only need to be for a few seconds.

3. Not sure if the authentication procedure uses Windows Exploder, or its DLLs but I am guessing it does. There may be something real weird going on there. Probably, as long as you have the upgrade to W7, you should be trying that part out in the XP box, and later reinstall SS directly into 64-bit land.

4. As you say the best is to get everything unprotected. This categorically means you need your old system running, AFAIK.

Hope this helps. I would avoid the Convert File menu for now, the less unexpected transformations to your files the safer your music will be (I'm speaking from a reproduction perspective).

Stephen

PS I understand about VLC (and it WILL NOT play the A3+, yet, although in time we hope so). But you can also play with ANY media player in Windows. Where VLC is interesting is that it does not use the windows sound dll's and can therefore be run on Android etc. When you're concerned that SS isn't working right, try playing a track with WMP. If it works, your problems are minor and can be sorted. If it doesn't almost certainly you're still encrypted. VLC **will** play encrypted LP2 and LP4 but that's all at the moment.

[Tom B]

I've heard comments that we lose quality when converting from ATRAC to .mp3. Then I've heard there is no loss.

Is there anything published or any guidance about changes in the audio quality when a file is converted to .mp3? (When I have converted something I have managed to save the original ATRAC file.)

[henry's cat]

Earlier this year I tried unsuccessfully to restore a Sonicstage library using the Back-up tool to a new PC. For whatever reason the library contents could not be authenticated either because the authentication server was down, no longer working or the hardware firewall in my B.T Hub was preventing a connection with the server.

Here is the procedure I have successfully used to transfer more than ten year's worth of recordings to a new installation of Sonicstage 4.3.01 on a new PC. This does rely on the old PC still being usable though.

First of all, on the old computer use the convert format function within Sonicstage to remove copy protection on any files that have it. Choose the same format for the converted file as the source file, i.e. ATRAC 132kbps to ATRAC 132kbps but uncheck the add copy protection option. Tracks imported from C.D's do not have copy protection added so they do not need converting but they still need to be imported into Sonicstage on a new computer.

You should find the converted files in a folder called 'Optimized Files' on the same drive as your Sonicstage library. To check where they reside, right click on a title, go to properties and then 'File Info'. There should be two copies of the file listed, one is the original, the other the non-copy protected version.

To transfer to the new PC the converted files will need to be imported into Sonicstage. To do this it is probably best to create a folder for each album or recorded title on your transfer media such as a memory stick or external hard drive, so that there is some order to the possible hundreds of files that have been converted.

Copy all files that belong to an album or title from the 'Optimized Files' folder on the old computer into the appropriate folder on the transfer media. Both my new and old PC have removable hard drive racks so I copied the files to the drive in the caddy on my old PC. After this do any re-naming of the files that you might think necessary on the transfer media.

When ready, plug in the media that the converted files are on in to the new PC. Move or copy the folders containing the converted files to wherever your Sonicstage library is to reside on the new PC. Within Sonicstage click on 'My Library' and then 'File' and then choose Import Music File. Navigate to the first folder that you want to import files from and then highlight the file or files that you wish import.

Hopefully, the file/files will import without any problems and you should find on checking the file properties from within Sonicstage that there is no copy protection and there are an unlimited number of transfer counts available.

[sfbp]

Well done!

But the step with "Convert format" really isn't necessary.

Just run the File Conversion Tool (on the old PC) and then copy the files (the ones which got decrypted will have changed from .oma to .OMA).

Then suck them in to the new setup, just as you did.

[henry's cat]

Thanks for the tip. I'll remember that in future if I have to change PC again. Does the Sonicstage File Conversion Tool convert the format like-for-like i.e 64kbps to 64kbps? I thought it was only for converting files from early versions of Sonicstage and I wasn't sure what effect it would have on my library so that's why I didn't use it.

[sfbp]

You need to run it only once on each file. It doesn't alter the sound format at all, only the encryption.

All the files you managed to convert will still be just fine.

Recommended to run the FCT once a week or after every significant (?definition) upload to your PC.

[mmacdo9841]

10.05.14

managed to get authentication @14.00 GMT using SS backup tool after a number of unsuccessful attempts

Mike MacDonald

[sfbp]

GREAT NEWS