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[Noman]

Sometimes when converting from a wav file to ape I get dropouts (1 to 2 sec of total silence) in the ape file.
The Wav files are intact.
I had this problem with flac (was told it was a HW issue) so I changed hardware and started to use ape.

The conversion is made from wav files on the HD not from a cd-rom.

Any ideas.

[JimH]

Virus checker?

Here's a thread that has problems that turned out to be caused by other hardware and/or software:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=24031;start=0

[Noman]

Using CA Antivirus. Didn't find anything specific about that but I will try to disable it and see if that will help out.
Thanx

[lalittle]

Is there some consistancy to the issue?  You said "sometimes" this happens, but does it always happen to the same file in the same place, or is it totally random.  In other words, if you re-convert the same song, does it sometimes work?

You might want to try converting to mp3 to see if it happens there, or try ripping directly from CD to see if you still get the problem.  These won't necessarily directly help your situation, but they could help narrow down where the problem is occuring.

It seems unlikely that CA Antivirus would cause the problem, but it's worth a shot.  CA AV is known for being light on system resources, and for NOT interfering with other programs, but please report back what you find after your test.

Thanks,

Larry

[Noman]

It is "totaly random" 

I had the problem when ripping CD:s, changed to a new Plextor drive and don't convert while ripping and now I trust that process.

I convert my original Wav files (not from Cd:s) on my internal HD on my "dedicated" MC computer. I don't listen to all of them before I transfer them to different HD:s. Wav files to one disc for archive and apes to other discs for using with MC. When I find a "bad file" I get the original Wav and do a new conversion, transfer it to the same location and it's OK...

Someone with deep computer insight - could it be possible that the dropouts in the ape file could appear (randomly) when I transfer it to a network or USB HD? In that case it's out of MC:s control and I should focus on finding new storage solutions...

[lalittle]

could it be possible that the dropouts in the ape file could appear (randomly) when I transfer it to a network or USB HD? In that case it's out of MC:s control and I should focus on finding new storage solutions...

I'm not following you here.  Are you asking if simply transferring the file over a network could somehow cause file corruption, or are you talking about PLAYING the file over a network?

When you say it's "totally random," which aspect are you referring to?  I'm not sure if you mean that the problem occurs to random files, or if the dropouts occur randomly during playback of any given file.  In other words, when you get a file with a dropout, will it drop out in the same spot each time you play it?

Thanks for clarification,

Larry

[Noman]

I mean "could simply transferring the file over a network somehow cause file corruption" (The file is perfectly readable, plays fine, reconverts without protest to wav, only the dropout is there)

and the problem occurs to random files, and the drop out is on the exact same spot. If I listen to it or  reconvert to wav it's exactly on the same spot

Sorry if I wasn't clear enough.

[lalittle]

I mean "could simply transferring the file over a network somehow cause file corruption" (The file is perfectly readable, plays fine, reconverts without protest to wav, only the dropout is there)

I wouldn't "think" this would be the problem.  If it was an issue with file corruption, I think it would show up in other ways as well, and not just as "dropouts." I'd think you'd see errors in Windows if you had network issues.  Did you by any chance check the Event Viewer for errors that may help point to the culprit?

At this point, it seems like an encoding issue.  Encoding files is not a "real time" process, so even if the process was momentarily interrupted by something like a virus scanner, it "should" be able to continue encoding without any issues.

Is the dropout a "missing piece" of the song (i.e. as if the volume goes to zero while the track keeps playing), or does the song "pause" momentarily, than pick up again where it left off?  Could you look at the waveform in an audio editor (MC actually has one in it's advanced tools section)?  Does the waveform show a visible flat spot?

I'm just trying anything I can think of to narrow down where the problem is occuring.

Thanks,

Larry

[Noman]

"Does the waveform show a visible flat spot?", Yes it does, "Is the dropout a "missing piece" of the song (i.e. as if the volume goes to zero while the track keeps playing)"
Yes it is.
I tried to post a screenshot of the waveform but i don't know how to do that.

But now you know...

[GHammer]

So, you've suspended your anti virus, closed other apps, and converted to APE/FLAC
What drive are the source WAVs on?
What drive are the output files on?
How much free memory do you have before you start?
How much free memory during?
How much free memory after?

What drive is used for Temp files?
How much free space is available on that drive?

Post your system stats.
Since you can recompress a problem wav and get good results, it seems to be a system issue. Do you know if this happens often enough to test things for result? Like it happens 1 in 3 times?

[Noman]

thanks for all you're thinking efforts.
You and others all pointing at some "bad" HW that causes these "droputs" in the files.
My problem is I've tried so many computers and configurations so I haven't been able to track down a single component.
Ive changed memory, motherboards,processors HD:s and even computers.

My best bet after talking to a HW "expert" is 2 harddrives, one in my MC computer and one in another computer in the Network. They are both WD 160GB and its something with the controller cards on these HD:s that could cause this.

I will throw them out and do some extensive testing. I'll report back if it might have been these drives that's been driving me crazy..