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Author Topic: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files  (Read 6571 times)

sproket90

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playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« on: July 03, 2008, 10:07:22 am »

Hi All,

I am having trouble getting Reference Recordings files to play on MC12.  When trying to open or drop a hrx wav file on MC it just says "nothing to play"

http://www.referencerecordings.com/HRx2.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCD

The files are .wav extension that get copied to the hard drive.  I can play them with VLC, but of course I would prefer MC over VLC.

What am I missing...?

Thanks,
Sproket90

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sproket90

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2008, 08:12:49 am »

bump   ;D
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2008, 08:30:56 am »

I took a cursory look at the site. Do they have a sample file we can test?

DC
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sproket90

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2008, 11:30:05 am »

I will find out and let you know!

Thanks for responding!

 ;D
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Alex B

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2008, 04:06:31 am »

According to the information on the referencerecordings' site the so called HRx files are in the 24-bit/176.4 kHz wave format.

I just tested a couple of 24-bit/176.4 kHz/2-channel wave files. MC didn't have any problems with them. My sound card can handle up to 96 kHz so the Windows kernel mixer "helpfully" resampled the output to 96 kHz. Naturally I couldn't use the ASIO output mode, which bypasses the kernel mixer, because the sample rate is not supported by my HW.

In any case, I think using such a sample rate is waste of storage space. It can only provide a wider frequency range that can extend up to 88.2 kHz. It doesn't make the audible part of the frequency range technically better. If the audio tracks are mastered better the user may get an impression of better audio quality, but that impression would not be any different if the sample rate were 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.

The same is true with the bit depth -- the 24-bit mode in an end user product is mostly waste of space. A 16-bit audio signal can provide a dynamic range of 96 dB. A very silent room may have a 30dB SPL background noise level. 30 dB SPL + 96 dB = 126 dB SPL. That should be enough for everyone. Once again, if the signals are produced correctly the only difference between 16-bit and 24-bit is in the maximum available dynamic range. 16-bit is measurably noisier, but that noise is normally inaudible.

The 24-bit mode (or even more preferably the 32-bit floating point mode) is useful in a production environment because the additional headroom is needed for multiple file operations.
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2008, 12:29:47 pm »

Update....I'd like to to test these files on my EMU/DAC1 setup once I get everything put back together. I think EMU may have added this sample rate recently.

DC
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sproket90

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2008, 08:08:52 pm »

I took a cursory look at the site. Do they have a sample file we can test?

DC

who do I send the file to?

TIA,
sproket90
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2008, 09:25:55 pm »

You can pm me and I can setup an FTP sub-account that we can use. If it's small enough you could always email it to me.

DC
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2008, 09:52:37 pm »

Seems like a bug. MC won't import this 192kHz sample (wav).

Library now has 70913 files. Search and update took 0:20.

Imported 0 new files.
Failed to import 1 file.

In-depth details:
Failed to import:
    V:\Transients\Piano_192.wav

I'll post it in the bug thread.

http://www.digitalaudio.dk/audio.htm

(I can playback .ape and flac already in the library at 192kHz).

DC
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2008, 09:55:50 pm »

What's this BWF format ...it's not PCM?

Well, Foobar says it's PCM but won't play it.

dc
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2008, 10:06:03 am »

Anyone look further into this? Seems like I couldn't play it Foobar either.

dc
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Alex B

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2008, 01:50:44 pm »

The files contain broadcast extension tags. The files are standard wave files with additional metadata. Apparently MC doesn't like them.

You can convert the files to FLAC or APE. After that they can be played with MC.

An easy way would be to use flac.exe with the small FLACdrop frontend program.

flac.exe: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/flac/flac-1.2.1b.exe
FLACdrop: http://www.rarewares.org/files/lossless/flacdrop.zip

For APE you can use the Monkey's Audio 3.99 GUI program: http://www.monkeysaudio.com/files/MAC_399F.exe
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JONCAT

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Re: playing High Def music Reference Recordings HRx files
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2008, 10:31:45 pm »

These BWF wav files play in MC13 but not 12; actually I can't get any wav file to play in 12.534

DC
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