EAC configuration, offsets, etc...

[Audioarchivist]

I was trying to help someone configure Exact Audio Copy to accurately rip cd's, and all that kind of stuff, and couldn't find the same info I was so easily directed to when I did it for my machine.

There was a website that listed commercial cd's that EAC recognizes as test calibration discs, and a list of drives and their known offsets.

I think the site recently closed, or maybe I was just too sleepy/stupid to find it again...

Anyway, would someone be able to steer me in the right direction on easy and right ways to calibrate EAC?

How about that tutorial I was dreaming about? Does someone want to write one?

Thanks.

[diggrd]

http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm

[Audioarchivist]

Originally Posted by diggrd

http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm

That's a good place to jump off of, but that's not the site I remeber using before...
...and MY drive isn't on that list, either. There was a list of calibration discs (commercial releases that EAC recognizes) that allowed it to test and set the offsets.

Oh, wait, there is a list of discs that is on that site. Still, it's not the site that I remember using (unless this is a totally re-vamped version of it).

I remember having it specifically for EAC, this looks like a whole other program.

[pmonk]

Bummer!


The Coaster Factory closed...

All stories come to an end, and so does The Coaster Factory. Due to lack of time and fading interests I couldn't keep the website up to date anymore. I left the website online for archival purposes, but the information on it was outdated and sometimes even incorrect. Several people pointed me at this and therefore I decided it might be better to close the website for good...

[Audioarchivist]

Yes, that was it, The Coaster Factory.

Now how do we get access to that information, albeit that some of it was outdated and innaccurate, some stuff was right on the money.

Any EAC wizards ready to step up and write an EAC tutorial?

[DanielG]

Originally Posted by Audioarchivist

Yes, that was it, The Coaster Factory.
Now how do we get access to that information, albeit that some of it was outdated and innaccurate, some stuff was right on the money.

If you remember the address of the page, enter it into: http://www.archive.org/web/web.php and check out the archives...

[stantheman1976]

Here's a text file I have sitting on my spare HD. Maybe this can help.

[Andy L]

The old address of the site was http://users.pandora.be/satcp/tutorials.htm

[Five]

Originally Posted by stantheman1976

Here's a text file I have sitting on my spare HD. Maybe this can help.

don't use this guide... there is some good stuff in it but the author recommends settings that are for the highest speed and no error detection and least error correction. secure mode should be used!

looks like the old guide is available on the way back machine... check "the truth about offsets" and "determining the offsets" part one and two.
http://web.archive.org/web/200705091.../tutorials.htm

[cicada]

Better minds than mine seem to be focused here & now. Can I jump in with my own question (please).

I found 2 cd's to match the list when I attempted to set things up correctly (yea). I get the same "Read Correction" each time I ran them (yea). Except they are not the same as each other (oh no..). So, each cd has a different read correction. I was encouraged when I got the same read with each cd, but became discouraged when they did not match each other.

Does this mean I will not be able to set up my drive for a proper read correction? I have spent hours reading the EAC set up instructions, Coaster Factory & pandora. I don't claim to be very computer savy, either. How about a litlle help, please?

[Audioarchivist]

Originally Posted by cicada

Better minds than mine seem to be focused here & now. Can I jump in with my own question (please).

I found 2 cd's to match the list when I attempted to set things up correctly (yea). I get the same "Read Correction" each time I ran them (yea). Except they are not the same as each other (oh no..). So, each cd has a different read correction. I was encouraged when I got the same read with each cd, but became discouraged when they did not match each other.

Does this mean I will not be able to set up my drive for a proper read correction? I have spent hours reading the EAC set up instructions, Coaster Factory & pandora. I don't claim to be very computer savy, either. How about a litlle help, please?

I bevieve that once you get the same readings from 2 different cd's you're on to something good.
It is just a matter of having that list of discs, and whether or not your pressings of those discs are exactly the same as the ones in the list. I've seen multiple pressings of the same releases (re-masters, made in different factories/countries, etc.) so be careful.
It's not easy, and now with coaster factory gone, it's gonna get harder...

[cicada]

The discs are an exact match. I get +3556 (-3556 actual) on one of them and +102 (-102 actual) on the other. How do I do the math? If every cd is different I cannot make the calculation with one number. Maybe there is a step I missed somewhere?

Hey Audioarchivist...Howsit down on the island? I live in Vernon (BC interior). Small world!

P.S. I have been seeing dbpoweramp in some recent lineage(s). I am guessing it in not freeware, but an alternate way to get exact read offset. Any thoughts on this?

[cicada]

Audioarchivist... is this the list you were looking for?
http://web.archive.org/web/200702022....org/eac3.html

[Five]

work from here:
http://web.archive.org/web/200705091.../tutorials.htm

using the "determining the offsets" parts one and two. be sure to use separate read and write offsets so that perfect copies can be burned on other drives which have the correct separate write offset.

also set the speed to low & error correction to high, some detailed info here:
http://web.archive.org/web/200703140...cp/eac03.htm#-

also compare with the accuraterip database linked above. when you think you've got your read and write offsets correct, rip a short cd to wav, then burn a cd copy of that using EAC. then extract from that copy to another directory and generate st5 using TLH for both wav sets and the checksums should be identical. At least I managed to get it identical on my computer. If your read drive has variable offsets each time it rips you might as well leave it with no offset correction (0).

The Coaster Factory has more complex examples on how to do it in the "Determining the Offsets Part II" guide, but I have found through reading and experimentation a very easy, simple way to determine the read offset for any drive, if you already have another drive in which the read and write offset is known. First decode a FLAC or SHN set to wav that has no sector boundary errors or other errors in a len check. This method won't work if the FLAC or SHN set has SBEs or other errors, because EAC extracts without adding SBEs or other errors every time, whether there were errors on the original files that were burned to audio CD or not. Burn an audio CD of these wavs with EAC with the write offset corrected.

You can determine the write offset of your read offset corrected drive by decoding a FLAC set to wav, then burning with the write offset set to (0). Then extract a wav with EAC with the read offset corrected to a different folder. You may have to enable or disable the "overread into lead in and lead out." Sometimes there are problems with the first and last track of a disc, so use a wav from the middle for best results (drive or EAC can't overwrite into lead in/lead out 100% correctly?). Then use EAC's compare wavs feature and compare the extracted audio CD's wav with the original FLAC > wav from your hard drive. You will get a numerical sample value, and this is the write offset of the drive. Enter this value (positive or negative, I'm not sure) into the write offset correction field of EAC, and then burn another audio CD with EAC, this time the write offset will be corrected. Then extract a wav(s) from this burned disc. Sometimes there are problems with the first and last track of a disc, so use a wav from the middle for best results (drive or EAC can't overwrite into lead in/lead out 100% correctly?). You may have to enable or disable the "overread into lead in and lead out." The compare wavs feature report should say nothing, in other words, report no missing samples between the two wavs. All of the wavs should match using the compare wavs feature. You can prove that they match with md5s or FLAC fingerprints.

Then extract this write offset corrected audio CD with the drive that you want to determine the read offset for. You may have to enable or disable the "overread into lead in and lead out." Use a read offset correction of zero (0) in EAC. Now burn a data disc of the same FLAC or SHN set. Extract the FLACs or SHNs from the data disc with the drive that you want to determine the read offset for to a different folder. Decode these to wav. Now use the compare wavs feature of EAC, and compare these two:

1)any wav that was extracted from the write offset corrected audio CD using EAC with read offset correction zero (0) Sometimes there are problems with the first and last track of a disc, so use a wav from the middle for best results (drive or EAC can't overwrite into lead in/lead out 100% correctly?).

2)a data disc FLAC > extracted to hard drive > decoded to wav

You will get a numerical sample value, and this is the read offset of the drive. Enter this value (positive or negative, I'm not sure) into the read offset correction field of EAC, and then extract the audio CD again. Sometimes there are problems with the first and last track of a disc, so use a wav from the middle for best results (drive or EAC can't overwrite into lead in/lead out 100% correctly?). You may have to enable or disable the "overread into lead in and lead out" The compare wavs feature report should say nothing, in other words, report no missing samples between the two wavs. All of the wavs should match. You can prove that they match with md5s or FLAC fingerprints.

With this method you will be able to determine the read offset of drives that are not in EAC's drive database, and without a CD that is in EAC's CD database, provided you have another drive that is read/write offset corrected. Maybe members from TTD can mail out write offset corrected audio CDs and data FLAC discs to people who can't correct their own drives, and don't have another drive that is read/write corrected. Then using these discs, they can configure their drives proplerly.

Wouldn't it be much easier if the original Red Book specification for audio compact discs and CD players was unencrypted wavs on CD-ROM ISO 9660 data discs? Just imagine, every audio CD ever home-burned and professionally factory pressed would extract easily with Windows' or Mac's built in software and would be a perfect match of the original FLAC fileset every time, with no offsets to worry about. Slightly less minutes of music would have fit on each disc though. 70 minutes instead of 80?