'FeralA' decoder -- free-to-use

[rando]

If it gives you a better window on the mentality of others right now.  Let me assure you Wednesday and Sunday have very greatly reduced difference for many people right now.  Especially where socializing and leaving home for entertainment are concerned.  Work to your own calendar.

[rando]

To save John a few seconds looking this up

 

[rando]

I've hit a dead end using FA on Windows 10.  Complete nonstarter, weeks of failure to get any string with any file to pass out a result.  I asked John if there was some overly simple mistake to no hoped for dunce cap being mounted on my pate.

 

If it makes any difference I'm using a modern 8th gen or higher processor on W10 1909 or higher.  Using the latest version, the exact example code John posted above, and the test file he provided I see the following with the folder 'dadist' extracted at root level on my C drive.  Every possible permutation of places "testinfile.wav" could be located has been tried including not extant on the computer.  Same result every time.  Please tell me where I'm missing the ocean a boat might be located in.  

 

C:\dadist/da-avx --info=1 --outgain=-3.0 --fbm=-- --tone=-13.50 --input=testinfile.wav --overwrite --output=outfile.wav

Audio "DHRNDS FA decoder" V1.4.5T 04Jun2020 -- Author John S. Dyson -- Copyright 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

License terms are in accompanying documentation

Required CPU type: WIN64: x86-64bit with AVX2: (Haswell/Zen/Excavator) or greater

Saved command opts: DHRNDS MODE:  --outgain=4.5 --fa --basic

***FATAL*** open error code: 2, for input file: "testinfile.wav"

 

 

 

[rando]

4 hours ago, lucretius said:

Did you actually have a file named testinfile.wav? Probably best that it would be located in the current directory/folder*. Maybe try using a different input file (located in the current directory/folder).

 

 

That is the file name JD gave it when he placed it in folder he uploaded with the latest version.  I went as simple as possible today with the test file located where the program could hardly miss it after weeks of chasing dead ends technically. 

 

I've tried this on two desktops and one older laptop with the exact same behavior reported above.  Gone over every facet of W10 that could be at cause numerous times.  To say the least, this has been found baffling.  

 

 

[rando]

12 hours ago, John Dyson said:

I promise that I am also trying to figure it out.  I took a break and played around this afternoon, but there is a LOT to do over the next few days, including finding the behavior that @rando has been abused by.

 

I can promise there is nothing wrong with a program every single other person says works flawlessly.  The end user, me, suffers bouts of concatenative ineptitude on a grand scale.  

 

11 hours ago, lucretius said:

The fact that you're specifying the entire path to the program, i.e. " C:\dadist\da-avx", leads me to believe that C:\dadist is not the current directory/folder.

 

"da-win --info=1 --outgain=-3.0 --fbm=-- --tone=-13.50 --input=testinfile.wav --overwrite --output=outfile.wav" worked perfectly once I made the cd correction both you and John mentioned. 

 

During all the more complex stuff I'd attempted once or twice before giving up for a few more days this simple mistake was dogging me.  Knew this was going to end up being a highly remedial issue and not a wider system change problem if I asked.  

[rando]

13 hours ago, lucretius said:

Also, try the following command line to see if you can play testinfile.wav: 

sox testinfile.wav -twaveaudio   //That's only one hyphen

 

 

This I could not get to work by any means

 

In fact I've yet to land on the switch that produces a .wav file anything but deltawave recognizes as an audio file.  Everything else appears to be as it should once with no errors.

 

[rando]

I'm still quite stuck on the issue of files produced by the FA converter being usable/convertible to a usable form.  Yes, I RTFM and read through the entirety of this thread, again.  FA/SOX plays source file and then errors out on file it just produced.  Every other program says it is corrupted and contains no audio data including JRMC.  

 

[rando]

@John Dyson Ha, I am living every word I've told you... almost like horse sense telling them if you are a horse person only with computers.  If I can produce an error or bug you can make use of I will be sure to make it available in whatever means best suits you.

 

Someone sent me a PM offering to help solve this outside the thread which coincided with a few discoveries to sort out before replying to him.  For some reason WAV rips I personally did in dBpoweramp seem to be the common factor.  I by chance used a WAV rip someone else did and it worked, produced a decode Windows and player programs can read.

 

Just now ripped a test file to WAV in EAC and dBpoweramp.  No issues with either rip in any player program, only EAC decode works.  

[rando]

Progress is being made and I've sent an untouched rip file to John as well as the member who offered to help.  The latter ran a double conversion (wav>flac>wav) in SOX that cleared up whatever issue was impacting the initial file.  

 

dBpoweramp R16.6 was installed on my computer.  I updated this to R17 and at least the track under discussion ripped as WAV comes out of FA decoding in acceptable form; All metadata intact with no audible flaws or issues with three player programs I tested it on.  I did a second rip to flac and converted it to wav in sox followed by decode in FA.

 

There is one quirk.  In all but HQP4 the time code shows file length as 1:15 instead of 3:20.  When final time is reached all counters and seek bar hit their stops while file continues playing through to end.  You can see result of FA below where last two files are flac converted to wav and DA decode of it.  

 

 

 

Still quite hung up on what is special about my files using a program the vast majority of Windows users on this site made their own rips with.  I'm now quite sure this is not an issue with the FA program.  As you can see it works perfect and all metadata is intact.  Inspecting the decoded files the correct time code is present.  

[rando]

2 hours ago, sandyk said:

Hi Rando

 If both programs result in the same checksums, perhaps there is a difference in the Header information ?

 

Checksums are a mess.  R16.6, R17, and EAC wav are all different.  From (mostly) concurrent rips of unblemished CD.  Wild.

 

I'm going to make this my last post here unless John finds something relevant to his program he wishes to relate.  A fact I'm considering highly unlikely.  

[rando]

John, this works impeccably with every file I've tried.  Every mistake I made along the way resulting in irregular odd sized metadata should no longer be at issue.  

 

Thank you again for forcing this update and investing the time on my behalf.   

[rando]

1 hour ago, John Dyson said:

Today is...

 

 a national holiday and should treated it as such with easy acts of enjoyment free of common labors.

[rando]

1 hour ago, mocenigo said:

I must stop following this drivel. Initially, I thought it was interesting; then I realised it was only delusion. Then it became sad.

Later, it became embarrassing. Now it is just annoying.

 

John's Scotty reference reminded me of the "Central Casting" crew members who have their voices silenced, never to be beamed up again, during explorations with good actors in lead roles.  Who make no end of mistakes, but never dumb decisions preventing another episodic encounter with the unknown.  

 

[rando]

1 hour ago, John Dyson said:

One thing that has REALLY bothered me is the lack of a public version of a general purpose bilinear S to Z converter.

 

Speaking as someone considerably far outside your field.  There have been a few times you sent me digging to get even a small sense of what you are idly picking at until it's bothered you enough to do something with.  

 

This might be of help to a few others who felt the lack of math in their day needed to be rectified.

 

50 minutes ago, John Dyson said:

I have burnt-out a lot of generations of users while thinking that the decoder was 'perfect', then finding out that it isn't. 

 

Generations might be foreshadowing and a bit pompous, Mr. John "womb shudder" Dyson.    

 

As for the second part.  Numerous of us have asked you to effectively... upwards 10 versions being uploaded in the last 48 hours...    

 

 

On 3/30/2021 at 3:11 AM, mocenigo said:

If you are indeed the John Dyson the developed parts of FreeBSD, you should know that this is not the way to develop software. You are not giving yourself enough time to think at all the variables and see how they interact.

 

[rando]

Hang in there John, you never know when you're right on the edge of nailing it down.

[rando]

3 hours ago, semente said:

John, what you are asking is even more difficult than giving directions to a blind man driving a car, over the phone. 😞

So many variables, which keep changing from version to version.

 

I believe this is what a younger relative is currently facing with education becoming a virtual snooze followed by homework.  Using a medium known to be disruptive to human patterns their teachers attempt nuance and polish they should be attaining using multiple choice mixed media quizzes.  🥺🤯  🙂