Decoding Flac files

Give xACT a try. I like it the best out of the various FLAC decoders.

I am new to the world of MAC and downloading music from the Internet. I recently bought an iMAC G5 and downloaded Azereus for acessing and downloading Bit Torrent files. Azereus is working fine. Installed xACT for decoding the FLAC files. Each time I choose a FLAC file to decode I get a script error message. What am I doing wrong?

How are you "choosing" the FLAC file? Also, are you sure what you are trying to decode is actually a lossless audio file? The reason I ask is that some people who are new to downloading lossless audio using bit torrent don't realize the torrent file they downloaded is not a lossless audio file.

If you can describe the steps in your process in more detail we can offer more effective help. For example, where are you downloading the torrent file from, does Azereus open the torrent file with no errors, do all the files that you are supposed to get download to your HD? Things like that.

Thanks for the quick response Michael! I will be home and in front of my mac around 5:00PM EST. I'll post a step by step account of my process then. I hope you will check back whenever you have time to see if you can determine what I could be doing wrong. All of my friends speak of how easy this is supposed to be yet I feel like I'm learning a new foreign language.

Lloyd

I'll be available for awhile, so post when ever you get the chance.

Working with downloaded live music can be easy. But if you are just getting started it will take a bit of learning before you get confident with it. We all had to go through it so don't let it bother you that you might not know just what you are doing right now. You will eventually.

I'm sure it is something simple that you are overlooking because you're not familiar with what you are doing yet, is all.

Lloyd, you might find this article I wrote helpful, at least in your decoding efforts: Working with Lossless Audio Files

15" 1.5 Ghz PowerBook, Superdrive, 1 GB, Airport Extreme, BlueTooth Mac OS X (10.4.3) 15GB 3G iPod+4GB iPod nano, SE T616, iSight, Airport Express (Rockin'!)

Hey Michael,

Great post and very helpful! I can see a clear and simple process of decoding>reworking the file names>convert to save space>utilize. I also appreciate the links to get the tools I need to do the job. I am however still having trouble understanding how the software I have already downloaded plays into your recomended order of events. Here's the process I took and the issues I faced. If you don't mind, please help me understand where I should have inserted your steps in order to make it work.

Step 1: Downloaded Azureus Software

Step 2: Downloaded xACT Software

Step 3: Opened both programs

Step 4: Went to http://bt.etree.org/ and selected a show I was interested in downloading. Community Bittorrent Tracker page loaded with all the show info listed on the page.

Step 5: Clicked on the link that said Torrent: click to download.
A Blue Frog file icon popped up on on my desktop and a download box opened listing the file.

Step 6: Clicked and dragged torrent icon from my desktop into the upper half of the Azureus window and the show began what looked like to me to download. It gave me completeion rate, seed, etc. and when finished at 100% it said completed and then moved to the lower 1/2 pane where it is my understanding people begin to seed from me?

Step 7: Switched to xACT. Selected the "decode" tab- and then the "add" button at the bottom of the clear pane

Step 8: A "Choose files for Processing" Window Pops up and there I see my Music file and in it is the file I have been working with. The file reads gm2005-12-17.mk4.flac16.torrent. I click on the file name and then the "add file" button. The decode tab in xACT switches to the encode tab, the file is listed there, and an Apple Script Error message pops up that reads NSReceiverEvaluationScriptError: 4 (1).

Any light you can shine on this Michael would be greatly appreciated!

Lloyd

Lloyd, that article does assume you've already downloaded the lossless files. But no worries. I see where you are going wrong. You are selecting the .torrent file to try to decode with xACT. Since this is not a lossless audio file you're getting that AppleScript message.

You need to find the location of the .flac files that have been downloaded to your Mac. I don't use Azureus so I'm not sure how much help I can be on this point, but I would first look on your desktop for a folder named after the .torrent file you downloaded.

For example, based on the name of the .torrent file you mentioned below, the folder might be named "gm2005-12-17.mk4.flac16." Inside this folder you'll find the lossless music files as well as an info text file. These are the files, all with an extension of .flac, you should be trying to decode. Once you find that folder you can drag and drop the .flac files to the xACT icon they will be automatically added to the decode window.

Since you appear to be a Gov't Mule fan you might like the Live Mule web site.

"If I had a hammer".......I knew it would be something that would make me feel such the idiot! I got it now. It was real easy to find. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Now let me ask you some advice on organizing seeing as how you helping me understand how to access and convert these files means the downloading flood gates are about to open!

I will utilize music I download in three different ways (in rank order of use):

1. Mucis for my iPod
2. Burning Audio CD's
3. Inserting audio tracks into iMovie and iDVD.

Currently it looks like the .torrent files I was hung up on end up in a file folder called "Music". Amongst those files is where I found an untitled folder containing the .flac files. My untitled folder is equivilant to the one you have named on your computer Smart Playlist "Convert" and the one where I will basicaly temporarily store the raw .flac files during the downloading process, correct?

Once I have selected the show in the untitled folder and have inserted all the show's .flac tracks into the decode pane on xAct I hit "Decode". Another "choose a folder" window pops up. It looks like I originally set this one as a default to iTunes Music in which the only outlet for the decoded .flac files looks like a folder titled "Uknown Artist". This doesen't seem like the right path to file orginization for a live music nut about to download like crazy, does it?

Where should I be sending these .flac tracks when decoding seeing as how my primary goal is to get these tracks to my Ipod, but also be able to access them on my iMac HD for burning and video work,? Is the location you recomend the place where I can go in and manually enter the tracks names or do I do that somehwere else?

Thanks again for all your help Michael. I'm sure by now you think I'm a pain in the a#$ but you have given this old, tech challenged guy a feeling freedom and that says a lot! And thanks for the recomendation on Live Mule. I will be spending a lot of time on Digital Panic once I get this downloading thing understood. Time to try and replace all these worn out tapes and scratched CD's!

Lloyd

"If I had a hammer".......I knew it would be something that would make me feel such the idiot! I got it now. It was real easy to find. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Now let me ask you some advice on organizing seeing as how you helping me understand how to access and convert these files means the downloading flood gates are about to open!

I will utilize music I download in three different ways (in rank order of use):

1. Mucis for my iPod
2. Burning Audio CD's
3. Inserting audio tracks into iMovie and iDVD.

Currently it looks like the .torrent files I was hung up on end up in a file folder called "Music". Amongst those files is where I found an untitled folder containing the .flac files. My untitled folder is equivilant to the one you have named on your computer Smart Playlist "Convert" and the one where I will basicaly temporarily store the raw .flac files during the downloading process, correct?

Once I have selected the show in the untitled folder and have inserted all the show's .flac tracks into the decode pane on xAct I hit "Decode". Another "choose a folder" window pops up. It looks like I originally set this one as a default to iTunes Music in which the only outlet for the decoded .flac files looks like a folder titled "Uknown Artist". This doesen't seem like the right path to file orginization for a live music nut about to download like crazy, does it?

Where should I be sending these .flac tracks when decoding seeing as how my primary goal is to get these tracks to my Ipod, but also be able to access them on my iMac HD for burning and video work,? Is the location you recomend the place where I can go in and manually enter the tracks names or do I do that somehwere else?

Thanks again for all your help Michael. I'm sure by now you think I'm a pain in the a#$ but you have given this old, tech challenged guy a feeling freedom and that says a lot! And thanks for the recomendation on Live Mule. I will be spending a lot of time on Digital Panic once I get this downloading thing understood. Time to try and replace all these worn out tapes and scratched CD's!

Lloyd

Lloyd, you're welcome for the help.

There is no "correct" way to do what you're doing. Only how you want to work with these files. But I can tell you how I do it, which may give you some guidance.

I have a Folder I created at the root of my hard drive that I've named "Downloads." When I download something this is where it goes. I use a different bittorrent client than you do so there are going to be some differences but I think this will help. I download my .torrent file to this Downloads folder. And my BT client also downloads the .flac files to this folder as well. For example if I were to download the GM show you downloaded the folder "gm2005-12-17.xxx.xxx" would also go into my Downloads folder.

Once the download is complete I will create a new folder inside the Downloads folder named "gm2005-12-17-AIFF." This is the folder where I am going to put my decoded .flac files. I do not think you should store the AIFF files in your iTunes Music folder, but if you are comfortable doing so do what you feel is best.

Once I have decoded to the .flac files to .aiff files I'm ready to add them to my iTunes Library. In iTunes I pull down File > Add To Library (Apple+O on the keyboard) and navigate to the "gm2005-12-17-AIFF" folder, highlight it, then click Choose. This will add the audio files to my iTunes Library and they will be picked up by the "Convert" Smart Playlist.

I click the "Convert" playlist and from there I can tag the AIFF files before I convert them to another format. From here you can continue on with the article I wrote.

Ah ha, I'm seeing the pattern now. Looks like I need to reconfigure my initial download loaction which I am assuming is currently my desktop since all initial donwloads seem to go there. I think I can handle getting into the set up for Azureus to change where the .torrent and .flac files end up on my own but as a new Mac user I'm not real sure on how to set up the Master Download Folder at the "root of my hard drive". Suggestions?

Lloyd

Lloyd, to create a folder at the root of the HD, double-click the HD icon on your desktop. This should open a window showing you the root, or first level of your HD. Pull down File > New Folder (Apple ShiftN on the keyboard). You can then add this folder to the left side toolbar of all Finder windows by drag and drop.

Or you can create this "Downloads" folder anywhere you want it to be, it does not have to be at the root of the HD. This is just where I like to have my downloads folder.

The second step is to set this folder as the master location for all downloads in Safari (or your other web browser or choice). Open Safari Prefs > General and pull down the "save downloaded files to:" menu and choose "Other." Navigate to your new folder and Choose it. Now all the .torrent files (as well as any other files) you download via Safari will go into this folder. This will have the benefits of keeping your Desktop tidy (personally, I like a tidy Desktop) and helping to keep the Finder from slowing down which can happen if you have a large number of files on the Desktop. You can probably follow similar steps to set the Azureus download location.

Tidy is definitly a good thing Michael! Thanks for your patience and for teaching me the ropes. I feel much better about all this now thanks to you!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Lloyd, I'm about to head off for my flight this morning but I wanted to point you towards a couple web sites that I thought you might be interested in:
Live Widespread Panic
Grateful Dead Store
Nugs.net Band Listing