[SOLVED] How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

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SliderJeff
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:44 pm

[SOLVED] How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by SliderJeff »

Hi,

I've got a batch file with the following:

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xrecode3cx64 -i .\*.flac -r -cbr 320 -nsec -cof "folder.jpg" -o "M:\Audio\ALAC_From_FLAC" -dest m4a -44100 -b 16 -coverfilename "folder" -fileexists 0 -tr "C:\Program Files\xrecode3\stuff\tagsreplace.txt" -pfilename "%%albumartist%% - (%%year%%) %%album%% ALAC\%%albumartist%% - %%album%% - %%track2%% - %%title%%" 
pause
but it's not generating anything and it's giving me a multiple line error output that says"

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11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
11/9/2024 9:15:06 PM: ERROR: Executable file for the selected destination is missing.
Clearly I have something wrong in the batch file or I'm specifying the wrong parameters to the console version to do the conversion. Can someone help me debug what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,
Jeff
Last edited by SliderJeff on Sun Nov 10, 2024 5:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 1013
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:56 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to mp4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by admin »

SliderJeff
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to mp4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by SliderJeff »

Thank you! That fixed the errors!
SliderJeff
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to mp4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by SliderJeff »

Is there an example somewhere to show how to convert FLAC to ALAC/m4a with the console where it uses the full bitrate based on the source material? Right now, with what I have in my batch file, all the m4a files are coming out with around 340kbps bitrates vs. the source FLAC files being 950-1000kbps.

My current batch file command line is:

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xrecode3cx64 -i .\*.flac -r -nsec -cof "folder.jpg" -o "M:\Audio\ALAC_From_FLAC" -dest m4a -coverfilename "folder" -fileexists 0 -tr "C:\Program Files\xrecode3\stuff\tagsreplace.txt" -pfilename "%%albumartist%% - (%%year%%) %%album%% ALAC\%%albumartist%% - %%album%% - %%track2%% - %%title%%" 
Thanks,
Jeff
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 1013
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:56 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by admin »

Both flac and alac are losless, so the output file should be equal to the source. Your command line looks fine. Could you please send me the source flac and the result alac file to xrecode@gmail.com? You could use https://wetransfer.com/.
SliderJeff
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by SliderJeff »

Done. I used the site you suggested to transfer the two files.

Jeff
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 1013
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:56 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by admin »

Thanks. Now I see the problem. The file was converted to AAC instead of ALAC (I should have noticed this from your provided command line).

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-dest m4a
will convert to AAC, and

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-dest alac
will convert to ALAC. Please update your command line to

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xrecode3cx64 -i .\*.flac -r -nsec -cof "folder.jpg" -o "M:\Audio\ALAC_From_FLAC" -dest alac -coverfilename "folder" -fileexists 0 -tr "C:\Program Files\xrecode3\stuff\tagsreplace.txt" -pfilename "%%albumartist%% - (%%year%%) %%album%% ALAC\%%albumartist%% - %%album%% - %%track2%% - %%title%%" 
SliderJeff
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by SliderJeff »

Thanks so much for debugging this for me! I didn't see that as an option in the Wiki for the console version, so I assumed it was m4a. I always thought AAC-encoded files were a ".aac" file extension. Thanks for setting me straight!

Jeff
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 1013
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:56 pm

[SOLVED] Re: How to convert FLAC to m4a (ALAC) with console version?

Post by admin »

Great! I also added /dest alac to the WIKI examples.
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