Batch Converter: Preserve Original Metadata

[acendan]

"Batch File/Item Converter" does not preserve metadata when converting from WAV to FLAC.

Attachment 47247

Overview
The attached .ZIP includes:

• A sample WAV file with metadata embedded from REAPER's "Project Render Metadata" window.
• A copy of that WAV file converted to FLAC via the "Batch File/Item Converter", with "Preserve original file metadata if possible" enabled.
• A screenshot of my batch converter settings and media explorer, mapped to a temp database including both files with metadata and the lack thereof.

Reproduction Steps

• Render a WAV file with various BWF, iXML, and XMP fields populated in the "Project Render Metadata" window.
• Use the "Batch File/Item Converter" to convert the rendered WAV to FLAC format, with "Preserve original file metadata..." checked.
• Observe the absence of most, if not all, converted fields in the "Media Source Properties" window for each audio file; accessible from the Media Explorer's right-click context or the Item Properties window.

Expected Functionality

• When converting from WAV to FLAC, metadata schemes that are shared between both formats are preserved. In the case of WAV & FLAC, that would include: BWF, iXML, and XMP.
• While this particular format conversion (WAV-to-FLAC) is relevant for my own use-cases, both personal and professional, cross-compatibility would be ideal for all file format conversion with shared schemes.

Thank you for your assistance with this. It would be hugely helpful for sound designers, game audio folks, and field recordists with ever-growing libraries.

EDIT
Just tested this vice-versa, from FLAC to WAV. Same results, the FLAC had all fields populated and the batch-converted WAV maintained none.

[chillinoutmax]

++++1

[timatkins]

This would be super useful! Big +1 energy

[X-Raym]

v6.20 - January 20 2021
+ Batch converter: add option to preserve original file metadata when possible

Well, if this doesn't work, I suppose there is indeed a bug, cause it should!

[EpicSounds]

makes sense

[millertone]

+1 - this is an essential tool for converting sound effects library from WAV to the more portable FLAC format.

-Matt

[schapps]

+1. This would be really nice.

[thommazk]

Yeah! +1

[jspeersound]

+Ultra

[anotherzen]

another +1

[schwa]

The current prerelease builds of REAPER have some improvements, if anybody would care to try it out.

https://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=37

[acendan]

Originally Posted by schwa

The current prerelease builds of REAPER have some improvements, if anybody would care to try it out.

Unfortunately, the Batch Converter still isn't retaining the schemes I mentioned as expected. See the media property dumps below... (That said, I really appreciate the ASWG inclusion!)

WAV properties rendered w a ton of metadata...

Length: 0:07.292
Sample rate: 96000
Channels: 2
Bits/sample: 24 (int)
Total samples: 700,106
Blockalign: 6
Datablock start: 5144
Metadata:
    Title: SHORT CATCHY TITLE
    Artist: Aaron Cendan
    Album: Julibrary 2021
    Genre: ARCHIVED
    Comment: Fully Detailed Description
    Description: Fully Detailed Description
ASWG tags:
    accent: Accent
    actorGender: Female
    actorName: Actor Name
    ambisonicChnOrder: ACN
    ambisonicFormat: 3h2v
    ambisonicNorm: SND3
    artist: Artist
    billingCode: Billing Code
    category: ARCHIVED
    catId: TEST
    channelConfig: Ambisonic
    characterAge: 13
    characterGender: Male
    characterName: Char Name
    characterRole: Significant
    composer: Composer
    contentType: Mixed
    creatorId: AarCen
    direction: Direction Notes
    director: Director
    editor: Editor
    efforts: True
    effortType: Effort Type
    emotion: Emotion
    fxChainName: FX Chain
    fxName: ASWG Everything Bagel
    fxUsed: FX Used
    genre: Genre
    impulseLocation: IR Loc
    inKey: Am
    instrument: Instrument
    intensity: Intensity
    isCinematic: True
    isDesigned: True
    isDiegetic: True
    isFinal: True
    isLicensed: True
    isLoop: True
    isOst: True
    isrcId: ISRC Code
    isSource: True
    isUnion: True
    language: en
    library: Julibrary 2021
    micConfig: DMS-DCOD
    micDistance: D/I | INT
    micType: Microphone
    mixer: Mixer
    musicPublisher: Music Pub
    musicSup: Music Sup
    musicVersion: Music Ver
    notes: ASWG Notes
    orderRef: Order Ref
    originator: Aaron Cendan
    originatorStudio: SMS
    producer: Producer
    project: Int9
    recEngineer: Rec Eng
    recordingLoc: United States, Florida, Orlando
    recStudio: Rec Stu
    rightsOwner: Rights Owner
    session: SimpleConvert FLAC
    songTitle: Song Title
    sourceId: JU21
    state: Mastered
    subCategory: TEST TONE
    subGenre: Subgenre
    tempo: 128
    text: ASWG Dialogue Transcription
    timeSig: 3:4, 6:8
    timingRestriction: N/A
    usageRights: Usage
    userCategory: UserCat
    userData: User Data Notes
    vendorCategory: false
BWF tags:
    Description: Fully Detailed Description
    Originator: Aaron Cendan
    OriginatorReference: https://aaroncendan.me
    TimeReference: 0
INFO tags:
    IART: Aaron Cendan
    ICMT: Fully Detailed Description
    IGNR: ARCHIVED
    INAM: SHORT CATCHY TITLE
    IPRD: Julibrary 2021
IXML tags:
    BWF:BWF_DESCRIPTION: Fully Detailed Description
    BWF:BWF_ORIGINATOR: Aaron Cendan
    BWF:BWF_ORIGINATOR_REFERENCE: https://aaroncendan.me
    USER:Artist: Aaron Cendan
    USER:Category: ARCHIVED
    USER:CategoryFull: ARCHIVED-TEST TONE
    USER:CatID: TEST
    USER:Description: Fully Detailed Description
    USER:Designer: Aaron Cendan
    USER:Embedder: REAPER UCS Renaming Tool
    USER:FXName: ASWG Everything Bagel
    USER:Keywords: Key, Words
    USER:Library: Julibrary 2021
    USER:Location: United States, Florida, Orlando
    USER:LongID: TEST
    USER:MicPerspective: D/I | INT
    USER:Microphone: Microphone
    USER:Notes: User Data Notes
    USER:RecMedium: Sound Devices MixPre 3II
    USER:RecType: DMS-DCOD
    USER:ReleaseDate: 2021-12-09
    USER:ShortID: AarCen
    USER:Show: JU21
    USER:Source: JU21
    USER:SubCategory: TEST TONE
    USER:TrackTitle: SHORT CATCHY TITLE
    USER:URL: https://aaroncendan.me
    USER:UserCategory: UserCat
    USER:VendorCategory: false
XMP tags:
    dc/description: Fully Detailed Description
    dc/title: SHORT CATCHY TITLE
    dm/album: Julibrary 2021
    dm/artist: Aaron Cendan
    dm/genre: ARCHIVED

FLAC properties after Batch Conversion w 'Preserve Metadata'...

Length: 0:07.292
Samplerate: 96000
Channels: 2
Bits/sample: 24
Bitrate: 1918.8kbps, 41.6%
Vendor: REAPER
ASWG tags:
    session: SimpleConvert FLAC
IXML tags:
    USER:Embedder: REAPER UCS Renaming Tool
    USER:ReleaseDate: 2021-12-09

[schwa]

Would you mind posting in the relevant +dev1209 thread in the prerelease forum?

[schwa]

(I replied in the +dev1209 thread)

[JackMenhorn]

yes please

[epatricio]

Very handy

[dsorce]

yess please +1

[EpicSounds]

solved in 6.43?

[dbncreation]

Strange ..... I converted a lot of wav files to flac under 6.42 and the metadata were kept. After updating to 6.43, conversions no longer retain metadata.
It looks like a bug

[acendan]

Resurfacing this thread to bring up the transfer of chapter markers/cues when using the batch converter. At least as of v6.78, files with embedded cues do not retain them after conversion.

This would be greatly appreciated for archival and conversion of SFX libraries from uncompressed WAVs to lighter-weight formats like FLAC.

[hans]

Bump
Preserving metadata is not working for me either. Wav to wav.

I have a bunch of files I'd only like to adjust the volume on. The files have some UCS metadata written in iXML and it doesn't preserve any info when outputting new files with the batch file converter, with the box ticked for preserving metadata.

Before:
Length: 0:39.275
Sample rate: 48000
Channels: 1
Bits/sample: 24 (int)
Total samples: 1,885,221
Blockalign: 3
Datablock start: 656
Metadata:
Title: USC Optical Sound Effects Library Preservation
Comment: from 35mm mag film
Description: Man eaten by alligator; screams [Wilhelm screams]
BWF tags:
Description: Man eaten by alligator; screams [Wilhelm screams]
Originator: Craig Smith
OriginatorReference: S38-01 Man eaten by alligator; s
TimeReference: 0
IXML tags:
BEXT:BWF_DESCRIPTION: Man eaten by alligator; screams [Wilhelm screams]
BEXT:BWF_ORIGINATOR: Craig Smith
BEXT:BWF_ORIGINATOR_REFERENCE: S38-01 Man eaten by alligator; screams [Wilhelm screams].wav
IXML_VERSION: 1.61
NOTE: from 35mm mag film
PROJECT: USC Optical Sound Effects Library Preservation
SCENE: SSE Vintage Voices
STEINBERG:ATTR_LIST:ATTR:NAME: MusicalCategory
STEINBERG:ATTR_LIST:ATTR:TYPE: string
STEINBERG:ATTR_LIST:ATTR:VALUE: VOICES / SCREAM
TAPE: SSE-38

after:

Length: 0:39.275
Sample rate: 48000
Channels: 1
Bits/sample: 24 (int)
Total samples: 1,885,221
Blockalign: 3
Datablock start: 736
Start offset: 41:11.501
Metadata:
Date: 2023-07-13
BWF tags:
OriginationDate: 2023-07-13
OriginationTime: 12:51:46
Originator: REAPER
TimeReference: 118632073

[hans]

I'm back again with a little video showing the issue.




Windows 11.
Latest Reaper version.

[schwa]

I'm not able to immediately reproduce this. Can you share the source media please?

(btw you can open the output file source properties directly from the batch converter, by right-clicking on the converted file)

[hans]

Thanks for addressing it and the right-click tip.
I have sent a link to the file in DM. Hope that was alright.


I had Someone else converting it on another system, and preserving metadata worked for him.

Any ideas?

Tried a portable install. Didn't help.

win11

[schwa]

Ah, looking closer at the video I see why. Preserving metadata isn't supported when converting from a media item. If you insert the media file directly into the batch converter, either by dragging the file in from the filesystem or using "add files", then metadata should be preserved.

We can probably add support for preserving metadata when converting from media items in the future.

[hans]

Ahh. Thanks!!

[X-Raym]

Batch converter

• support preserving metadata when converting from media items •

This should be solved in 6.82 which just came out.

Originally Posted by Schwa

We can probably add support for preserving metadata when converting from media items in the future.

Oh sure, this would be nice !

[PelF]

I don't know if it's a bug, but I think something's changed.

I want to convert this file in batch converter and I have checked "Preserve if possible Metadata", I get this result in Reaper 7.17:

https://imgur.com/n9hvYt8

Yet in Reaper 7.14, this metadata was more or less preserved:

https://imgur.com/TtGm6ad

The original metadata file is here:

https://imgur.com/3zOFi2T

[schwa]

Originally Posted by PelF

I don't know if it's a bug, but I think something's changed.

The issue is that this source file has a lot of metadata, including some values that REAPER considers inconsistent. For example REAPER considers ASWG "notes" and ID3 "comment" to be essentially equivalent, but this file defines both fields with different values, so REAPER ignores that metadata.

In any case, I think we can simplify and improve this, thanks for the report.