Apple ".caf" audio files

fausseplanete wrote on 2/21/2009, 11:32 AM
What is the best way to get a ".caf" (Mac pro audio) file (like out of FCP library) into Vegas? Vegas doesn't like them and neither have I had any luck with conversion by Audacity or SUPER. Can convert individually to WAV via SoundTrack Pro but tedious. Tried dbPowerAmp next, still no luck in its native form, I wonder, does it have a codec plugin to deal with ".caf" ? Very strange that it's so out in the cold.

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 2/21/2009, 1:03 PM
Two things to try:

-- Rename .caf to .aif and see if Vegas likes them.
-- Another forum suggested the Switch Audio Converter. Not tried it, but I trust the company, NCH Audio. Have used their free software for over ten years. Again no promises it will work for your files.
ChristoC wrote on 2/21/2009, 2:42 PM
Also "Awave Audio" at www.fmjsoft.com reads and writes .caf &.caff
Spot|DSE wrote on 2/21/2009, 9:34 PM
Awave works. It's not a lot faster than Soundtrack though.
fausseplanete wrote on 2/22/2009, 4:01 AM
@musicvid:

I tried Switch Audio Convertor first, as it is free.
Website did not list ".caf" as an accepted format.
Installed it and tried it anyway.
Dragged a ".caf" file into it. "Extended Information" then said "Format may not be supported".
Tried PLAY button. Said "Decoding with DirectX" then played just a tiny fraction, possibly out of sync or rate.
Tried CONVERT. Resulting WAV file size was a tiny fraction of that of the ".caf" file.

So its a fairly certain negative, but thanks for the suggestion anyway.
fausseplanete wrote on 2/22/2009, 4:13 AM
Also tried suggestion of renaming as ".aif" but Vegas's File > Import said "The file is most likely corrupted or in an unknown format". Also tried dragging it to Project Media and timeline but nothing happened.
fausseplanete wrote on 2/22/2009, 4:33 AM
@Spot:

Awave accepted the file OK and correctly listed its properties. However on clicking the PLAY button, it crashed. Likewise when tried to convert.

PC is single-core Athlon running XP Home SP2.
ChristoC wrote on 2/22/2009, 1:38 PM
According to Awave's detailed info for .caf, I think you need an additional .dll called libfaad2.dll - copies are available for download elsewhere - google it - eg http://www.rarewares.org/aac-decoders.php - unzip and place into C:\Program Files\Awave Audio (where you installed Awave Audio s/w)

If you still have trouble, Markus at Awave is extremely helpful - find his contact details at FMJ's website.

PS - a similar situation exists (additional .dll's are required) for Awave to process some other file-types eg MP3 and MP2 - see the FMJ website for details - look at the supported file-type list and click on the type for additional details.
musicvid10 wrote on 2/22/2009, 5:06 PM
A little more research reveals that .caf can wrap many different audio formats. So it may be a matter of getting the right codec on your box.

Use MediaInfo or GSpot and see if you can determine the encoder and go from there.
fausseplanete wrote on 2/23/2009, 2:04 PM
GSpot just says "Unrecognized".

I read that CAF files are an improvement over AIFF. They can have multiple tracks and metadata. Wikipedia articles suggest the contents might well be in "Apple Lossless" format.

Unable to experiment further now - will do later