Hi ChristoC,

Sorry about taking so long to reply. If you know how I can fix this, my forum settings are set so you can email me, if that would help.

SoundForge will open the flac files, Windows Media Player & Foobar2000 will also play them. I will try using SoundForge first and see if CDA will read the SF flac files.

I saved a flac file through SF10 default format of 96,000 Hz, 32 bit default format and 88,000 Hz, 24 Bit default fromat; and CDA still can't load them. The files show up, but when I click on them the following error code comes up, and then CDA Crashes.
Is there a specific bit and resample for CDA? Here is the error code. I copied & saved the .dll file that is mentioned below from SF10 to CDA, after that, CDA stopped crashing. That was a couple of weeks ago, I have since reinstalled CDA 5.2d build 240.

The following is the error screen right before it crashes.

An error occurred during the current operation
An exception has occurred

Sony CD Architect 5.2
Version 5.2d (Build 240)
Exception 0xC0000094 (integer divide by zero) IP:0x337232B
In Module 'flacplug.dll' at Address 0x3320000 + 0x5232B
Thread: GUI ID=0x5EC Stack=0x18B000-0x190000
Registers:
EAX=00014538 CS=0023 EIP=0337232b EFLGS=00210246
EBX=076ec670 SS=002b ESP=0018b1c8 EBP=077662b0
ECX=00000000 DS=002b ESI=076ec438 FS=0053
EDX=00000000 ES=002b EDI=00000000 GS=002b
Bytes at CS:EIP:
0337232B: F7 F1 8B D8 8B 44 24 10 .....D: F7 F1 8B D3 EB 41 8B D8 .....A..
Stack Dump:
0018B1C8: 076EC670 07620000 + CC670
0018B1CC: 076EC438 07620000 + CC438
0018B1D0: 00000000
0018B1D4: 0334EAEE 03320000 + 2EAEE (flacplug.dll)
0018B1D8: 1D5F9880
0018B1DC: 00014538 00010000 + 4538
0018B1E0: 00000000
0018B1E4: 00000000
0018B1E8: 00000000
0018B1EC: 076EC438 07620000 + CC438
0018B1F0: 008FDE50 008B0000 + 4DE50
0018B1F4: 0334EC22 03320000 + 2EC22 (flacplug.dll)
0018B1F8: 076EC438 07620000 + CC438
0018B1FC: 076DB515 07620000 + BB515
0018B200: 0018B258 00090000 + FB258
0018B204: 03355020 03320000 + 35020 (flacplug.dll)
> 0018B21C: 010C80D1 01000000 + C80D1 (CDArchk.dll)
0018B220: 05747AE0 05690000 + B7AE0
0018B224: 0018B258 00090000 + FB258
0018B228: 00000598
0018B22C: 077662B0 07620000 + 1462B0
> 0018B250: 0057F12D 00400000 + 17F12D (CDArch52.exe)
0018B254: 05747AE0 05690000 + B7AE0
0018B258: 076EC438 07620000 + CC438
0018B25C: 07766284 07620000 + 146284
0018B260: 00000000
> 0018B26C: 765ADDA6 765A0000 + DDA6 (KERNELBASE.dll)
> 0018B274: 00580F54 00400000 + 180F54 (CDArch52.exe)
- - -
0018FFF0: 00000000
0018FFF4: 005BB6C3 00400000 + 1BB6C3 (CDArch52.exe)
0018FFF8: 7EFDE000 7EFDE000 + 0
0018FFFC: 00000000

Here I have same versions of those applications.
In your original post you weren't very specific about FLAC files, so I assumed ALL FLAC files were causing you grief. :-)
here 96kHz/24b FLAC files import into CD Architect and Play fine.
(SF10e won't make 96kHz/32bit, only 96kHz/24bit)
and 196kHz/24b FLAC files cause exception error & crash (same as your report) if I just click on them in CD Architect's Explorer Tab.... I figure CDArchitect does not support them.

BTW why are you saving as FLAC files in ACID, in preference to uncompressed WAV format?

I tried saving through SFP10 and AP7 in the 96Hz/24bit format. CDA will not crash on compression levels 0-2, compression levels 3-8 and it crashes, I was using 5. The problem with 0-2 is that when I add the track to the track list, there is a blank song on the track; no wave forms, nor will sound come from them.

Could you let me know the settings you are using in SF10, I see the 96/24, but what is your compression setting? What might also help is, what is the original file version ,i.e. are you using a WAV or mp3 and then, save as, to FLAC file? If you could give me the process that you are using, from the original file version to each step in SFP, and I will see if I can get CDA to work on my end. I'm missing a step, a setting, something...


as for FLAC vs Wav
The reason I'm using FLAC, is that the FLAC files are 62% smaller than Wav, plus dealing with Wav's inablity to write metadata to the file. Downside, Win7 won't read the metadata in FLAC files using Explorer. At least Foobar can. I currently have just above 30,000 songs, ALL of them are legally purchased or composed by me. A 62% compression rate adds up really fast!


I would LOVE to render from AP7 and then make my CD with CDA. Right now, I'm rendering in FLAC for storage, metadata, and play. Then rendering a 2nd file, Wav, so I can use CDA as my burner. Now I have two versions, while using a tremendous amount of disc space. The optimum way would be to use AP7 to burn the CD. It can, but it can't burn text, as in... the name of the song.

I used to only use Wav files when I used Win Media Player for my player. Until, one day, my computer crashed (trojan) and I lost all of my metadata for all of my Wav files. WMP writes WAV metadata to a separate file. I couldn't move Wav files with WMP, and I couldn't use my external HD on other computers, because the Wav metadata was written to the file on the orig. computer. There is metadata on a Wav file, but it's the data that was written to the file when the file was originally made.

After that disaster with the Wav files, I started using FLAC files and Foobar2000 as my player. Up until now, I've been using another CD burner for the FLAC files. However, the other day I read that in release 5.2c FLAC files could be used. I just haven't figured out how... although with your help I am getting closer... I at least have a file showing on the track... it's just blank.

I'm also going to start buying 24bit music, and they are in the FLAC format. I haven't bought any as yet, so I don't know if CDA will be able to, or not be able to, read them.

I REALLY appreciate your time and knowledge. AND I REALLY appreciate how you don't answer in a condescending way, like several people on this site do.

Trust me, I'm no expert with FLAC files - it was just that in the past someone had brought a bunch of files, including FLAC, for me to 're-master' into a series of CDs, which had all worked fine in CD Architect, so I was surprised to see your post; in my recent quick look at this matter again, I just accepted the default FLAC settings, including the compression level, in SoundForge and suchlike.

I normally will only deal with uncompressed formats in my day-to-day work, delivery to clients, and archiving..... normally if they arrive with a compressed format I insist on getting the original uncompressed master.

So I had another look at this just now, and indeed there are some very weird things going on in CD Architect with FLAC files; in the time I had available I determined CDA has no particular problems with any compression setting for 44.1kHz/16bit FLAC - however at higher samplerates is where the trouble begins - 48kHz/24bit FLAC files sometimes worked, sometimes didn't according to different compression levels; the behaviour was weird and erratic to say the least....

I also found SoundForge10e occasionally generated corrupt FLAC files.

BTW there seemed only small differences in actual saved filesize between the 9 different compression settings within FLAC.

I think you should start a support ticket with SCS regarding CDArchitect's FLAC support (or lack of it), as it does not make sense that some SCS products can generate files that are unreadable by other in-house products, or indeed, cause crashes.

Thanks for all of your help! and work.

I started a support ticket on Sunday, but I haven't heard a word from them. Time will tell.

and I agree, if one program can spit it out, the other programs should be able to read it.