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Old Oct 18, 2008, 10:29 AM
CaptainCommando CaptainCommando is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 107
Default .cue and .sfv info/VGM archival

I am proposing that the VGMdb include disc gap information such as .cue files and lossless checksum files such as .sfv. While it's great we have high-res scans of many of the albums and album booklets on the site, I just don't think this would be enough information. This metadata is important for game music archival as it allows for the recreation of the original album.

I have been doing some research into the archival of CDs and believe .bin/.cue information is important for the complete archival of an album, as it would allow the original disc to be recreated exactly and would help bring the audio back into context. In addition, the files would contain complete information on the track length and disc metadata. Hydrogen Audio has an FAQ with more info on cue sheets, and the best formats here seem to be multiple files with corrected gaps and multiple files with gaps left out (though this would depend on the album, as some might contain info in the gaps):

http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Cuesheet

A checksum file such as an .sfv would also be important to archival purposes as it would allow users who have lossless rips of game albums to verify the accuracy of their files.

One guy I know also creates a read-only RAR file containing all the tracks and disc information. The RAR format is used as it contains parity information so the RAR could be restored if part of it got corrupted.

In addition, I think it might be useful to establish some sort of standards system for collectors' digital archives, such as which lossless file format to use for backup and how track gap information should be saved. In this manner, not only would new collectors have an established system for creating and verifying archive-quality backups, but individual collectors could share consistent data while checking the accuracy of the data they already own. Historically, this would be important for future archive work.

While it's currently not possible to legally create a public VGM audio database, I think these standards would be important for when it does become possible to do so. Because the VGMdb is the best database of album information out there, I think it's important that the site contain additional metadata for archives.

As the Top 500 VGM Albums of All Time project is coming to a close, I propose that these 500 albums be prioritized for archival in this fashion.

What are your thoughts on this? What techniques do you use to create lossless backups of your own albums?
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