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Old Sep 10, 2009, 12:34 PM
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Well I would like to start pointing out an important thing, yes it is related to CDDB / freedb track-list-length times.

First is a question started by Teioh right here http://vgmdb.net/forums/showpost.php...8&postcount=69 , after researching for some days I came to a conclusion that many albums here at VGMdb need to be re-updated to exact match its official DiscID. I will also clarify / answer his question about Winamp and Foobar.

Foobar and Winamp are media Players.

The question that you are probably wondering is how do I do it? It is simple, first you need to understand why this is important for the VGMdb and for us. Suppose you want to retrieve the information of your CD from the VGMdb server and suddenly you find out that the service is not working and the question is, why is it not working?

The problem could be due to many issues, first it could be related to hidden tracks, incorrect Track-list order and or track-length / duration etc...

VGMdb is based on the Stigmergy and Trust mechanisms, so it is important to keep that way because if it was not then I bet you would not be here.

DiscID is another important thing that you need to understand, basically matching the official DiscID is what we should be really after.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
CDDB1 identifies CDs with a 32-bit number, usually displayed as a hexadecimal number containing 8 digits: XXYYYYZZ. The first two digits (labelled XX) represent a checksum based on the starting times of each track on the CD, mod 255. The next four digits (YYYY) represent the total time of the CD in seconds from the start of the first track to the end of the last track. The last two digits (ZZ) represent the number of tracks on the CD.
Read more right here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDDB#Ex...eDB.29_disc_ID

Most albums at VGMdb have a DiscID except the ones that were not filled yet. This is not about having DiscID's, this is about having the right / official DiscID and how can we get it? There are many ways of getting it, you could get it by using a free software called Exact Audio Copy which helps you to rip your CD as well create a cue file:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
A cue sheet, or cue file, is a meta-data file which describes how the tracks of a CD or DVD are laid out. Cue sheets are stored as plain text files and commonly have a ".cue" file-name extension. CDRWIN first introduced cue sheets, which are now supported by many optical disc authoring applications and media players.
Read more right here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sheet_%28computing%29

Is the official album DiscID really important?

I would say that is the goal we are trying to achieve. The DiscID is composed of total tracks, checksums(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclic_redundancy_check), disc and track lengths. It is important to note that the CD's stored information is the DiscID.

So what do I need to help VGMdb out on this quest?

It is really simple, an original game album CD, the Exact Audio Copy(EAC) software which can be downloaded freely at http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/ and for track-list and length I would recommend Foobar for extreme precision. I will be explaining why Foobar is required soon.

Another important thing that I think should be enforced is, cue file submissions while submitting track-list and length times concerning many albums just to check the authenticity of the submission, right but how can I submit it? This is for the Administrators to decide.

Teioh gave an example some days ago of how Winamp and Foobar differs concerning rounding up numbers, now I want to clarify this, Winamp conserves the second regardless of the milliseconds whereas Foobar uses the US / European Standard example, somebody told me that Asian and South America rounding-up numbers are different somehow, not sure about that.

Minutes:Seconds:Milliseconds

Example 1:

Winamp 01:39:10 = 01:39
Foobar: 01:39:10 = 01:39

Example 2:

Winamp 01:39:49 = 01:39
Foobar: 01:39:49 = 01:39

Example 3:

Winamp 01:39:50 = 01:39
Foobar: 01:39:50 = 01:40

Example 4:

Winamp 01:39:51 = 01:39
Foobar: 01:39:51 = 01:40

Example 5:

Winamp 01:39:89 = 01:39
Foobar: 01:39:89 = 01:40

So what does that all mean?

It means that Foobar is the best tool for you to help VGMdb out with tracklists, track, disc and time durations.

An important note is, do not use Winamp to retrieve track-length duration. It will be incorrect and therefore will result in a different incorrect DiscID.

A good example of how to use Foobar in order to get the track-length and track-list was given by Gigablah right into this thread http://vgmdb.net/forums/showpost.php...32&postcount=3 , the plug-in component tool you need was first pointed out by Cypher right at http://vgmdb.net/forums/showpost.php...84&postcount=8 . The Exact Audio Copy software can also be used to get track times and track-lists, also to check gaps, cyclic redundancy check, cue files and much more.

Foobar can be downloaded right here http://www.foobar2000.org
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