caf audio file format

[Klaus]

Recording in caf format makes 'finalizing' unnecessary, right ?
( DP 7.24 can't record caf but import it, AFAIK )
I recently heard WAV recording could be updated / finalized periodically in short intervals,
is this what happens when I hit save during a recording in DP 7.24 ?
But then save isn't available sometimes…
Thanks for clearing up
and best regards

Klaus

[buzzsmith]

Can you describe what you mean by "finalizing"? As it applies to a CD burn?


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[mikehalloran]

Can you describe what you mean by "finalizing"? As it applies to a CD burn?
...

Likewise, I am not understanding what you are looking for here.

[Klaus]

WAV files are written to disk by DP and when the recording is stopped, they are 'finalized',
maybe not the right term…
If I interprete caf format right, these files do not need to be finalized at the end of the recording process, you can pull the power plug and still have audio files that are readable up to where the power was cut off.
May be I'm wrong … ?
edit :
http://www.metric-halo.com/media/legacy ... le_RP.html
And just when I read it, the SDII format doesn't need finalizing either… go figure
I'm trying to improve my rigs to be safe if power drops...
Thank you for clearing up
Klaus

[buzzsmith]

Slightly off topic, but maybe you need an Uninterruptible Power Supply for your studio. That way if you lose power, you can still run for enough time to save, etc. and shutdown your system safely. Just be sure to calculate exactly how much of a power draw you're using so you can get the right size UPS.


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[leigh]

I use the Metric Halo record panel, too, and use CAF for the added safety if the power fails. DP converts the CAF files to WAV without problems.

The Record Panel CAF choices are CAF and CAF-LE. Is one "more portable" than another?

**Leigh

[Klaus]

I use the Metric Halo record panel, too, and use CAF for the added safety if the power fails. DP converts the CAF files to WAV without problems.

The Record Panel CAF choices are CAF and CAF-LE. Is one "more portable" than another?

**Leigh

From http://www.metric-halo.com/media/legacy ... le_RP.html
CAF
CAF is the Apple's new standard audio file format. Very portable to other systems - but other systems may not have support for CAF yet; does not require finalization at end of recording and has no file size limit. Supports timestamping and extended standard metadata.
CAF-LE
CAF is the Apple's new standard audio file format. Very portable to other systems - but other systems may not have support for CAF yet; does not require finalization at end of recording and has no file size limit. Supports timestamping and extended standard metadata. This selection writes audio data in Little Endian Format; this is the native format for Intel processors.

[bayswater]

It's the file header that doesn't need to "finalized". With AIF and WAVE, the app has to write info about the file at the end of the recording. With CAF it doesn't, so if there is an interruption, the file is still usable. But IIRC, there are utilities that will restore audio file headers if you know the sample and bit rates, format, etc.

[mikehalloran]

CAF is the Apple's new standard audio file format.

as of OS 10.4, Tiger in 2005.

The letters stand for Core Audio Format. Like WAV or AIF, it is a wrapper for the raw audio.

bayswater » Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:17 pm

It's the file header that doesn't need to "finalized". With AIF and WAVE, the app has to write info about the file at the end of the recording. With CAF it doesn't, so if there is an interruption, the file is still usable. But IIRC, there are utilities that will restore audio file headers if you know the sample and bit rates, format, etc.

The best one I know is QuickTime 7.6.6, still available from Apple.
https://support.apple.com/kb/dl923?locale=en_US

As of OS 10.6, it installs in the Utilities folder or it will conflict with QT 10, part of the Mac OS. If you have a QT 6 or 7 Professional license, it will still work with 7.6.6. Trash v.7.7 if still installed as it no longer works after OS 10.5.

I often get corrupt WAV files from a certain studio. These will not open in DP. To fix this, I drop the file onto QT 7.6.6, export as .aif, then convert back to .wav. Quicktime strips and rewrites new headers—the raw audio is unaffected.

This can be done in iTunes but it's convoluted.

There are many other utilities that work and some support formats that QT does not. For batch processing of multiple files, I like TwistedWave or DSP-Q.