Subject:WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Posted by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/8/2015 4:26:55 PM

I have confirmed this issue on Win8.1/surface pro 3 and Win7 Pro/i7 Desktop - both using recent Sound Forge 11 b299 installations.

I used to rely heavily on PCA and encountered the the PCA problem on about 30% of files edited. If this issue existed on previous Sound Forge versions - I never caught it. Thinking PCA was left in the dust (...which it was), I batched all PCA files to FLAC, where I encountered the even MORE common and severe FLAC issues. I don't use other formats so cannot inform how many files types Sound Forge DOES NOT HANDLE PROPERLY.


WITH PCA: If a section is selected and copied to new; about 1 in 3 times, the new file will have a section of audio missing at the top of the new file. There will be a section of silence where there once was program material. I have reproduced/encountered this DOZENS of times on two different computers!!!


WITH FLAC: Open a FLAC file (specifically one created by Sound Forge itself) and apply almost any effect/process/tool.In my repeated testing, about 90% of the time (not always - but why or why not is not clear), the results will have extreme damage done to the END of the file. Mono/stereo/16 bit/24 bit. All may have bizarre damage done to the end.


WAV files work fine. Whoopee. Welcome to 1995.

Many preferences have been toyed with to try to resolve the problems, with no luck. The option to "always use a proxy with compressed file types" doesn't seem to work with FLAC - I get an "unsupported" message, so please don't tell me to check that box.

As Sound Forge is a RATHER EXPENSIVE AUDIO EDITOR, the fact that it cannot edit common audio file types without FREQUENTLY causing damage is completely unacceptable. As a corporation, I already know Sony could probably care less (that pattern is so well established it makes the head spin), but I sincerely hope some INDIVIDUAL at Sony takes some pride in their sw title and will seek to remove Sound Forge from the "that software is now unusable" category.

Seriously,as an "audio editor", this is rather beyond the "bug" classification.

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/9/2015 10:33:27 AM

Doing some googling for confirmation, I just found this post in the VEGAS forum confirming the same flac issue, but the author describes using SOUND FORGE 11. The real culprit, I'm guessing.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=926341

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/9/2015 10:37:39 AM

Yes, now I seem to be googling the right terms; found another confirmation of sony's flac plug in corrupting the end of files in Vegas:

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/Forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=904951

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/9/2015 10:56:11 AM

Seems flac I/o plugin may have been broken since introduced in SF v9. Same issue described, corruption/silence at end of file.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/Forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=638174

and another user describing flac in v9 having issues (though he isn't too specific):

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/threads/sound-forge-flac-files-and-traktor-pro.104126/

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: john_dennis

Date:6/9/2015 12:09:29 PM

May not be just FLAC.

See this.

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/9/2015 10:38:37 PM

True - here we have the same manner of damage being decribed to edited mp3/m4a:

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=906850

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/10/2015 10:41:48 AM

SOME DISCOVERY:

PCA file editing was ruining about about 30% of my work on SF v10. That's what drove me to buy 11; I hoped it was a 64bit/ win8 /whatever problem. It was not, so I converted everything to flac and and am done forever with PCA. Since SONY just wouldn't share it with anyone else, it has no value today anyway.

But I just went to a third computer which had SF 10, and copied the FLAC I/O plugin (v10.0.0.503 dated 2010). When I replaced SF 11's folder with this old one...

I CAN NO LONGER RECREATE THE ISSUE WITH FLAC FILES BEING RUINED !!!

OK, I wouldn't be too surprised to find some new issue (since the plugin has been changed for some logical reason we must guess), but for now I can try to move forward. And its not a complicated fix at that.

SONY, you listening? FLAC I/O PLUGIN ver 11.0.0.299 HAS SERIOS PROBLEMS

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/10/2015 11:06:15 AM

OK, please imagine the following at a giant 72 pixels: WTF!!!!

I just caught something I missed a moment ago. The SF 10 FLAC plugin is a 5.2 mb file. Very similar in size to the AC3, AIF, OGG, RAW, and PCA codecs.

The SF 11 flac plugin is a scant .3 mb.

Did SONY find a way to reduce flac processing code to an impressive 6% of its former size, or did someone go mad and carve the guts out of the dll before resigning and running naked onto the highway, machette waving in the air above their head???? Perhaps the now removed 94% was embedded images of naked celebrities, for the private enjoyment of the coders?

Anyway - might have SOMETHING to do with FLAC issues.

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: Angels

Date:6/12/2015 12:14:28 PM

I for one appreciate your efforts. If only the Sony team was as dedicated to tracking down and fixing problems. They're not even bothering to replying to posts in the forums anymore.

This is not the first time I get the feeling someone inexperienced and somewhat reckless is now at the helm of these Sony products. The functionality changes in SF11 don't really bring workflow improvements as much as just workflow changes.

I hope this is transitional, but sadly this is what often happens when a cottage product gets sucked into a corporate environment. The only parameter that seems to become important then is money. Sad, sad, sad...

BTW, you made me want to post a thread called (in edited language...):

"WARNING!! SONY DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR ISSUES ANYMORE!"

Subject:RE: WARNING!! SF DAMAGES COMPRESSED FILES

Reply by: MissingTheFOUNDRY

Date:6/13/2015 2:43:08 PM

Still need SONY TECHNICAL to resolve it, but Emily @ SONY CUSTOMERCARE was very responsive. She found the issue might relate to any flac file without a certain amount of silence at the end gets corrupted. She also pointed out that SF v9 FLAC plug-in was 1mb, and also was reported to give similar issues. Actually getting somewhere with the FLAC format.

Also REALLY glad to have some response from someone with SONY. I believe in the PEOPLE at SONY, but the CORPORATION has not inspired trust over the past decade (Not gonna forget that audio CD rootkit anytime soon, for starters).