rmastbro

I know information is available on the forum on this but I have to say the best feature of the Wavelab is to make your own DVD-A disc in 5.1.

I bought the Dido Live DVD the other day and made my DVD-A version from this in 5.1. I have to say it sounds freakin awesome !!!

Basically any Music DVD that you have that has a 5.1 audio track on it, you can make a DVD-A in 5.1.

I have made DVD-A (5.1) disc from the Cure, Depeche Mode, Moby, Celine Dion, Peter Gabriel.

Since the audio industry is not really releasing too many DVD-A / dual-disc, we have to be creative and make our own.

The software used to do this:

DVD Decrypter (Used to extract the 5.1 audio track and create a .VOB file)
BeSweet (Used to convert .VOB file to a 5.1 wave file in 48000 sample rate)
Wavelab (Used to build and DVD-Audio 6 channel Audio Montage)

Once you figure it out it takes about 1-2 hours to convert DVD -> DVD-A


Here are detailed instructions on how to create your own DVD-A from a DVD in 5.1 sound !!!!







DVD Decrypter (used to create 5.1 VOB file)
1) With a DVD in your player, select the source of the DVD player.
2) Select the Destination for the output files
3) Select IFO Mode
4) Look at the VTS's and locate the chapter (track) your interested in. This may take some trial error since the tracks and not named.
5) Check only one chapter at a time and tab over to the stream processing.
6) Check the 'enable stream processing'
7) Check the 6ch (preferrably) or 5ch track only
8) The 'stream OxEO - Video' can be set at direct stream copy and OxEO (default)
9) Click the DVD->hard drive image below the Destination selection
10) After a few seconds/minutes it will create a 6ch VOB file.
11) Continue to process all tracks using steps 1-10.

Proceed to the .VOB -> 5.1 wave file extraction phase.





Besweet (used to create 5.1 wave file from VOB file)
1) The Besweet.exe should be setup so that it point to the appropriate folder where the .exe resides.
2) Locate and select the .VOB that you created with DVD Decrypter
3) On the Select Input window I have the 'Output Path\File.yy=Input Path\File.xxx' selected. This will automatically setup the out destination.
4) Besweet options that I used:
VOB input - Auto
Azid - Use AC3 Decoder
Pregain -> Normalize to -> 100%
Force Input Sample Rate -> 48000
Output -> Select 5.1 Wave
5) Click the VOB to wav file for processing.
6) After a few minutes it will create a 1 wav file in 5.1 format. You can chose the 6 waves file but it is a alot more work.















WaveLab 5.0 (used to create DVD-A ISO image)
1) Create new Audio Montage with sample rate of 48000
2) In the Audio Montage window click Mode-> Mode DVD-audio and select 6ch (Lf Rf / C, LFE, Ls, Rs)
3) In the 'big window' in the audio montage (right click) and select 'Input Surround Audio file'.
4) Select the 5.1 wav file that your created with Besweet.
5) The file will process and Insert audio files window will come up. Leave it on 'Place each file on a different track' and check shift existing clips to the right
6) Use the slider on the far right side of the audio montage window and slide it over to the left the compress the tracks.
7) Click on the mouse anywhere to the RIGHT of the 1st inported window in the audio window (you will see a flashing vertical line)
8) Continue to add more 5.1 wav files like step 3-7
9) The limit that I have found was about 1 - 1.25 hours of music.
10) After you added all of your wav's, in the audio montage window click on the DVD-A tab and click functions, DVD wizard, and click apply. I usually leave it as defaults.
11) You will now notice verical blues lines between tracks.
12) At this point you are ready to create or burn DVD-A.
13) Save the Audio montage
14) In the audio montage window click the red disk icon. It will bring up the DVD-Audio Creation window
15) Click the OK. It will proceed to render the DVD-Audio
16) A new window will appear that shows the file structure of the DVD you are going to make.
17) At this point you can either create the DVD or save the .ISO image. I like to create the .ISO image so that I can create more disc right from the file. The save to .ISO image button is right next to the red disc on this window.
18) After it has been created. I go back to DVD Decrypter and create my DVD-A from the .ISO image.



DVD Decrypter (used to burn .ISO image)
1) Use mode ISO-> Write.
2) Select ISO image.
3) Insert blank DVD
4) Burn
5) Happy Listening!!!!

cM3go

You sir are an asset, thanks for the work and pics!

markjrenna

Awesome! One of the best posts I have seen anyplace.

I'm trying to make some DVD-A's from my CD collection. I'm going to try out DiscWelder and see what happens. If I'm successful then I'll post some detailed instructions too.

AdamNJ

Are these 3 programs free/cheap? I'm too lazy to do research myself. I don't have a DVD burner yet, but I've been thinking of getting one strictly to create dvd-a for my car.

rmastbro

1) DVD Decrypter FREE!!!
2) BeSweet FREE!!!
3) Wavelab NOT FREE ... BUT if one seeks a program on the internet one can usually find what they what without payment

jafo

Too bad DVD Decrypter has been abandoned by the author due to legal threats. You can still get it of course, it just won't ever be updated.

rmastbro

Yes... you are correct it will never again be updated due to the movie industry forcing him to stop work on it.

However, I might add it works awesome in its currect state.

MeltdowN

If you have an option between AC3 and DTS, I would suggest, always choose DTS (at least if you're want higher quality). BeSweet can be used with AziDTS and WinDVD to decode DTS 5.1 files.

nirmul

I tried downloading the programs, but the versions are different, which ones are you using? When I tried the conversion I got an error VOBInput missing, any ideas?

rmastbro

DVD Decrypter (version 3.5.4.0)
BeSweet (version GUI v0.6)
WaveLab (version 5.0)




Hmmm...
Not sure why you are getting error VOBInput..... Did you verify that this file was in the input box and it exists on the hard drive?

MeltdowN

It could be something to do with long file names with consecutive white spaces. It is not always a problem, but it has happened once to me. Try using a path without any white spaces and see if it helps.

tlexpress

If you want to combine the DVD audio extraction process to a single step, try DVD Audio Extractor. It's shareware (free 30 day trial) and can be found at http://www.castudio.org/dvdaudioextractor. I've used it and it works quite well.

nirmul

DVD Audio Extractor works really well, do you use the 16 or 24 bit setting for encoding?

leeherman

Thanks to rmastbro for the excellent write-up!

I had some problems with getting BeSweet to spit out a usable WAV file. The one it created for my test track couldn't be opened by Wavelab, and I nearly had my ears blown off by noise when I tried to play it in WinAmp.

tlexpress's suggestion about DVD Audio Extractor solved my problem. DVD Audio Extractor quickly created the WAVs from my subject DVD (John Fogerty's "Premonition"), at which point I was able to revert to rmastbro's instructions for Wavelab.

I'm pleased to say that "Premonition" sounds GREAT as a DVD-A. It should, as the DVD was mixed by Elliot Scheiner! I will do the same thing to Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance", and may even buy a few more Dolby Digital encoded concert DVDs to create DVD-As from.

I picked up Led Zepplin's "How the West Was Won" on DVD-A. It's surprisingly good considering the age of the source material. A definite recommend.

Thanks again for the tips!

acura1

does the DVD disc HAVE to be DVD- ??

rmastbro

I have only used DVD-R ... not sure if DVD+R will work.

nirmul

I haved used Memorex DVD+R with no problems.

Masta120

DVD-RWs work also....don't remember which brand.

rmastbro, good work man.....but I got one question......

Do you see the song information while playing the DVD-A in the TL stereo?

I have a 05 TL with Navi. I set the quality to 16 bit, and was able to get about 90 tracks on one dvd. Problem is, with that many tracks, its sometimes a pain to change songs.....with nothing to go by except the track number.

Is there a way to get the song information (file name, tag info, etc.) on the screen? Would this require hacking the system somehow?

rmastbro

I don't think this is possible to have intregrate the display with the DVD on this system. What you might be able to do is group your songs and burn with mulitple groups. I have never done this but I saw a post that someone has done this.

Group 1 - 80's
Group 2 - Dance
Group 3 - Rock
Group 4 - Techno

ect.......

mp3car

wow... this is one sick and powerful program...

mp3car

Also...
for any of you with wavelab 5...

I have found that if you are wanting to just make a DVD-A with a bunch of 2ch songs, from MP3s let's say... then you can create a new audio montage, under the mode select DVD-A (similiar to rmastbro's instructions) but if you go to the files tab, you can just use the built in explorer window to find mp3s, and them drag them down in the 'wave window' for lack of better terms...

mp3car

Just as one more note.... I was unsuccessful with DVD+Rs (Memmorex i think, burned on a NEC 2500a). However, Verbatim DVD-Rs worked great.

mp3car

Okay, sorry to make THREE posts in a row... But...
I had to come back in here and say... I know someoen else said this, so they may be influencing my opinion... but... I swear I'm hearing things I never heard before from MP3s that i converted into DVD-As. I have a lot of expirience with audio systems, I used to have MB Quarts, Infinity Kappas, You name it... but really... the same songs sound better in the TL on DVD-A converted from the MP3s than they did when i played them as mp3s (which I played on a sound blaster audigy, with digital out going to a DTS amp, yes, in my car ). In particular, a lot of techno/trance music... listening in the TL almost does as much to music as

ttenn

Wavelab wouldn't read BeSweet's WAV files for me either. The only difference I found is that in the instructions it states to select "Output -> Select 5.1 Wave" where I have only the option of "5.1 DD-WAVE"

I don't know if this is making the difference or not.

ttenn

I can't get DVD Audio Extractor to encode a 5.1 WAV file. I get 6 different wavs. I can get a 5.1 OGG file, but Wavelab won't read it. I can't figure out how to tell wavelab to use the 6 differnet wavs as 6 channels.

ttenn

Nevermind, found the checkbox to make one file. Duh.

DeathtoToasters

So to make a 5.1 dvd-a I need to find a DVD that has 5.1?

I am kinda confused between the difference of DVD-A, DVD-A 5.1 etc

Anyone who can explain this to me would be great.

MeltdowN

DVD-A is only the format of the DVD Audio specificaiton. Each DVD-A can have up to 9 groups. Each of these groups can contain songs that are either 5.1 or 2 channel. In one DVD-A, you can have both regular 2 channel audio (stereo) and 5.1 audio, as long as they are in seperate groups. Most commercial DVD-As usually contain 2 groups. One with the songs in 5.1 surround and another with the songs in stereo.

So, yes, to make a 5.1 DVD-A you need to find a DVD with 5.1 audio in it, which you rip and convert to DVD-A. Keep in mind that, just because you have one group or one album in 5.1, doesn't mean you cannot add more groups with stereo songs in the same DVD-A. A DVD-A can contain both 5.1 and regular songs.

swtato

I can't get DYD Audio Extractor to rip the 6ch it only will do a 2ch. When I select 6ch and select the files it gives an error message that says it cannot read that format? Any Ideas?

MeltdowN

Do you have the latest version of DVD Audio Extractor? Quoting from DVD Audio Extractor's FAQ, possible causes are:

• The disc is copy-protected and DVD Audio Extractor has difficulty handling the copy-protection scheme it used.
• The audio information in *.IFO files mismatch with that on *.VOB files.
• Part of the DVD disc is damaged or your DVD-ROM has problem reading that disc.

"In case this happened, first please select other available formats on the disc and try again. If still failed, run a DVD Copy software and get a copy of the disc onto your hard disk. Then run DVD Audio Extractor in "Browse to file folder" mode. If still get the same error, then there must be an error in the IFO files. Please open the VOB files and extract one by one as a workaround."

badnaam

I tried the steps as you mentioned, but the size of the iso file is only 1.6 MB for 86 mins of music (all 6 chan wav) created with adobinizer from 2 chan wavs)

Anyone seen this?

mrempp

if it is only 1.6 MB you definitely have a problem

Bearcat94

Does not seem right. I use the Adobeman "Adobinizer" scripts to convert lossless 2-channel wave to 6-channel wav.

I put those into Wavelab and create the montage, DVD Project and ISO. A single "normal" album/CD is usually about 2GB. You can fit ~2 single albums/CD's to a single layer disc and upto 4 single albums/CD's to a dual layer.

I think the play time on a pretty full dual layer is ~170 minutes and ~8.3GB.

My HD with ISO files is at home, so I can't look 'em up to give you exact numbers.

Question: What did you start with? MP3, FLAC, WAV? If your original 2-channel source was MP3 (or other lossy compression) you'll get more minutes with less disc space.

Basically whatever the size of your original 2-channel file, your will end up with 6x more file space. For example a 10MB MP3 file will yeild 20MB Front L+R, 20MB Rear L+R, 10 MB Center, 10MB LFE = 60MB; A 100 MB WAV = 600MB in 6-channel.