Print

Print


Peter,

Thanks for the quick response to this. In fact what you suggest was the
first solution that was offered here, and it turns out the disc is HFS+, so
that wasn't the problem. Then, by asking Peak directly and browsing their
user forums I discovered that in fact AIFF, WAV, and Sound Designer file
formats were standardized as 32-bit files, so there was an acknowledged 2GB
limit to all of these (technically it should be 4GB, but there was some
question about whether one of the bits is reserved for the sign, even
though all file locations should be positive numbers - might be that -1
needed to be reserved as a value in order to flag something). WAV64 and
other files that exceed this limit are not industry standards, so Peak
doesn't support them.

Alec

At 01:04 PM 6/24/2005, you wrote:
>Hi
>
>There is no inherent limit to file size in any of the audio file formats,
>the limit you are seeing is that of the file system on the computer you are
>using.
>Make sure the disc(s) you are recording onto is/are formatted as HFS+ not
>HFS.
>Likewise on a PC make sure your disc is formatted as NTFS not FAT32 or you
>will encounter the same problem
>It is just possible you are using a very old version of Peak that has this
>limit built in, (I am not familiar with Peak version numbering) but I would
>not expect this to be the case for late versions of the software.
>
>HTH
>
>-pm
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alec McLane
>Sent: Fri 24 Jun 2005 17:33
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [ARSCLIST] 2GB limit for audio file formats
>
>
>We are recording (mostly) analog tapes to disk at a sampling rate of 88.2KHz
>and 24-bit resolution, using Peak 4.0 on a G5 running OS 10.3.5. While the
>files are for archival purposes, to make listening copies of these
>recordings we bump them down to 44.1KHz to burn to CD. For the archival
>files, however, we are encountering the 2GB limit for 32-bit audio file
>formats, which at that resolution only allows around 65-70 min. of music.
>I'm told this is a limit built into the standards for most audio files -
>WAV, AIFF, Sound Designer, etc., established by Microsoft, Apple, and
>Digidesign, respectively.
>
>While this is enough to record, say, one side of a cassette tape, it may not
>be enough for a 10" reel at 3 3/4 ips, nor is it enough for those few
>occasions when we record from 95- or 125-min DATs. The virtue of Peak 4.0 is
>that it allows burning a "playlist" to CD from regions defined within a
>single file, and doesn't require the saving of smaller files in order to
>make a CD from the recording. But it has the disadvantage of just stopping
>the recording at the 2GB limit, without at least opening up a new file to
>continue, so many recordings get truncated and we have to figure out where
>it stopped and begin a new file manually.
>
>In addition to the recording problem, the idea of storing a complete tape,
>or at least a side of a tape, as a single file in archival-quality format on
>a server is appealing, just for its simplicity. So even recording separate
>files and then merging them within Peak just to burn a CD is still not an
>ideal solution, although for the time being it seems the only one.
>
>Has anyone else found solutions to this problem with other software?
>
>Alec McLane
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Alec McLane
>Scores & Recordings/
>   World Music Archives       Phone: (860) 685-3899
>Olin Library                       Fax: (860) 685-2661
>Wesleyan University          mailto:[log in to unmask]
>Middletown, CT  06459       http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/srhome/srdir.htm
>
>- --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>Music from EMI
>
>This e-mail including any attachments is confidential and may be legally
>privileged. If you have received it in error please advise the sender
>immediately by return email and then delete it from your system. The
>unauthorised use, distribution, copying or alteration of this email is
>strictly forbidden. If you need assistance please contact us on +44 20
>7795 7000.
>
>This email is from a unit or subsidiary of EMI Group plc.
>
>Registered Office: 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5SW
>
>Registered in England No 229231.
>
>
>- --------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alec McLane
Scores & Recordings/
  World Music Archives       Phone: (860) 685-3899
Olin Library                       Fax: (860) 685-2661
Wesleyan University          mailto:[log in to unmask]
Middletown, CT  06459       http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/srhome/srdir.htm