Nero 6 - Gets track length wrong

[skypilotpete]

I have recently broken up a long mp3 track into multiple shorter tracks and now I'm trying to burn them as an Audio CD. I have done this many times without any problems. However, now Nero is not correctly recognising the track lengths.

Example: Track 1: actual length is 1 min 47 secs. I have checked the length by opening the file in Total Recorder Pro and Adobe Audition and I've checked the file properties in Windows Explorer and Mp3Tag.

However, when I try to create an Audio CD using Nero 6.6.1.4, Nero shows the track length as 3mins 37 secs. This is despite the fact that when I check the properties of the file in Nero's navigation/file selection pane, it shows 1min 47secs.

When I actually burn the CD, Nero creates a 3:37 track, made up of the original file (1:47) plus 1:50 silence.

I wondered if Nero was having trouble converting an mp3 file to Audio CD format on the fly, so I tried first converting the mp3 file to wav, but Nero created a 3:37 wav file: 1:47 sound plus 1:50 silence.

Nero does the same thing with every file in the compilation.

Any help with this would be very much appreciated.

I am running Windows XP Pro SP3.

[olyteddy]

What did you use to cut the track? Try MP3 DirectCut. Maybe your cutting program is padding the file with silence.

[skypilotpete]

I use Total Recorder Pro to edit and cut files. I checked the possibility that TR was the problem by opening the cut files in Adobe Audition, as well as by playing them in VLC, Realplayer and Windows Media Player. I also imported the tracks into iTunes and burnt them as an Audio CD from iTunes. All of these options recognised the correct track length with no silence in the file.

[skypilotpete]

I’ve just been doing a lot more checking. I have discovered that this problem does not happen with all audio files. I have pulled a whole lot of random audio files into Nero as if I were creating an Audio CD. Nero recognises the length of some of them correctly, and gets some of them wrong.

I tried to work out what the various files had in common, and realised that all the correct files had been imported directly from audio CDs and converted using Nero, whereas all the incorrect files had been downloaded from the web and converted to mp3 using using dbPowerAmp converter.

I have played around with dbPowerAmp converter, changing various settings, and discovered that if I go into advanced settings in dbPowerAmp, where I can specify the frequency settings of the output file, and change it to 44.1 khz (CD), then Nero recognises the length of the resulting file correctly. However, if I leave the frequency settings as “Same as source” or specify another frequency (I tried 16 khz and 24 khz) then Nero thinks the resulting file is twice as long as it actually is.

I find this really bizarre, but at least I know how to get around the problem. But I would still really like to know why Nero gets this wrong, while every other program I have tried (listed in above posts) recognises the correct length of the tracks.

[coolcolors]

[QUOTE=skypilotpete;2131968]I have recently broken up a long mp3 track into multiple shorter tracks and now I’m trying to burn them as an Audio CD. I have done this many times without any problems. However, now Nero is not correctly recognising the track lengths.

Example: Track 1: actual length is 1 min 47 secs. I have checked the length by opening the file in Total Recorder Pro and Adobe Audition and I’ve checked the file properties in Windows Explorer and Mp3Tag.

However, when I try to create an Audio CD using Nero 6.6.1.4, Nero shows the track length as 3mins 37 secs. This is despite the fact that when I check the properties of the file in Nero’s navigation/file selection pane, it shows 1min 47secs.

When I actually burn the CD, Nero creates a 3:37 track, made up of the original file (1:47) plus 1:50 silence.

I wondered if Nero was having trouble converting an mp3 file to Audio CD format on the fly, so I tried first converting the mp3 file to wav, but Nero created a 3:37 wav file: 1:47 sound plus 1:50 silence.

Nero does the same thing with every file in the compilation.

Any help with this would be very much appreciated.

I am running Windows XP Pro SP3.[/QUOTE]

You also want to update your Nero 6 to Nero 6.6.1.15a that last update to Nero 6. It might or might not help but at least that will keep Nero updated to the last update for Nero 6.

[skypilotpete]

I have installed the updates you suggested, but they don’t make any difference. I have also installed ImgBurn, and that doesn’t have any trouble with the files and has done a very good job burning all of them as an Audio CD. I think I’ll stick with ImgBurn from now on, at least for this particular kind of job.

[skypilotpete]

It seems I’m talking to myself here, but I’ll have another go…

I posted a message on the dbPowerAmp forum, as all the problem files were converted to mp3 using that software. I received a reply saying that this looks like a bug in Nero, and that Nero is mistaking Lame Mp3 files at 22Khz for Mp3Pro files, and that this somehow causes the file length to be doubled. All the files Nero gets wrong, are in fact twice the length they should be, and I do have Mp3Pro, purchased from Nero, installed on my computer.

Does this make sense to anyone? I don’t know enough about these issues to know if it makes sense, and if it does, whether it means there is something I can do about it.

[jeff53404]

Does this make sense to anyone?

It certainly sounds like a software problem or conflict. I don’t use MP3Pro as I’m happy with the Lame encoder. You can either do a Google search on Lame and download it or look at the bitburners link to see what else is out there (e.g. lossless plug-ins).

cd-rw.org

You are in the Nero forum and other members may be reluctant to recommend alternative programs but you may want to do a CDF search if interested. Regardless, try it with the Lame encoder and let us know how it works out.

[skypilotpete]

I have looked on the Bitburners website, and there are a number of recent user comments there saying that the Lame mp3 plugin is out of date, only supports CBR and causes Nero to crash. Do you use this plugin with Nero yourself, and if so, how well does it work for you (or anyone else who reads this thread?)

[jeff53404]

I’ve used it with all the Nero Ultra versions and have had no problems.

[skypilotpete]

I have downloaded and installed the Lame plugin, but I’m obviously doing something wrong. I have unzipped the dll into the directory specified in the instructions:
"For Nero version 6, unzip the plugin DLL into “\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\AudioPlugins” directory. "
I have checked the directory, and nxLame.dll is there. I have checked the plugins listed within Nero, and Lame mp3 is listed, as well as mp3pro. When I do the “create Audio CD” process, Nero still gets the track length wrong. I think it is still using the mp3pro plugin.

If I disable the mp3Pro dll by renaming it, the mp3pro plugin is no longer listed within Nero, but the Lame plugin, though listed, doesn’t work. When I try to create an audio CD using mp3 files, I get the message:

“One or more files could not be added to a compilation. It may be possible that the files can be added if a dedicated plug-in is installed.”

Any suggestions?

[jeff53404]

I wouldn’t remove it but don’t select it as the encoder to use. Try using Lame or try one of the lossless.

In Nero 8, my path is Program Files, Common Files (Nero), AudioPlugins (that’s where the audio files are).

[skypilotpete]

Hi jeff5304 - thanks for your quick reply. I was in the process of editing my previous post when you answered, so there is more info there that you may not have seen.

However, the main thing is - can you tell me how to select which plugin to use? In my Nero 6 I can’t see any way of specifying this. When I look at the plugins (File - Prefernces - Plugin Lookup) I am not given any way of selecting what plugins to use - just a list of available plugins. Under “Decoders” I can change the order of the list, but doing this doesn’t have any effect on the track length issue. Under “Encoders” the only option I have is to configure the individual plugins, but not to select which one to use in preference to any other.

I have tried setting the Lame plugin to VBR and then tried CBR. I have tried changing the Mp3pro plugin encoder settings, telling it NOT to use mp3pro. But still nothing has changed Nero getting the track length wrong.

As far as I can see, Nero is still using the Mp3Pro plugin in preference to the Lame plugin. If I disable the Mp3Pro plugin Nero tells me that it can’t process the file and that I need a plugin (see error message in previous post).