River Past Audio Converter 6.9.2 - User Guide and FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions - River Past Audio Converter

1. What causes the software to crash at startup?
   Our software loads the system codecs at startup.
   
   If you have installed a lot of third party codecs, some of those codecs may be poorly written and cause the software to crash. For example, Kazaa codec packs and Nimo codec packs both include some problematic codecs.
   
   Our software usually is smart enough to mark a codec "problematic" and will not load it the next time it runs. You can monitor the file size of "codecs.ini" in the installation directory. Every time the software crashes at start up, the file size should have increased in size, meaning a new codec is added to the "black list".
   
   However, if the "codecs.ini" file size doesn't increase when the program crashes, you should open the file with a text editor, go to the end of the file, and change the last "Blocked=0" to "Blocked=1".
   
   
2. Why is the sample rate limited to 24 kHz when I select MP3 as the audio codec?
   We use the MPEG Layer-3 codec in DirectShow. The default codec shipped by Microsoft is limited on some systems. You can install another MP3 codec to get the higher quality.
   
   You can use the lame_enc.dll in the LAME MP3 encoder.
   
   
3. How do I disable LAME MP3 ACM?
   Generally, LAME is a good MP3 encoder. LAME comes in three forms.
   
   1. An exe or dll. In this case, the encoder is called directly. This is the most reliable form.
   2. A DirectShow filter.
   3. A ACM (Audio Compression Manager) component.
   
   Our software uses either the DLL form (lame_enc.dll) or ACM modules for audio compression. While Lame_enc.dll is extremely reliable and fast, the LAME ACM is very unstable. On some systems, it works fine. On some, it fails to encode. On others, it crashes.
   
   If LAME ACM is causing problems on your PC, you can disable it by the following steps.
   
   1. Open Systems Control Panel.
   2. Go to the "Hardware" tab, and click on "Device Manager".
   3. Make sure the View is set to "Devices by type". Double-click on "Audio Codecs" under "Sound, video and game controllers".
   4. Go to the "Properties" tab. Find lame.acm and double click to bring up its property page.
   5. Check "Do not use this codec".
   
   
4. What do I need to convert QuickTime MOV files?
   Please make sure the latest Apple QuickTime is installed.
   
   
5. What do I need to convert MPEG-4 files?
   We can use either Apple QuickTime or 3ivx codecs to decode MPEG-4 files. Please have at least one installed.
   
   
6. What do I need to convert the 3GPP/3GPP2 files from my cell phone?
   We can use either Apple QuickTime or 3ivx codecs to decode 3GPP/3GPP2 files. Please have at least one installed.
   
   
7. How good is your compatibility with RealNetwork's RealMedia/RealAudio files?
   We use the DirectShow components in Real Alternative to decode RealMedia files. Real Alternative is based on Helix open source project. It is still fairly new and the compatibility is still not ideal.
   
   Of course, a more compatible way would be using RealSDK. However, Real Networks would not license RealSDK to software vendors who write conversion software. That's why Real Alternative is the only option we have.
   
   To get the best result, install Real Alternative and AC-3 Decoder Filter Some of the Real files contains AC-3 audio. After everything's properly installed, if Microsoft's Windows Media Player can play the file, we should be able to convert it.
   
   Also, make sure the RAM file is not a re-direct file. Take a look at the file size, if it is only a few bytes long, you can open the file with NotePad and you will see the URL. Download from the URL and convert from the downloaded file.
   
   If WMP cannot open the RealMedia file after all the components are installed, I am afraid we cannot convert it at this moment. We will have to wait for Helix project to progress.
   
   
8. Why cannot I converter WMA files from online music stores?
   WMA files from online music stores, like napster.com, musicmatch.com and buymusic.com, are DRM protected. DRM stands for "Digital Rights Management". The WMA files are encrypted so only the publisher's software can decode it. It is designed to protect the rights of the artists.
   
   We cannot, and it is illegal to, decrypt DRM protected files.
   
   However, you can convert the files to another format indirectly. Normally, the online store gives you the option to burn CD's. After the music is burned onto a CD, you can use River Past Audio CD Ripper to convert to another format.