In the Generate Master window, the Image Format choice is important depending on the files you need to generate.
If your project is not running at the same sampling rate as the selected Sample rate, the SRC Filter type option is available to generate the file, choose between Linear Phase (Default), Minimum Phase or Apodizing.
Resolution : 24 bit fixed / 32 bit float.
Mono, stereo and multichannel file output.
The Process DSD at original Sample rate option allows performing DSD Rendering processing (Gain and crossfades) at the original DSD material sample rate (i.e. 64 Fs for DSD64, 128 Fs for DSD128, 256 Fs for DSD256) (available since V12)
Album Publishing
Sampling rate conversion and dithering can be selected for each output format.
Extra Gain parameter available in the Album Publishing output format is to be applied before Sigma Delta (DSD output format) or after SRC (PCM output format)
Mono, Stereo or Multichannel files (depending on the target format).
DST Encoding (DSD Edited Master only)
Same for all channels (00 / 000000)
Stereo pairs (01 / 001233)
Dotted line processes are only used if required.
As of Pyramix V12
Gain is only available if SRC and/or dithering is present.
SRC and Dithering modules are bypassed if not required (No Change)
Data conversion integer <-> float is used when the destination format does not support float bit rate.
Source summary displays information about the source datas, including Artwork, output jobs,...
At the end of the Album Publishing files creation, a peak metering is performed automatically.
See Pyramix User Manual for further details.
If you do a sampling rate conversion, you can expect to have different peak and TP values between the source file and the converted ones.
Especially when upsampling, new samples are created, and therefore you can get more inter-samples peaks, peaks that were between two samples before the upsampling process.
DSD production goes over 0dBFS PCM, which requires 32 bit float to describe. If you attempt to create DSD files from a 24 bit source file, when the program goes over 0 DSD (above Full Scale PCM) there will be clipping in the file. This was introduced to allow publishing DSD files taking advantage of the extra [0, +3] dB DSD dynamic range allowed by the DSD domain.
Of course, but if you need to deliver 24 bit PCM file, please check the dithering settings.
With the SDM D or Trellis E, there is a conversion to DXD, DXD x2 or DXD x4 depending on the source / destination DSD formats.
The new Meco SDM (available in the SDM section of an output format) allows high sample rate (64 and 128 Fs) intermediate multibit stage when publishing from a DSD format to another (e.g. DSD256 to DSD128)
If the source and destination DSD formats are the same, there is no PCM conversion.
If the "Include Pause " option is ticked, the SDM is reset for each track. If this option is not ticked, the SDM is not reset and used in continuity accross all audio tracks.
No additional fades are introduced, the DSD Media Player should handle such case.
The Metadata are inserted at the very end of the Album Publishing process.
Once each file has been successfully generated, each file is re-opened to insert the « text » metadata, and re-opened a second time to insert the cover artwork if present and allowed by the format.
DSDIFF Edited Master is for SACD mastering and additionally contains markers (the TOC), some limited metadata, and a unique ID.
Since MTFF is not really supported outside Merging ecosystem, we allow generating DSDIFF Edited Masters at higher rates than SACD's 64Fs, so other software can read it.
Even if it does not really makes sense since SACD is DSD64 only, we even extended the DST encoding to 128/256 Fs for DSDIFF Edited Master, after noticing that some other software player can actually support them. That also could be handy for lossless archiving of huge DSD256 media.
We allow the users to use DSDIFF Edited Masters as input for Album Publishing since it is quite standards for old SACD mastering projects.
But, since DSDIFF has been designed for professional purpose only, much like raw DDP without CD-text, it is too limited in terms of metadata (compared to DSF embedding ID3 tag) and is limited to ASCII character set for text metadata, so we encourage people to use MTFF for their master, since it covers all needs:
- supports PCM data
- supports DSD data
- can contain authoring metadata (Performer, Artist, song titles, ISRC codes and so on)
- can contain a Table of content (so it can describe a full disc)
- can embed artwork
- uses Unicode (UTF16-LE) character set for text metadata, so it can virtually support any language
- supports up to 8 channels
| File Format | Max number of channels | Max sampling rate | Available pre-encoding bit rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | 8 | 352.8 kHz / 384 kHz | 16/24/32FP |
| AIFF | 8 | 352.8 kHz / 384 kHz | 16/24/32FP |
| MTFF* | 12 | 352.8 kHz / 384 kHz | 16/24/32FP |
| PMI | 2 | 44.1 kHz | 16 |
| Flac | 8 | 352.8 kHz / 384 kHz | 16/24 |
| Ogg Vorbis | 128 | 192 kHz | 16/24/32FP |
| MP3 | 2 | 48 kHz | 16/24/32FP |
| AAC | 48 | 96 kHz | 16/24/32FP |
| DSDIFF | 2/5/6 | DSD64 to DSD256 | NA (1bit) |
| DSF | 6 | DSD64 to DSD256 | NA (1bit) |
In the Generate CD Image window, the Image Format choice is important depending on the files you need to generate.
(Since V11.1)
New Digital Release 32 bit Floating point PCM support (For DSD delivery)
Mixer Output => DSDIFF in DSD64 => Album Publishing process (including sampling rate conversion and dithering).
Stereo or Multichannel files (depending on the Area selected and target format).
Dotted line processes are only used if required.
As of Pyramix V11.1 :
Gain is only available if SRC and/or dithering is present.
SRC and Dithering modules are bypassed if not required (No Change)
Data conversion integer <-> float is used when the destination format does not support float bit rate.
Source summary displays information about the source datas, including Artwork, output jobs,...
At the end of the Album Publishing files creation, a peak metering is performed automatically.
See Pyramix User Manual for further details.
If you do a sampling rate conversion, you can expect to have different peak and TP values between the source file and the converted ones.
Especially when upsampling, new samples are created, and therefore you can get more inter-samples peaks, peaks that were between two samples before the upsampling process.
DSD production goes over 0dBFS PCM, which requires 32 bit float to describe. If you attempt to create DSD files from a 24 bit source file, when the program goes over 0 DSD (above Full Scale PCM) there will be clipping in the file.
Of course, but if you need to deliver 24 bit PCM file, please check the dithering settings.
As of today there is a conversion to DXD, DXD x2 or DXD x4 depending on the source / destination DSD formats.
If the source and destination DSD formats are the same, there is no PCM conversion.
If the "Include Pause " option is ticked, the SDM is reset for each track. If this option is not ticked, the SDM is not reset and used in continuity accross all audio tracks.
No additional fades are introduced, the DSD Media Player should handle such case.
The Metadata are inserted at the very end of the Album Publishing process.
Once each file has been successfully generated, each file is re-opened to insert the « text » metadata, and re-opened a second time to insert the cover artwork if present and allowed by the format.
If SRC then use the SRC in dither in Mixdown options and disable the Mixer one.
If Direct Mixdown then use the one in the Mixer.
If you use the Album publishing its better to have the MTFF Generate Master that is in 32bit float and from this one publish output formats that can have dither individually applied.
Note: All those are done in one pass, it's important not to SUM dithering such as the Mixer Dither with the SRC one.