Mac Finder shows RIFF metadata from Wavelab wav files coded with RIFF and ID3.
Windows Explorer shows RIFF metadata from other program’s RIFF and ID3 coded wav files.
But Windows Explorer doesn’t show any metadata from Wavelab wav files.
Also, if I edit even one field of another program’s RIFF metadata in Wavelab (from Foobar, Audacity, XRecode), the files that formerly showed all RIFF in Windows Explorer show no metadata at all in Windows Explorer.
The tags still seem to be correct in Wavelab and within the other programs, but are not shown within Windows Explorer.
I guess Windows Explorer only searches for meta-data at a certain location in the file, while it can be placed anywhere, eg. at the end. This is a limitation of Windows Explorer.
I’ll put in a complaint with Microsoft, but I don’t really expect a fix. The other RIFF wav programs I mentioned in another thread put it where the operating system wants to see it, so I hope you reconsider moving it.
I put in a complaint with Microsoft about the sampling rate / bit depth columns Arjan spoke of when Vista or Win 7 came out, and nothing came of that. Windows explorer has a hundred available window columns, so it would be nice to be able to display what is available.
I hadn’t noticed the Mac sampling rate / bit depth data until taking my screenshot. If anyone knows how to make more columns like that available in Finder windows I’d be interested in knowing. In Mountain Lion I still see only about 10 column headings available for Finder windows, and SR/BD is not one of them.
But MP3 does pretty well with Windows columns (nearly all ID3 info columns available).
Mac, I’m surprised. Still only the same 9 window columns that were available in OS9. But I found if I went to the Music folder there were a few more music columns available there. But not Wav audio sampling rate and bit depth. The Mac OS info can see them, but not do columns. That’s also pretty sad. Couldn’t find any third party apps like XYplorer for Mac.
Good find on that unfortunate and arrogant reply from Microsoft! I intend to try out XYplorer, but for years I’ve had a simple workaround: a list of bit rate ‘translations’ as part of my Windows desktop… Like so:
I think I just found another answer for this. It seems Windows Explorer will not read Wavelab RIFF INFO unless the Wavelab file also contains at least something in the BWF (or whether adding the BWF moves the RIFF to the spot in the file Explorer wants to see, I don’t know). Mac Finder doesn’t care either way (Mac Finder seems to always read the Wavelab RIFF Info, BWF or not).
The first picture is the metadata of a Wavelab file with RIFF INFO only. Windows Explorer won’t display the RIFF INFO in this file. The second picture is the metadata of a Wavelab file with the same RIFF INFO, but BWF added. Windows Explorer will read the RIFF INFO from that file.
The BWF metadata is also related to importing Wavelab wav files in Pro Tools. Pro Tools (with AES31/BWF prefs on, which I believe is the default) will say the file needs to be converted if it doesn’t contain the BWF. With the BWF, there’s no such message, and the file can be added directly to a Pro Tools session.
Do you mean why did Microsoft remove Audio Sample Rate, Audio Sample Size, and Number of Channels from Windows Explorer? Might be something to bring up on the Windows 10 discussion at gearslutz, which is frequented by a Microsoft representative. Maybe it hasn’t been requested there.
