How to convert AVI(DivX/XviD/AC3) to WAV using GoldWave

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

Updated May 30, 2003 Added AC3Filter link and Problems section.

Goldwave is a great, simple and cheap sound editor and it can also open AVI video (DivX,XviD and also video with ac3 audio) and convert the audio to WAV or MP3.

Tools required:
Goldwave 5 (30 day fully functional trial available)
LameWIN (if you want to convert to mp3 audio, free software)
AC3Filter (only if your audio source is AC3, use avicodec or gspot to identify your video audio codec)

Start Goldwave
1. Select File->Open to open your video source (Goldwave will ONLY open the audio)

Resample audio
If you are going to use the audio for VCD, SVCD, Audio CD or just use it your computer then Resample the audio to 44100 Hz. If you are going to use the audio for DVD then Resample it to 48000Hz.

1. Check the source Hz, if it is already the same as you want it then skip this step.
2. Select Effects->Resample
3. Select the new Hz, 44100 for VCD,SVCD,Audio CD or 48000 for DVD

Optional - Maximize the audio (Increase the source audio volume)
If your source audio volume is very low even if you max the volume on your speakers you can try Maximize the audio.

1. Play the audio too check if you need to Maximize the audio
2. You can also check the green and red bars, if they are very low the audio is kinda low.
3. Select Effects->Volume->Maximize to increase the volume
4. Hit OK to Maximize, after you done that listen to the audio(1.) and if it is too high then you can select Edit->Undo Maximize to Undo it.

Optional - Convert NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC
If you are going to convert your video to PAL or NTSC then it is best to change the audio to match the new FPS.

1. Select Effects->Time Warp
2. Change %
If NTSC(23,976fps) to PAL(25fps) select 1.0427% (25/23.976)
If PAL(25fps) to NTSC(23,976) select 95.904% (23.976/25)
3. Hit OK, your audio should now be either a bit shorter or longer depending what conversion you made.

Save to WAV or MP3
Convert the audio to WAV or MP3.

1. Select File->Save as
2. Select File Type, WAV or MP3
3. If wav then use PCM 16 bit stereo. If MP3 you can select different bitrates.
4. Save.

Done. You can now use your audio source in for example your encoder like TMPGENC.

Problems
Goldwave says that there is No Audio
If it is AC3 audio be sure to install the AC3Filter. Use avicodec or gspot to identify your video audio codec.

I can not save as MP3
Be sure to install LameWIN and copy the LAME_ENC.DLL file into the folder where GoldWave is installed.

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binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

dude you are busy today
one q. can this method be used to convert a avi ntsc audio to pal audio
ie from 23.something to 25fps

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

Yep, I can add it to the guide...just wait a few minutes.

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

Done...I think I got it right.

binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

cheers you are a gent i will try it tonight as i need to convert my wedding video i had done in the us to pal so it will play on my bro,s ps2

jolo · Member Joined: 13 Mar 2002 Location: United States

Mr. Baldrick the pirate, thanks for this valuable guide. I can't wait to use it tonight.

I've been messing around with vdub and other tools with this annoying xvid, avi file, trying to convert the sound to .wav or something that an encoder can use.

At least I did get zplayer to play it with sound after downloading some of that xvid stuff which I have to say I dislike so much.

Staying with "standards" and "conventions" is sooooo stops so many headaches in the long run.

Thanks for the post !!

Jon

binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

thanx again for this mint howto i even used it to change an ogg that was giving me loads of problems as my system wont install ogg filters i used this to change to wav then i used the wav in tmpge

videocheez · Member Joined: 01 Jan 2003 Location: United States

Now that I have extracted the wav, can I convert it back to an ac3 using a program like ac3 machine? I would like to use ac3 instead of wav so that when I convert this divx3 to mpeg2, I can have more space to allocate higer video bitrates. Perhaps there is a more direct way to extract the ac3 directly from the original divx?

Also I am having troubles linking to the ac3filter website. Do you know if there are any problems or if the site is down?

Thanks in advance,

VC
_________________
This is so much fun!

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

Updated the ac3filter link, http://ac3filter.sourceforge.net/ . Thanks videocheez. You can use besweet with ac3enc to encode to ac3, but it does not create fully compliant ac3 files. wav to ac3 guides: http://www.dvdrhelp.com/guides?tools=&madeby=&formatconversionsel ... rch=Search

binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

hi dude just an update on the ntsc to pal convert
the 104% didnt work for me made my file 30 secs too long
but i just took the lengh of the film after convert and used that to timewarp rather than the % now its perfect but thanks for poining me in the right direction

jolo · Member Joined: 13 Mar 2002 Location: United States

Bladrick and Binks,

I'll bet you can help. Binks, I not exactly sure what you did, I think I will need to do the same thing.

It is in xvid format, 01:00:24 in time. It is coded as 23.976,

It is in xvid format, when I player in zplayer and WMA 9 using XP, the sound is in synch. Audio bitrate is 4800, (448 kb/s (89/ch x 5 ch) CBR ).

I have the xvid-4 codec as well as the AC3 codecs.

I plays in total synch using zplayer and WMP 9 on XP.

I have used TMPG to encode with stripping to a 4400 wav with goldwav and it was not in synch.

I encoded it to my favored encoder Main Concept as is, once converting to 29.97 and once with the 3:2 pulldown at 23.976. Out of synch again.

It looks like I will have to use 104% or something like that to make this work. It probably would be easiest to convert while I encode to 29.97, but I need to change the audio parameters.

Baldrick, you mention going from 23.976 to 25 PAL. which my DVD player will play, but I was thinking of staying NTSC.

Your thoughts ?

Thanks,

Jon

binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

jolo you need to get the lengh of the converted film ie the 29.97 one and insert the time int the goldwave timewarp feature ie dont do the 104% convertion choose the other selection and enter your film lengh see how you go

jolo · Member Joined: 13 Mar 2002 Location: United States

I hear you Mr Binks.

I checked the time of the film in Vdub (the new version 1.54, I think). Then I did the goldwave thing and entered it and noticed that it still was off, but better than 104%.

I am trying to make a complient SVCD.

Maybe I need to take this xvid thing and encode the 23.976 as 29.97. Then do the goldwave thing again. Fortunately, using Maincon cept, it takes aboout 30 minutes to re-encode a 1 hour movie.

Oh yes, when I save in Goldwave, I am saving as a 16 bit wav file.

This is tricky stuff. By the way, I hate xvid. I think if I was just using my PC as the player, it would be great, but since I use my DVD player, it drives me nuts sometimes.

I also might slap my wireless remote sender to my PC and have it received by my DVD player and to heck with it, but I really want to get this on to SVCD, CDs.

If I was ever to do all of my multi-media over again and if I had your money Mr Binks

I would do the shuttle motherboard thing and just have a PC loaded with good graphics and multimedia accessories and let it drive my entire home theater situation. Have WinDVD and Zplayer on their for all video playing, use my media Center (formally media jukebox), for all of my music, although it can do video as well, then forget about any encoding. Then no fussing, but this is a hobby for me and want to challange of getting this on CDs.

If you have another specific approach I am all ears.

I have an idea, let us get all the media vendors together and agree on 1 format worldwide for DVDs, VCD, SVCD, and for audio, TV, etc. Throw out region codes, PAL and NTSC, and agree on 1 single format. All agree in a single Divx format for compressed playing.

Every notice the the free market is for corporations, but then laws and corporations try to block the same rights for consumers for multi-media formats, hardware, etc. ? By almost any DVD and TV off the rack at any superstore, order a DVD from Amazon UK because of better selection and better pricing and it won't work for region code and PAL reasons. But can the movie industry use actors from all over the world ? Can they have DVDs made in any place anywhere in the world ? Media, etc ?

Jon

binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

dont lose it m8 i converted back to dvd fron xvid 3 times this week some stuff i had put on storage to clear my hdd and it looks and sounds great
how out of sync is it and is it constant thro the clip or does it get progressively worse

jolo · Member Joined: 13 Mar 2002 Location: United States

It is consistently out of synch. Does not get worse, or better.
I am going to play around with a portion of the original, where there is a lot of dialogue. That shoould make it easier.

I synch, therefore I am

Jon

binks120 · complete tool Joined: 28 May 2002 Location: leeds

ok all you need to do is check to see if the audio is in front or behind the video
if in front cut a small section out of the audio if behind add silence to the begining using goldwave under file add silence play with it
your xvid must have a delay on the audio and this is causing your probs i think

jolo · Member Joined: 13 Mar 2002 Location: United States

Mr Bink,

I will play with my movie tonight when I have some time, but I think that you are entirely correct. There is a pre-screen introduction that is probably messing it up. I also might edit that out first in Virtual Dub to see if that helps.

Jon

video-man · Member Joined: 25 Sep 2002

i thank you greatly for posting a guide like this for using goldwave. i have used this all the time for for my avi or vcd convertions. it is also great that this program supports ac3 and ogg audio

indiasbelly · Member Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Location: SoCal

Thank you for posting this guide.

I am running into a problem that prevents me from following it though! When I open my AVI in GoldWave, I get the following error:

"Could not write to file. No storage available or device not ready."

I have 3GB available on the HD where the target AVI is and 4GB on my system drive. It's not a lot of space, by any means, but I wouldn't think that would be my problem.

Has anyone else run into this? Any idea on how to resolve it?

Thanks in advance for any hints/help.

Cheers,
Jane