Virtuosa™ : Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Before doing anything, make sure you always have the latest version of Virtuosa installed. We might already have corrected the problem you are experiencing. To update to a new version, SIMPLY download the latest Trial version from our home page and install it over the version already installed on your computer. YES, it will keep your Gold or Silver registration if you install a Trial version over. Don't worry.
Here you will find a list of answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs), sorted by topics :
CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-R ripping and burning questions :
Audio and video files questions :
Uninstallation problems :
When I try to open the downloaded Virtuosa file, I get a "corrupt cabinet file" message.
This usually occurs when the downloaded file has been corrupted or damaged during the downloading process. When large files are downloaded with dial-up modems, this can happen. You can either download the file from an alternate source, a mirror site (these are listed on the Virtuosa downloading page). Alternatively, for small connections, you can use downloading management software. They handle resuming and these types of problems. We suggest using the Getright downloading management software (GetRight), there are other ones also.
The installation process is very long.
"it just takes forever"
Please make sure that no other applications are running when installing Virtuosa. Other running programs can interfere with the installation process, slow your computer down and sometimes lead to greater conflicts. Make sure all other applications are closed before launching the installation of Virtuosa.
The visualizations are not working properly.
Please make sure your video card drivers are up to date. Check first, download and install the latest video card drivers on the manufacturer's website, they might be outdated. This can resolve many issues with video cards.
I have problems reading files (no sound with video or cannot play some formats correctly, there are glitches or hickups).
These problems can arise when you either do not have the codecs (see Glossary) installed, that they are not correctly installed or that you do not have the latest version. For example, in order to play Divx movies, you need to download the latest codecs on divx.com.
Sometimes this can cause the audio or video quality to be degraded or with hickups. Please make sure you have the latest codecs from the respective developers. For additional file formats, check our File Format Plugins section.
How can I connect my computer and my HiFi ?
"I would like to play music on my stereo sound system, but it seems complicated"
Well, the good news is that it is very easy. You just need to visit our Guided Tour about Digital Media. Everything is explained step-by-step.
How to associate a CD cover picture to many tracks at once (for full albums, for example) ?
"I have a large Mp3 collection (15 GB). How to import and save a cover pic for the full album ? I can click properties for every song in the album to save the front cover pic. How can I save the right cover pic with one klick for the full album ? It means, do I have general properties for the complete folder ? I sort my MP3 files in folders C: \Music\ACDC\Back in Black\ ..........songs If not, I need days to save the right cover pic to every song."
The first thing is to indicate Virtuosa wich cover needs to be used for each track. You need to assign the same picture to different tracks (same album for instance). Follow these steps :
Then, for playlists exports with CD covers use Virtuosa Export File format ( .vls). This way you can export songs from a playlist or from the complete database to any folder on your hard drive ( to be burned on a CDR for example ) ... once done you can import directly the .vls files on any computer, Virtuosa will automaticaly restore all information (including CD covers).
Recording an audio CD in analog mode is generating error messages.
"When I attempt to record an audio CD in analog mode I receive error messages and cannot continue. The messages are: "Could not open the input device for recording" and "Error - WavelnReset""
Virtuoa is in Analog Recording Mode and your input device is certainly busy or used by another program or device... We advise you to use the Digital Recording Mode for improved quality, speed and reliability.
You will then be able to record an audio CD in digital mode, in order to bypass the original problem.
How can I import many files at once ?
"I have now downloaded and installed Virtuosa. I have a large collection of mp3 files (most of my CDs!) and they are stored on my hard drive with the path 'D:\Songs\Artist\Album\*.mp3'. Can I add all these to the Music Library automatically or do I have to add each album individually?"
If you go in File/Import in the Virtuosa menu, you should be able to import folders and sub-folders as well. When you reach the folder you want to import (with or without sub-folders), don't select anything and click on Open, Virtuosa will then import everything in that folder, including sub-folders. This will allow you to automate the processes of importing large collections of tracks.
How can I install Virtuosa updates when I have a registered version ?
"I would like to install a new Virtuosa update on my computer, but I am afraid to remove the registered version"
Simply install new updates whether Trial or full versions over your installed one. During the installation process, Virtuosa will recognize and preserve your previous settings (registered or not), preferences, playlists and database automatically. That way you can always have the latest up-to-date version.
Can Virtuosa™ burn all files onto Audio CDs ?
Virtuosa will burn all supported audio files on blank Audio CDs as long as it is not limited by individual files' DRM settings (please refer to the built-in Help document within Virtuosa for more information about DRM files).
What is the difference between ".as" or "Secure .mp3" and ".mp3" files ?
".as" is an audio file format that was developed by the
company AudioSoft. This file format was based on MPEG 1 Layer 3
(also known as MP3) compression. Anti-copy and anti-piracy layers had been
built on top of the MP3 file, so ".as" files are kind of secure MP3
files. In addition, there are specific fields for metadata and other media
elements (CD cover,...).
WHAT YOU CAN DO with these secure mp3 files :
WHAT YOU CANNOT DO with secure mp3 files :
For more information, check the integrated Help document by pressing F1 when using Virtuosa.
Can regular Audio CD players play the Audio CDs burned with Virtuosa™?
Virtuosa™ also burns Audio CDs in Red Book format. This is the standard that is read by all Audio CD players.
CD burning error GcdWrite ()Failed with = 00000004 h.
"When I try to burn a CD I get the following error message : "Error GcdWrite ()Failed with = 00000004 h.""
With some CD burners and OS configurations there can be a buffering flow problem when decompressing the tracks and burning them onto CD. Our technical team is
trying to resolve the problem. In the meantime, the best way to successfully burn audio CDs is to convert the tracks to the Wav format in 44.1 khz and 16 bits stereo and
to burn the wav files. That way, the computer does not need to do the decompression phase which seems to create the buffering flow problem. It can also be a good idea to
lower the CD burning speed to 1X in the CD burning options.
Follow these steps :
Problems with CD ripping with my CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive with Windows NT/2000/XP (error message "no SCSI or ATAPI drive").
If you
experience problems ripping CDs, such as your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is not recognized (error message "no SCSI or ATAPI drive") under Windows
NT/2000/XP, please click here to download an aspi driver update.
If not, you can check this page for more information : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aa571/aspi.htm.
There is a known issue with USB drives, but you can always check: http://www.adaptec.com/.
What is SCSI Set sector len :error 4 ?
"During the digital transfer of my Audio CD, I have an error window with the message "GcdSrv32: Set sector len :error 4" or "SCSI Set sector len :error 4" ?"
The CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD-ROM drivers might not be up-to-date.
I get absolute silence output files during analog recording.
"I tried to make an analog copy of an audio track onto my hard drive... yes it seems to be ok: the CD plays and hard drive writes -BUT- it produces a file of the right size with
no music on it (absolute silence)."
You should change the recording input level of the CD Audio :
My system freezes when I burn an Audio CD.
"Every time I try to burn a CD Audio, my system immediately freezes."
Remove all resident CD Players (usually icon into the task bar).
My CD Writer cannot play Audio CDs.
"Virtuosa™ burns correctly my Audio CD BUT this CD can't play in my CD Writer. It only plays in my CD-ROM drive."
It is a hardware problem, the line "Audio Out" of the CD-Writer is not linked to the "CD Audio Input" of the
sound card. Depending on your Sound Card you may not be able to connect more than one internal device. If you have a CD Burner AND a CD ROM Drive, you must
choose which device you wish to connect to the sound card ( this device will then play Audio CDs ).
How come I have cracks with the digital recording ?
"Virtuosa™ records correctly my Audio CD BUT the sound file sometimes cracks."
We have tested several drives with different programs. The problem occurs during the
digital transfer from CD to hard disk. The following drives have less or no cracks:
On a CD-ROM drive which cracks, you can do the following (heavy) procedure :
Should I edit the track information at the file level on the hard drive or within the Music Database ?
"When you delete from the dbase you have the option of deleting from the hard drive also but when you make changes in the properties in the dbase of Virtuosa it
won't make the changes on the hard drive (since that's where the errors come from i.e. spelling errors, album names etc.). Is this normal or should I make the changes
directly from my hard drive ?"
Essentially, the tracks have three levels of information:
Therefore, it all depends how much information you want to store and how precise you want to be. Number 1. can be preformatted (Virtuosa does it) to hold some information,
but it is very limited (title, artist). Number 2 depends on the file formats, in the case of mp3 files they are called ID3V2,... The best is to put the necessary information in the
Music Database, since this is where you can best define and provide more extensive description. When you change the information in the Music Database, it is held there and
is not replicated at level 1 and 2, since these two levels cannot hold that much information. Therefore, don't worry about the information at levels 1 and 2, but concentrate
on level 3, the Music Database. And if you want to move these files, you can always export the playlist with most of the level 3 information attached.
Is the digital recording not working on NT/2000/XP ?
"I have a "set sector length error" when I try to digitally copy a track from my audio CD to my hard drive on Windows NT/2000/XP."
This occurs only when more than one
CD-ROM drive are installed on the machine. Using "Disk Administrator" (Start/Administrative Tools ) you can specify which letter each device will use. Virtuosa™ will work
fine if the order of the letters is the same as the SCSI devices order. Example :
How can I uninstall Virtuosa™ ?
If you are sure
that you really want to uninstall Virtuosa,
it is very simple :
How to remove X red crosses on .as files ?
"I'm in a big trouble with as files. I'm using virtuosa for two years. I liked it very much and i saved all my database as .as files. Than i had move them from partition C: to partition D: for formating and reinstall windows. I had to repead this 3 times in 2 years.... Now i'm SHOCKED because of the as file's feature that i learned by this horrible nightmare... I have 1 GB database of Classical music and i can't find them again from anywhere. They are so worthfull... THERE IS AN X ON EVERY .AS FILE AND SERRIAL NUMBER xxxx-xxx-xxx RIGHTS DOWN... Any software can play... PLEASE HELP ME TO SAVE MY FILES... "
This problem is due to the fact that .as files have been moved from a computer to an another one or that the serial number is no longer valid. The security systems recognize this problem and make the tracks unreadable by displaying a red cross on the files. You need to restore the correct .AS serial number in Virtuosa in order to have the tracks accessible again.
General overview of possible problems and solutions with CD Roms, CD Rs, DVD Roms,...
The problems with these storage devices are mainly originated because of outdated or non existent drivers that would allow Virtuosa to recognize and pilot the device.
Essentially, you probably need to update the generic aspi layer (little software modules allowing Virtuosa to pilot storage devices. Click here to download a generic aspi driver update. Check this page for more information : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aa571/aspi.htm. And look under the other questions listed at the beginning of this Faq for more precise answers.
Wnaspi and drive recognition problems
"No CD-Rom, CD-R or DVD detected (SCSI or ATAPI). Adaptec (or Other) WNASPI32.DLL is not properly installed." or "My drive is not recognized by Virtuosa."
If the problem has not been solved as described in the FAQ section "General overview of possible problems and solutions with CD Roms, CD Rs, DVD Roms,..." http://virtuosa.com/faq.htm#genques and if you do NOT have Windows 95/98 or Millenium, you can try this, sometimes it solves the problem (no guarantee it works):
If the problem has not been solved, you can check this page for more information : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aa571/aspi.htm.
There is a known issue with USB drives, but you can always check: http://www.adaptec.com/.
How can I restore my original CD Player ?
"When I uninstalled Virtuosa™, the CD player default did not revert to Microsoft™ CD Player for Windows™. Therefore, when I insert an
audio CD or double click on the CD drive icon when there is an audio CD in it, I get a message that the computer cannot find Virtuosa™. Please can you tell me how
to restore my original CD player default for the CD drive."
Your previous association will then be restored.
Normalization for CD burning
"In CD-Recordable. Does setting Normalise Volume Leveling set all tracks for that CD to the same volume level ?"
Yes, you could select all tracks in CD-Recordable and prepare "Normalise Volume Leveling" in file menu and verify if "Normalise Volume Leveling" is checked in Options/CD-Recordable. It is the normalisation for the burning...
Multiple track normalization
"In AUDIO, OUTPUT there is also a Normalise Volume Level. Does this set all encoded tracks input to the same volume level?"
Yes, you could select all tracks in your playlist or in the Music database and prepare "Normalise Volume Leveling" in file menu. It is the normalisation for the player... You must always prepare the normalisation (Files menu) before applying the normalisation (checkboxes)... In all cases, the files are not modified, just the playback level is influenced.
Mp3 encoders and sound quality, what are the alternatives ?
"My question is regarding sound quality. Does Virtuosa record with a better encoder? Does it "sound" better? "
The bottom line is that Virtuosa supports both the most popular (Lame) and the highest quality (Fraunhofer) mp3 encoders. Make sure you downloaded the latest version of Virtuosa on http://www.virtuosa.com and look for the "mp3 upgrade" link in the File menu. This option is only available to Gold or Silver users. You can check http://mp3-converter.com/mp3codec/ for more in-depth analysis on the encoder settings : Variable or Constant Bitrates, Bitrates,... There is a trade-off between quality and encoding time.
What is downmix and intensity ?
"In Plugin Options (i) Misc. (a) What is Downmix and why is it used? (b) What is Allow Intensity and why is it used? (ii) Encoding Qualities. How much difference in quality is there in the Fast/Medium/Highest speeds used? The highest quality seems very slow."
The Downmix and Intensity filters are Fraunhofer options and are not very important...they are only used for "Mono" encoding and are not used for "Stereo" mode. You have 3 modes...the Highest is very good (encoding multi-paths) but very slow.... We think that the medium is a good compromise (quality and speed).
I am unable to convert a Wma file in Mp3.
"I love this program, but am having a difficult time converting a .wma file
to an .mp3. I have tried several times and have updated Virtuosa to 5.0, but
am still unable to convert the file. When I begin the conversion, I receive two pop-up error messages: 1) Error opening file to write 2) Error creating wave header in temporary file."
I figured the problem out. My old version of Virtuosa did not have the newer
Widows Media 9 codec. I had updated not too long ago several of my windows programs and that one was left behind... I shut down my computer and restarted it. Then everything worked just fine. The .wma files are converted and I'm still very pleased with Virtuosa, which is by far the best sound manipulation program I have used and I have used very many since different ones since 1995.
DRM problem: secure Wma file unable to convert.
"I am trying to convert WMA files to MP3 format. I was able to do that with the trial version of Virtuosa but now I get an error message that says: "Virtuosa cannot convert or copy the existing song... the source file has been secured!""
The wma (Digital Rights Management => drm) protected file you bought legally is copy-protected, that is why you are not allowed to convert it. Otherwise it would allow users to distribute protected files freely (wma/drm) by converting them into mp3, which is an unsecure file format.
This is not Virtuosa’s fault at all, but it is due to the way wma/drm works. You will not find any player/jukebox on the market allowing that, because of the agreements with the DRM technology providers and the music content providers. A previous version of Virtuosa did allow this, but it was due to a bug and we had to correct it in order respect our agreements.
I cannot import an .asx file.
"I cannot import an .asx file. It says it does, but dosen't show up on my list. "
Sometimes .asx files are .wma files in fact. In this case you just need to change the .asx extension in .wma and it will work just fine.
The text under the buttons is blurred.
"I have trouble reading the text under the buttons in Virtuosa, it is all blurred."
First of all, some default font settings in Windows can dramatically affect the readability of the text in Virtuosa. Concerning the blurring, you could suppress the antialiasing in Virtuosa by going in Options/Appearance/Graphic Details and put the slider on "Lower". That should solve the problem.
Virtuosa cannot import my mp3 files.
"Virtuosa cannot import my mp3 files."
Some encoders say they output .mp3 files, but in fact these are .mp2 files. In this case you just need to change the .mp3 extension in .mp2 and it will work just fine.