even readers of this column screw that I ’m a classical music buff . As such , I have a act of Blu - ray disk of classic concert and operas . I of late get it into my headland that I wanted to rip the audio from some of these to be capable to take heed to them on my position stereoscopic photograph . I was n’t concerned in the surround - strait mixes — I do n’t have the appropriate equipment to trifle back medicine in such data format — just the stereo tracks . So , to this destruction , I bought an external Blu - ray cause and correct out to figure out how to get the music from my Blu - shaft of light discs into my iTunes library . ( I ’ve already write about doing this from DVD , and seize it would be a exchangeable process . )
For starters , you credibly know that Macs do n’t support Blu - ray playback . Famously describe as a “ purse of hurt ” by Steve Jobs , Blu - ray uses a complex system of digital rights management andHigh - bandwidth Digital Content Protection ( HDCP ) . Apple intelligibly does n’t want to get involved in such licensing issues , and feels that if you want HD movies on your Mac , you should simply buy or rent them from the iTunes Store . Given that there seem to be no classical transcription in the iTunes Store ’s pic section , there are n’t many choices for those wishing to see a concert by a piano player or an opera house in HD on their mackintosh .
However , Macs do confirm Blu - ray of light drive as information source . I bought a Plextor PX - B120U international Blu - ray driveway and connected it to my USB hub . When I down in a disc and closed the hat ( yes , it ’s an oddly anachronistic top - loading private road ) , the disc showed up in my Finder sidebar . If it were a data disc , I would be able to copy any files it contains ; I just ca n’t toy its television .
Using MakeMKV, I chose which parts of the Blu-ray disc to rip. Here I chose the 2-channel audio mix, and not the surround-sound mix. (Click to enlarge.)
Using MakeMKV , I opt which parts of the Blu - ray disc to rip . Here I chose the 2 - channel audio mix , and not the environment - phone mix . ( Click to flesh out . )
To determine these files , you may use the freeVLC media player , and they do , indeed , look with child on a Mac . But I wanted to extract the audio from them . Theoretically , you should be able to do this with VLC as well . If you opt File > Streaming / Exporting Wizard , you’re able to prefer to export the MKV single file in a number of formats , one of which is an audio extraction . This worked for short tracks — trailers on the discs from two minutes to four minutes long — but bomb with every case of setting for longer tracks . I do n’t hump if this is because MakeMKV did n’t make the MKV files right , or if VLC simply ca n’t cover export from such large single file . This may be resolved in the time to come , but for now I was stuck .
iMkvExtract lets you split an MKV filing cabinet into its ingredient parts . I chose here to simply export the audio it contain .
iMkvExtract lets you split an MKV file into its constituent parts. I chose here to simply export the audio it contained.
So , I went out in search of a de - muxing tool for MKV file . This type of program can part a file into its dissimilar element : video , audio , and subtitles . I find MKV4Mac ’s freeiMkvExtract , a simple-minded program that , while a bit rough around the edges ( some of the interface text are in English and others in French , for example , and the app itself has no picture ) , did the trick . I was able to export the audio frequency in its original PCM data formatting . However , the data file I export had an odd.???extension , so the next step was to forecast out how do share with these .
The trustworthy freeXLD , or X Lossless Decoder , came to the rescue . I just dragged the file onto the XLD icon , and it proceeded to exchange it to AAC data format . ( you could choose which format you want XLD to output in its preferences ; anything from AAC or MP3 to FLAC , Apple Lossless , AIFF , WAV , or others . )
However , I had one farseeing track of a pianissimo recital , and another of an opera house . This is not the ideal way to add medicine to my iTunes subroutine library , so I used Rogue Amoeba ’s $ 39Fission , my go - to tool for splitting and editing track without re - encoding them . On the piano recitation track , I went through and break each individual work into its own filing cabinet . ( While I was at it , I stripped the hand clapping as well ; I do n’t need to see this when listening on my iPod . ) For the opera house , it was a bit more hard . I decided to divide it into acts , and checked the pamphlet that came with the Blu - ray magnetic disc for the right timing . Again , I split at those points , and removed the applause .
Fission lets you split files and edit them without any loss in quality. Here I split the piano recital into one track per work.
Fission lets you separate files and blue-pencil them without any exit in timber . Here I part the piano reading into one cut per piece of work .
At the end of the day , I had two set of audio files that I added to my iTunes library . While I ’ll clearly want to see these discs again , notably because of the fantabulous surround - sound mixes , at least I can listen to the music on its own whenever I desire .
[ Senior contributor Kirk McElhearn compose about more than just Macs on his blogKirkville . Twitter:@mcelhearnKirk is the author ofTake Control of iTunes 10 : The FAQ . ]
