[In 11.3.0] m4a (AAC) compatibility

[pbraun]

It would be extremely useful to be able to import m4a files directly without having to convert them to mp3 first. Often I need to grab something from iTunes on the fly when the director changes his/her mind about something during rehearsal, and I would love to be able to add it directly without having to go through conversion first.

[Mike Daniell]

I used to have a standard reply to this request, which was that due to licensing conditions the requested format is not supported directly by SCS, although an appropriate plugin is available.

However, on investigating this further I now find that some of these restricted formats are supported by Windows Media Foundation (for Vista/Win7/Win8 environments). They are therefore also supported by the BASS audio library which is the main audio library used by SCS. To confirm this, I have successfully played a demo m4a file using a BASS test program without any plugins.

I'm checking details with the BASS developer, but it looks like I can add AAC, MP4 and M4A file extensions to the list of available file formats.

[Mike Daniell]

Details confirmed. The next release of SCS (11.3.0) will support AAC and M4A in Windows 7 or later environments, as these formats are support by Windows Media Foundation.

At the time of posting, SCS 11.3.0 RC3 (Release Candidate 3) is already available so AAC/M4A support will not be included until RC4, or the official release of 11.3.0 if there is no RC4.

[techniekhofplein]

You can easily download the addons for the required file formats from the Bass Audio Library website (http://www.un4seen.com/) If you store the .dll-files in the SCS installation folder you can use AAC, Flac etc. Works like a charm