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https://github.com/webmatze/redbookmaster

A GUI and CLI tool for creating Red Book compatible CD masters with CUE sheet output and CD burning.
https://github.com/webmatze/redbookmaster

master redbook tool

Last synced: 5 months ago
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A GUI and CLI tool for creating Red Book compatible CD masters with CUE sheet output and CD burning.

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README 

          
# Red Book Master



A professional tool for creating Red Book compatible CD masters with CUE sheet output. Available as both a **GUI application** and a **CLI tool**.



![Red Book Master GUI](screenshots/redbookmaster_main_view.png)



## Features



- **Modern GUI application** - Native desktop app with dark theme, waveform display, and intuitive controls

- **Interactive CLI wizard** - Guided step-by-step experience for creating CD masters

- **Red Book compliant** - Enforces CD-DA specifications (16-bit, 44.1kHz stereo)

- **Automatic format conversion** - Converts non-compliant WAV files (resampling, bit depth, channels)

- **Waveform visualization** - Zoomable/scrollable waveform display with playhead

- **Audio preview** - Play tracks with real-time position tracking

- **Full metadata support** - CD-TEXT, ISRC codes, MCN/UPC catalog numbers

- **CUE sheet export** - Industry-standard format for CD mastering

- **TOC file export** - Compatible with cdrdao for disc-at-once burning

- **CD burning** - Direct burning via cdrdao with progress display and CD-TEXT support

- **Project files** - Save and load projects in .rbm format

- **Drag & drop track reordering** - Easily arrange tracks in the GUI



## GUI Application



The GUI provides a professional desktop experience for CD mastering:



### Main Features



- **Track List Panel** - View and manage tracks with number, title, duration, pregap, and postgap

- **Waveform View** - Zoomable waveform display for the selected track with playhead

- **Metadata Editor** - Edit track and album metadata in real-time

- **Playback Controls** - Play, pause, stop, previous/next track, volume control

- **Menu Bar** - Quick access to New, Open, Save, Export, and Burn CD



### CD Burning Dialog



The burn dialog provides a complete burning experience:



![Burn Options](screenshots/redbookmaster_cd_burn_options_view.png)



- **Drive Selection** - Choose from detected CD/DVD drives

- **Speed Selection** - Auto, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 24x, 48x

- **Options** - Eject disc, Enable CD-TEXT, Simulate only

- **Real-time Progress** - Progress bar with MB written percentage



![Burn Progress](screenshots/redbookmaster_cd_burn_progress_view.png)



- **Live Log Output** - See cdrdao output in real-time

- **Cancel Support** - Abort burning if needed (disc may be unusable)



![Burn Error](screenshots/redbookmaster_cd_burn_error_view.png)



- **Error Details** - Full log preserved for debugging when errors occur



### Keyboard Shortcuts



| Shortcut | Action |

|----------|--------|

| ⌘+N | New project |

| ⌘+O | Open project |

| ⌘+S | Save project |

| ⌘+Shift+S | Save As |

| Space | Play/Pause |

| Escape | Stop playback |

| ↑/↓ | Select previous/next track |

| ←/→ | Previous/Next track |

| Delete | Remove selected track |



## Installation



### Prerequisites



- Rust 1.70 or later

- Audio output device (for playback features)

- cdrdao (optional, for CD burning)



### Build from source



```bash

git clone https://github.com/webmatze/redbookmaster.git

cd redbookmaster

cargo build --release

```



Binaries will be at:

- `target/release/redbookmaster` - CLI application

- `target/release/redbookmaster-gui` - GUI application



### Install via Cargo



```bash

# Install both CLI and GUI

cargo install --path crates/redbookmaster-cli

cargo install --path crates/redbookmaster-gui

```



### Run the GUI



```bash

# From the repository

cargo run -p redbookmaster-gui



# Or after installation

redbookmaster-gui

```



### Run the CLI



```bash

# From the repository

cargo run -p redbookmaster



# Or after installation

redbookmaster

```



## Project Structure



The repository is organized as a Cargo workspace:



```

redbookmaster/

├── crates/

│   ├── redbookmaster-lib/    # Shared library (core, audio, export, burn)

│   ├── redbookmaster-cli/    # CLI application

│   └── redbookmaster-gui/    # GUI application (Slint)

├── screenshots/              # Application screenshots

└── README.md

```



## CLI Usage



### Interactive Mode (Recommended)



Launch the interactive wizard:



```bash

redbookmaster

```



This opens a guided menu where you can:

- Create new projects

- Add and manage tracks

- Edit metadata (album, track, ISRC, MCN)

- Configure track gaps

- Preview audio playback

- Export master files

- Burn CDs



### Command Line



```bash

# Create a new project

redbookmaster new



# Open an existing project

redbookmaster open my-album.rbm



# Add tracks to current project

redbookmaster add track1.wav track2.wav



# List tracks

redbookmaster list



# Edit track metadata

redbookmaster edit 1



# Reorder tracks

redbookmaster reorder



# Configure track gaps

redbookmaster gaps



# Play album preview

redbookmaster play



# Play specific track

redbookmaster play 3



# Play transition between tracks

redbookmaster transition 2



# Validate Red Book compliance

redbookmaster validate



# Export CUE/WAV master

redbookmaster export



# Burn to CD (requires cdrdao)

redbookmaster burn



# Show project info

redbookmaster info

```



## Workflow Example



### GUI Workflow



1. Click **New** to create a project (choose location and name)

2. Click **Add Tracks** to add WAV files

3. Non-compliant files are automatically detected and can be transcoded

4. Edit track/album metadata in the right panel

5. Drag tracks to reorder them

6. Use playback controls to preview

7. Click **Export** to generate master WAV, CUE, and TOC files

8. Click **Burn CD** to open the burn dialog and write to disc



### CLI Workflow



```

$ redbookmaster



Welcome to Red Book Master!



? What would you like to do?

> Create new project



? Album title: My Awesome Album

? Artist/Performer: The Band

? Add WAV files now? Yes

? WAV file path: /path/to/track1.wav

✓ Added: Track 1 (3:42)

? WAV file path: /path/to/track2.wav

⚠ File is not Red Book compliant: Sample rate is 48000Hz (need 44100Hz)

? What would you like to do?

> Convert automatically

⟳ Converting to Red Book format...

✓ Conversion complete: 48000Hz -> 44100Hz

✓ Added: Track 2 (4:15)



? Save project as: my-awesome-album.rbm

✓ Project saved

```



## Audio Format Conversion



Red Book Master automatically handles non-compliant WAV files:



| Input Format | Conversion |

|--------------|------------|

| 48kHz, 96kHz, etc. | Resampled to 44.1kHz (high-quality FFT resampling) |

| 24-bit, 32-bit | Converted to 16-bit with TPDF dithering |

| Mono | Duplicated to stereo |

| 32-bit float | Converted to 16-bit integer |



## Red Book Specifications



The tool enforces the following CD-DA (Red Book) specifications:



| Specification | Requirement |

|---------------|-------------|

| Audio format | 16-bit, 44.1kHz, stereo PCM |

| Maximum tracks | 99 |

| Maximum duration | 79:57 |

| Minimum track duration | 4 seconds |

| Track 1 pregap | 2 seconds (default) |

| ISRC format | CC-XXX-YY-NNNNN (country-registrant-year-designation) |

| MCN format | 13 digits (UPC/EAN with check digit) |



## Project Files



Projects are saved as `.rbm` files (JSON format) in a project directory:



```

MyAlbum_rbm/

├── MyAlbum.rbm           # Project file (JSON)

├── _transcoded/          # Converted files (if any)

│   └── 01_track.wav

├── myalbum.wav           # Master WAV (after export)

├── myalbum.cue           # CUE sheet

└── myalbum.toc           # TOC file for cdrdao

```



Project files contain:

- Album metadata (title, performer, songwriter, catalog number)

- Track list with individual metadata (title, performer, ISRC)

- Gap configurations (pregap, postgap per track)

- CD-TEXT information



## Output Formats



### Single WAV + CUE (Recommended)



Concatenates all tracks into a single WAV file with proper gaps, plus:

- `.cue` - CUE sheet with CD-TEXT

- `.toc` - cdrdao TOC file for burning



Best for CD burning and replication.



### Multi-file CUE



Generates a CUE sheet referencing original WAV files. Useful for software playback but requires all source files to be present.



## External Dependencies



### cdrdao (for CD burning)



cdrdao is required only for the "Burn CD" feature.



```bash

# macOS (Homebrew)

brew install cdrdao



# Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install cdrdao



# Fedora

sudo dnf install cdrdao



# Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S cdrdao

```



Red Book Master automatically searches for cdrdao in:

- System PATH

- `/opt/homebrew/bin/cdrdao` (Homebrew on Apple Silicon)

- `/usr/local/bin/cdrdao` (Homebrew on Intel Mac)

- `/usr/bin/cdrdao` (Linux)



## Rust Dependencies



| Crate | Purpose |

|-------|---------|

| slint | GUI framework (GUI only) |

| clap | Command-line argument parsing (CLI only) |

| inquire | Interactive prompts and menus (CLI only) |

| hound | WAV file reading and writing |

| rodio | Audio playback |

| rubato | High-quality audio resampling |

| rfd | Native file dialogs |

| serde / serde_json | Project file serialization |

| dirs | User preferences directory |

| colored | Terminal colors (CLI only) |

| thiserror | Error handling |

| chrono | Timestamps |

| indicatif | Progress bars (CLI only) |



## Tips



1. **Use lower burn speeds** - 4x or 8x is recommended for audio CDs

2. **Simulate first** - Use the "Simulate only" option before actual burning

3. **Check track gaps** - Default is 2s for track 1, 0 for others

4. **Preview playback** - Listen to tracks before exporting

5. **Export before burning** - The burn dialog requires an exported TOC file

6. **CD-TEXT compatibility** - Some drives don't support CD-TEXT; disable if burning fails



## Troubleshooting



### "cdrdao is not installed"



Even if cdrdao is in your PATH, the program searches specific locations. Install via Homebrew on macOS or your system package manager on Linux.



### Audio playback not working



Ensure you have a working audio output device. The program uses the system default audio output.



### Conversion taking too long



Large files (especially high sample rates) take longer to convert. The FFT-based resampler prioritizes quality over speed.



### CD-TEXT burning fails



Some drives don't support CD-TEXT with the `--driver generic-mmc-raw` option. Disable the "Enable CD-TEXT" option in the burn dialog and try again.



### GUI window size not saving



Window size is saved to `~/Library/Application Support/redbookmaster/preferences.json` on macOS. Delete this file to reset preferences.



## License



This software is licensed under a **Personal Use License**. You are free to use, modify, and share the software for personal, educational, or internal business purposes at no cost.



**You may NOT** sell, commercially distribute, or bundle this software with paid products.



For commercial licensing inquiries, contact: mathias.karstaedt@gmail.com



See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for full terms.



## Contributing



Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.



## Acknowledgments



- [Slint](https://slint.dev/) - Modern GUI framework

- [hound](https://github.com/ruuda/hound) - WAV file handling

- [rodio](https://github.com/RustAudio/rodio) - Audio playback

- [rubato](https://github.com/HEnquist/rubato) - High-quality resampling

- [cdrdao](http://cdrdao.sourceforge.net/) - CD burning