[ARSCLIST] 2 GB file limit

[Konrad Strauss <konrad.strauss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We are in the midst of switching from CD to workstations for our live
concert archival recordings. The resulting audio files will be stored on the
university's mass storage system. For obvious reasons we plan to use the
broadcast wave format.

So far we have experimented with both Cubase and Wavelab. We really like
Wavelab because of the metadata entry into the BWF header, the ability to
imbed markers in the files, batch file handling and conversion features,
editing, CD burning etc. But we are running smack up against the 2 gig file
limit for Wav files which gives us only about 57 minutes of interleaved
stereo at 24/96.

So, there are a couple of options. Wave64 file format will allow us to
record bigger files, but are not BWF compliant or universally supported.
There is an option in Wavelab to record longer BWF files, supposedly this
will convert them to Wave64 once the 2 GB mark has been passed, but the
resulting files, while OK in Wavelab, are unrecognized by other programs. On
the other hand, Cubase can record standard BWF files of any length which
seem to be OK in other programs.

The obvious solution is to use the split function to break files into
smaller chunks while recording in Wavelab, or to go ahead and record the big
files in either BWF or Wave64 format, break them into smaller chunks in post
and render as BWF. So I'm wondering how others are handling this issue. Is
there any other software we should be trying?

-- 
Konrad Strauss
Director of Recording Arts
Associate Professor of Music
Jacobs School of Music
Indiana University
http://php.indiana.edu/~kstrauss
http://www.music.indiana.edu/department/audio/