Lossless stems on Windows

axeldelafosse

Hi everyone! I wrote Stemgen: https://github.com/axeldelafosse/stemgen, a script to generate and create lossless stems for Traktor. While helping François K and adding Windows support, I realized that ALAC stems can't be read on Windows. So here we go, quick feature request:

Version and Setup: latest version on Windows 10 or 11.

As a: DJ using Traktor Stems,

I want to: be able to play lossless stems encoded in ALAC on Windows (as I would on macOS),

So that: I can play high-quality audio files to my audience.

Michael Niotakis

p.s. François K was recently featured on the Traktor FB page

Nick Painter

This really is a confusing bug since Native Instruments created the stem format, yet does not fully support it in Traktor.

This would really help Traktor remain relevant at a time when other DJ software has support for realtime stem separation.

axeldelafosse

I think that the issue might be coming from https://github.com/NativeInstruments/ni-media. Can someone from Native Instruments confirm this? Happy to send a PR if that's the case

axeldelafosse

🆙

If someone at Native Instruments reads this: please raise this issue with a PM or anyone on the dev team working on `ni-media`

Michael Niotakis

@axeldelafosse , any crossover with this?

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/18765/microsoft-support-regarding-win-22h2-and-problem-with-itunes-files-in-the-dj-program

which takes you to https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/big-problems-with-m4a-after-updating-to-windows-11/c7a84a9c-f013-4525-b0e4-d162aae122f2?page=2

axeldelafosse

Hey @Michael Niotakis, thanks for mentioning this issue. I don't think that it is related though. Because when I did some testing on Windows, it was possible to read ALAC stems with Windows Media Player without any issue. And AAC stems (still in M4A) didn't have any playback issue with Traktor at the time of testing. This issue is specific to the ALAC codec.