SDII-to-WAV: any new/improved apps for this?

[Eric Lambert]

As the title says, I'm looking to convert the 89 million SDII files I have from the 90s. There have been apps designed for this, and some people even use iTunes, but I'm wondering if there's been anything new recently that's easy and solid.

[unkJE]

(I haven’t tried) the free SD2 to WAV Converter
100 MB maximum file size or Sign Up

www.convertio.co/sd2-wav

[ehaber]

Actually, one of the Pro Tools updates in the fall restored the ability to convert SDII files, so if you're working on a Mac and your SDII files are on a Mac formatted drive, you can import them into a wav formatted Pro Tools project and select convert. When you highlight the SDII file under Import Audio, it will indicate the bit depth and sample rate of the SDII file, so you can then decide if you want to convert them to a different sample rate/bit depth if the Pro Tools project is set to a different sample rate.

Current Pro Tools will also open up certain older Pro Tools project files and automatically convert the SDII files to wav files--depending on how old the version of Pro Tools was that was used for the original project. I believe the ones with the brown "reel" icon are too old to be recognized by current versions of Pro Tools--in that case you'd need an iteration of Pro Tools 10 to open those really old Pro Tools projects to automatically convert the SDII files.

If your SDII files are not stored on a Mac formatted drive, it's much more difficult to convert them, as you'd have lost the resource fork with the bit depth/sample rate info.

[Eric Lambert]

Using PT wasn't too painful. There's more busy work than using a straight conversion program, but it got the job done, at least for the first sound library. For subsequent files I may still want a dedicated app.

[daeron80]

I expect university archeology labs will soon be developing software to read SDII.

[DetroitT]

How about AudioEase’s Barbabatch.
https://www.audioease.com/barbabatch/

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by ehaber

If your SDII files are not stored on a Mac formatted drive, it's much more difficult to convert them, as you'd have lost the resource fork with the bit depth/sample rate info.

True, but in case you tarred (zipped) them before moving to non-HFS drive the resource forks are still there. Storing the files on cdrom is also good IF you create a Mac/ISO9660 hybrid disk, where DOS style filenames are used on the ISO partition (ignoring resource forks) but the real deal stored on Mac partition.

Also, if the resource forks are still available but disconnected from the file, here's a way to recombine them:

cp -a /source/filename /destination/filename
dd if=/source/._filename of=/destination/filename/..namedfork/rsrc

Creating the resource fork from scratch is a bit more painful but can be done.

[Mike Thornton]

Check out this article on Pro Tools Expert Tutorial - How Do I Handle Old Pro Tools Sessions With Sound Designer 2 Files

Hope it helps,

Mike

[massivekerry]

Originally Posted by Mike Thornton

Check out this article on Pro Tools Expert Tutorial - How Do I Handle Old Pro Tools Sessions With Sound Designer 2 Files

Hope it helps,

Mike

That’s cool. But if your SD2 files were all for SampleCell banks, it’s not as helpful.

[daeron80]

Originally Posted by massivekerry

That’s cool. But if your SD2 files were all for SampleCell banks, it’s not as helpful.

Don't say SampleCell. It makes me pine for the halcyon days of yore.