CUETools

CUETools is a software package dedicated to helping you encode, convert and create CUE sheets, which describe the parameters of audio files and the layout of audio CDs. Its goal is to ensure that a disc image preserves all the information stored in the original source.

The range of supported file formats includes WAV, FLAC, WV, APE, TTA, M4A and TAK files, for both input and output. The application is compatible with any CUE sheet style and is capable of processing whole directories containing audio files or RAR archives, without decompressing them.

As for the interface appearance, the program features comprehensible options and a well-structured layout that provides quick access to all the settings. The built-in file browser enables you to easily find and select the desired files, while the 'drag and drop' mode is designed to make things even more easier.

CUETools can process embedded cue sheets, images and cue files, as well as single tracks. It looks for album images in the AccurateRip, FreeDB or MusicBrainz databases and allows you to detect and correct offsets.

Its practical use includes verifying an image against the AccurateRip or the local database, generating CUE sheets for each track on an album or applying offsets to an album image. It supports lossless (creating perfect copies of the source), lossy (compressed files and reduced output quality) or hybrid conversion and can handle 'pregap' configuration. This is the silent time interval before the first track on the disk, which is known from the cue sheet.

The program can create CUE sheets for sets of tracks or extract embedded ones. Another function is to repair the name of the files in a CUE sheet that have been converted to another format.

The package also comes with CUERipper, a program that assists you in modifying the metadata of tracks stored on an audio CD and submit it to freeDB or AccurateRip.

With the help of an application such as CUE Tools, you can make sure that your audio files and CDs store complete information about the content, the gaps and length of each track and that no important data is lost during conversion.