TAK
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| TAK | |
|---|---|
| File:TAK-logo.gif | |
| lossless audio compression. | |
| Developer(s) | Thomas Becker |
| Release | TBC |
| Type | Lossless |
| Recommended encoder | TAK v1.0.1 |
| Website | Homepage (german) |
General aspects of the format
TAK (Tom's lossless Audio Kompressor) is a lossless audio compressor which promises compression performance similar to Monkey's Audio "High" and decompression speed similar to FLAC. While the basic format is ready and safe to use, many features such as internal tagging, playback support for other players are yet to be implemented.
Features
- high compression
- fast compression and decompression speed
- Streaming support
- Error tolerance
- single bit error will never affect more than 250 ms
- Error detection
- each frame protected by a 24-bit checksum (CRC)
Pros
- Fast encoding speed
- Tak "Extra" encodes as fast as Flac -8 while providing better compression
- Tak "Turbo" encodes several times faster than FLAC -8 while providing better compression
- Fast decompression speed (on par with FLAC / WavPack)
- Good compression levels (on par with Monkey's Audio High)
- Error Robustness
- Fast Seeking
Cons
- Closed Source (at the moment)
- No hardware support
- Very limited software support (Only Winamp & Foobar2000 plugins at the moment)
Hardware and software that support TAK
Hardware
- none
Software
- TAK SDK 1.0.2 - Software Development Kit for TAK here
- Winamp Plugin 1.0.2 here
- foo_input_tak, TAK decoder for Foobar2000 here
Recommended Settings
- Best compression: "Extra" preset with "Maximum" switch. (This will create files which are comparable in size to file created using Monkey's Audio High.Decompression speed is comparable to Wavpack Normal.)
takc -e -p4m [input file]
- Fastest compression: "Turbo" preset (This will create files which are comparable in size to Monkey's Audio Fast or Wavpack High. Decompression speed is comparable to Flac 0.)
takc -e -p0 [input file]
- Setting Up TAK with Foobar2000
1. Copy the takc.exe to your foobar2000 directory 2. Go to File -> Preferences -> Tools -> Converter 3. Set it up as shown:
NOTE: replace the -p4m with the desired compression level.
- use ApeV2 tagging (will be used as internal tagging)
Future Features
- Unicode support.
- Piping support.
- MD5 audio checksums for verification and identification.
- A german version.
- Embedded cue sheets.
- Embedded cover art.
- Multichannel audio.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the codec safe for use?
Yes. To check, convert a wav to tak and back and compare the two (or use foobar's bitcompare tool).
- Why should i use TAK?
TAK offers high compression ratios with great decoding rates.
- What can i compress with TAK?
TAK 1.0 can compress any integer-format (up to 24bits per channel) PCM Windows Waveform file (.wav). Since piping support has not been added yet, you must convert your lossless files to wav first to convert to TAK.
- What about hardware support?
None at the moment. Although, Turbo, Fast and Normal are the candidates for hardware playback.
- When will the source be opened?
Yes, TAK will be open-source, as soon as the code is ported to C or C++ and documented. However, Thomas has mentioned that he would like to improve the codec before opening the source.