Tutorial

1Adding Your File

There are four ways to add files to Lossless Extract:

1. Drag and Drop: Simply drag your file from Finder and drop it into the app window (supports MKV, BDMV discs, folders and ISO files, AUDIO_TS folders, DVD-Audio ISO files, SACD ISO files, and Audio CD volumes)
2. Dock Icon: Drag files directly onto the Lossless Extract icon in your Dock – works even when the app isn’t running! The app will launch and automatically load your files
3. Open File Button: Click the “Open File” button in the drop zone area
4. File Menu: Use ⌘O or go to File → Open

The main window with drag-and-drop area

Once added, the file will appear in the sidebar on the left side of the window.

2Selecting Audio Streams

After adding a file, Lossless Extract automatically scans it and detects all available audio streams. Here’s how to select which streams to extract:

Expanded file view showing detected audio streams

1. Click on the file name in the sidebar to expand it
2. You’ll see a list of all detected audio streams with information about each:
   • Codec: The audio format (PCM, DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD, Atmos, MLP, etc.)
   • Channels: Number of audio channels (2.0, 5.1, 7.1, etc.)
   • Sample Rate: Audio quality (48kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, etc.)
   • Language: Audio track language (if available)
3. Check the box next to each stream you want to extract
4. Preview streams: Click the play button (▶️) next to any stream to hear it before extraction
5. You can select multiple streams from the same file

3Choosing Output Format

For each selected stream, you can choose a different output format using the dropdown menu next to the stream:

Format selection dropdown for each stream

4Starting the Extraction

Once you’ve selected your streams and formats:

1. Review your selections in the sidebar
2. Click the “Extract Audio” button at the bottom of the window
3. Watch the progress bar as files are extracted
4. When complete, your audio files will be in the output directory you selected

The Extract Audio button and progress indicator

1Preparing Your Blu-ray Content

You can use Blu-ray content in two ways:

• BDMV Folder: A ripped Blu-ray folder structure on your hard drive (recommended for best performance)
• Blu-ray ISO File: A Blu-ray disc image file (slower extraction, but convenient)
• Blu-ray DISC: A Blu-ray Audio disc, extract directly from Blu-ray audio optical disc. (note: some bluray video discs may not work. primarily intended for bluray audio discs only. Back up entire disc first and then extracting chapters recommended.

The folder structure should look like this:

2Adding Blu-ray Content

You can drag:

• The Blu-ray Disc from Finder or Explorer
• The BDMV folder itself
• The parent folder containing BDMV (the disc root folder)
• A Blu-ray .iso file

Dragging Blu-ray content into the app

Simply drag the folder or ISO file or DISC from Finder and drop it into the Lossless Extract window.

3Blu-ray Content Processing

When you add Blu-ray content, Lossless Extract:

1. Scans the BDMV/STREAM/ folder for M2TS files (or reads from ISO using libbluray)
2. Analyzes BDMV/PLAYLIST/ for MPLS playlist files
3. Identifies the MPLS file with the most chapters (usually the main feature)
4. Detects all available audio streams in the selected playlist
5. Filters out lossy streams (AC3, DTS Core) by default
6. Displays the lossless streams in the sidebar for selection

Console showing Blu-ray processing information

4BDMV Folder Backup (AACS-Encrypted Discs)

For AACS-encrypted physical Blu-ray discs, Lossless Extract can create decrypted BDMV folder backups:

1. Insert your AACS-encrypted Blu-ray disc
2. Drag the disc volume from Finder or Explorer into Lossless Extract
3. The app will detect AACS encryption
4. Click the “Backup Folder” button next to the disc
5. Choose a destination folder for the backup
6. The app will copy all files with automatic AACS decryption

1Adding DVD-Audio Content

You can add DVD-Audio content in three ways:

• DVD-Audio Disc: Drag the Disc
• AUDIO_TS Folder: Drag the AUDIO_TS folder from a ripped DVD-Audio disc
• DVD-Audio ISO File: Drag the .iso file directly into the app (the app will automatically mount and access the AUDIO_TS folder)

Adding DVD-Audio content to the app

The app automatically detects DVD-Audio content and parses the IFO files to identify all available titles and chapters.

2Understanding DVD-Audio Titles and Streams

DVD-Audio discs can contain multiple titles, each with different audio configurations:

• Title: A complete audio program (often an album)
• Chapters: Individual tracks within a title
• Streams: Different audio formats (MLP, LPCM) and channel configurations (2.0, 5.1, 6.0, etc.)

When you add a DVD-Audio disc, the app displays:

• All available titles
• Stream information for each title (codec: MLP or LPCM, channels, sample rate)
• Chapter count for each title

3Selecting Titles and Streams

To extract audio from a DVD-Audio disc:

1. Click on the disc name in the sidebar to expand it
2. You’ll see a list of all available titles
3. Click on a title to see its available streams
4. Check the box next to each stream you want to extract
5. Select the output format (FLAC is recommended for DVD-Audio)

4Backup Feature for Encrypted Discs

If you have a DVD-Audio disc in an optical drive, Lossless Extract can automatically backup the entire disc:

1. Insert your DVD-Audio disc into the optical drive
2. A “Backup Folder” button will appear in the app
3. Click the button to start the backup process
4. The app will automatically:
   • Decode the disc contents
   • Copy the AUDIO_TS folder (and VIDEO_TS if present) to your hard drive
   • Save the backup to a location you choose

Backup button appears when a DVD is in an optical drive

1Getting SACD ISO Files

There are two ways to obtain SACD ISO files:

Method 1: Network SACD Extraction

1. Go to File → Network SACD… (⌘⇧N) on mac or click the hamburger icon on Windows
2. Enter your compatible Blu-ray player’s IP address or click scan (you can then click the found players IP to add it.
3. Click Extract to ISO to rip SACD disc directly over network
4. The ISO file will be created in your output directory (10-30 minutes)
5. Drag the resulting ISO back into the app to extract DSD/DSF files

Network SACD extraction dialog

Testing connection to SACD player

Extracting SACD disc to ISO file

SACD extraction completed successfully

Method 2: Use Existing SACD ISO

1. Make sure you have an SACD ISO file (from previous rip or network extraction)
2. Drag the .iso file directly into the Lossless Extract window
3. The app will automatically detect it as an SACD ISO and scan for audio tracks

2Selecting SACD Tracks

After adding an SACD ISO, the app will display:

• All available audio tracks from the SACD
• Track information (duration, DSD format)
• DSD layer information (stereo, multi-channel if available)

1. Click on the SACD ISO file name in the sidebar to expand it
2. Check the box next to each track you want to extract
3. Select your preferred output format (DSF, DFF, or FLAC)

3Choosing SACD Output Format

SACD audio can be extracted in three formats:

• DSF (DSD Stream File): Native DSD format, widely supported, includes metadata support. Uncompressed DSD much larger file size
• DFF (DSD Interchange File Format): Compressed DSD format, less common but still supported
• FLAC: Converted to PCM format, excellent compatibility, slightly larger files

1Inserting an Audio CD

To rip audio from a CD:

1. Make sure you have “show cds/dvds on your desktop” checked in Finder settings
2. Insert an Audio CD into your Mac’s optical drive (internal or external USB)
3. The CD will automatically mount at /Volumes/Audio CD
4. Drag the mounted Audio CD volume into Lossless Extract
5. The app will read the CD’s Table of Contents (TOC) and display all tracks

Audio CD with track list and metadata

2Selecting CD Tracks

After the CD loads:

• The artist name appears as the file title (falls back to “Audio CD” if unknown)
• Album name and artist are shown above the track list
• Each track shows its number, title, and duration
• Total disc size is calculated from audio data (Red Book standard)

1. Click the artist name to expand the track list
2. Check the box next to each track you want to rip
3. Or use “Select All” / “Deselect All” buttons below the track list
4. Select your preferred output format (FLAC, WAV, or MKA)

3Metadata and Track Identification

Audio CDs support multiple metadata sources:

• MusicBrainz: Automatic lookup on first insert using disc ID
• AcoustID: Fingerprint-based identification for accurate track matching
• Manual Editing: Double-click any track name to edit it

Using AcoustID Fingerprinting

For more accurate track identification:

1. Select the tracks you want to identify
2. Click the fingerprint icon next to the artist name
3. The app will fingerprint the first selected track (takes about 30 seconds)
4. Track names will be updated with AcoustID results

Manual Track Editing

To manually edit track names:

1. Double-click any track name in the list
2. Type the new name (or delete all text to reset to automatic metadata)
3. Press Enter or click outside to save

4CD Output Formats

Audio CDs can be ripped to three formats:

• FLAC: Lossless compression, excellent quality, smaller file sizes (recommended)
• WAV: Uncompressed PCM audio, larger files
• MKA (Matroska Audio): Container format with metadata support

5CD Playback and Preview

You can preview tracks before ripping:

1. Select one or more tracks
2. Click the Play button in the playback controls
3. Use Next/Previous buttons to skip between selected tracks
4. Use the seek slider to navigate within a track
5. Click Stop to end playback

How to Edit Names

1. Select a title or stream in the sidebar
2. Double-click any chapter or track name
3. An edit dialog will appear with the current name
4. Enter your new name (or leave empty to reset to default)
5. Click “Save” or press Enter to apply

How to Choose

The “Gapless File” checkbox appears in the bottom toolbar when you have files with chapters selected (BDMV folders, Blu-ray ISOs, MKV files, DVD-Audio discs, or SACD discs).

The Gapless File checkbox in the bottom toolbar

1. Unchecked (Default): Extracts individual chapter files
   • Perfect for most music albums
   • Each song becomes its own file
   • Easy to organize and play individual tracks
2. Checked: Extracts one continuous file
   • No chapter splitting
   • One file for the entire duration
   • Maintains perfect gapless playback

Benefits of CUE Sheets

• Track Navigation: Jump to individual tracks within a gapless file
• Perfect Playback: Maintains gapless transitions while showing track markers
• Metadata Display: Media players show individual track positions and names
• Best of Both Worlds: One file for seamless playback + individual track access

Supported Formats

CUE sheet generation is available for all disc types when using gapless extraction:

• Blu-ray Discs: BDMV folders and Blu-ray ISOs
• MKV Files: Matroska files with chapter markers
• DVD-Audio: AUDIO_TS folders and DVD-Audio ISOs
• SACD: Super Audio CD ISOs (all formats: DSF, DFF, FLAC)
• CD: Audio CDs (all formats: FLAC, WAV, MKA)

1Opening the Tags Panel

Click the “Tags” button in the bottom toolbar to open the metadata tagging interface.

Opening the Tags panel from the bottom toolbar

2Searching for Album Information

Lossless Extract uses MusicBrainz, a comprehensive music database, to find album information:

1. Enter the Artist name in the search field
2. Enter the Album name
3. Click “Search”
4. Browse through the search results
5. Click on an album to select it

Searching for album information in the Tags panel

When you select an album, you’ll see:

• Album artwork preview on the right side
• Track listing information
• Release year and other metadata

3Applying Tags to Files

Once you’ve selected an album:

1. Review the album information and artwork
2. Click “Save Tags to Files”
3. The app will automatically:
   • Tag all extracted files in your output directory
   • Embed the album artwork
   • Rename files based on track titles
   • Add artist, album, year, and track number metadata