Semplice SACD Woes...

If you have already installed Semplice Version 2, then you can ignore this post, because something has 'come up' which only affects new installs but won't be an issue for any installation that has already been completed successfully.

Thanks to a kind reader from Goa (which sounds like the start of a limerick, but isn't!), I have been made aware of the fact that the developer of the odio-sacd program, which Semplice relies on to be able to convert from SACD rips to other audio formats, has destroyed his github software repository and, indeed, his entire website. This is unfortunate: when Semplice is first installed it pulled down the odio-sacd source code from the now-defunct repository and proceeded to compile and install it for you. That process no longer works, because the repository no longer exists. In fact, it now prompts you for non-existent github passwords a couple of times and then fails to pull down the software anyway.

The issue was precisely drawn, described and predicted by this XKCD comic:

As I say, any existing Semplice install won't be affected: you've already pulled down the necessary software and compiled it into a usable binary and don't need to do so again. The loss of the odio-sacd repository therefore doesn't affect functionality you've already created. It's just new users that run the Semplice installation process for the first time that will find the install doesn't go according to plan.

Fortunately, there is a workaround in the wings, but it's one that requires a little bit of re-writing of Semplice itself to enable and then some extensive testing of the re-write. This means that there will shortly be a new Version 2.11 release, coming as soon as I can write it and be confident in its functionality. If you are wanting to install Semplice afresh for its SACD-handling capabilities in the meantime, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Semplice's functionality in that regard is currently and simply uninstallable. Feel free to email me for a manual workaround, which unfortunately requires some moderate command-line Linux skills to implement.

Hopefully, the fix will be out within the week, but don't hold your breath. There's also quite a lot of documentation and a number of SACD-ripping articles which need to be updated to take account of the non-existence of odio-sacd: that may take a little longer to complete, but I'm definitely on it!