K3B doesn't recognize normalize-audio is installed

[Csipak Attila]

This bug was already filed in the KDE Bugtracking System on K3B project, see here: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=251479

See bug description + comment 1-2 there.

Comment 2 on the above bug report mentions a workaround. As far as I understood the main problem is that KDE tries to find normalize audio by checking /usr/bin/normalize instead /usr/bin/normalize-auido . Now the workaround is about tricking K3B by renaming normalize-audio to normalize and then creating a script named normalize-auido in its place.

Now my guess is that if someone made the workaround steps desctibed in comment 2 a step of the install procedure for normalize-audio, that would solve the problem of the K3B vs. normalize-audio integration.

I guess waiting for the upstream K3B project to fix this issue is hopeless (the linked bug was posted ~2 years ago, nobody even cared to reproduce and confirm it). The upstream normalize-audio project doesn't seem to be active since 2005, neither.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: normalize-audio 0.7.7-8build1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-29.46-generic-pae 3.2.24
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-29-generic-pae i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu12
Architecture: i386
CheckboxSubmission: e665592ec356650b8c1e4f41698ed522
CheckboxSystem: 4ed15c40009aa6f7770f606350a390a2
Date: Sun Aug 26 12:12:52 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Beta i386 (20120301)
SourcePackage: normalize-audio
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Uqbar (uqbar)]

Version: 2.0.1 (using KDE 4.5.1)
OS: Linux

Despite I've installed the normalize-audio package, k3b insists that it's not there.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
Install k3b and normalize-audi1 with "sudo apt-get install k3b normalize-audio"
Open k3b

Actual Results:
Go to Settings-->Configure k3b-->Programs and scroll down to normalize-audio
It will say "not found".

Expected Results:
It should say "/usr/bin/normalize-audio".

OS: Linux (x86_64) release 2.6.32-25-generic
Compiler: cc

[Janet (bugzilla-kerridis)]

Same problem here. I symlinked /usr/bin/normalize-audio to /usr/bin/normalize for I have read that some version of k3b did search for that instead of normalize-audio, but still does not work. K3b version is 2.0.1-1 on KDE 4.5.1, Debian sid, normalize-audio is 0.7.7-7.

[Janet (bugzilla-kerridis)]

Workaround: http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/k3b-und-normalize-audio/

mv /usr/bin/normalize-audio /usr/bin/normalize

Then create file /usr/bin/normalize-audio with the following content:

#/bin/bash
case "$1" in
        --version)
        normalize --version | sed -e 's/normalize /normalize-audio /g'
        ;;
        *)
        normalize $*
        ;;
esac

[Uqbar (uqbar)]

I think something definitely wrong here.
Either these back-ends should stick forever with their names and diagnostic output, or these front-ends need to be made smarter.
I would vote for the second option.
I got a similar problem with cdrdao and brasero .
Only newer cdrdao versions have the --version option or some older ones with patches.

[Marek ZJ (mzalfres)]

I have also that problem. Looks like a kind of stupid. I'd rather just check presence of the file instead of option "--version" test. We can't make the system completely fool-proof by cross-checking dependencies from each application but for sure we'll introduce numbers of bugs like this. I'd assume, that package manager will do the trick for us. And if file exists in /usr/bin or /usr/sbin - user should not touch it. If does - it is his/her solely responsibility if something gets wrong.

[adaptee (adaptee)]

*** Bug 278175 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Uqbar (uqbar)]

12.04.1 still has the problem.
Now, this is a K3B bug as packaged by Ubuntu, not a normalize-audio one (which has no bug at all).
The bug is in the way K3b detects normalize-audio binary presence and it's version number.

We have:
1. A trivial WORKAROUND with a wrapper script to normalize-audio.
2. A trivial SOLUTION with a change in the way K3b detects the binary.

Solutions should be applied instead of workarounds, as a rule of thumb.

The current package under Ubuntu of normalize-audio yields the following output:

~ normalize-audio -V
normalize 0.7.7
Copyright (C) 2005 Chris Vaill
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This copy of normalize is compiled with the following libraries:
  MAD audiofile

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Csipak Attila (corphicks)]

I copypasted the following comment from http://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/?37194

"If it works with the binary installed in /usr/bin/normalize, it's not a problem with normalize. The binary in this package has always been "normalize", but is renamed "normalize-audio" in debian and derivatives. I'd guess that debian's k3b would need to be patched to account for the different name of normalize there. Let me know if I'm misunderstanding something here, but for now I'm going to close this since it sounds like the problem is elsewhere."

[Udvarias Ur (udvarias1)]

I am having the same problem. When I Settings/Configure K3b… click on the Programs icon in the dialogue box and scroll through the contents I find
     1. eMovix (not found),
     2. normalize-audio (not found), and
     3. transcode (not found).

All this in spite of the fact that when I

     1. ran the command
          whereis eMovix
     it returned
          eMovix:
     Searching for eMovix, with Google, returned the link http://movix.sourceforge.net/.
     This in turn gives a link to http://sourceforge.net/projects/movix/
     This page gives access to the file emovix_0.9.0-1_all.deb.
     Installing this package, K3b recognized it. Thereby resolving problem #1.

     2. ran the command
          whereis normalize-audio
     it returned
          normalize-audio: /usr/bin/normalize-audio /usr/share/man/man1/normalize-audio.1.gz
     In spite of this K3b does NOT recognize normalize-audio.
     Synaptic Package Manager reports version 0.7.7-7 is installed.
     A symlink called normalize →normalize-audio does NOT work.
     Janet's bash script, above, worked
     Thereby resolving problem #2.

     3. ran the command
          whereis transcode
     it returned
          transcode:
     the command
          sudo apt-get install transcode
     installed the package, K3b recognized it. Thereby resolving problem #3.

[bobwdn (rewdn)]

I do apologise for being negative here but, this issue has not changed in five years. I realize that developers are busy, busy people but, come on . . . five years!

As much as I like K3b and I still us it to burn iso files, I do not use it to create music cd's. My daughter and I use Brasero and thankfully it just works. (Yes, I know Brasero will burn my iso images also but, I like K3b.)

As always, the Linux (Ubuntu) community gets it done.

Despite the five year effort to correct this "normalize" problem, thank you, everyone, for your continuing efforts.

K3b works great in all other areas it was designed for.

[Joachim Reichel (joachim-reichel)]

In Debian the bug has been fixed in k3b 2.0.2-4 (http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=597155) by adjusting the name of the normalize tool k3b is looking for.

[Csipak Attila (corphicks)]

I currently use:

Ubuntu 12.04 (fully updated)
k3b 2.0.2-3ubuntu4
normalize-audio 0.7.7-8build1

... and the problem is present.

I guess the versioning of k3b differs in Ubuntu and Debian, so Ubuntu k3b 2.0.2-3ubuntu4 is not the same as Debian k3b 2.0.2-4.

If someone could backport the k3b fix mentioned by Joachim into the Ubuntu 12.04 repository, well, that would be nice.

[Andrew-crouthamel (andrew-crouthamel)]

Dear Bug Submitter,

This bug has been stagnant for a long time. Could you help us out and re-test if the bug is valid in the latest version? I am setting the status to NEEDSINFO pending your response, please change the Status back to REPORTED when you respond.

Thank you for helping us make KDE software even better for everyone!

[Andrew-crouthamel (andrew-crouthamel)]

Dear Bug Submitter,

This is a reminder that this bug has been stagnant for a long time. Could you help us out and re-test if the bug is valid in the latest version? This bug will be moved back to REPORTED Status for manual review later, which may take a while. If you are able to, please lend us a hand.

Thank you for helping us make KDE software even better for everyone!

[Csipak Attila (corphicks)]

I tested this today against K3b 2.0.3 and normalize-audio 0.7.7 and now it seems to work.