Split a Single Image File with XLD on Mac OS X

A beginner's guide on how to split a single image file (also known as a range rip) using X Lossless Decoder.

If you have an album which was ripped as a single image file with an accompanying cue file you would like to share, it must be split into separate tracks as What.CD does not allow images. The only site approved apps for the task are CUETools, Exact Audio Copy (both Windows only), and XLD (OS X only).

Step 1: Set Your Preferences

First you must choose your desired audio format, and specify a location for the resulting files.

1. In the menu bar, go to XLD > Preferences..., and under the General tab set the output format to FLAC (or your lossy format of choice), and specify your preferred output directory.

2. Under the Metadata tab make sure Add add tags to the output files if possible is checked, otherwise the converted files will have no metadata tags.





Step 2: Load the Cue Sheet

This is an unintuitive step where beginners can get stuck. You must load the cue file which contains the position timings for the file to be split correctly. Make sure your cue file is in the same folder as the image file itself.

1. In the menu bar, go to File > Open..., browse to and select the cue file.

2. In the dropdown menu, select Include pre-gap except for HTOA. Discs with a hidden track before track 1 are rare, but this setting is recommended nevertheless because many drives will not recognize these hidden tracks.





3. Edit the tags if needed, and hit Transcode which will bring up a temporary progress window. 





Optionally, you can test rips against the AccurateRip database with the inconspicuous Verify button which will create a log which can be viewed and saved. If saving, change the file extension from .log to .accurip to differentiate it from the ripping log.

Step 3: Create a New Cue Sheet

Lastly, you should create a new cue file to match the split tracks. The timings on it will be the same as the original, but it will be formatted for multiple files instead of a single image file. If you converted the image straight to a lossy format such as MP3, this step is not necessary.

1. In the menu bar, go to File > Save Cue Sheet As..., and select For separated track files. By default, it will save to the original folder, attempting to overwrite the original cue, so be sure to save to the location of your new files (the dropdown arrow will give you finer control).