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[mkj42]

https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/montanra-sky-1996-nora-roberts/

I had posted a re-seed request for this.
Unfortunately, this torrent has six or so reverse audio segments in the first fifteen minutes alone.
I didn't listen further.
Noticed first on foobar2000 on Windows 10, then on Foobar2000 mobile on Android A15.

[Dallis24]

I can't get a copy to check. I'll try again later. Apparently you have a full copy so can you set it to seeding mode?

[mkj42]

I can't get a copy to check. I'll try again later. Apparently you have a full copy so can you set it to seeding mode?

Already seeding - I left it up for just that reason.
Awaiting further info, please let me know.
Thanks

[Gweilo]

Already seeding - I left it up for just that reason.

I have been trying to download since yesterday. No seeds found.

[mkj42]

I have been trying to download since yesterday. No seeds found.

Strange
I had it open in utorrent all along - no activity,
so this morning I saw your post, opened it in qbittorrent and someone downloaded it in a minute.
Hopefully, that was you; please let me know.

[Dallis24]

I tried for 24 hours, I couldn't get it.

[mkj42]

I tried for 24 hours, I couldn't get it.
Check settings or try another torrent app.

2 full downloads today.
My torrents have been seeding fine for 15+ years.
I don't know what could be wrong.
My port is open.
I am reluctant to try more than these two torrent apps at the moment.  Please let me know what else I might do.
Thanks

[Dallis24]

Hey I have it now.

I played first 30 minutes with no issues of playing backwards but their were some slight distortions occasionally. So must be something with your device or app.
 
Try playback in vlc, that's what I used. 

[mkj42]

Hey I have it now.

I played first 30 minutes with no issues of playing backwards but their were some slight distortions occasionally. So must be something with your device or app.
 
Try playback in vlc, that's what I used.  

Please try once more
I've got an exact spot
134 minutes 41 seconds

It does it in Audacity also

[Gweilo]

Please try once more
I've got an exact spot
134 minutes 41 seconds

OK, I have it now and at that point there is 27 seconds of backwards audio.
Never heard that before...


So, this a (weirdly) bad file and will be deleted.
https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/montanra-sky-1996-nora-roberts/
Shared by:seniorshack 16 Jun 2021
He is no longer active, so he can't help.

Note the file specs: single MP3
"MONTANA SKY .mp3"
434,319,821 bytes

So if you find another copy if it's that exact size, it will be the same problem.

There are two older torrents with a different rip:

https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/montanai-sky-nora-roberts-2/
Shared by:franniebr 28 Nov 2018
13 MP3 files 437.9 MBs

https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/monltana-sky-nora-roberts/
Shared by:martin88 15 Sep 2011
Also 13 MP3 files, 437.93 MBs

No immediate seeds, but give it a few days and see if any turn up.

I will look around and see if I can reseed one of these.
And see if the same problem in those.


Worst case you can get the ebook and read the missing bits.
https://annas-archive.org/search?index=&page=1&sort=&display=&q=montana+sky+Nora+Roberts

[mkj42]

So, this a (weirdly) bad file and will be deleted.
...
No immediate seeds, but give it a few days and see if any turn up.
...
I will look around and see if I can reseed one of these.
And see if the same problem in those.
...
Worst case you can get the ebook and read the missing bits.
https://annas-archive.org/search?index=&page=1&sort=&display=&q=montana+sky+Nora+Roberts

Thank you very much for your patience and efforts.

[Gweilo]

I found files to reseed this.
This is a CD rip. 13 x 72 min parts.

https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/monltana-sky-nora-roberts/
Shared by:martin88 15 Sep 2011
Also 13 MP3 files, 437.93 MBs

I checked the bit in Chapter 5 that has the reversed audio in the single file and it's fine.

Please support it by seeding if you can. I don't guarantee to seed indefinitely.
Make sure you have DHT active, most of the original trackers are kaput.

or if you want to use these files to make your own torrent you can do that. Let me know.
Some details should be changed if you do. Or I could make an M4B.
 

[mkj42]

I found files to reseed this.
This is a CD rip. 13 x 72 min parts.

https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/monltana-sky-nora-roberts/
Shared by:martin88 15 Sep 2011
Also 13 MP3 files, 437.93 MBs

I checked the bit in Chapter 5 that has the reversed audio in the single file and it's fine.

Please support it by seeding if you can. I don't guarantee to seed indefinitely.
Make sure you have DHT active, most of the original trackers are kaput.

or if you want to use these files to make your own torrent you can do that. Let me know.
Some details should be changed if you do. Or I could make an M4B.
 

Really above and beyond

Do you have any idea what might be wrong?
I've been connected to this torrent 24/7 since August 30 in utorrent with no activity.
Just a few minutes ago I loaded it in qbittorrent, waited for like five minutes, then it completed in five minutes.
DHT enabled for both
Again I've been using utorrent happily for 15+ years.

In principle I usually never re-encode an mp3 to m4b.
At least with ffmpeg one can losslessly split, edit, combine as long as you keep the same encoding.
If I had the original files I would definitely prefer to make m4b from the start.

Audio sounds great, but it's Liza Ross, not Erica Leigh reading - don't know how that happened, so the included jpg is wrong and the embedded art is probably correct.
Any other changes you would want?

I can gladly make a fresh one if only for the corrected narrator.

I confess I have been grabbing these Nora Roberts audiobooks for my wife to listen to on her phone.
Usually they arrive as unsplit mp3.  I divide them into five minute chunks for easier navigation.
When it's already thirteen CDs worth I would split each CD into five minute chunks unless I know the actual chapter lengths. 0101 0102...  1301 1302...
Again, that's just for us personally.
People seem to prefer one big file; I haven't done too much with embedded cue sheets or included m3u, and I haven't noticed many with most of the downloads I've gotten.
Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks

[Gweilo]

Do you have any idea what might be wrong?
I've been connected to this torrent 24/7 since August 30 in utorrent with no activity.
Just a few minutes ago I loaded it in qbittorrent, waited for like five minutes, then it completed in five minutes.
DHT enabled for both
Again I've been using utorrent happily for 15+ years.

I found the files elsewhere and reseeded it today.

In principle I usually never re-encode an mp3 to m4b.
At least with ffmpeg one can losslessly split, edit, combine as long as you keep the same encoding.
If I had the original files I would definitely prefer to make m4b from the start.

Audio sounds great, but it's Liza Ross, not Erica Leigh reading - don't know how that happened, so the included jpg is wrong and the embedded art is probably correct.
Any other changes you would want?
I can gladly make a fresh one if only for the corrected narrator.
I confess I have been grabbing these Nora Roberts audiobooks for my wife to listen to on her phone.
Usually they arrive as unsplit mp3.  I divide them into five minute chunks for easier navigation.
When it's already thirteen CDs worth I would split each CD into five minute chunks unless I know the actual chapter lengths. 0101 0102...  1301 1302...
Again, that's just for us personally.
People seem to prefer one big file; I haven't done too much with embedded cue sheets or included m3u, and I haven't noticed many with most of the downloads I've gotten.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks

Well, if you object to re-encoding, use MP3Directcut that does lossless MP3 (and AAC) editing. A lot easier than ffmpeg.
You can trim the "End/Start  of CD"  announcements, join them all, then split by chapters.
See https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/chapterizing-books-splitting-mp3s-by-chapter/

Use the ebook to get the Contents; for this 31 chapters, in 4 parts.
Use, e.g.,  MP3tag, to tag the resulting chapters by name, edit the metadata, .

I abhor "5 minute chunks". Those are a relic of CD track rips.
Hundreds of tiny files are just a PITA. Modern readers like Smart bookmark your place.
What is your wife using? If it's an Android phone, get "Smart", and pay $2 for the full version.
Much easier than a generic audio player. Just the bookmarks and speed controls are well worth it.
I don't have an iPhone, but can load it into "Books" app or use a 3rd party app.

There are hacks to put chapters in MP3s, but non-standard, poorly supported. Best to just split one file per chapter. For this book, they are about 30 mins each.
(If you really want to split by time chunks, MP3DirectCut can do that cleanly, cut at silences, see chapterising link.)

I now use M4B in almost every case, using fre:ac (https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/make-an-m4b-from-chapterised-mp3-or-m4a/).
This a clean source, would convert without noticeable loss.
But I'm not an audiophile. Uploader's choice.

[mkj42]

Well, if you object to re-encoding, use MP3Directcut that does lossless MP3 (and AAC) editing. A lot easier than ffmpeg.
You can trim the "End/Start  of CD"  announcements, join them all, then split by chapters.
See https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/chapterizing-books-splitting-mp3s-by-chapter/

Use the ebook to get the Contents; for this 31 chapters, in 4 parts.
Use, e.g.,  MP3tag, to tag the resulting chapters by name, edit the metadata, .

I abhor "5 minute chunks". Those are a relic of CD track rips.
Hundreds of tiny files are just a PITA. Modern readers like Smart bookmark your place.
What is your wife using? If it's an Android phone, get "Smart", and pay $2 for the full version.
Much easier than a generic audio player. Just the bookmarks and speed controls are well worth it.
I don't have an iPhone, but can load it into "Books" app or use a 3rd party app.

There are hacks to put chapters in MP3s, but non-standard, poorly supported. Best to just split one file per chapter. For this book, they are about 30 mins each.
(If you really want to split by time chunks, MP3DirectCut can do that cleanly, cut at silences, see chapterising link.)

I now use M4B in almost every case, using fre:ac (https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/make-an-m4b-from-chapterised-mp3-or-m4a/).
This a clean source, would convert without noticeable loss.
But I'm not an audiophile. Uploader's choice.

FWIW I've got assorted ffmpeg commands in a text file; it's a simple copy of the original filename into whatever I need.  It takes me less than a second.  It only takes a little longer when I need exact times for exact chapter points.

Interesting thoughts.  I will spend time going over the guides and the new-to-me tools.  Any new versions of this torrent won't be coming from me, at least not right away.

Also FWIW, I've been saving to m4a not m4b.
I don't know if any apps care.  We've got way more music than books, and music came first - habit.
It's been Foobar on everything for now - might change looking for Android Auto compatibility.
AA + folder art + gapless playback + replay gain support + folder structure that makes sense are essential.

My wife hates high speed content.  I couldn't live without it.
I try to avoid yet-another app for one function, but I'll look into it.

Thanks again

[Dallis24]

You guys are going to love Smart Player. Be sure to explore settings because there's lots of customizations. 

[Gweilo]

FWIW I've got assorted ffmpeg commands in a text file; it's a simple copy of the original filename into whatever I need.  It takes me less than a second.  It only takes a little longer when I need exact times for exact chapter points.

Interesting thoughts.  I will spend time going over the guides and the new-to-me tools.  Any new versions of this torrent won't be coming from me, at least not right away.

Well, please make a post in the software forum and share your ffmpeg scripts.
ffmpeg is extremely powerful and a very baroque program.
Instead of cut and paste with a text editor though, you can work them into batch scripts.

For example, here's a batch file I used when making DVDs, to convert MP3 audio to AC3.

Code:

@echo mp3toac3 file.mp3
@echo convert mp3 to ac3 using ffmpeg at 128k
@if %1X==X goto ALL
:LOOP
for %%I in (%1) do ffmpeg -i "%%~fI" -ab 128 -ar 48000 -ac 2 -acodec ac3 -y "%%~dpnI.ac3"
SHIFT
@if %1X==X goto END
@goto LOOP

:ALL
for %%I in (*.mp3) do ffmpeg -i "%%~fI" -ab 128 -ar 48000 -ac 2 -acodec ac3 -y "%%~dpnI.ac3"

:END 

I guess you haven't bothered with book chapters if you've been using 5 minute chunks, but MP3DirectCut's silence detection makes finding them (usually) pretty easy.

Also FWIW, I've been saving to m4a not m4b.

Well, if you are transcoding to M4A, the just make M4B. A single file is simpler to handle than folders of files.

I've been trying to work out a simple way to convert a folder of M4A to one M4B with chapters, without reencoding.
"Chapter and Verse" works, but has a size limit that many books go over, so you have to split the book.
I am sure there is a way to do it in ffmpeg, but having some issues with some options not working in the versions I can run.

I don't know if any apps care.  We've got way more music than books, and music came first - habit.
It's been Foobar on everything for now - might change looking for Android Auto compatibility.
AA + folder art + gapless playback + replay gain support + folder structure that makes sense are essential.
My wife hates high speed content.  I couldn't live without it.
I try to avoid yet-another app for one function, but I'll look into it.

Well, listening to audiobooks with Smart is by far the app I spend most time using.
I used to use a digital Walkman, so I know how tricky it can be using a music player to listen to audiobooks. They're designed for 3 minute tracks, not 12 hour books. Lose your place and it's a lot of fast forwarding and seeking back and forth to get back. With Smart, open "History" and go to the timestamp the last time you paused.

As for playback speed, try how Smart implements it before dismissing. It sounds very natural.
Just 10% faster saves an hour or more on most books.
Some narrators are just so slow that I speed them up to 1.7x, but mostly I use 1.4 or 1.5.
Dramatised works, 1.2x.
But if you're listening while driving, maybe you don't want so high a speed, it does take concentration. Or you can also slow it down.

Anyway; enough proselytising, just try it.  

[mkj42]

Well, please make a post in the software forum and share your ffmpeg scripts.
ffmpeg is extremely powerful and a very baroque program.

I really am not a coder at all.  I learn the tools I need as I go.
I have ffmpeg in the path, so all I have to do is open cmd in my desired destination folder and then I only need one quoted full source path.
Also, I don't have any lines for combining at the moment, but I think it would be easy?  Splitting is.
I've only used it to delete video and leave audio, delete one channel and pick a good channel for mono audio, trim a file to exact start and end times, and trim to 5 minute chunks.

Also, my ignorance on m4a vs m4b - what's the difference?
I split my source m4b into specific-time chaptered m4a chunks with

Code:

ffmpeg -i "I:\Foobar\Adams, Douglas\1988 The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul\Douglas Adams - The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.m4b" -acodec copy -ss 00:00:00.00 -to 00:14:44.84 "I:\Foobar\Adams, Douglas\1988 The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul\01.m4a"

(Note: this was before I figured out to put ffmpeg in path; hence the double quoted file locations)

I did one line per chapter.  A more clever person might have written a batch, but I figured I could fire off a bunch of one liners quicker than I could learn how to do that.

Honestly, for your combining quest, I would try Foobar2000.
Load them all up, (edit tags if needed), convert, (edit tags if needed).
It has no problem with size; I had 46 Nora Roberts novels loaded up and set ReplayGain and did tag adjustments for all at once.

And again, m4a vs m4b seems to be a trivial choice here?
Only thing is: I think Foobar will re-encode everything.  Use it if that doesn't bother you; use ffmpeg if it does.
I can look into ffmpeg combining scripts if you want.  Let me know the specific troubles you were having.
Worst case scenario: combine with ffmpeg (should be easy), keep a good record of exact chapter times and then load them into the combined destination.

I guess you haven't bothered with book chapters if you've been using 5 minute chunks, but MP3DirectCut's silence detection makes finding them (usually) pretty easy.

Looking at it now - I've definitely used it before, a long time ago - soooo many buttons.
I still need to remind myself why my mouse position != playback position - seems counter-intuitive to me.
Also I'm colo(u)r-blind so some software makes life a bit more difficult.

Til now, I load up the source in Audacity to get the exact times needed then use ffmpeg to do it losslessly.
mp3DirectCut would save a step if I can get comfy with it.

I've been trying to work out a simple way to convert a folder of M4A to one M4B with chapters

Again, if you could please clarify m4b with chapters - is there a preferred way to do this?
I am familiar with flac with embedded cue sheets, but that's about it.

Thanks for the Smart thoughts - looking into it now, maybe mainly for my wife.  Audiobooks are 95% of her listening and 0.5% of mine.

[Gweilo]

Also, I don't have any lines for combining at the moment, but I think it would be easy?  Splitting is.

Just joining is easy, preserving the chapters is the trick.

Also, my ignorance on m4a vs m4b - what's the difference?

Both are MP4 formates defined by Apple, for iTunes media.
M4A is AAC audio, with tags like MP3's ID2; for music.
M4B is an M4A with an embedded chapter list in Quicktime format, times and titles; for books.

You can use command line mp4chaps, part of the mp4v2 set of tools, to extract chapters as text, like:

Code:

00:00:00.000 Opening Credits
00:00:21.960 Chapter 1 Victory and Damnation
01:52:10.326 Chapter 2 Straight to Hawaii
02:44:11.341 Chapter 3 Bless You

Which you can edit, change the times (h:m:s) or titles, and (re)import to an M4A file to create an M4B.

I split my source m4b into specific-time chaptered m4a chunks with

Code:

ffmpeg -i "I:\Foobar\Adams, Douglas\1988 The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul\Douglas Adams - The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.m4b" -acodec copy -ss 00:00:00.00 -to 00:14:44.84 "I:\Foobar\Adams, Douglas\1988 The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul\01.m4a"

(Note: this was before I figured out to put ffmpeg in path; hence the double quoted file locations)

I did one line per chapter.  A more clever person might have written a batch, but I figured I could fire off a bunch of one liners quicker than I could learn how to do that.

Try m4acut: https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/split-m4b-to-separate-chapter-files/

And also see https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/audiobook-software-apps-and-resources/an-ffmpeg-toolbox-for-working-with-audiobooks/

Honestly, for your combining quest, I would try Foobar2000.
Load them all up, (edit tags if needed), convert, (edit tags if needed).
It has no problem with size; I had 46 Nora Roberts novels loaded up and set ReplayGain and did tag adjustments for all at once.

And again, m4a vs m4b seems to be a trivial choice here?
Only thing is: I think Foobar will re-encode everything.

If I want to reencode, I use fre:ac. Often do to reduce the bitrate and size.

I guess you haven't bothered with book chapters if you've been using 5 minute chunks, but MP3DirectCut's silence detection makes finding them (usually) pretty easy.

Looking at it now - I've definitely used it before, a long time ago - soooo many buttons.
I still need to remind myself why my mouse position != playback position - seems counter-intuitive to me.
Also I'm colo(u)r-blind so some software makes life a bit more difficult.

You have to read the help to work out the interface, it isn't that intuitive. But very fast for any size file, since it doesn't reencode.

Til now, I load up the source in Audacity to get the exact times needed then use ffmpeg to do it losslessly.
mp3DirectCut would save a step if I can get comfy with it.

Use silence detection to find the breaks, after tuning the settings for each book. Then skip through the cue points it sets to confirm they are where you want, can drag or delete or set cues manually. Then save the cues as a cue file or just directly split the file at the cues.

I've been trying to work out a simple way to convert a folder of M4A to one M4B with chapters

Again, if you could please clarify m4b with chapters - is there a preferred way to do this?
I am familiar with flac with embedded cue sheets, but that's about it.

A valid M4B must use the Quicktime format chapter list. So you need a tool that understands that.

Anyway, don't worry about it now. Currently trying to use MP4Box, which looks promising, but like ffmpeg, non trivial to set the options.
Also was just reminded of ithwx's scripts, for Linux shell.
https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/audiobook-software-apps-and-resources/an-ffmpeg-toolbox-for-working-with-audiobooks/
Will see if I can get that working for me.

Thanks for the Smart thoughts - looking into it now, maybe mainly for my wife. Audiobooks are 95% of her listening and 0.5% of mine.

Note that to load books, make a directory in the phone, e.g. "Audiobooks" and under that, each book in its own folder, even if it is just a single file. A file named "info.txt" in that folder can be displayed in Smart.
Then in Smart, in settings, set that Audiobooks folder as the Root. Then go to Library and click the circle arrow "reload" to get it to re-read the files and find the new books. Do that whenever you add or delete books externally.

[mkj42]

Lazy quoting ahead; please forgive.

Both are MP4 formates defined by Apple, for iTunes media.
M4A is AAC audio, with tags like MP3's ID2; for music.
M4B is an M4A with an embedded chapter list in Quicktime format, times and titles; for books.

You can use command line mp4chaps, part of the mp4v2 set of tools, to extract chapters as text, like:
...
Which you can edit, change the times (h:m:s) or titles, and (re)import to an M4A file to create an M4B.

Try m4acut: https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/split-m4b-to-separate-chapter-files/
...
And also see https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/audiobook-software-apps-and-resources/an-ffmpeg-toolbox-for-working-with-audiobooks/
...
You have to read the help to work out the interface, it isn't that intuitive. But very fast for any size file, since it doesn't reencode.
...
A valid M4B must use the Quicktime format chapter list. So you need a tool that understands that.
...
Also was just reminded of ithwx's scripts, for Linux shell.
...
Note that to load books, make a directory in the phone, e.g. "Audiobooks" and under that, each book in its own folder, even if it is just a single file. A file named "info.txt" in that folder can be displayed in Smart.
Then in Smart, in settings, set that Audiobooks folder as the Root. Then go to Library and click the circle arrow "reload" to get it to re-read the files and find the new books. Do that whenever you add or delete books externally.

I've gotten better with mp3DirectCut.  I produced files per chapter for Montana Sky.  Me being me, I was unhappy and felt I could do better, especially trimming the gaps that were mid-body at CD breaks without chapter announcements.  I need to better trim the 13 files before combining.  Trying to trim while working on the cue list yielded a mess I cannot explain.  I need to work out if highlight and delete can be done and which command/button does it.  Easier to just trim better first for now. 

31 files for now; I am leaving the intro, credits, and part/season announcements/passages bundled with whichever chapter makes sense.  That way the file numbers still align with the chapter numbers.  I might separate out longer introductions or prologues for other books - case by case basis.

Thanks for the m4a m4b explanation.
My dilemma:
Reading elsewhere online, I already suspected that proper quicktime m4b chapters are not seen by Foobar and many other music players, and embedded cuesheets are not seen by most book players.  I was afraid of that.  One giant file with no separation is annoying.  Bundling in some kind of m3u might help.  Belt and suspenders - I want files to work great everywhere.  Separate chapter files seems more universal, though I know some find it annoying.

BTW I checked and my wife sincerely prefers the five minute chunks, even compared to 30 minute chapters.

Segregating audiobooks and treating them differently for a different app might seem normal to the experienced, but it's new to me.

Thanks again for all your help.

[mkj42]

I have revised my approach to
https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/chapterizing-books-splitting-mp3s-by-chapter/
with CD sized files.  I would reply directly to it, but it's read only.

First open all files at once; this will allow you to easily ctrl-arrow jump to each CD break and trim it til you're happy.
You can even simultaneously trim both files at once; this is a huge time saver.
I was able to make tight gaps for ordinary reading, and leave longer gaps for chapter breaks.
Then Save complete audio.
Then do pause detection, correct any mistakes, and File/Save Split.

My second pass at Montana Sky took me about five minutes of actual me-on-file attention, not counting the computer doing its thing.

[Gweilo]

I've gotten better with mp3DirectCut.  I produced files per chapter for Montana Sky.  Me being me, I was unhappy and felt I could do better, especially trimming the gaps that were mid-body at CD breaks without chapter announcements.  I need to better trim the 13 files before combining.  Trying to trim while working on the cue list yielded a mess I cannot explain.  I need to work out if highlight and delete can be done and which command/button does it.  Easier to just trim better first for now. 

If you make any cuts, that will displace cues set after the cut.
The procedure I outlined was to do the trims, then join, then set cues, then split.
I have added a warning about not making edits later.

Thanks for the m4a m4b explanation.
My dilemma:
Reading elsewhere online, I already suspected that proper quicktime m4b chapters are not seen by Foobar and many other music players, and embedded cuesheets are not seen by most book players.  I was afraid of that.

I opened several M4Bs in Foobar and it displayed the chapters.
Did you try it?
They work in VLC.
And of course, in every Audiobook player.

Well over 90% of all books posted here now are m4b.
M4B has been a standard format for about 20 years, we have tens of thousands here back to the beginning in 2010, e.g
https://audiobookbay.lu/abss/blue-ysmoke/

No dilemma. My general recommendation for uploaders is M4B.

One giant file with no separation is annoying. Bundling in some kind of m3u might help.  Belt and suspenders - I want files to work great everywhere.  Separate chapter files seems more universal, though I know some find it annoying.

You're reinventing the wheel here, sorry.
As I said, we've been using M4B for going on 20 years. It's the basis for both iTunes and Audible files. Everyone who uses audiobooks needs to be able to handle them.
We have some how-tos for those who insist they can't, but as time goes by I feel less sympathetic.

Many uploaders include a cue file with the M4B. They are created by apps like fre:ac when making your own M4Bs.
Users who want one file per chapter can use these to split them.
Or use m4acut: https://audiobookbay.lu/forum/guides/split-m4b-to-separate-chapter-files/

BTW I checked and my wife sincerely prefers the five minute chunks, even compared to 30 minute chapters.

Segregating audiobooks and treating them differently for a different app might seem normal to the experienced, but it's new to me.

Well, since she can't have used M4Bs and "Smart" for more than an hour or two, I don't think she has given it a chance.
An app that has been refined for years with features specifically for audiobooks just has to be better than a generic audio app.
But won't mention that again.

As for having a separate app for books than music, I have an app for podcasts, one for audiobooks, one for live internet radio.
They're all free or dirt cheap. I have a cheap phone with 64Gb storage. Any audiobook is 100 times larger than all the apps together.
For reading, I use a Kindle, though I have a iPad, which is better for comics.
Simplicity is not a bad principle, but so is using the right tool for the job.
You can use a screwdriver as a chisel, but a chisel does do a better job.

[mkj42]

I opened several M4Bs in Foobar and it displayed the chapters.
Did you try it?

Not yet - will now

Well over 90% of all books posted here now are m4b.

OK, but I just did a quick check of my files I've downloaded.  Out of 100 book files I checked on my pc, 95 were mp3, including my recent (though old torrents) Nora Roberts books from ABB.
Granted, I've been downloading for over 15 years and only discovered ABB last month.

Trust me I've been a huge fan of AAC since discovering it and it's all I use for mobile audio given the choice.
Still to this day most people I encounter raise their eyebrows at it and only know mp3.
Granted, most of these people only download music, not books.

Clarifying, Chapter and Verse is your best recommendation for making m4b with proper chapters?
I just wish there was a way to do this without Apple and Quicktime prerequisites.
I've made it this far without iTunes.
I also wish I could place the Nero AAC into the fre:ac coder folder, though I haven't tried its free one yet.

[Gweilo]

OK, but I just did a quick check of my files I've downloaded.  Out of 100 book files I checked on my pc, 95 were mp3, including my recent (though old torrents) Nora Roberts books from ABB.
Granted, I've been downloading for over 15 years and only discovered ABB last month.

Look at our recent torrents. Currently more like 95% M4B.

Trust me I've been a huge fan of AAC since discovering it and it's all I use for mobile audio given the choice.
Still to this day most people I encounter raise their eyebrows at it and only know mp3.
Granted, most of these people only download music, not books.

Yeah, "audio file" = MP3 in most people's minds.
While many of their apps, both audio and video, use AAC.

Encrypted M4B is the format used by both Amazon and Apple, and since we can decrypt them, that's the source of most books here. To make MP3, you have to reencode them, which takes time and degrades the audio, and loses the book-specific features.
Some publishers use MP3, perhaps pandering to an unsophistated public, like Big Finish and GraphicAudio.
And we have a legacy of older rips, from radio and CD, many of those are MP3.

Clarifying, Chapter and Verse is your best recommendation for making m4b with proper chapters?

It was, but it has a hard size limit reflecting the time it was made,
"2E31 = 2,147,483,648 samples possible. With the usual sampling rate of 44,100 Hz the maximum length of an audiobook is therefore 2147483648 / 44100 Hz = 48695.8 seconds = 811.6 minutes = 13.52 hours.
With a sampling rate of 22,050 Hz the maximum length results to about 27 hours."

Up to that, it is very good.

I recently heard of Yermak:

https://github.com/yermak/AudioBookConverter
This has no such limits, have not tested it myself yet.

But if you're re-encoding then I use fre:ac.

I just wish there was a way to do this without Apple and Quicktime prerequisites.
I've made it this far without iTunes.
I also wish I could place the Nero AAC into the fre:ac coder folder, though I haven't tried its free one yet.

fre:ac's built in AAC encoder uses ffmpeg.
Many use it.

for Nero:

    To install the Nero Digital HE-AAC Encoder for use with fre:ac, follow these steps:
        Download the Nero AAC Codec ZIP package from www.free-codecs.com.
        Copy the file NeroAACEnc.exe from the ZIP package to the codecs/cmdline subfolder of your fre:ac installation path.

[mkj42]

I recently heard of Yermak:

https://github.com/yermak/AudioBookConverter

...

fre:ac's built in AAC encoder uses ffmpeg.
Many use it.

...

for Nero:

    To install the Nero Digital HE-AAC Encoder for use with fre:ac, follow these steps:
        Download the Nero AAC Codec ZIP package from www.free-codecs.com.
        Copy the file NeroAACEnc.exe from the ZIP package to the codecs/cmdline subfolder of your fre:ac installation path.

I had heard of AudioBookConverter; grabbed it.
For Nero, I'm glad it's as easy as I had hoped.

I noticed Foobar's built in chapter editor from cue files.
I'm not sure how it would cope with an m4b with chapters already in.
I've got to find such a file and experiment.

Thanks x 3