Extract text from Cache or show files (CDQ)
To convert CDQ Files to another format, you need CDex & ChamSys QuickQ or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Application Cache File" file type, you need software like CDex & ChamSys QuickQ or a similar tool.
The .cdq file extension primarily represents a Compact Disc database cache file used by CDex, an open-source CD-ripping application. These files store local copies of audio CD metadata (such as artist, album, and track names) retrieved from the CDDB (Compact Disc Database) to minimize redundant online queries. Alternatively, .cdq files function as lighting console show files for ChamSys QuickQ systems, containing proprietary programming, DMX patching, and cue data for live stage lighting.
Both formats present severe interoperability challenges. CDex cache files use an outdated, application-specific database structure that modern media players and spreadsheet software cannot natively interpret. This locks your music library metadata inside a legacy application. ChamSys show files are highly proprietary binary structures designed exclusively for specialized lighting hardware. You cannot natively open them in standard text editors or web browsers without risking file corruption.
Users typically want to extract the CD metadata into universal formats like CSV or TXT for cataloging, or they attempt to migrate lighting show data to other console formats (which is heavily restricted by manufacturers). Converting these files is notoriously difficult because they are closed, proprietary formats. Standard online converters fail to process them because they lack the necessary decoding algorithms. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. However, you can simply drag and drop your file into convert.guru to see what it is and convert it if supported. Our tool inspects the binary data, and if our analysis detects a supported underlying format or readable strings, you can instantly extract text or internal content without installing legacy software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CDQ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted 00A, SAV and GPKG files.
If you want to convert CDQ file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use CDex & ChamSys QuickQ or similar software from the "CD Metadata & Lighting Shows" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to CDQ, try CDex & ChamSys QuickQ or another comparable tool in the "CD Metadata & Lighting Shows" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our CDQ converter.