MP3Gain - Any reason to Album Gain higher than 83dB? Options

[BFG]

I'm planning to apply replaygain MP3Gain (album) to my entire set of ripped CDs. I know that the default setting for MP3Gain is 89dB, which gives around 14dB of headroom. But I've read up on some industry standards - notably, SMPTE RP 200:2002 and EBU R128 - which recommend 83dB and 80dB respectively. Furthermore, I tend not to listen to music at very high volumes - typically I never go over about 40% of max - and the Replaygain MP3Gain analysis shows I would have to go down to 82dB or lower to avoid all clipping.

So, is there any reason NOT to go down to 83dB or 80dB? Am I reducing the dynamic range of the music by doing so (i.e. could I be causing some sections of the music to have a 0dB volume)?

And, an associated question - what does a blue track with ??? for clipping indicate in ReplayGain MP3Gain? I can't find any documentation on this.

This post has been edited by greynol: Nov 13 2012, 01:07

Reason for edit: replaygain -> mp3gain

[[JAZ]]

@BFG: Are you going to play those MP3 in a player that supports replaygain, or in a player that does not.

If you play them in a player that does not support replaygain, then you need mp3gain and there's the option to specify an alternate gain. It is up to you to decide if it is too silent or too loud with that new value.

If you play them in a player that does support replaygain, usually there is an option to specify a gain for tracks with replaygain, and for tracks without replaygain. Many people decrease the gain for tracks without replaygain, and increase the gain for tracks with replaygain. One such player is foobar2000, but also Winamp does have that option.


About using a higher or lower reference level, the 83 and 80 values come mostly from the video industry where such practices have been common for longer. The dynamic range does not change, but the SNR (signal to noise) gets reduced (worse), because of amplifier noise and room acoustics. (Of course, provided that a higher SNR was already in the source, to begin with).

This post has been edited by [JAZ]: Nov 12 2012, 20:05

[BFG]

@BFG: Are you going to play those MP3 in a player that supports replaygain, or in a player that does not.

If you play them in a player that does not support replaygain, then you need mp3gain and there's the option to specify an alternate gain. It is up to you to decide if it is too silent or too loud with that new value.

*rereads opening quote*
D'oh! I wrote "replaygain" when I meant "MP3Gain". I don't have any intention of using replaygain right now.

[greynol]

I wrote "replaygain" when I meant "MP3Gain".

Fixed.

Regarding clipping, I wouldn't be concerned if Mp3Gain says your tracks are clipped prior to adjusting playback volume. This clipping is in all likelihood going to be benign. I wouldn't adjust the gain on these files upward without also listening to them, however.