I am just wondering what the difference is between the way in which record label$ produce their remastered cd's and the way in which mp3gain increases the volume of your mp3 track. Does mp3gain compress the tracks?
I tried to look for the answers in replaygain.org and replaygain.hydrogenaudio.org, but both sites seem to be down.
Thanks!
Full Version: Replay Gain, remastered CD's and mp3gain
Well, they're two pretty different things.
When a record gets remastered, what's happening is the creation of a new "master" for the mass duplication of the CD, LP, etc. A record company gives an engineer access to the original mix tapes, or the original master tape, or a low-generation copy of those tapes, and the engineer goes to work.
This "attaining the maximum [...] competitiveness" often includes severe limiting to increase overall loudness. MP3gain would do something a bit similar if you set the target loudness to something high like 98db.
So to answer your question, yes, mp3gain *can* compress the dynamics of the track. Fortunately, mp3gaining can be undone.. a bad mastering job can't!
When a record gets remastered, what's happening is the creation of a new "master" for the mass duplication of the CD, LP, etc. A record company gives an engineer access to the original mix tapes, or the original master tape, or a low-generation copy of those tapes, and the engineer goes to work.
QUOTE
"Mastering is the technical and creative act of balancing, equalizing and enhancing, analog or digital tapes so that the finished product will have attained the maximum musicality and competitiveness in the open market. A mastering studio must be both extremely creative and technically perfect, since the master that is made there will be the template for thousands of compact discs, DVDs, cassettes and records produced for commercial release."
- Bob Ludwig's Gateway Mastering Studio's Web site
- Bob Ludwig's Gateway Mastering Studio's Web site
This "attaining the maximum [...] competitiveness" often includes severe limiting to increase overall loudness. MP3gain would do something a bit similar if you set the target loudness to something high like 98db.
So to answer your question, yes, mp3gain *can* compress the dynamics of the track. Fortunately, mp3gaining can be undone.. a bad mastering job can't!
ReplayGain is merely a change in volume; no dynamic compression is involved, and mp3gain should not (and will not) compress tracks.
QUOTE(Cyaneyes @ Jun 13 2004, 06:49 PM)
Well, they're two pretty different things.
When a record gets remastered, what's happening is the creation of a new "master" for the mass duplication of the CD, LP, etc. A record company gives an engineer access to the original mix tapes, or the original master tape, or a low-generation copy of those tapes, and the engineer goes to work.
This "attaining the maximum [...] competitiveness" often includes severe limiting to increase overall loudness. MP3gain would do something a bit similar if you set the target loudness to something high like 98db.
So to answer your question, yes, mp3gain *can* compress the dynamics of the track. Fortunately, mp3gaining can be undone.. a bad mastering job can't!
When a record gets remastered, what's happening is the creation of a new "master" for the mass duplication of the CD, LP, etc. A record company gives an engineer access to the original mix tapes, or the original master tape, or a low-generation copy of those tapes, and the engineer goes to work.
QUOTE
"Mastering is the technical and creative act of balancing, equalizing and enhancing, analog or digital tapes so that the finished product will have attained the maximum musicality and competitiveness in the open market. A mastering studio must be both extremely creative and technically perfect, since the master that is made there will be the template for thousands of compact discs, DVDs, cassettes and records produced for commercial release."
- Bob Ludwig's Gateway Mastering Studio's Web site
- Bob Ludwig's Gateway Mastering Studio's Web site
This "attaining the maximum [...] competitiveness" often includes severe limiting to increase overall loudness. MP3gain would do something a bit similar if you set the target loudness to something high like 98db.
So to answer your question, yes, mp3gain *can* compress the dynamics of the track. Fortunately, mp3gaining can be undone.. a bad mastering job can't!
The reason I asked this question is because I have 2 CD's, one original from the 80's and one remastered (recently released). I ripped both the CD's and I increased the volume of the original tracks to 98db.
I then visually compared each track in Sony Sound Forge 7.0, the mp3gain volume increased original vs the untouched remastered ones. I was surprised to find that they looked and sounded EXACTLY alike.
Now I am pretty sure that the remastered tracks are compressed, this is why I was wondering whether the the major record companies and mp3gain uses the same algorithm to increase volume, including compression.
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Fortunately, mp3gaining can be undone
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As far as I know, using mp3gain, if you apply a gain, large enough, so that clipping occurs, then it cannot be undone.
You're right that clipping itself can't be undone, but you can lower the volume again with mp3gain and eliminate the source of the clipping.
If you want to check whether dynamic compression was used, measure the dynamic range of the two ReplayGained CDs and compare the dynamic range.
QUOTE(kjoonlee @ Jun 13 2004, 07:20 PM)
If you want to check whether dynamic compression was used, measure the dynamic range of the two ReplayGained CDs and compare the dynamic range.
I'm sorry but I am a n00b. Can you please let me know how to measure and compare the dynamic range?
QUOTE
ReplayGain is merely a change in volume; no dynamic compression is involved, and mp3gain should not (and will not) compress tracks.
Well, my point was that if you increase the volume to the point that the file clips, then you are in essence compressing the sound, due to dynamics being reduced. But that of course isn't the purpose of mp3gain/replaygain.
"Clipping" introduced to an mp3 file by mp3gain can be eliminated by undoing the gain change. Say you apply a 6db gain which creates clipping in the mp3 file. If you lower the gain, the clipping is gone.
The reason is that mp3gain modifies technical details of the mp3 file, not the encoded wave that it represents. But there are many HA members who could describe the process better than I could.
QUOTE(Cyaneyes @ Jun 13 2004, 07:30 PM)
QUOTE
ReplayGain is merely a change in volume; no dynamic compression is involved, and mp3gain should not (and will not) compress tracks.
Well, my point was that if you increase the volume to the point that the file clips, then you are in essence compressing the sound, due to dynamics being reduced. But that of course isn't the purpose of mp3gain/replaygain.
"Clipping" introduced to an mp3 file by mp3gain can be eliminated by undoing the gain change. Say you apply a 6db gain which creates clipping in the mp3 file. If you lower the gain, the clipping is gone.
The reason is that mp3gain modifies technical details of the mp3 file, not the encoded wave that it represents. But there are many HA members who could describe the process better than I could.
Thanks You! That helps a LOT.
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