I was wondering if anyone could give me or link me to a comparison between the pros and cons of using MP3gain versus Foobar replaygain feature. I've been using MP3gain for a while with the standard settings at a friend's recommendation but I've recently switched audio players and I was wondering what it would mean if I took occum's razor out and minimized the programs I was using.

Foobar2000's method is more precise, but most likely only compatible with fb2k. If you use it for everything, though, that's perfect. It functions by tags, and simply reads the tags and applies the suggested gain on playback. Mp3Gain actually modifies the files, so the file will have the same volume adjustment on all decoders. It's reversible, and to that extent lossless, so it makes sense to use it if you're going to be using those same files on, say, a portable, without transcoding them.

About whether or not you need to stop Mp3Gaining... If you listen to everything on foobar2000 and never shuffle it around, then you don't necessarily need to MP3Gain. If you move them to other machines or portables, then Mp3Gain would probably be a good idea still, if only to keep consistent loudness on playback everywhere.

What people usually forget is that with the newer versions of MP3Gain you also get replaygain a la foobar. MP3gain both adjusts the file itself in volume (so that it works in non-replaygain players as well), but also adds the same replaygain tags that fb2k does. And it is just as exact as fb2k. This way you get the best of both worlds according to me...

So to summarize: If you only play your files in foobar2000, there is absolutely no need to use MP3gain. If you however soemtimes need to play your files in other players (like a portable maybe?), MP3gain is your best choice.

It would make little sence if mp3gain adjusted the files AND added the replaygain value to the file's tag. What good is the tag if the file is already altered?
If I am not mistaken you do one or the other.

The mp3 file itself can not be adjusted as accurately (in steps of 1.5dB I think it is) as you can if you write the exact value to the file.
Also the replaygain in foobar has some improvements that should in theory make foobar more accurate than mp3gain even if you use the tag option in mp3gain. This probably has no practical relevance though.

Also directly editing the gain in the mp3 file is reversible only if you know which value it was changed with. Then you can change it back. If you don't know there is no way to reverse the mp3gain.

With the tag option you can choose to use the replaygain or not when you play the file. With direct editing you ca not.

Also if you edit the file directly you can only have albumgain OR trackgain. With foobar you can choose which you want on playback.

Well, as you say yourself the MP3gain adjustment is only possible in steps of 1.5 dB, while the replaygain-by-tag is much more exact. So there is a point of doing both. In players that don't support replaygain-by-tag you at least a rough (but usually quite sufficient) adjustment, and in fb2k you get an adjustment that for all practical purposes is as exact as fb2k:s own internal. (At least in my experience...)

And I do know for a fact that MP3gain does do both, i.e. edit the file AND add the proper replaygain tags.

EDIT: And of course MP3gain takes into account the adjustments already made on the file, when it writes the replaygian tag.


Agreed


Recent versions of MP3gain also adds an undo tag, so as long as you don't the delete the tag you can reverse it quite easily. Of course this is not as good as the replaygain-by-tag way but still quite good. (At least for me...)


True


Ah, but you can. Since MP3gain DOES add the proper replaygain tags as well as editing the file you do. This is probably the best reason for doing both file edit and tag adding....