im using EAC to rip and encode using LAME 3.97, tagging using id3v2 using a padding of 4kb. since i havnt found a way to seemlessly tag replaygain values while ripping, im using mp3gain to analyze tracks and tag replaygain values. however, mp3gain is overwriting / erasing existing id3v2 tags.

is there anyway to not have mp3gain overwrite exsiting tags and just append replaygain values?

first of all, you shouldn't use LAME 3.97 yet (or any Lame release that is still in Beta or Alpha)...unless for testing.

Anyway, mp3Gain doesn't delete id3v2 tags. I use it all the time and never had any problems. The only thing it might does is storing the gain results in APE2-Tags...but it doesn't mess at all with id3v2 tags...

But if you're using foobar2000 to play your files, then there's a small problem. Here's a summary of the situation:

MP3Gain stores Replay Gain values in APE tags.
If foobar2000 finds _any_ APE tags, then it ignores all other tags.

There are a few existing workarounds, and a few solutions have been suggested.

Workaround 1: Don't write the Replay Gain tags with MP3Gain.
If you're only using MP3Gain to write the ReplayGain info (i.e. not using it to actually change the gain of the files) and you're using foobar2000 to play your files anyway, then use the ReplayGain scanner in foobar2000 instead of MP3Gain.

Workaround 2: Use APE tags for everything. There are programs you can use to convert ID3 tags to APE tags.

-Glen

I have noticed a problem here, but with id3v1 tags, not id3v2.

mp3gain seems to clobber id3v1 tags (at least id3v1 tags added with the id3v2 command line unix tagger) with its APEv2 tags.

The solution for me is to use mp3gain before my tagger.

Really? I thought I'd coded it more carefully than that.
Can you give me precise steps to re-create the problem? (i.e. starting with a clean, tagless mp3 all the way through to the point where the id3v1 tag is clobbered)

-Glen

@Snelg:
Sorry for being a little OT: I use foobar to scan my mp3 files and have it store those replaygain tags to id3v2 tag as you recommended. So I wondered if mp3gain could possibly use those stored values to actually change the gain of the mp3 instead of re-scanning them? (I have replaygain info in all of my files but since my mp3 stick doesn't use it, I have to mp3gain them before transfering to the stick. And it would save a lot of time if there's no additional (and unneccessary scanning))

I don't know how I got that reversed. The real problem is that id3v2 command line tool's id3v1 tags are clobbering mp3gain's tags. I need to contact the id3v2 developer! Sorry about the confusion.

Yeah, I really need to do that. Back when I first added tagging capabilities to mp3gain, foobar was only using APE tags. Since that was the only player that recognized ReplayGain information, I mimicked the way it was writing those tags. Now that foobar can recognize ReplayGain info in ID3v2 tags, too, I need to add that option to mp3gain also.
No promises on how quickly I'll be able to get that done, though...

-Glen

ok thanks all. so how do i get foobar2000 to append the replaygain value to the mp3 and not write it to the DB?

Not only foobar but also "Otachan's in_mpg123 Winamp Input Plug-In" reads ID3v2 ReplayGain data.

Snelg: it would be *really* cool if you could make such a modification to mp3gain...

Cheers

Sergio

Well that bumped up the priority a few notches. Seriously. Like I've said, the only reason I did APE in the first place is because the only player in the world that recognized ReplayGain tags at that point was foobar2000.

Still no promises on a timeline, but it's next on my priority list. Well, that and merging Dave's aacgain code.

-Glen

Another related question:

How "safe" is it to use the MP3Gain with the "ignore" option (do no read or write tags)? I realize this way I lose the undo possibility but is that all? I mean if the gain is set to an optimal level, would I for some reason later need to be able to undo that?

there's nothing wrong with it, except that you won't be able to automatically restore the original setting

Thanks. Well, this may be a silly and simple further question, but could anyone tell in which situation would one possibly want to restore the original gain settings having mp3gained it to say 89 dB using the album method?

I'm not playing dumb here but i consider mp3gaining my whole mp3 collection and just want to be sure I wont regret it. I actually already tried it using the tags but as most of you probably know, the mp3gain's APE tags make foobar ignore the original ones. (Luckily had a second HD as a backup and undid the mp3gain)

well, you could either tag your files entirely using APEv2 Tags (i.e. mp3tag does that), or if you are concerned about compatible issues, you could add ID3v2 Tags as well. (mp3Tag is a good choice (again) )

The advantage of storing mp3Gain data is that you don't need to analyze your mp3's all over again if you want to apply a change. Another example would be if you burn a CD and change all files on that CD to the same dB level (including tracks from different Albums). Later, you might want to use the original DB level to recover the original dynamic dB level that was intended by the artist...

But as I said, it's not really necessary...I've done it before

If by mp3Tag you mean Brading Software's Mp3/Tag Studio , yes I agree its an awesome ID3v1 and ID3v2 tagger. And it does a great job of syncing v1 and v2 tags. But if you us mp3Gain before or after Mp3/Tag Studio, foobar still shows nada for the tags, as described in their faq. Fortunately you can just remove the tags from the files in mp3Gain if you have; already done the analysis, are satisfied with the new gain and want your ID3v1 tags back. The gain stays the same as what Mp3Gain did and the ID3v1 Tags come back in foobar. Its the same as choosing the Ignore option, but losing the confidence boosting "undo" capability.

But I too would like the best of both worlds. Sometimes I do track gain and then later decide that I would rather have album gain. The "undo" capability is great, but I hate losing my tags in foobar. I'm guessing that foobar only reads ID3v1 tags. Regardless, adding v2 tags does not assist foobar.

Sounds like glen is on it. Thanx glen for mp3Gain. I still prefer it to the replay gain functionality in foobar.

Yeah, I'd also really appreciate not having to rescan and calculate the album gain values, my entire { and sizeable } collection has already been ReplayGained with album gain via foobar, but I'd like to be able to "apply" those gain changes to the music on my portable which doesn't yet support ReplayGain... .. . So, I'm looking forward to this thanks!

No Mp3tag is not MP3 Tag Studio which, as you said, does not support APE tags.

yep...that's the program I meant ...never heart about the other one you mentioned though

Edit: oops... wrong post! Only the quote! Shame on me! I'm Just writing my post right now. Sorry

Edit: Her it is, my true post! Sorry again

Rsadix, my point of view, at the moment, is quite different.
I can't speak fore everybody, of course, but I would like to explain why, from an "operative point of view" I think, at this time, it is better to replaygain from foobar2000.

Given that:

1) I always used ID3v2 tags in my mp3 because I find them to suffice to my needs of "sticking" metadata to my audio files (opposed to ID3v1 that would not be enough) and widely supported by the vast majority of software and hardware devices. To me, the fact that apparently programming for ID3v2 support is quite a nightmare, doesn't matter much. As an old programmer I have the uttermost respect and sympathy for those who are giving us now such wonderful tools and the difficulties they face, but... this is how it goes... maybe sometime something more rational will get the same breadth of support.

2) I discovered that foobar2000 is an extremely valuable tool in dealing in most of audio related activities, from converting to tagging, through burning, applying replaygain, mass renaming, etc...

3) I always expressed my humble opinion on the fact that foobar2000 is a bit too much "radical" in the way it supports or doesn't support a mix of different tagging standard, but I have no control over that. In this particular case, as we know, it will refuse to handle ID3v2 metadata if an APE tags is also present.

4) Helas, mp3gain, which I *VERY MUCH* used in the past and that I've come to love right now uses APE tags only.

5) I'm a bit anal at that, but I hate the idea of modifying in a (semi)permanent way the levels of my ripped music. I very much prefer the idea of sticking replaygain metadata to the file and dynamically chose what kind of processing to apply (track, album or none)


Right now I removed all my APE tags from my collection (more than 12000 tracks) and I'm in the process of applying replaygain info in ID3v2 tags using foobar2000 and I anxiously look forward to get an ID3v2 enabled version of mp3gain

Cheers

Sergio

@snelg
I've been using the mp3gain 1.4.6 CLI with MAREO. My tags come up empty in foobar after replaygaining with mp3gain via the commandline, and it's been driving me crazy. Are you saying that the tags are still there but foobar is just not displaying them? Holy crap!

noob question: how do I convert the APE tags to ID3, then?

another (OT) noob question:
how do you set the target volume to 92dB via the commandline instead of the default 89dB?

I think I'll second the request for ID3 support in mp3gain. I still think it's great tool, though, regardless.

cheers,
kindofblue