When I convert a .wav to .mp3 using Lame 3.97, I get this message:



However, when I look at the file's properties in Foobar2K, I don't see any mention of the file's ReplayGain values in either tab of the property dialog box . Is this a case where Foobar isn't showing them to me, or a case where Lame isn't writing the value to the MP3 file?

Thank you.

There is a special spot in the LAME header for a replay gain value. However, I'm not aware of any decoder that reads it from there (most use ID3v2 and APEv2)

Interesting. So Foobar can make use of the ReplayGain values in the Lame header but it doesn't show it?

No, no application at all reads or writes it, as benski said. This - currently - is lame-only data.

For some reason, I thought that Foobar would display the Lame assigned RPG values of a file when you brought up its properties, just like it does for ENC_DELAY, but I guess that I am mis-remembering.

Thanks!

I was told that mad decoder and its derivates uses it. And since iTunes looks into our enc_delay and padding information already, it may use this one too.
To be honest, I don't use LAME's replaygain code and turn it off with --noreplaygain to speed up encoding. I use foobar to add album-gain information to my files anyway.

What a good idea. I just encoded a CD image to -V3 --vbr-new and then again with --noreplaygain added. The respective encode times were 159 seconds and 148 seconds. Nice. I'll happily take a free 7% speedup.

Edit: I just realized that foobar automatically adds the --noreplaygain switch, so I've already been taking advantage of that speedup unbeknownst to me.

Thanks for the information Robert. I will start using -noreplaygain as well, since nothing I use uses the information.