Replay Gain Fuze V1

[Avalon]

I have tried to use the %rg and %?rg functions on a Fuze V1 without any success.

I use the mp3gain software v1.2.5 with track gain software.  The Fuze replaygain mode is displayed as "No Tag" and "+0.00 dB".

Could someone indicate how to use mp3gain so that RockBox reads the replaygain tag correctly for wps display?

[Llorean]

mp3gain often doesn't write the tags, preferring to modify the file gain directly. Are you sure you're using it to write the tags properly?

[Avalon]

Thks for getting back so quickly.

I thought of that and tried two different approaches using Mp3Gain:
1. Writing the file directly.
2. Analysing the file.

Neither seemed to be detected by the RockBox wps functions for display purposes.  Using the first did change the playback volume as I wanted it, but the replaygain setting was not displayed.

I was wondering if there is something which I am doing incorrectly.

[gevaerts]

Are you sure it's using the right tags? Some replaygain tools like writing APE tags to mp3 files

[Avalon]

Is there a way I can check this?

dBPowerAmp indicates that a REPLAYGAIN_TAG_GAIN tag is present.  It also lists a REPLAYGAIN_TAG_PEAK tag.

[audio-i]

Some replaygain tools like writing APE tags to mp3 files

That's exactly the case with mp3gain. I used to use a tool (MP3tag, but there must be others) to read the APE tags and then write them to ID3v2. Now I just use foobar for everything (including replaygain) which writes ID3v2 tags directly.

[Avalon]

Thks, I will give foobar a try.

[jimbilly]

I'd be interested to see what the tag values are.

I was just reading about the mp3gain program,  i don't think it is designed to work with 'replay gain' enabled players, seems like it just modifies the gain within the mp3 file somehow so that it works regardless of the player.   I think the tags it writes are just for undo purposes (if you want to get the original volume back).   I think if you use mp3gain to scan all of your files, you do not need to use the rockbox replay gain function. (since the files have already been modified)

A better method (if you want to preserve the original levels in the mp3 files) would be to replaygain scan the files with foobar or winamp and have the replay gain tag fields populated properly(and the original volume left alone) then the player can adjust the gain on the fly with the replay gain feature.  This gives you more flexibility if you wanted to have the ability to turn it on or off or modify settings without rescanning your library.   I think if you replaygain scan your files(with foobar2000 or winamp) now that they've already been modified by mp3gain, you'll find that the levels will all be similar since the files have already been modified.

so probably, leave them alone and turn off replay gain on rockbox,  or  remove mp3gain somehow from all the mp3 files and rescan with another method and then turn on replay gain in rockbox.

I based my assumptions on this info, see the TAGS section:
http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/faq.php

[Avalon]

I agree.  I tried foobar2000 and it does display the same replaygain tag information as mp3gain has written it.

I was hoping that RockBox would display the replaygain (%rg) info even though it is not applying it to the file.  It is stored in the tags and if not displayed for files that have been modified, the %rg function is misleading, at least when using mp3gain.

I can remove the mp3tag changes and redo the tags using foobar2000, but that will take quite a lot of time.

[Llorean]

It's a problem with mp3gain not actually doing replaygain tags, but instead doing its own things (or, when it does do tags, doing them in ApeV2 tags, rather than standard ID3 tags). Basically, the tool you've chosen really isn't the best one to have been using in the first place.

%rg isn't being misleading at all - it tells you if a Rockbox readable replaygain tag is there. If it says there's not one, it's because Rockbox can't read one.

[Avalon]

I agree.

I redid an album by undoing mp3gain changes and using foobar2000 to add the ReplayGain track tag.  Everything works perfectly; audio playback and %rg functions.

I will have to redo the files with foobar2000.

Thank you all for clearing this up for me. 

[saratoga]

I agree.

I redid an album by undoing mp3gain changes and using foobar2000 to add the ReplayGain track tag.  Everything works perfectly; audio playback and %rg functions.

I will have to redo the files with foobar2000.

Thank you all for clearing this up for me. 

Just telling foobar to rewrite the file tags as ID3v2 should fix this problem.

[Avalon]

You are correct.  I tried this and it works perfectly!

foobar2000 also provides ReplayGain tagging for other formats other than mp3.

This has been extremely helpful!

Thank you

[jimbilly]

Avalon,
I did some testing with this, you can't just RG scan the modified files with foobar without removing mp3gain first.

I downloaded mp3gain from sourceforge.   I applied mp3gain to a test album,  foobar still saw the existing RG tags that were already there, even though the gain had been changed by mp3gain,  then i rescanned with foobar and it calculated gains near 0 for all the tracks (since the gain had been modified by mp3gain).   To get the proper RG values I had to remove the mp3gain with that app, then rescan with foobar2000 as you did in your test.

If you are going to rescan, i'd recommend removing the changes that mp3gain made first!  (click modify gain, undo gain changes).   Otherwise all your subsequent replaygain scanning will turn up gains near 0, not much point in that.  Also beware that if you replaygain scan it and THEN remove the mp3gain changes afterwards,  the replaygain tags will be wrong!(since the volume level was changed after the RG scan).

Also note, if you're using ANY players that do not have replay gain support, you'll lose the volume changes that you're probably used to.

so, you have to commit to mp3gain or replaygain,  can't have both

[Avalon]

Good points!

I'll keep them in mind.

It is convenient to have ReplayGain and the original settings selectable in RockBox, so I will rework the files as you suggest.

I originally looked at this for a theme I was working on.  The theme now works with the %rg function in wps.

Thks again!