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Topic: Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work... (Read 924 times) previous topic - next topic
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Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work...

I sometimes choose to Replaygain a single audio file as two (or more) different "Albums".  For example, early CDs have both "Side 1" and "Side 2" of an LP.  When I rip such a CD, I sometimes want to Replaygain the LP's "Side 1" and "Side 2" as different "Albums".

This was no problem in foobar v1.6, and before, but since I've upgraded to 2.0, I can't do this anymore.  No matter how I divide it up, Replaygain keeps the same album gain for the entire file... I can't even change it manually.  (Of course, if I split such a file into two separate files, I can Replaygain them independently, but I prefer not to do that.)

My library is mostly in WavPack, but the problem also occurs with FLAC files...  however, it does not occur when using ALAC or AAC; I can Replaygain different sections of those files, without issue.

So, is this a tagging issue, a Replaygain issue, or a foobar issue?  ...and is it possible to correct it?
(I'm using foobar2000 2.0. WavPack 5.6, and Windows 10)

Thanks!

Re: Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work...

Reply #1 –
I did not even know this was possible, can see it being useful in some cases. How do you do it in v1.6?

Re: Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work...

Reply #2 –
I think you are mistaken, @esa372. Single file WavPack album, like FLAC, uses cue sheet to separate the tracks. The cue sheet stores all album level data, like album artist, album name and ReplayGain Album Gain value at the album level so the data will be the same for all tracks. This method doesn't make it possible for the album values to change mid-image.

If you need better tagging support you could encode the tracks as separate files and place them in a Matroska container. Though my recommendation would be to stop trying to store an entire album in a single file. Everything works better and you have much better compatibility by storing each track in their own file.

Re: Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work...

Reply #3 –
@gfxnow
I would just select the group of songs from side one, Replaygain them as an album, and then do the same for the songs from side two.  I could even scan each individual song as an album, when needed.  It worked great, and it still works with Apple codecs, but not WavPack or FLAC...  which makes me think it's a tagging issue ...maybe?


@Case
Hmm...  I'll admit that my memory ain't perfect, but I don't think I'm mistaken; I've used this technique since v0.8.3 - some of my older files still have the different gain adjustments from earlier scans.

I am curious, though...  why do you think "everything works better" by storing each track in its own file?  What are the benefits?  I have used full-album files with fb2k for over 15 years, and never had any issue (until now).

Thanks!
 

Re: Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work...

Reply #4 –
Take a look at your files where you think it works. Unless there is some better container at play your CUE has just one line for album gain and it affects all the tracks. It's possible foobar2000 has the old value cached for some of the files, in which case reloading information will make all the files use the newest stored value.

The reason I suggested using separate files are not that complex. The single file approach has worse support, limited tagging abilities, slower to encode to as you can't process multiple tracks at once. And depending on audio codec changing tracks can be slower because it always involves seeking. Also if you ever want to manage your library or copy single tracks you can do a lot more with just file manager when tracks are separate. With single images you need an advanced audio player that understands the formats and track separation to make any sense of what you have. And as a bonus backups work better when the files are smaller.

Re: Replaygain one file as multiple albums? It used to work...

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Case on
Unless there is some better container at play, your CUE has just one line for album gain and it affects all the tracks.
I see what you mean, and you are right - it appears to be impossible...  which can only mean one of two things: either I am presently recovering from an unknown and protracted madness, or I have somehow slipped into an alternate universe.   :o

I'll see myself out...

Quote from: Case on
The reason I suggested using separate files are not that complex...
That's a lot of pluses - thanks for the info, and for the components you offer!


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