These settings require
Musepack MPC 1.1 or later.
mppenc 1.16 is the recommended encoder version,
mppdec 1.95e is the recommended decoder version.
Download them at
Musepack.net (http://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=win).
-------------------------------------------------
Recommended encoder settings-------------------------------------------------
--quality 5[/b]
(Previously "--standard", ~170 kbit/s, typical 142 ... 184)
--quality 6[/b]
(Previously "--xtreme", ~200 kbit/s, typical 168 ... 212)
--quality 7[/b]
(Previously "--insane", ~220 kbit/s)
Note that --quality 5 is transparent for most test samples.
Higher settings can provide a quality headroom, however, you should start off with 5.
Custom settings:
--quality x.xxExample: --quality 5.55 . The range goes from 0.00 (worst) to 10.00 (best).
The switch --xlevel doesn't need to be specified anymore,
it's a default setting since mppenc 1.15s.
Don't use any further switches to "tweak" the quality.
Some of them no longer work or have undesired effects on quality.
Meanings of older tweaking switches may have completely changed.
Just use the --quality switch for fine-tuning, that's the best way.
-------------------------------------------------
Recommended EAC / MPC Batch Encoder settings-------------------------------------------------
EAC: Exact Audio CopyCompression Options -> External Compression -> Use external program for compression
Parameter passing scheme:
"User Defined Encoder"Use file extension:
.mpcProgram, including path:
C:\MPC\mppenc.exeAdditional command line options (example):
--quality 6 --artist "%a" --title "%t" --album "%g" --year "%y" --track "%n" --genre "%m" %sCopy the whole line into that option field in EAC.
For comments, add this switch before %s:
--comment "blabla"Example: (...) --genre "%m" --comment "EAC secure" %s
The MPCs will automatically get APEv2 tags, so "Add ID3 tag" must be turned off.
ID3v1 tags
could be used, but they are length-limited.
ID3v2 tags are
not compatible with MPC!
It's also recommended to use "Secure mode" in "Extraction method",
because if you have a rip with a lot of clicks in it, what good is the MPC quality?
(Only for mppenc 1.14 and older encoder versions: Add "--xlevel" after "--quality 6".)
Simple guide with screenshots (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=35&t=20392)Encoding switch for the
MPC Batch Encoder (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/batch_encoder.htm) frontend:
(an easier way would be to use foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/) instead)
--quality x.xxExample: --quality 6
The frontend can also take care of proper tagging.
In case this was done by EAC, you can then apply ReplayGain:
Replaygain commandline with the MPC Batch Encoder (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/download/mpcbatchenc.zip) + Replaygain.exe (http://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=win):
--auto(What is ReplayGain good for? (http://replaygain.hydrogenaudio.org/) / ReplayGain FAQ (http://replaygain.hydrogenaudio.org/faq.html))
Decoding switches / MPC to WAV[/color] (i.e. with the MPC Batch Encoder (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/batch_encoder.htm) frontend + mppdec.exe):
For albums:
--gain 1 --prev(or --gain 3 --prev)
For compilations:
--gain 0 --prev(or --gain 2 --prev)
Or use foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/).
It's a good idea to apply ReplayGain first (see above and further below). Explanations of the switches:
--prev: Activate clipping prevention.
(Clipping occurs when the amplitude of a sound is above the maximum allowed level,
i.e. when it is too loud to be recorded/reproduced. Clipping causes sound to distort.)
--gain 0:
No usage of replaygain. Together with --prev: Title-based clipping prevention.
The loudness of each song is reduced individually to the point where no song is clipping.
--gain 1:
No usage of replaygain. Together with --prev: Album-based clipping prevention.
Each song of an album is attenuated by the same amount and no song has clipping.
--gain 2:
Title-based replaygain, rest like 0.
--gain 3:
Album-based replaygain, rest like 1.
-------------------------------------------------
Recommended Winamp 2.x plug-in settings-------------------------------------------------
You should use foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/) for maximum flexibility, also concerning Replaygain.
However, here's how to make it work in Winamp:
in_mpc 0.99g is the recommended Winamp plug-in:
Download here (http://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=win)Settings:(In Winamp, press "CTRL-P" (Preferences), go to "Plug-ins" -> "Input",
select the MPC plug-in and press "Configure"):
Equalizing by - Musepack[/b]
Winamp's own equalizer attenuates high frequencies.
Dynamic range: 6 dB
Range of the equalizer: -6 to +6 dB
Headroom "K-14"
Headroom is needed to avoid clipping and oversaturated sound. K-14 is the best choice for home listening
(see Level Practices Part I (http://www.digido.com/index/pmodule_id=11/pmdmode=fullscreen/pageadder_page_id=36/) and Level Practices Part II, K-System explained (http://www.digido.com/index/pmodule_id=11/pmdmode=fullscreen/pageadder_page_id=59/)).
ReplayGain'ed MPCs at K-14 will have the same perceived loudness as other formats with applied ReplayGain
- such as Ogg Vorbis or MP3 - with the recommended reference volume of 89 dB.
- Dither output[/b]
What is dither? (http://www.earlevel.com/Digital%20Audio/Dither.html)
[ReplayGain title based | ClipProtect Off] or [ReplayGain album based | ClipProtect Off]
Use title-based ReplayGain for a "radio-like" listening environment (all songs will have a comparable loudness). Use album-based ReplayGain for an "album-by-album" listening environment (different albums will have a comparable loudness, but volume differences between single songs of an album are preserved).
Replaygain
You have to apply ReplayGain to your MPC files for this to work. The Winamp plug-in will read out the ReplayGain information and use it for title-based or album-based playback. Applying ReplayGain is easy:
First you have to download the MPC decoder and the Replaygain tool from Musepack.net (http://www.musepack.net/index.php?pg=win).
Then, the MPC Batch Encoder (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/download/mpcbatchenc.zip). It's easier with foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/), by the way.
Extract everything to one folder, start the frontend and go to the "ReplayGain" tab.
In the "Switches" field, enter --auto . Then add the folder with the MPC files.
Important: For correct album gain calculation, only apply ReplayGain to
one album at a time (put each album into a seperate folder).
Getting a "can't decode file" error with Replaygain? Make sure mppdec.exe is in the same directory as replaygain.exe.
How To...
1) ...recursively go through a directory structure and apply ReplayGain to all MPC files,
considering each directory as an individual album ?
Use foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/), or:
Download Sweep (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1927&view=findpost&p=199863) and the Replaygain tool. Extract them to your path (e.g. C:\Windows).
In a command-line window (so-called DOS-box), type: sweep replaygain --smart --auto *.mpc
Already replaygained albums will be skipped, due to the --smart option. Sweep starts to scan in the current directory of the DOS-box, going through all subdirectories. To process only a specific path, use the well-known DOS commands to go to that directory (for instance cd "c:\mpc\my downloads\") and then use the command sweep replaygain --smart --auto *.mpc to process all subdirectories from there.
2) ...create replaygain.txt files for a lot albums in one step,
considering each directory as an individual album ?
Create a file called "replaygain.bat" with the following contents:
replaygain --listallreport *.mpc > "replaygain --auto album.txt"
Copy this file into your Windows directory.
This *.bat file needs to be created only once in your life...
So don't worry...
Now the procedure:
- Open a DOS-Box, go to the main folder/directory where the albums are located.
- type: sweep replaygain.bat and press Return
A file ' replaygain --auto album.txt ' will be created in each album-folder. That's it!
-------------------------------------------------
Useful links
-------------------------------------------------
[ Latest MPC compiles ]
Musepack.net: Official page, downloads & source code (http://www.musepack.net/)
[ Exact Audio Copy ]
The best CD grabbing software, period.
Official site (http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/)
[ Ripping guides for EAC & MPC ]
Simple EAC guide for MPC (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=35&t=20392)
General Tutorials for EAC (http://users.pandora.be/satcp/)
users' Tutorials for EAC, MPC & Lossless (http://www.high-quality.ch.vu/)
The Essential Audio & EAC guide (http://home-12.tiscali-business.nl/~tpm54044/)
EAC forum (http://www.digital-inn.de/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14)
EAC Offsetbase (http://www.offsetbase.eac-audio.de/)
AccurateRip Drive Offsets (http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm)
[ MPC Frontends ]
foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/) - Player, frontend, it's the best.
MuseDrop (http://www.rarewares.org/files/mpc/musedrop.zip), drag&drop encoding/decoding
Speek's Frontend (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/batch_encoder.htm), batch encoding, decoding & ReplayGain
Monkey's Audio is a good frontend for MPC, too. (http://www.monkeysaudio.com/)
[ Renaming / Tagging / Music Database]
Tag, a very powerful tagger (http://www.rarewares.org/files/others/tag.zip)
Tag Frontend (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/tag.htm)
CDIndexer : for CD-Audio & data-CDs (http://www.gdsoftware.dk/)
MAC: MPEG Audio Collection 2.92 (http://mac.sourceforge.net/)
MAC 2.93 (http://mac.sourceforge.net/mac293alpha1.zip)
How To...
..convert ID3v2 tags to APEv2 tags:
Use Tag & Tag Frontend (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/tag.htm) with the switches --force ape2 --removeid3v2 in "other options"
(remove all other checkmarks).
Directly from a command-line window: Tag *.mpc --force ape2 --removeid3v2
Or use foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/).
..transcode MPC to MP3 while keeping tags?
Not recommended for quality reasons, quality will degrade! It can be done with foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/) though.
[ ReplayGain, lossless normalizing ]
ReplayGain information page (http://replaygain.hydrogenaudio.org/)
[ Useful tools ]
MPC filter for CoolEdit / Adobe Audition (http://www.rarewares.org/files/mpc/cool_mpc.zip)
Mr QuestionMan (http://www.burrrn.net/?page_id=5)
EncSpot (http://www.guerillasoft.co.uk/encspot)
Tool for ABXing, Blind listening tests (http://www.pcabx.com/)
ABC/HR, blind listening tests (http://ff123.net/abchr/abchr.html)
Training of musically listening good-ear.com (http://www.good-ear.com/servlet/EarTrainer)
QuickSFV - SFV and MD5 checksums for files (http://www.quicksfv.org/)
-------------------------------------------------
Credits
-------------------------------------------------
A big thanks to all MPC developers for making one kickass MPC codec, the best lossy codec in the world.
Idea, original post and list of original settings collected by user, Layout & additional work by CiTay, SNYder and Dibrom.
Added a small tutorial on how to apply ReplayGain.
I experiment a similar thing with my castanet ABX listenin test. On comparing two files A and B, I can't ear ANY difference. But after a small pause (15 seconds, one minute), when I just listen to X, I IMMEDIATLY ear an artifact (of course, when X=A, the cmpressed one). Obvious - and ABX test were nearly perfect (from 25 to 30/30) with this method.
Where comparing two files doesn't work, the feeling of a degradation was always concluant. I can't really explain this paradoxal situation. But it works on many, many session. mpc --extreme (Klemm or Buschmann) was not transparent ; vorbis -q9 not more (up to -q9.5 with another sample).
Flushing memories gives me the best results
Originally posted by guruboolez
I experiment a similar thing with my castanet ABX listenin test. On comparing two files A and B, I can't ear ANY difference. But after a small pause (15 seconds, one minute), when I just listen to X, I IMMEDIATLY ear an artifact (of course, when X=A, the cmpressed one). Obvious - and ABX test were nearly perfect (from 25 to 30/30) with this method.
I have the same experience. For extremely subtle differences, I usually wait 5 to 10 seconds before playing A, B, or X again. It seems to contradict the advice of most of the ABX adherents, who advise quick switching. Perhaps it's not a matter of "flushing your memory" but of recovering from a fatigue effect.
For me, ABX has proven to be an extremely sensitive comparison device, allowing me to hear differences down to 15 bit resolution. Others have discerned differences at 16-bit resolution, so I really don't have any worries that ABX is not sensitive enough. Indeed, there are some who feel that it is too sensitive to be a realistic type of listening test.
ff123
I have added links to Easy MD5 Creator, MPCxchange (MPC2MP3), RareWares
MPCscan - Check a directory for corrupted mpc/mp+ files (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/html/other.html)
added to list
Case, can u explain how to use mpcscan ?
quick answer by user:
<user> Copy mpcscan.exe in the folder that you wanna scan
<user> start DOS BOX, u know what I mean ?
<user> there you have to go to the folder you want to scan
<user> commands:
<user> cd..
<user> this command goes one directory upstairs
<user> cd "d:\my music\downloads\temp\michael jackson"
<user> this comamnd goes to the directory/folder you want to scan and where mpcscan.exe must be included
<user> then type:
<user> mpcscan
<user> and it starts and you will see the result at the end written in dos box
<user> gotcha ?
There is no need to copy mpcscan to a specific directory.
Use is easy: mpcscan [-r] [directory]
(-r to work recursively, directory to work in other than current dir)
*
* url updated.
Thanks to smok3, who told me about it and gave the new url.
MOD:* No links to or names of ripping groups please.
edited by JanS at 18th April 2004
how should one know, which is a group guide ??
and why is this edited 1-2 years afterwards, and nobody complained so far ??
which groups ?
Musepack in English and German / Deutsch (http://www.musepack-source.de)
added
So how do you get a 5.1 wav to 5.1 mpc?
whats the recommended bit rate?
at the moment I don't think that mpc is capable of 5.1 multichannel.
Perhaps it is planned for SV8, next bigger release...
What you can do:
Headac3he or Besweet: DS2 or normal Surround Downmix, 5.1 ac3 to stereo wave/mp3/ogg and mpc of course !
Bitrate --quality 5 (standard) or higher...
are there any advantages to using the --quality x.xx switches as opposed to using the --braindead (using braindead as an example)?
The advantage of --quality x.yz is, that you can use finer differences of bitrates.
with words there are only standard, extereme, insane, braindead (quality 5, 6, 7, 8).
with quality switch you can use intermidiates like --quality 7.4 or 7.0 or 7.5, 5.5 and so on, not only 5, 6, 7, 8 !
Added How to Convert ID3v2 tags to Ape tags and why ID3v2 tags should be avoided !
- Renaming / ID3 Tagging -
"Tag", a powerful tagger (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/html/tag.html)
Tag Frontend (http://home.wanadoo.nl/~w.speek/tag.htm)
How To :
Convert ID3v2 tags to Ape tags:
Put --force ape2 --removeid3v2 to other options in Tag Frontend, and remove all other checkmarks.
ID3v2 tags cause not working of replaygaining eg.
High Quality +
Previously "--xtreme". Provides some extra headroom over --quality 5.
--quality 6
(Bitrate ~200 kbit/s, typical 168 ... 212)
Please read: quality 6.00 was called extreme previously.
The quality switch contains all knowhow. Just add --xlevel, like in list of settings.
added
How To :
Recursively traverse a directory structure doing ReplayGaining on all the MPCs, considering each directory to be an album?
Sorry user, the method was not really correct, because replaygain's "--smart" switch is not functioning properly. I updated the post with a correct and working method (using the Sweep tool).
with words there are only standard, extereme, insane, braindead (quality 5, 6, 7, 8).
I'd like to note that there's also radio, thumb and telephone (--quality 4, 3, 2). Standard is not the lowest, it's right in the middle
--
Ge Someone
yea, better, I found that first way here in an actual post, and there was written, that --smart would have been fixed already ?
I did not want to confuse people with sweep and path...
But your description is excellent.
edit: Hi Gesomeone, and then to be perfect and to count peanuts: you have forgotten :-; --quality 9 and 10, btw. these are secret tips for people who are more than braindead, let's call them chainsaw-massacre :-;
added an explanation for navigating command-line-windows....
aim: to simplify things for today's newbies. mpc forever from now on. spread the word.
How To...
Recursively traverse a directory structure and ReplayGaining all MPC files, considering each directory as one album?
Download Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/Sweep.zip) and Replaygain (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/replaygain.zip). Extract them to your path (e.g. C:\Windows).
In a command-line window (so-called DOS-box), type: sweep replaygain --auto *.mpc
Already replaygained albums will be skipped.
FAQ: Does Sweep just go through the whole computer?
<user's answer:> Sweep starts in that directory, where you are in your commandline dos-box. And then all subdirectories of that particular directory will be scanned by that command written after sweep.
So the whole PC is not scanned, if you don't want...
You have to select a directory by command in command-line_window:
cd "my music\mpc\my downloads\" for example.
Useful commands:
cd.. => you go one directory higher.
c: or d: => select/change your used drive or partition.
Overhauled the text a little.
Improved layout a bit and made the "decoding switches" part easier to understand.
New recommended encoder version: MPC 1.12
Also more layout stuff / updated links to MPCscan.
added link to ***
**
edit: no links to ripping group guides please.
JanS edited this post at 18th April 2004 !
my reply:
lol, which ripping group guide was linked, what are you talking about ?
why has nobody complaioned or noticed this issue for 1-2 years now ??
Because MPC plays perfectly gapless, I use separated tracks.
Will --xlevel destroy the music level by Live or Mix albums with separated tracks?
Is --xlevel needed when you later use ReplayGain or convert to SV8?
MPC 1.12 is the recommended version now, but it still says beta version:
"MPC Encoder 1.12 -Beta- © 1999-2002 Buschmann/Klemm/Piecha"
Is this really the recommended version?
Thanks for the help.
Will --xlevel destroy the music level by Live or Mix albums with separated tracks?
No, --xlevel won't cause noticable volume changes.
Is --xlevel needed when you later use ReplayGain or convert to SV8?
Yes. ReplayGain only solves clipping during decoding. However, SV7's "internal clipping" is
encoder clipping: The signal cannot be stored without truncation. When MPC was designed by Andree Buschmann, he simply didn't predict that today's music albums have such a horrible mastering, which makes the encoder struggle regularly. --xlevel was introduced some time ago to solve this issue until SV8 comes out, which will have more than enough headroom by default.
MPC 1.12 is the recommended version now, but it still says beta version:
"MPC Encoder 1.12 -Beta- © 1999-2002 Buschmann/Klemm/Piecha"
Is this really the recommended version?
Sure it is.
To remind you of the version numbering scheme for MPC:
Alpha versions: 1.05a, 1.05b... 1.07a, 1.07b... 1.09a, 1.09b...
Beta versions: 1.04, 1.06, 1.08, 1.12, 1.14...
Stable versions: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3...
Alpha versions won't be recommended; beta versions only after thorough testing. This specific beta version 1.12 has been found safe to use.
Hello Citay,
Thanks for the clear answers.
Now I know what to do with the next encoding .
How To...
Recursively traverse a directory structure and ReplayGaining all MPC files, considering each directory as one album?
Download Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/Sweep.zip)
I think that's gonna be difficult, someone needs to host the file, the link no longer works, see why: http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/ (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/)
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/files/Sweep.zip (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/files/Sweep.zip)
How To...
Recursively traverse a directory structure and ReplayGaining all MPC files, considering each directory as one album?
Download Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/Sweep.zip)
I think that's gonna be difficult, someone needs to host the file, the link no longer works, see why: http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/ (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/)
Files are still available, link just points into wrong location. Most small tools are available at http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/ (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/) and http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/mpc/files/ (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/mpc/files/).
I only removed Speex binaries, official xiph project deserves better than those crappy files I made.
Andavari, did you have an old version of the list? The link was fixed a while ago, and the post hasn't been changed since October 24...
New recommended encoder version: mppenc 1.14 (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/mpc/encoders/mppenc-windows-1.14.zip)
Tested and found safe. Encoding speed on a PIII-1.13 GHz, "--quality 6 --xlevel --verbose", one test song:
1.1: 8x
1.12: 8.39x
1.14: 8.54x
Well done, Frank Klemm.
Also new to the list: Improved layout a bit and added version numbers to the recommended decoder & plug-in versions.
New:
- How to add comments to tags
- Quick & simple guide for MPC in EAC (thx Case): http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/EAC/ (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/EAC/)
- Added a warning about "advanced" switches that no longer work, like "--ltq fil"!
Andavari, did you have an old version of the list? The link was fixed a while ago, and the post hasn't been changed since October 24...
I didn't realize the download link had changed. Now I have the correct URL. Thanks!
would someone be able to point me to some papers which show the technical differences between each of mpc's presets? i was particularly looking for some technical comparisons between xtreme, insane, and braindead. (edit: guide really isn't the right word, good call liekloo)
heh. That's a cute guide
How about some links for the latest Linux builds? I had to do some digging last night to find mppenc 1.14 for linux... I do all my ripping in Linux because of cdparanoia and easy scriptability.
Case's MPC site (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/mpc/index.html) of course...
(What is ReplayGain good for? (http://www.replaygain.org/) / ReplayGain FAQ (http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~djmrob/replaygain/faq.html))
These links don't work. :-(
These links don't work. :-(
Ah yes, 2bdecided took his pages offline... but several people downloaded all of it, so we'll probably have a mirror soon (see this thread (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=17&t=3524)).
I temporarily removed the two links from the list.
I could mirror the pages here on the HA server if someone wants to send me the files.
PM me or something.
heh. That's a cute guide
I just wanted to link to this little guide (by Case), but I see Case's post has been removed. What happened?
I just wanted to link to this little guide (by Case), but I see Case's post has been removed. What happened?
I don't know... but the guide is still linked in the first post.
uh oh, I keep getting an error "Can't patch C:\eac\*.mpc" whenever I run replaygain on any of my mpc files, do you know what could be causing this and any solutions to prevent this from occuring again?
thanks
uh oh, I keep getting an error "Can't patch C:\eac\*.mpc" whenever I run replaygain on any of my mpc files, do you know what could be causing this and any solutions to prevent this from occuring again?
thanks
This happened to me when I accidently put id3v2 tags on a file. I think I had to use the remove tag option in the winamp plugin to fix it. Is EAC set to add id3 tags or something?
The links to the ReplayGain homepage are back... better late than never
edit: Two more Linkfixes (digido.com restructured their site).
uh oh, I keep getting an error "Can't patch C:\eac\*.mpc" whenever I run replaygain on any of my mpc files
id3v2 tags make MPC files impossible to replaygain. However, I've never tried using id3v2 for MPCs, so it is not 100% sure this is the reason. But for Mr. Superbad id3v2 seems to be the cause.
New Winamp 2.x plugin 0.98b at Case's page (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/): Download (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/mpc/bin/in_mpc.exe)
2003-01-19: v0.98 beta
* Fixed stereo/mono status reporting
* Several other bugfixes
* Fixed resynching on corrupted bitstreams
* Copied all equalizer changes from XMMS plugin:
* "Equalizing" for some headphones possible (currently only selectable during compile time).
* Equalizer uses the frequencies of 32/63/125/250/500 Hz, 1/2/4/8/16 kHz
* Compensated delay of equalizer of 36 subband samples,
which generates medium plops between titles.
The old equalizers with 7 and 18 subband samples also
generated plops, but they were smaller.
* Complete redesign of the Musepack equalizer
- bug fix (low frequencies had another delay than high frequencies,
the result were aliasing distortions and phase errors)
- code cleanup
- different time/frequency resolution for lower and higher subbands
- code speedup (but no assembler)
- code usable for multi channel support
- code can be used for sample frequencies != 44100 Hz
* Several fine tunes on Equalizer
Tagger-the Tagger that uses Tag
05.01.2003 Beta 1.6 released.
http://home.arcor.de/maxbureck/tagger/ (http://home.arcor.de/maxbureck/tagger/)
Which is recommended? with -xlevel or without? I plan on using -quality 5 (standard) to encode a bunch of CDs I have. What exactly does xlevel do?
I just acquired a 20 gig drive and planning on starting a fresh new collection. I've been using Lame 3.90.2 alt preset standard and I've been happy with it.
I'm new to MPC.
*** NOTICE ***
--quality and --xlevel are safe to use.
--xlevel is needed to prevent clipping during encoding
(this won't be necessary anymore in the upcoming SV8 encoders).
The answer was written in first post.
(well, I admit, that previously the combined information was spreaded in 2 parts..., now edited.)
I noticed on Case's Musepack Page that there is a 1.15j alpha version available for download. Is there a reason why this isn't recommended for use?
You can't stay updated all the time
1.15j is just some bugfix release after 1.15f.
it's "safe" to use and has sofar proved to perform best of the available SV7 encoders.
edit, yeah, alpha is alpha :B
I noticed on Case's Musepack Page that there is a 1.15j alpha version available for download. Is there a reason why this isn't recommended for use?
Yes, it's because we don't recommend alpha versions. Even though there may be slight advantages in quality and/or usability, these are generally untested and may be unreliable. Many times, the
quality improvements are not big enough to justify a recommendation of an untested version. Also, in retrospect, the changes in an alpha version may turn out to be flawed (although i agree that this doesn't often happen). Lastly, alpha versions generate the profile tag "unstable/experimental", which renders the profile info useless.
2003-04-10 Added:
CDIndexer : for CD-Audio & data-CDs (http://www.gdsoftware.dk/)
MAC 2.90 : Mpeg Audio Collection 2.90 : perfect for mpeg, not yet for CD-Audio (http://j-faul.virtualave.net)
Should we change something at list, regarding 24 bit dithering, as sugegsted in that mail/post above ?
newbie question
should i use both -extreme AND --xlevel switch?
when will the use of the -xlevel switch be eliminated?
where can i find detailed info and guidelines regarding HQ mpc encoding, and what every switch actually does?
what is SV 7?
thank you
@alfa156:
All you've asked for is in the beginning of this very thread...
And we've got Search function here also...
newbie question
should i use both -extreme AND --xlevel switch?
extreme etc are names for the quality switches,
use --quality 5, 6, 7 or 8 plus --xlevel !!!. (6.00 - 6.99 is/was called "extreme")
when will the use of the -xlevel switch be eliminated?
When it is written there in first post of this thread, then you don't need to use it anymore with according version
where can i find detailed info and guidelines regarding HQ mpc encoding, and what every switch actually does?
Guidelines for HQ encoding:
erm, of course in the first post here...
or *
what every switch does: have a look in first post, there are the there recommnded switches explained. More: here in forums, mpc technical or general.
what is SV 7?
StreamVersion 7 of mpc. SV8 is worked on.
thank you
You are welcome !
MOD: *please no links to ripping group guides.
edited by JanS 18th April, 2004
strange, that nobody else complained about group more than 1 year.
users question:
which group ?
QUOTE
(That's OK, since there aren't any 24-bit accurate A/D convertors to record with. We could compute a 24-bit accurate waveform, but there are no 24-bit D/A convertors to play it back on either! Still, a 24-bit system would be great because we could do all the processing and editing we want, then dither only when we want to hear it.)
While the overall description of the dithering process is accurate, there are now many mainstream consumer audio cards that are 24bit capable.
24-bit capable does not mean 24-bit accurate.
In this world, it is impossible to make a "perfect" 24-bit ADC or DAC - you can't make a device that has absolutely no noise down to this level. I think that's what the FAQ is saying.
However, there are some convertors that are 24-bit "accurate" - this means each value it outputs is accurate, on average. In other words, the response of the device is "linear" down to some level. Early 16-bit DACs weren't even linear to 16-bits - after averaging away any noise, some of the smaller numbers wouldn't even come out in the right order! You put in 1,2,3,4,5 and get out 1.2, 2.9, 2.6, 3.8, 5.1 for example!
In a device that is linear down to 24-bits, the values are swamped by noise, but if you average that noise away (a process that the human ear is capable of), what's beneath it is correct. Very few convertors are 24-bit accurate by this description, but some are. There's a discussion of this topic here:
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/papers/bits.pdf (http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/papers/bits.pdf)
which refers to one of their own products, the DCS Elgar:
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/elgar.htm (http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/elgar.htm)
...which costs more than a reasonable car.
Cheers,
David.
thank you for your quick answer!
Of course i have looked the whole thread (not just the first post) before posting, and yes, i know that there is a search function in this forum. Regarding the switches, i wanted to know more technical details, and that's why i posted. I don't think that this is just my impression but when i started to mess with HQ encoding it was much easier to find (detailed) info about the mp3 format than about mpc. Than's why i asked for some help, and gladly there are people here that want to help even newbies, like me....
believe me, i tried all info sites in the first post but none (in my humble opinion), has details or explains *everything* regarding mpc, and in my mind mpc is a bit vague...
thanks a lot for your quick answers
keep up the good work!
hold on tight...here comes another newbie question
how can i recursively traverse a directory structure doing ReplayGaining on all the MPCs, NOT HOWEVER considering each directory to be an album?
thank you!
hold on tight...here comes another newbie question
how can i recursively traverse a directory structure doing ReplayGaining on all the MPCs, NOT HOWEVER considering each directory to be an album?
thank you!
You can use Case's Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/files/Sweep.zip).
hold on tight...here comes another newbie question
how can i recursively traverse a directory structure doing ReplayGaining on all the MPCs, NOT HOWEVER considering each directory to be an album?
thank you!
You can use Case's Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/files/Sweep.zip).
yes but this way sweep assumes that the directory is a whole album and replaygains it in "album mode" . I don't want that.
User says in the very first post that:
"How To...
Recursively go through a directory structure and apply ReplayGain to all MPC files,
considering each directory as an individual album?
Download Sweep and Replaygain. Extract them to your path (e.g. C:\Windows).
In a command-line window (so-called DOS-box), type: sweep replaygain --smart --auto *.mpc
Already replaygained albums will be skipped, due to the --smart option. Sweep starts to scan in the current directory of the DOS-box, going through all subdirectories. To process only a specific path, use the well-known DOS commands (like d: or c: or cd..) to go to that directory (for instance, cd "c:\mpc\my downloads\") and then use the command sweep replaygain --smart --auto *.mpc to process all subdirectories from there."plus i cant find a GUI for sweep....
ReplayGain always adds Track gain. You choose whether you want to use track or album gain in the decoder.
ReplayGain always adds Track gain. You choose whether you want to use track or album gain in the decoder.
i don't get it....
can you please explain further?
thank you in advance....
ReplayGain always adds Track gain. You choose whether you want to use track or album gain in the decoder.
i don't get it....
can you please explain further?
thank you in advance....
With an mp3 file you modify the files itself to the wanted volume (losslessly).
With mpc files you just caculate how much the volume should be changed (both album gain and track gain is calculated seperately) and add the values to a tag in the file.
Then the decoder changed the volume upon playback: in the player you select if you want to use the album gain value or the track gain value.
With the following method you can use replaygain to add both album gain and track gain but the values will be the same as it handle all files individually in all sub-folders.
1) Make a batch file with the following:
for %%i in (*.mpc) do replaygain --auto "%%i"
2) Go to cmd and run
sweep [absolute path to the batch file]
in the dir you want to start in.
3) all mpc files in sub-dirs will be replaygained individually.
Thank you!
when i replaygain my mpc files with the batch encoder and the --auto switch, i see in the Windows Task Manager Processes Tab that apart from replaygain.exe, the mppdec.exe is also runnig. Why is that? Replaygain IS lossless, right?
Thank you!
when i replaygain my mpc files with the batch encoder and the --auto switch, i see in the Windows Task Manager Processes Tab that apart from replaygain.exe, the mppdec.exe is also runnig. Why is that? Replaygain IS lossless, right?
Sure it is. But ReplayGain has to read the whole file in order to calculate the RG values. And how does it do that? Right, it calls mppdec. Decode file -> analyze -> calculate RG values -> write RG values to file.
Why is it recommended that ClipProtect be off in the WinAmp in_mpc plugin? Wouldn't it be best to have it on, to avoid clipping during playback??
Redesign of the recommended settings: I tried to make it more obvious that --quality 5 should be your first choice, and that you shouldn't go with --quality 8 when you haven't even tried --quality 5...
Why is it recommended that ClipProtect be off in the WinAmp in_mpc plugin? Wouldn't it be best to have it on, to avoid clipping during playback??
Provided that you use ReplayGain (as recommended), ClipProtect is very rarely needed. If you activate it with an MPC that hasn't been ReplayGained, it might lower the volume when there's clipping, which can be annoying. The best method is to ReplayGain your MPCs (and make sure you RG each album seperately, or you'll get wrong AlbumGain values).
... also fixed all broken links.
Maybe the mp3 settings thread should be modified similarly?
Maybe the mp3 settings thread should be modified similarly?
Good idea, i'll get right to it.
Provided that you use ReplayGain (as recommended), ClipProtect is very rarely needed.
When it's not necessary, Clipprotect will not be applied. It will only make a difference in those (maybe) rare cases.
BTW I saw replaygain actualy introduce clipping at older albums (with more dynamics). But I didn't say they were audiable though.
--
Ge Someone
I have noticed with several of my albums, that Foobar2000's ReplayGain stats shows album peak *above* 1.0
Are you sure that ReplayGain will not create audible clipping? In *every* case?
Are you sure that ReplayGain will not create audible clipping?
Well, if you find a file where it's audible, that part of the post might be changed...
I have noticed with several of my albums, that Foobar2000's ReplayGain stats shows album peak *above* 1.0
Are you sure that ReplayGain will not create audible clipping? In *every* case?
The peak above 1.0 is a result of the change of frequency components in the lossy compression, and it's common on modern peak-limited and dynamically compressed albums with all psychoacoustic lossy codecs. The same thing can happen with something as trivial as a low-pass filter. Although you're removing energy with the filter, the peak values can either fall or rise, because the peaks have little to do with the energy in the signal.
The reported peak value is the peak that will happen if NO replaygain is applied. So actually, clipping (usually inaudible) occurs regularly with lossy codecs like MP3 and MPC.
In almost EVERY such modern album out there, the ReplayGain suggested to hit 89 dB volume will be negative. This means that the peak value after ReplayGain is applied will be much lower, and almost always under 1.0
For example, if your album peak is 1.143200, an album gain of
-20 x log(1.143200) = -1.16 dB is enough to bring the peak down to 1.000000 so it's no longer clipping (assuming you have the RG preamp set to 0.0 dB (89.0 dB SPL target volume).
I have a Rachmaninov CD in .MP3 (Lame APS) that's already about 89.0 dB but clips during a full-orchestra peak. That's fine at 87.5 dB target volume (in mp3Gain) and I couldn't ABX a difference where it clipped at 89.0 dB anyway, so I could have left it as it was. I'll probably get around to reripping to Musepack some day.
... also fixed all broken links.
EncSpot link seems to be broken...
EncSpot link seems to be broken...
Yeah, the original site is down... using another link now.
Make sure it is obvious that the --xlevel command should always be used in tandem with the --quality setting. It is only stated in the oak-red sidenote, which some people are likely to pass over.
Additional command line options (example):
--quality 6 --xlevel --artist "%a" --title "%t" --album "%g" --year "%y" --track "%n" --genre "%m" %s
(this is from the first post)
Why do you use --quality 6 here? Many people will cut&paste this line right into EAC. If you want to reccommend that people use q5, perhaps you should change this example line to use --quality 5 instead. There are enough notes in this thread (both in the first post and also the replies) telling people that they should only above q5 if they notice a problem with a particular sample... but if they see --quality 6 in the example they may think "well, he is using q6, so I'll just do that too".
That's right, getting MPC, I went here to setup EAC, and wondered if quality 6 was needed. I had to remember all threads were quality was discussed, in order to decide and go down to quality 5.
Why do you use --quality 6 here? Many people will cut&paste this line right into EAC. If you want to reccommend that people use q5, perhaps you should change this example line to use --quality 5 instead. There are enough notes in this thread (both in the first post and also the replies) telling people that they should only above q5 if they notice a problem with a particular sample... but if they see --quality 6 in the example they may think "well, he is using q6, so I'll just do that too".
So, why not? I often use --quality 6 myself. The thread is merely a recommendation; you should make up your own mind about what to use, based on the advice given there and elsewhere on HA. I wrote "example", and that's the way it's meant... use it as a starting point, do some digging on HA if you like, compare bitrates, maybe even try some ABX testing yourself. There can be no ultimate solution for everyone. And frankly, i don't see anything wrong in using --quality 6.
Higher quality seems to transcode better. Maybe this is the answer, who knows.
Higher quality seems to transcode better. Maybe this is the answer, who knows.
I rather use quality 7 for transcoding, otherwise quality 5 is fine for me.
ok, if some people write here their personal settings, I tell mine, too:
MPC --quality 7.5 --ms 15 --xlevel
according to *
Reason:
for Archival (& Listening, of course !) purpose.
q7 or q8 are still small in size (you have to compare to lossless),
but these qualities offer a quality for actions, which are normally forbidden for lossy codecs:
- Transcoding to high quality mp3 eg., or like somebody else tested: to atrac for portable MD !
- applying DSP to lossy music, ie. Logic7 / DPL2 decoder (Logic 7 for me).
MOD: no links to sharing group guides please.
I prefer "mppenc --xlevel" myself, I find standard no less transparent than any other preset. I could for example ABX standard from original at some weird case, and insane from original etc. but then again not standard from insane.
standard works fine, and from my findings it's just as good to transcode from as any other preset.
Many people will cut&paste this line right into EAC.
This is exactly what I did, damn. I didn't read any other posts first cause this was the 'recomended settings' post. If --quality 5 is enough in almost all cases, it should be changed.
MPC --quality 7.5 --ms 15 --xlevel
Reason:
for Archival (& Listening, of course !) purpose.
For archival purposes a lossy codec (and even if it's the probably best one like MPC) never never is good enough. Because there's always missing something in the music-datas after having done the encoding-process. Lossy codecs are always a compromise in size/quality. This we have to put always in our minds. If you want perfection (and for archival you need it) there's only one:
LOSSLESS.
My advice:
Go to the extremes ! For transferring musics thru the internet, you need a good lossy codec, which generates short files: So, MPC --q5 --xlevel should be your favourite choice. And for archiving your musics for home-use take FLAC or Monkey's Audio (only go to "High"-compression, because all levels above need too much processor-time to en- and decode, without offering much more smaller filesizes).
I have added to the How to about replaygain, the part 2 about creating replaygain.txt files in a batch.:
About Replaygain a basic:
How To...
1.
Recursively go through a directory structure and apply ReplayGain to all MPC files,
considering each directory as an individual album ?
Download Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Sweep.zip) and Replaygain (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/replaygain.zip). Extract them to your path (e.g. C:\Windows).
In a command-line window (so-called DOS-box), type: sweep replaygain --smart --auto *.mpc
Already replaygained albums will be skipped, due to the --smart option. Sweep starts to scan in the current directory of the DOS-box, going through all subdirectories. To process only a specific path, use the well-known DOS commands (like d: or c: or cd..) to go to that directory (for instance, cd "c:\mpc\my downloads\") and then use the command sweep replaygain --smart --auto *.mpc to process all subdirectories from there.
2.
How to
Create replaygain.txt files for a lot albums in 1 step,
considering each directory as an individual album ?
Make a text file by an editor, *.txt,
copy following commandline into that file:
replaygain --listallreport *.mpc > "replaygain --auto album.txt"
Save this file with following name:
replaygain.bat.txt
Rename it to:
replaygain.bat
Copy this *.bat file to your "Windows-Path" (where sweep.exe, replaygain.exe etc., are located, too)
This *.bat file needs to be created only once in your life...
So don't worry...
Now the procedure:
- Open DOS-Box, go to the main folder/directory, where your albums are located, you want to add the replaygain.txt file to.
- type: sweep replaygain.bat [enter/return]
and now a file ' replaygain --auto album.txt ' is created in each album-folder.
That's it !
Added --xlevel to all recommendations, simplified some other stuff.
I Splitted the tag question to http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=11596 (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11596)
Decode question splitted : http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=11645 (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11645)
TO ADD:
LINUX RESOURCES:
players: XMMS, BMP, LAMIP
xmms-musepack plugin
lamip-inputmpc plugin
bmp-musepack plugin
Debian Packages:
http://rarewares.hydrogenaudio.org/ (http://rarewares.hydrogenaudio.org/)
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=10340 (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=10340)
GRIP FOR *NIX (v3.x.x)
(will be put into an actual guide, soon...)
(for scsi emulation of ide)
CONFIG>CD
cdrom device: <scsi device> (i.e. /dev/scd0)
CONFIG>RIPPER
Ripper: grip (cdparanoia)
(disable) Disable paranoia
(disable) Disable extra paranoia
Disable scratch:
(disable) detection
(disable) repair
Rip file format: ~/%A - %d - %t - %n.wav (e.g. "led zeppelin - coda - 03 - i can't quit you baby.wav")
CONFIG>ENCODE>ENCODER
Encoder: other
Encoder executable: mppenc (or mppenc-static, ~/bin/mppenc-static, /home/user/bin/mppenc-static - make sure executable is in $PATH or an absolute path is given)
Encoder commandline: --quality 5 --xlevel --artist "%*A" --title "%*n" --album "%*d" --year "%*y" --track "%*t" --genre "%*G" %w
Encode file format: ~/%A - %d - %t - %n.mpc (e.g. "led zeppelin - coda - 03 - i can't quit you baby.mpc")
** CURRENTLY, XMMS MPC PLUGIN DISPLAYS TITLE, ARTIST, ALBUM CORRECTLY
** full list of switches here: http://www.nostatic.org/grip/doc/gripswitches.html (http://www.nostatic.org/grip/doc/gripswitches.html)
CONFIG>ID3
(disable) Add ID3 tags to encoded files (preference, id3v1 is possible)
(disable) Add ID3v2 tags to encoded files (Musepack does NOT use id3v2 tags!!)
[edit: removed image URLs as they don't exist any more ]
later
how do i on the fly encode with cdex?
thx
how do i on the fly encode with cdex?
CD Drive -> Ripping method: Paranoia, full
Generic -> ID3 Tag Version: None
Encoder -> Parameter string: --quality 5 --xlevel --artist "%a" --title "%t" --album "%b" --track "%tn" --genre "%g" --year "%y" %1 %2
Encoder -> File extension: mpc
Encoder -> On-the-fly encoding:
CDex configuration (http://free.pages.at/volcano/chip/cdex_options_encoder_mpc.png)
(Courtesy of Volcano)
P.S. "My Favorite Lame Preset alt-preset fast insane":
There is no "fast" insane, only --alt-preset insane.
CD Drive -> Ripping method: Paranoia, full
Generic -> ID3 Tag Version: None
Encoder -> Parameter string: --quality 5 --xlevel --artist "%a" --title "%t" --album "%b" --track "%tn" --genre "%g" --year "%y" %1 %2
Encoder -> File extension: mpc
Encoder -> On-the-fly encoding:
that only works with pre-1.05 versions of mppenc.
that only works with pre-1.05 versions of mppenc.
You mean the on-the-fly part? Sorry then, I don't use CDex myself...
The link to the Winamp plugin is dead.
The link to the Winamp plugin is dead.
Hm, it works here.
The link to the Winamp plugin is dead.
Hm, it works here.
It works because Peter fixed it
Addded:
How to
Reencode MPC to MP3, keeping tags ?
Use foobar 2000, the CLI encoder:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/html/foobar.html (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/html/foobar.html)
Addded:
How to
Reencode MPC to MP3, keeping tags ?
Use foobar 2000, the CLI encoder:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/html/foobar.html (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/html/foobar.html)
There is now a special musepack encoder with the special installer.
It might be easier to use.
user is talking about mpc -> mp3, fortunately not about mp3 -> mpc
EDIT : you can remove our two messages if you want
I have found out, that foobar is straight forward for a lot audio thingies,
just great !
I have found out, that foobar is straight forward for a lot audio thingies,
just great !
Maybe could you add a section : direct capture (on-the-fly encoding) with mpc of line-in, mixer... in mpc with foobar2000 and foo-record component (options for capture beginning, and capture length). Very useful for radio capture for exemple (especially with the nice preset called --radio).
btw.: why are you not using the wiki?
at http://www.musepack.net (http://www.musepack.net) you can also download a nice MPC Frontend
Today's frontend for mpc, musepack:
EAC or Foobar2000 ,
depends, what you wanna do...
Is 1.14 still the recommanded encoder or it' snow 1.15 ?
Soren
Is 1.14 still the recommanded encoder or it' snow 1.15 ?
Soren
Still 1.14, but you can use 1.15r if you know what you're doing. It can sometimes have a minor quality advantage, but it also has a disadvantage (i.e. "unstable/experimental" tag and alpha version marking). Therefore it won't be officially recommended.
which parameter is the best balance point of size and quality??
q6 --xlevel??or q7 ? or any other??
As it was written in the very first post of this thread:
Note that --quality 5 --xlevel is transparent for most test samples.
Higher settings can provide a quality headroom, however, you should start off with 5.
mono13 Posted on Dec 17 2003, 03:25 PM
which parameter is the best balance point of size and quality??
q6 --xlevel??or q7 ? or any other??
* setting goes the direction to quality, no compromise regarding size.
This would be:
--quality 7 at least, up to lossless,
as at quality 7 the few artefacts of mpc (start to) vanish at this q-level, or don't sound annoying anymore.
I would use --quality 7 to 8 --ms 15 --xlevel , due to listening via Logic 7 (DPl2), or transcoding to 320 kbit/s mp3.
MOD:* no links or names of sharing group guides please.
--ms 15
what does it mean??
about ms15 :
please read in these 2 mpc forums, maybe use the search button of the forum.
(it is the most advanced joint stereo/stereo mode of mpc)
i got it~~ thanx
but i still want to know the best choise,best size/quality point
u can division q7 and q8 's mpc sounds different?
start ABXing yourself.
The best size/quality point is q5.
Above that it is in most cases, for most people, not possible to hear any difference.
Before using anything higher, please make sure that you can hear a difference (with an ABX test).
Well, anyone is always able to use settings above q5 for that warm, fuzzy feeling, but unless he/she is sure that he/she can hear a difference, he/she is going to be wasting HD space.
In short, if in doubt, use --quality 5 --xlevel.
To clear your doubts, do ABX testing.
I was never able to ABX Q5, but I'm using Q6 (Xtreme) to be safe: I know, that I'll have to transcode these tunes sooner or later.
btw, have you tried MPC at its lowest setings? It sounds better, then you think, btw I was really surprised.
btw, have you tried MPC at its lowest setings? It sounds better, then you think, btw I was really surprised.
yeah I tried once and was also very impressed!
Well, i've finally made the jump and have decided to check out mpc. Got it working using the batch encoder and all. The one question I have is this: I know replaygain info is only used in the tag, but if I decode to wave using the batch encoder, does it use the replay gain tag or does it just decode the normal file.
My purpose is because I often burn alot my stuff back to cd's for the car. I like to be as close as possible to the original cd volume.
hm, in all MPC decoders you can (should be able to) select the replaygain (rg) mode you want for decoding to wave / playing the music.
This includes complete disabling of rg, or simply activating noclip mode, or the replaygain modes album/track-gain.
I use meanwhile only foobar2000, it is a great program, which has an ABX feature, transcoding features with keeping/converting tags automatically to the best native tag formats etc.
So, if I want to decode mpc to wave eg., I would use foobar2000, where you could specify, too, which rg mode is used or not.
Or lossless format to mpc, all by foobar2000.
Or lossless or mpc to mp3.
Well, i've finally made the jump and have decided to check out mpc. Got it working using the batch encoder and all. The one question I have is this: I know replaygain info is only used in the tag, but if I decode to wave using the batch encoder, does it use the replay gain tag or does it just decode the normal file.
You can define that with the decoding switches, as stated in the first post under "Decoding switches / MPC to WAV". If you use no decoding switches, it doesn't use ReplayGain. However, even for albums that you listen to in your car, i would use clipping prevention (album-based for an album, title-based for a mix CD), as clipping is never beneficial to the sound. For that, enter the following into the switches box of Batch Encoder's decoding options: "--gain 1 --prev" (album) or "--gain 0 --prev" (title), both without the "".
Okay, thanks. I was just a little confuse over how things were explained in the beginning of the thread. Will report back when I have some time to "experiment"
thanks
Under the "How to replaygain" section of this list shouldn't we add Foobar2000's replaygain scan? I think it's the easiest way to apply replaygain.
yes, for a single album, foobar2k is the best solution,
as foobar is as player the best and offers the necessary thingies, an audiophile likes so much....
I recall, that foobar was added to the list ?
The ways more exactly described in the list, deal with mass-replaygaining, a lot subfolders, treat each folder as 1 album, which cannot be performed by foobar afaik.
The ways more exactly described in the list, deal with mass-replaygaining, a lot subfolders, treat each folder as 1 album, which cannot be performed by foobar afaik.
foobar2000 can do it!
just change the album grouping pattern to %_path% or %_directoryname% in the RG scanner preferences, and then perform a multiple albums scan.
Yeah, all you have to do is add all the files to foobars playlist, select them all,
right click > replaygain > scan selection as multiple albums. I don't think you have to change any grouping patterns...I never do. My grouping pattern is set to the default %album%.
Regarding replaygaining, i was wondering if anyone had any interest at all in making a gui for sweep and replaygain to batch process files? I know I have problems running it from cmd line. (for some reason I can only navigate my c Drive.
Why not downloading foobar with rgscanner. When deleting all unneeded components it won't be much bigger than a gui just for sweep. (of course that's only my opinion and perhaps there's something what foobar lacks but sweep can which I'm not aware of)
Regards,
The Link
added explanation about mppdec versions:
MPC -> MP3 by MPCxchange (be careful, use mppdec 1.93j instead of 1.95, or mppdec 1.95e with Lame3.95.1 (latest rarewares compile))
The links to mppenc and mppdec are both broken for me.
The links to mppenc and mppdec are both broken for me.
Both binaries can be downloaded here:
http://www.rarewares.org/mpc.html (http://www.rarewares.org/mpc.html)
Thanks rjamorim !
oh, the first page of this list needs a lot link fixes, all case's page/file links need updates, to the correspondent Rarewares files & pages ?
http://www.rarewares.org (http://www.rarewares.org)
will do it, if time.
And satcp's eac guide with his older drive offset db:
http://users.pandora.be/satcp/ (http://users.pandora.be/satcp/)
other pages with drive offsets:
http://www.offsetbase.eac-audio.de/ (http://www.offsetbase.eac-audio.de/)
http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm (http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm)
Okay, i fixed the links. If anyone finds a broken link or has a new link suggestion, just reply here.
edit: Attached sweep.exe, useful for recursive Replaygain etc.
Is there a switch you can use when using the batch encoder to delete the .wav file after it is encoded?
Still don't think the pipe problem is solved. Mmmmhuhh with Case's site up again, 1.93j should be downloadable here (http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/mpc/decoders/mppdec_1.93j.zip) and here (http://users.du.se/~kdo/mpc/mppdec_1.93j.zip).
If that was directed at me, I still don't know what switch(es) to use.
If that was directed at me, I still don't know what switch(es) to use.
oH, sorry...
no - I'm just fustraded of no fix of broken decoder pipe........
New version of MPC Batch Encoder (http://members.home.nl/w.speek/batch_encoder.htm) is available.
New things:
* More flexible tagging.
* Option to preserve the directory structure.
* A different tab control (tabctl32.ocx is not needed anymore).
* Option to run the encoder or decoder in idle priority class.
Fixed a bug that made the 'Output directory' frame of the decoder visible directly after starting the frontend (while the encoder 'Output directory' frame should be visible). Please update to version 2.3.1 (http://members.home.nl/w.speek/download/mpcbatchenc.zip) if you have downloaded 2.3.
New version of MPC Batch Encoder is available.
Thanks, I see the new Idle button has replaced the Pause button, but that's fine with me.
BTW I'm a fan of your frontend batchgenerators
when are we going to see a new release from Klemm? Its been really a long time....
when are we going to see a new release from Klemm? Its been really a long time....
Actually it's in the making. First he had problems with Linux bugs, then there was something related to his job, but there's light at the end of the tunnel...
So we have good news Citay!!
when are we going to see a new release from Klemm? Its been really a long time....
Actually it's in the making. First he had problems with Linux bugs, then there was something related to his job, but there's light at the end of the tunnel...
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=219245"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Has the light at the end of the tunnel grown any? 1.15r seems to be practically the recommended version, even though technically it's not. Would be nice to see something final soon that didn't have the experimental tag. Don't want to use 1.14 either for obvious reasons.
I'll post what Frank told me three days ago, but it's not good news (at least for MPC). He says, he has no time for programming at the moment, because there's training for sales and distribution of a new Advanced Imaging Microscopy device at his workplace (http://www.zeiss.de/us/micro/home.nsf) and he gets home late at night each day. I'll ask him for news every now and then and will report back when there's any about MPC.
I'll post what Frank told me three days ago, but it's not good news (at least for MPC). He says, he has no time for programming at the moment, because there's training for sales and distribution of a new Advanced Imaging Microscopy device at his workplace (http://www.zeiss.de/us/micro/home.nsf) and he gets home late at night each day. I'll ask him for news every now and then and will report back when there's any about MPC.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=247709"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Oooh, that's unfortunate. Well, for us anyways. MPC is such a great format, and I'm actually considering switching to it from lossless. I was considering OptimFrog and WavPack at around 400k to 450k since that would be a decent choice should I ever need to transcode lower (to, for example, a portable), but then the thought popped in my head that if I'm going to go lossy in order to save space, I might as well take it as far as I can. And that would mean MPC IMHO, though I still need to do more transcode tests to be sure. Anyways, don't want to convert anything with 1.14 or 1.15r, so I guess it will have to wait. I don't mind though, real life must always come first and foremost. Hmm, maybe I should donate. Is there a PayPal button somewhere to do so?
Hmm, maybe I should donate. Is there a PayPal button somewhere to do so?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=247727"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
We already had a donation, and from that money i built him a new PC and ChristianHJW delivered it to him. Because originally, he didn't even have a good development machine and he didn't have time/notion to build one. But since then, his job occupied most of his time and he didn't get around doing e.g. a final SV7 version. It's an unfortunate situation really, and i wish i could do something about it. But all we can do is wait.
But you can use both 1.14 or 1.15r, they are pretty much tried and tested now. There wouldn't be any bigger changes to quality with a final SV7 anyway. It would mostly fix some quite rare bugs and have some usablility improvements, i guess.
It's an unfortunate situation really, and i wish i could do something about it. But all we can do is wait.[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=247733"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Innocent question: is there no other sound compression guru in the ha.org community, or even in the world, that can take the flag ? After all, that's also what open source is for... A one-manned open-source project is bound to fade away sooner or later...
Has the light at the end of the tunnel grown any? 1.15r seems to be practically the recommended version, even though technically it's not. Would be nice to see something final soon that didn't have the experimental tag. Don't want to use 1.14 either for obvious reasons.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=247673"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
1.14 doesent give a experimental in tag as 1.15 do,but regardles,my question is that i always rip cds with eac to mpc 1.14b.Where did you find info that 1.15 is better?I simply asking couse in that case i nwould switch to 1.15.I really dont care about that small experimental "glitch"in the tag,so if you know any thread which compare 1.14 and 1.15,please post.I tryed search but nothing good come out..
Or somebody else who tested 1.14 and 1.15>>if he can share his opinion what should be used for encoding,which version i mean..
Thanks in advance!!
Where did you find info that 1.15 is better?
On the musepack.net site it claims that 1.15r "has less problems with highly tonal music compared to 1.14". I know I've seen mention regarding better handling of the higher frequencies as well, but it was a while ago and can't remember where exactly. Perhaps a search might turn up something useful, though I'm not 100% sure if what I read was here or not. Hopefully someone more knowledgable in the ways of MPC will post with the info you desire.
1.15 has a modified tonal estimation model to cope better with samples like 'amnesia'. Quality of 1.15 and 1.14 is similar - some music might be better on 1.15 and vice versa. 1.15r files are +3% larger than 1.14
Thanks.I did a small test with a few files using q5 and all files come out a bit bigger,but really small difference just as you said like difference was 196 to 189kbps.Thanks for clariffication
Great reason today to edit n update the List !
1.15s is out with some bugfixes, and hardcoded --xlevel switch.
The settings recommend adding --xlevel, because of 1.14 beta/stable.
Would this adding hurt 1.15s encodings ?
Will try it later myself.
No.
The settings recommend adding --xlevel, because of 1.14 beta/stable.
Would this adding hurt 1.15s encodings ?[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=255905"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
No.
Is there a switch to produce mono files from stereo input?
Not listed in otherwise excellent --longhelp, nor on http://www.musepack.net (http://www.musepack.net).
The link for mpcenc 1.15s seems to be broken. Any help, Case?
Link fixed.
The link to 1.15s is broken again. The correct would be:
http://files.musepack.net/windows/encoder/mppenc-windows-1.15s.zip
Also information on the Winamp plugin is outdated. Latest version is 0.99f and the link should be:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/mpc/bin/in_mpc_0.99f.exe
Thanks, all fixed.
Following the release of mppenc 1.15t (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=31055&hl=), that encoder is now the new recommended version.
Also, --xlevel has been removed from the command lines, since it's a default setting since mppenc 1.15s.
Following the release of mppenc 1.15t (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=31055&hl=), that encoder is now the new recommended version.
Also, --xlevel has been removed from the command lines, since it's a default setting since mppenc 1.15s.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=269052"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I think you should mention that the latest stable release does require the xlevel switch to have some clipping prevention.
it's now default
a noxlevel toggle is added for the delirious
later
it's now default
a noxlevel toggle is added for the delirious
later
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=269101"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
So 1.1 & 1.14b are now preset with xlevel as well?
So 1.1 & 1.14b are now preset with xlevel as well?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=269103"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
No. And you're right, i'll state that more explicitly.
exchanged recommended mpc encoder to 1.15u.
haven't tested myself yet, but it sounds very promising, that recent little bugs are fixed ! mpc is da greatest:)
exchanged recommended mpc encoder to 1.15u.
haven't tested myself yet, but it sounds very promising, that recent little bugs are fixed ! mpc is da greatest:)
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=277131"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Thanks (would've done it myself otherwise). It has been tested by the development team, and a mail from Frank Klemm today verified that the rare gapless issue was fixed the right way.
Again, 1.15u, despite still having an "alpha" designation, is now recommended over the previous versions including 1.14 beta.
New recommended encoder version: mppenc 1.15v
1.15v thread (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=32477&hl=)
The 1.15 alpha codebase has proven itself. With the recent bugfixes, even 1.14 hardliners should consider using the latest 1.15 encoder now.
the links to the zips in the first post seem to be dead
error msg
The requested URL /files/windows/encoder/mppenc-windows-1.15v.zip was not found on
this server
ty
-
fixed links to encoder and decoder.
New recommended encoder version: mppenc 1.16
Fixed some links.