sonic:compression
an audio compression resource

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    • replay gain:

    introduction

    different cds and different tracks are mastered at different volume levels. with different tracks being played in a random order the overall volume can jump around drastically. replay gain calculates suggested gain adjustment for each track. replay gain data is ideally written to the file header of a music file [music bitstream is not touched]. players that support replay gain data can scale the audio data by using this replay gain value in order to achieve a consistent perceived loudness across all tracks. in mp3's case also direct bitstream adjustment is possible.

    there are 3 different replay gain modes:

    supported players

    replay gain with ogg vorbis [vorbis gain]

    step 1: downloading

    first download the daily vorbis package which includes vorbisgain.exe here. notice that the daily compile package also includes vorbis encoder which may not always be optimal quality, so don't use that encoder for serious encoding unless you're sure what you are doing.

    first, after vorbis gain is download open the zip file and extract vorbis gain to somewhere in your %path%. what that means is to extract vorbisgain.exe to somewhere like c:\windows [or c:\winnt] or another directory where vorbisgain.exe can be accessed without being in that directory.

    vorbisgain can be used from the command line without any external software, or it can be use with a front-end. oggifier 1.6. this tutorial explains both processes.

    step 2.1: vorbisgain with oggifier front-end

    after downloading oggifier extract and start it. select the vorbisgain tab.

    if you are running vorbis gain in order to adjust an encoded album it is recommended to use the album/audiophile setting "-a". in the "switches" box enter "-a" and hit the "+" button. this makes vorbisgain calculate both the radio/track gain and album gain, and save the gain values to the file header. if the "-a" is not specified, only radio/track gain will be calculated and added.

    next for "directory" hit the "..." button and select the directory where your ogg vorbis files are or enter the directory manually. oggifier set up is pictured below in figure 1.

    figure 1: oggifier for vorbis gain

    once set up hit the "go" button and let vorbis gain do it's thing.

    after the gain adjustments, you can select from your player's [winamp atm.] plugin settings, which replay gain mode will be used: radio/track or album. or you can disable the use of replay gain adjustment if you don't want to use it.

    step 2.2: command line interface

    start a command prompt and switch to the directory of the vorbis files to be analysed. use vorbis gain like:

    the following switches are valid options, use none for standard analysis:

    for the entire directory wildcard are valid [i.e. *.ogg] for the files.

    once selected run vorbisgain with the parameters and let it do it's thing.

    step 3: player setup

    usually in most players replaygain must be set up.

    for winamp 2.x:

    replaygain with musepack [mpc]

    step 1: downloading

    first download musepack decoder from the precompiled musepack decoder section [scroll down a bit]. the decoder package includes both mppdec.exe decoder and replaygain.exe. extract both files. copy both mppdec.exe and replaygain.exe to somewhere in your %path%. what that means is to extract mppdec.exe and replaygain.exe to somewhere like c:\windows [or c:\winnt] or another directory where replaygain.exe and mppdec.execan be accessed without being in that directory.

    replay gain for musepack can be used from the command line or with a front end like the mpc batch encoder available from mpc batch encoder page. this tutorial explains both processes.

    step 2.1: mpc batch encoder front-end [recommended]

    after downloading the mpc batch encoder front-end extract and start it. select the replaygain tab. from the "switches" drop-down select "-auto". both radio/title gain and album gain will be calculated at the same time and added to the file header. next for "directory" hit the "..." button and select the directory where your ogg vorbis files are or enter the directory manually.

    notice that you should adjust albums separately [for example in separate folders] in order to apply correct album gain values for each track of a album. mpc batch encoder is shown if figure #2:

    figure 2: mpc batch encoder for replaygain

    hit the "go" button and let replaygain do its thing.

    after the gain adjustments, you can select from your player's [winamp atm.] plugin settings, which replay gain mode will be used: radio/track or album. or you can disable the use of replay gain adjustment if you don't want to use it.

    step 2.2: command line interface [advanced]

    start a command prompt and switch to the directory of the musepack files to be analysed. use replaygain like:

    the following switches are valid options, use just "--auto" for standard analysis:

    percentile can be:

    level can be: [value in the range -300 db...+300 db, set as title based replay gain]

    for the entire directory wildcard are valid [i.e. *.mpc] for the files.

    "replaygain --auto *.mpc" will calculate both radio/title and album gain for all wildcarded files. notice that you should adjust albums separately [for example in separate folders] in order to apply correct album gain values for each track of a album.

    step 3: player setup

    winamp 2.x:

    replay gain with mp3gain

    mp3gain just requires to download and run one gui program. start off by downloading mp3 gain from the mp3gain homepage. extract and then run the installer. start up mp3 gain from the start menu.

    step 1: using mp3 gain

    hit the large "add files" button or "add directory" to select the mp3s you want to apply mp3gain to. next from the "modify gain" menu select radio or album gain and let mp3gain work. notice that you should adjust albums separately [for example in separate folders] in order to apply correct album gain values for each track of a album.

    mp3gain differs from other formats' replaygain tools, because it directly adjusts the music bitstream. this means that once you set the replaygain, you can not disable it from a player. positive point is that every mp3-player/decoder automatically uses the gain adjustment.

    figure 3: mp3gain

    the lame tag in development, will contain a place for replaygain values. this means that the values will be written into the lame tag header [instead of direct music bitstream adjustment], and you can either enable or disable the gain adjustment from a player. it will of course need player support in order to work.

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    tutorials... extraction | encoding | replay gain | dma | abx
    lossy formats... summary | aac | mp3 | mpc | ogg | other
    lossless formats... summary | flac | other