mbone@kiva.net
10-01-2009, 10:14 PM
I have my music library in FLAC format, ripped with CD Ripper, and I'm converting to other formats for use in iTunes. I use dMC to convert FLAC to Apple Lossless format. Then I load them into iTunes and use the "Create AAC Version" function to convert to AAC at 256kbps and 128kbps for different uses.
As iTunes does the conversion, it stores the resulting files in a different folder structure than what I like to use. So I use dMC with the [Arrange Audio] plugin to put the AAC files into a different structure. iTunes also strips the ReplayGain tags from the Apple Lossless files as it converts to AAC, so I'd like to calculate and replace those tags as I run dMC and [Arrange Audio], but I can't seem to get it to work. I insert the ReplayGain action and run dMC, and it renames and moves the files just fine, but it doesn't add the ReplayGain tags. Does it not work with plugins like [Arrange Audio]? Is there a way to run ReplayGain on existing AAC files without converting to another format?
If you're wondering why I'm using iTunes to convert to AAC, it's because the dMC/Nero m4a plugin creates files with odd bitrates (e.g. 261, 257, 249 rather than 256kbps). I'm trying to use similar settings to iTunes plus (VBR, 256kbps), and for some reason it bothers me when I see those odd bitrates in iTunes rather than 128, 256, or Lossless so I can tell them apart easily. I'm probably making something out of nothing, but my choices are currently 1) use iTunes to create AAC with bitrates that show up as 128 or 256, or 2) use dMC to end up with ReplayGain tags. I can do one or the other, but not both.
Also, the reason I'm trying to add ReplayGain tags to AAC files is for use with Winamp since iTunes doesn't support it.
As iTunes does the conversion, it stores the resulting files in a different folder structure than what I like to use. So I use dMC with the [Arrange Audio] plugin to put the AAC files into a different structure. iTunes also strips the ReplayGain tags from the Apple Lossless files as it converts to AAC, so I'd like to calculate and replace those tags as I run dMC and [Arrange Audio], but I can't seem to get it to work. I insert the ReplayGain action and run dMC, and it renames and moves the files just fine, but it doesn't add the ReplayGain tags. Does it not work with plugins like [Arrange Audio]? Is there a way to run ReplayGain on existing AAC files without converting to another format?
If you're wondering why I'm using iTunes to convert to AAC, it's because the dMC/Nero m4a plugin creates files with odd bitrates (e.g. 261, 257, 249 rather than 256kbps). I'm trying to use similar settings to iTunes plus (VBR, 256kbps), and for some reason it bothers me when I see those odd bitrates in iTunes rather than 128, 256, or Lossless so I can tell them apart easily. I'm probably making something out of nothing, but my choices are currently 1) use iTunes to create AAC with bitrates that show up as 128 or 256, or 2) use dMC to end up with ReplayGain tags. I can do one or the other, but not both.
Also, the reason I'm trying to add ReplayGain tags to AAC files is for use with Winamp since iTunes doesn't support it.