Bogus ID3 tags created in mp3 file

[Norman Black]

I have high bitrate mp3 files created with EAC+Lame and they contain ID3 V2 and V1 tags.

I use dMC to create low bitrate files. mp3 -> mp3. The tags in the resulting mp3 file are bogus, as far as Windows XP is concerned. The XP ID3 tag editor sees no tags. Windows media player sees no tags. On top of that media player takes about 5 seconds to start playing the resulting mp3. mp3 files created by EAC+Lame start instantly and the XP ID3 tag editor sees and edits the tags.

I did a hex edit of the offending mp3 file and the V2 and V1 tags are in the file. Maybe the exact structure is slightly off.

Since dMC uses Lame I am a bit confused as to why the tag issue exists, unless dMC does the tag creation by itself.

[Spoon]

dMC uses the latest version of ID3v2, windows XP is rubbish when trying to load them.

[Norman Black]

I take it that dMC outputs tags itself and does not have LAME output the tags. If so then dMC should have an option to output specific versions of ID3 tag information so users can get output that works with "older" applications that do not support the latest and greatest.

For me dMC is unfreindly and unusable and EAC+LAME is friendly and usable with regards to ID3 tag information generation. Re-extracting from CD for low bitrate files is not a reasonable option.

With EAC+LAME I can choose ID3 V2 3.0/4.0 and/or V1.0/ V1.1. My settings of V1.1 and V2 3.0 tags in my high bitrate files work in all situations I have tried (which is not many).

[Spoon]

Not sure I have the options of those versions, but I can look into it...

[Norman Black]

I checked into things more closely. Microsoft media player (8 and 9beta) and the XP internal tag editor only understand the 1.x and V2 3.0 tags, not V2 4.0. I played with the options in EAC+Lame to test this. It appears that EAC is doing the tags and not LAME. I could not find any LAME options for tag version output other than V1.x and/or V2 (no mention of the specific version output).

For my low bitrate mp3s I can just skip the V2 info and only go with 1.1.

Anyway you might look into adding an option for V2 3.0 and V2 4.0 output, so you can be the be all, end all convertor program compatible with all things old and new.