Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

[matt_t]

I've just RG-ed my entire Nero AAC library using the RG utility codec. I selected both Track Gain and Album Gain (using Album identified with ID tag).

Most worked correctly, but on a significant number it calculated Track Gain but not Album gain. On a few it calculated neither (and I'm sure the folder(s) were checked in file selector, see below), and bizarrely in one case the Album Gain is present in the first few tracks of an album and then goes missing in the rest.

There seems to be some correlation between missing RG info and subfolders, although it's not 100%, e.g. it did all my Beatles correctly with the exception of the Yellow Submarine album, for some reason. However, in the file selector I just chose Classical/Pop etc and included ALL subfolders.

I'm pretty obsessive compulsive, so all my tags are consistent and correct. Can't imagine this is the problem.

One other observation is that I did a very large number of tracks at once (nearly 5,000 in my classical library, then about 2,500 in pop) and at the very end of the process it played the DSP "sound on completion" but then needed task manager to kill the process, since it didn't give the "finished" messsage of its own accord. (I did wait several minutes first.)

Is this a bug, or is it just me?

PS Should mention: 13.2 Reference

[Spoon]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

Album gain needs an album ID Tag, there was an issue with the older replaygain dsp / utlity codec, so do a dBpoweramp Configuration >> Check for Updates to make sure you are on the latest.

[matt_t]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I downloaded the utility codec only a few days ago from Codec Central. Check for updates doesn't show a newer version (although it does for DSP Effects - however, I wasn't using that).

And as I said, all my files are immaculately tagged, so I'd know if there wasn't an album tag!

[matt_t]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

One other observation is that I did a very large number of tracks at once (nearly 5,000 in my classical library, then about 2,500 in pop) and at the very end of the process it played the DSP "sound on completion" but then needed task manager to kill the process, since it didn't give the "finished" messsage of its own accord. (I did wait several minutes first.)

Is this a bug, or is it just me?

PS Should mention: 13.2 Reference

Just had a similar experience: used the Multi-encoder utility to encode a mere 166 tracks. It reached 100%, then stuck at ""Finalizing DSP effects". Didn't actually play the sound this time, but still hung my PC.

[Spoon]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

The whole PC hung up? (ie the mouse would not move)?

[matt_t]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

No, the mouse was OK, but nothing was responding. The only way out was to shut the PC down (at great length, since task manager and the windows start button were crippled as well).

[Spoon]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

Something does not seem right on the system (for example Music Converter could 100% all cores of a system, yet the start menu will always work within seconds).

[matt_t]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I don't think there's anything wrong with my system. I can convert large numbers of files (1000+ files at a time occasionally) using more than one DSP, and it never causes any problems. This has happened only twice ever when using dMC, and both times was when using utility codecs (with the play sound on completion DSP).

This does not sound like a coincidence, unless there's some very well-hidden problem with my PC which is aggravated only when using utility codecs + DSPs....

Actually these episodes don't matter much to me, since the multi-encode was just a test to compare file sizes between codecs/quality settings, and the replay gain was a test as well. I was just letting you know that there *might* be a small problem with the utility codecs that bears looking at.

[mbone@kiva.net]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I have something similar going on while doing ReplayGain with dMC 13.3, except the program doesn't hang. It just doesn't calculate album peak or gain for most discs.

ReplayGain worked just fine on the Apple Lossless files created with dMC from the original FLAC files.

Then I created a folder of 256kbps and 128kbps AACs from the Apple Lossless using iTunes 9. I used Arrange Audio to change the folder structure, then started Batch Converter, chose all 256kbps files (~9,000 songs), and started ReplayGain, selecting the option to do album values. It only put album values on about 30 out of 700 discs.

I then selected one or two discs at a time and ran Batch Converter with ReplayGain, and it calculated the album values.

[Spoon]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

Do a check for updates and make sure you have the latest version.

[mbone@kiva.net]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I ran "check for updates" and found I already have the latest, R2.

[mbone@kiva.net]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I ran the latest ReplayGain utility codec on dMC 13.1, and it worked just fine, creating album values for all songs. It seemed to be doing the album calculations at the end, after reach 100% completion. This is different from what happened using the same codec on dMC 13.3. On that version, it stopped after reaching 100%.

[Spoon]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

There should be no difference between R13.1 and R13.3, at the end is when the tags are written. Especially if the Apple Lossless codec was the same for both.

[mbone@kiva.net]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I'll go back and verify what's happening with R13.3. These are m4a files that I'm adding replay gain to, and they were created with iTunes 9 from Apple Lossless files. I think I can get album values for a small list of files using R13.3, but not when I do the entire collection (~9,000 files, ~760 discs).

Here's my conversion chain. Files were ripped from CD to FLAC using CD Ripper R13.1. They were then converted to Apple Lossless using dMC R13.3, pulled into iTunes 9, and converted to m4a 256kbps for one library and 128kbps for another. I initially tried to apply RG to the 256 & 128 libraries using dMC R13.3 with RG utility codec R2, but it only applied album values to a few discs. I then applied RG to the same libraries using dMC R13.1 with RG R2, and it applied album values to all discs.

I'm actually running this on two machines since I'm in transition. On the old machine, I'm running dMC R13.1, and I believe it has DSP effects R4, not the latest, if that has any effect here. The new machine has dMC R13.3 and DSP effects R5.

[mbone@kiva.net]

Re: Replay Gain utility codec - odd results

I ran another test on dMC R13.3 with ReplayGain R2, on a subset of files (~740). RG only put album values on about 83 files. I didn't see the "Finalizing" message after it reached 100%, unless it appeared then disappeared too fast for me to catch it.