basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

[audiojim]

I started ripping in AIFF and I have ignored RG so far.

1) if I do not use RG then when I play back Cds on my computer (using Pure Music, for example), is the relative volume among tracks, Cds, etc. exactly the same as if I were playing the CDs themselves (i.e., there is nothing inherent in these rips or computer playback that causes great volume variablity);

2) is the absolute level of volume likely to differ coming from computer to the DAC than coming from a transport?=, i.e playing the same track;

3) if I did decide to use RG, is it implemented in the digital domain in the "player" (referring to Pure Music, for example) and couldn't that degrade sound as it reduces volume on some tracks?

4) I assume that I could set RG to be universally on or off or track or album on or off, i.e. ignore it's presence so it is as if it were never there when I so choose.

thanks

[garym]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

1. yes
2. no, if you mean from computer to DAC vs Transport to DAC. But some CD players I've had have been "hot" in terms of higher volume out feeding my preamp relative to some other transports.
3. yes, and a good digital implementation of volume works well at the top end of the range. For example, all the Squeezebox stuff has digital volume that is implemented in 24 bits even on 44.1/16 tracks. Works well. I keep digital volume above 80% under normal conditions.
4. I have several players (software and hardware) that handle RG (album and track) and in ALL cases I can tell it to use the info or ignore it (e.g., squeezeboxes, foobar2000).

my suggestion in ripping is to always add album and track RG values to the tags. You can choose later as to whether you want to use RG in the player. RG is NOT modifying your actual audio in the file. This is just tag info (just like title name and artist).

p.s. Are you sure you want to rip in AIFF. Any reason you have not considered FLAC?

[audiojim]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

thanks

two points follow-up

so there is no pressing reason for me to use gain; I' no worse off then with CDs.. Also, I picked up somewhere on here that I can always retroactively add this to files (I guess that means it goes and puts another imbedded tag of info into the music file)

"p.s. Are you sure you want to rip in AIFF. Any reason you have not considered FLAC?[/QUOTE]"

I did some in Flac. With Pure Music it's more hassle to import Flac. I am assuming the choice is the same either way for sound quality. And I can switch later, no problem, and meta data will go over to the new format.

[garym]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

yep, you can always add RG metadata to existing files later without reripping or retagging. But in my opinion, it is automatic and easy to just do it now while ripping and then you don't have to ever think about it in the future if you decide to use (and you probably will want to eventually use).

yep, AIFF and FLAC are both lossless. Not sure how universal metadata is with AIFF (i.e., how many different players can read metadata for AIFF). Don't really know. It is for FLAC for sure....

[audiojim]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

How commonly are people using RG? It just seems like the norm would be to do like with CDs -- just turn it down/up as you change files, and avoid any danger of deteriorating sound quality by diong volume adjustments.

[garym]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

no way of knowing, but most of the people I know that are serious about their digital music, add RG tags. And do some more reading on the "damage" of digital volume control win 24 bits. Yes, it can be badly implemented (particularly if implemented in 16 bits), but it can also be implemented very, very well, particularly if one keeps the digital volume at 80% or above on a 100% scale. But again, it doesn't hurt to add the tags. You don't have to actually USE RG. See, for example,

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=78681

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=71537

[audiojim]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

If I later want to batch convert to flac, will the meta data and rip report both go over to the new flac files / flac folder?

[audiojim]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

no way of knowing, but most of the people I know that are serious about their digital music, add RG tags. And do some more reading on the "damage" of digital volume control win 24 bits. Yes, it can be badly implemented (particularly if implemented in 16 bits), but it can also be implemented very, very well, particularly if one keeps the digital volume at 80% or above on a 100% scale. But again, it doesn't hurt to add the tags. You don't have to actually USE RG. See, for example,

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=78681

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/...howtopic=71537

Ok, I guess I will check it now. I think I saw that for flac files there is a way to retroactively put in a gain tag, so I assume that can be done with aiff as well. If I understood that correctly, but I would have to find the thread.

[garym]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

If I later want to batch convert to flac, will the meta data and rip report both go over to the new flac files / flac folder?

I'm ignorant of any of the questions re: AIFF as I've never had the need to use AIFF. I use FLAC for home SqueezeBox system with an mp3 mirror directory created from the FLAC for use in my portable devices (iphones, ipods, etc.).

[Spoon]

Re: basic RG questions -- what if i don't use it (and how does it implement )

Metadata will, for associated files such as a Rip log there is the 'Folder.jpg preserve' dsp which can copy other files also.