The best format

[garym]

Re: The best format

Hi garym. Excuse me, that's true flurn said about when ripping flac with replaygain tags the sound is "flat or subdued"???
He said "I installed dbpoweramp and configured all the settings they give you on their website".
I think he added DSP effect HDCD. I read that this DSP reduce the volume.

I'm not sure I'm following your point or question. Ripping CDs to FLAC format with replaygain tags DOES NOTHING to affect sound quality (making it flat or subdued). These are just tags that tell players to decrease or increase the VOLUME when playing. So if replaygain tags made sound more "flat" then one would also have to say that turning the amplifier's volume control down would equally make the sound more "flat". Replaygain tags (and players that use them) are simply about automatic adjustment to average volume of playback. Furthermore, adding replaygain tags does NOT change the audio data at all. It remains bitperfect.

If one is using the HDCD DSP there are lots of issues/settings one should be aware of. Once one uses the HDCD DSP, the tracks are no longer bitperfect back to the CD. And yes, there is some volume reduction with HDCD. I'm no expert on HDCD DSP (and don't even use it on the few HDCD CDs that I own). But there is a good discussion here:

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?27540-Ripping-HDCDs-Best-practices&highlight=hdcd+practices

[fschillizzi]

Re: The best format

Thanks garym!
So if I rip flac with replaygain tags and then I remove these tags I will get the same file of bitperfect audio that I would get if I rip flac without replaygain tags???

[garym]

Re: The best format

Thanks garym!
So if I rip flac with replaygain tags and then I remove these tags I will get the same file of bitperfect audio that I would get if I rip flac without replaygain tags???

yes. bit perfect audio would be the same with or without replaygain tag (or artist tag or album tag or genre tag, etc.). Tags in a file have nothing to do with whether the audio information in the file is bit perfect. A replaygain tag is no different from an ALBUM name tag, an ARTIST name tag, or TRACK NUMBER tag, etc. It's just a metadata tag like any other metadata tag.

[mville]

Re: The best format

So if I rip flac with replaygain tags and then I remove these tags I will get the same file of bitperfect audio that I would get if I rip flac without replaygain tags???

Also, remember to use the non-destructive DSP ReplayGain, which writes tags to the files only.

There is a destructive DSP, ReplayGain (Apply) which does alter the audio.

[garym]

Re: The best format

Also, remember to use the non-destructive DSP ReplayGain, which writes tags to the files only.

There is a destructive DSP, ReplayGain (Apply) which does alter the audio.

good point. I always forget about the RG (Apply) DSP because I never use that one.

[fschillizzi]

Re: The best format

Thanks again garym!
Very clear post!

[fschillizzi]

Re: The best format

Thanks mville!!