Losing Tags with FLAC files

[MusicTrax]

I've noticed a problem where certain tags are removed when FLAC files are processed with dMC.

Artist, Title, Album, Year, Composer, Album Artist, and Track Number all survive, but the Comments and Conductor are left blank in the processed file.

I've gone through the config screen, but see nothing there that addresses the tags.

In my case, I'm creating the tags with Tag & Rename. The result is the same whether I create them with T&R or MP3Tag.

Any advice? The comments are fairly important, and I'd really like to retain them when converting from FLAC to Apple Lossless, or from FLAC to MP3.

[MusicTrax]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

BTW, this happens even when converting from FLAC to FLAC. My suspicion is that some of the tags are not being remapped correctly during the conversion process.

[Spoon]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Right click on the FLAC file >> Edit IDTags

are comments and conductor shown?

[MusicTrax]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Yes, when I right-click on the file itself, I see all the information for Comments and Conductor.

This information is stripped out if you use Music Convertor 13.0.1.2 and the latest FLAC and ALAC plug-ins provided with the Reference version. Even if you convert from FLAC -> FLAC (which I do sometimes just to use the Trim function to eliminate digital silence), you lose all the Comments and Conductor information.

[Tigerman]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

You can change the mapping under configuration/codecs/advanced options.
I have mapped:
* leave as label
* leave as conductor
* leave as comment
* year to date
* track to tracknumber
* disc to discnumber

That way most other programs can read the tags.
If you don't map it then Tag & rename can't read the tags.
mp3tag can, but you have to add the tags manually first (at least description).

[MusicTrax]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Thanks for the tip. It would be helpful if you made the default tag setting exactly as you describe.

[Tigerman]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

One other thing: if you convert from ape to flac then it is prudent to add dsp effect ID Tag processing and map tempo to bpm

[Spoon]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

* leave as label
* leave as conductor
* leave as comment
* year to date
* track to tracknumber
* disc to discnumber

Are those not the default?

[Tigerman]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Are those not the default?

Maybe now, but when the problem first occurred with version 12 it wasn't (at least the first 3).
I only did an upgrade to 13.1 and the settings stayed the same.
But when I read the problems of MusicTrax I think the first 3 are still not default

[LtData]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Per my settings, which I have never adjusted, I believe the defaults are:
Lebal to Organization
conductor to Performer
Comment to Description
Year to Date
Track to TrackNumber
Disc to DiscNumber
Album Artist to AlbumArtist

[MahlerFreak]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Having just ripped 1400 CDs to FLAC using the CD ripper, then panicking when my Conductor tags didn't show up in J River, I can confirm that the default setting maps Conductor to Performer. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to recover from using a good library/tag manager, but unless there's a good reason for the current default mapping, perhaps the default should be changed?

On the positive side, dbPA is head and shoulders above the other ripping solutions I've used before. AccurateRip and PerfectMeta make all the difference. I had some issues with AMG data, particularly with multi-disc classical albums, but I'll make a separate post on those.

[MusicTrax]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Lt. Data above is right. Those are also the default settings in my copies of dBPowerAmp Music Converter. I would prefer for the default settings to be a little more logically thought-out.

[LtData]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

The problem with inconsistencies with FLAC tags is that, while xiph, the developers behind vorbis comments, have standards, they consider them to be recommendations, and therefore it is up to each programmer as to how he will support them.

[Spoon]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Label to Organization
conductor to Performer
Comment to Description
Year to Date
Track to TrackNumber
Disc to DiscNumber
Album Artist to AlbumArtist

The above are all as the specification except "Albumartist" which is not in the spec, and albumartist is now the standard.

[Tigerman]

Re: Losing Tags with FLAC files

Label to Organization
conductor to Performer
Comment to Description
Year to Date
Track to TrackNumber
Disc to DiscNumber
Album Artist to AlbumArtist

The above are all as the specification except "Albumartist" which is not in the spec, and albumartist is now the standard.

You're correct, but because Xiph has only made recommendations, DBpoweramp is the odd one out.
Most other programs I tried don't read the first three tags if they are not mapped as I wrote in my earlier reply.
This includes Tag & Rename, mp3tag, winamp.