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Thread: Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    15

    Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

    I am trying to use the Replay Gain utility to normalize my music in iTunes (files are lossy aac in a .m4a container). The Replay Gain Utility says that it can write the iTunes tag but the volume values are not showing correctly in iTunes. For an example track, I get the values below from the dBPowerAmp utility:

    Album Gain = +0.14 dB
    Track Gain = -2.26 dB
    ITUNNORM = 000003C7 000003C7 00000973 00000973 00024CA8 00024CA8 00007FFF 00007FFF 00024CA8 00024CA8
    iTunes says the volume = -1.0 dB (ie when I import this track it is doing the sound check analysis)

    Now I created an action within MP3Tag to write the ITUNNORM value based on the album gain value. It gives the following:

    ITUNNORM = 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8 000003C8
    iTunes says the volume = +0.1

    Is it possible to get this bug in the Replay Gain utility fixed? I was hoping to batch convert my entire song library of 25,000+ to save me a ton of time and effort and now that does not look like that will work.

  2. #2
    Administrator
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    Apr 2002
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    Re: Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

    http://id3.org/iTunes%20Normalization%20settings

    3C8 in all tag values is not correct.

    I believe the first 2 numbers are used by iTunes, so 3C7 and 3C8 are pretty much identical. The +0.1 might be based on the previous calculation of -1.0dB
    Last edited by Spoon; 10-15-2019 at 10:11 AM.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    Re: Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

    I can't say that I know what all the numbers in the ITUNNORM field mean but I can unequivocally say that the Replay Gain Utility IS NOT writing the values in a way that iTunes is actually using them.

    The +0.1 is because iTunes only displays one decimal point on the number (actual number is +0.14). I have tested this now for two days and I can tell you the mp3Tag action IS working (at least with AAC m4a files, still have not figured out MP3. iTunes runs it's sound check procedure every time when I import files that I have used the dBPowerAmp Replay Gain Utility even though I have it set to write iTunes tags. Note that I have set Replay Gain to write the album value to iTunes.

  4. #4
    Administrator
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    Re: Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

    You are running the latest iTunes?

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Posts
    15

    Re: Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

    I am running version 12.10.1.4

    I can't get iTunes to recognize the COMMENT ITUNNORM field at all for mp3 files not matter if I use the dBPowerAmp Replay Gain Utility or MP3Tag to write the field. I don't understand why all of this has to be so hard...I just want to normalize the volume of my music.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Posts
    15

    Re: Replay Gain Not Writing iTunes SoundCheck Tags Correctly

    So this issue is really annoying me. I managed to get AAC files to work with foobar2000 v1.4.8 but still can't get MP3 files to work. However, as far as I can tell it appears to be writing the fields the same as dBPowerAmp so I don't understand why one works and not another. I also managed to get a single MP3 file to work with foobar2000 but have not been able to get any others. I also can't really find any difference in the file that worked vs. all of the others that have not (tried about 30 other files).

    I tried using iVolume in the past with album gain and default 90 dB setting but it does not seem to work nearly as well as Replay/Gain. I know some will say it is the same thing but I assure you that it's not. I have one album that iVolume was adding a crazy +15 dB (caused clipping) but Replay/Gain would only add +8dB. I had another that iVolume added +2.5 dB (caused clipping) when Replay/Gain reduced -0.3 dB. As you can see from these two examples, there is no setting I could do that would provide a happy medium for these (2) albums. The really confusing thing is that iVolume appears to be writing to the same field. I'm stumped and hoping that someone can comment on why this is happening...

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