[BloodSugar00]

Yeah, basically spent a long time constructing a new directory for an mp3 version of my .FLAC music library directory, and of configuring the file naming system for both these directories (post ripping/converting, so took a while; know how to preconfigure now so will evade such tedious tasks in the future).

So all my audio files, both .FLAC and mp3, are structured and named correctly and/or optimally and/or to my preference in Windows Explorer on my external hard-drive.

I now am coming to ensuring all the adjudant ID3 tags to my audio files are correct and/or embellished as I've evolved to desire them to be. For the .FLAC directory, programs such as MP3 Tag Tools and MP3 Tag don't display an ID3 tag version for each .FLAC file (under the Tag tab), in the case of MP3 Tag, or do not even permit the .FLAC diretory to be imported into it in the case of MP3 Tag Tools! So, at this point (where up until now, I've assumed audio file codecs other than mp3 can be also ID3 tagged), I'm wondering whether .FLAC files can be tagged, firstly? If so, how (is it still an ID3 tag?) and what is a good program to use to implement and manage such?

 

[iriverdude]

Yes they store tags.
I use Monkeymonkey or Tag & Rename.

 

[linuxworks]

there are flac native tags and ogg tags, I believe. I get confused over this, as well

but yes, flac is very taggable. best to try the a method and then see if you can view the tags you just set via some other program (I use a hardware player, slimserver box, to check if my flac tags are set right).

they seem to be of the style 'name=value' over and over again (that's why I think they are ogg-based, or at least the ones I've seen are).

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes they store tags. I use Monkeymonkey or Tag & Rename.

Thanks! I'll check em out

 

[joe_cool]

I'm pretty sure that FLAC uses Vorbis tags, NOT ID3.

 

[Aaron5604]

FLAC uses what's referred to as, vorbis comments -- for all metadata purposes. Don't use ID3, it won't stick and display right. Actually, it may even corrupt the file come to think of it.

 

[apatN]

I am not sure about ID3 but yes, FLAC files can be tagged.

 

[krmathis]

FLAC can be ID3 tagged. But they are in now way supported, and may break decoding/playback.
'Vorbis comments' is definitely the way to go...

 

[linuxworks]

(sorry, I meant 'vorbis', not 'ogg', apparently)

I can't imagine HOW I could confuse that (lol).

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif FLAC can be ID3 tagged.

This is correct. The most likely scenario where FLAC files end up with ID3 tags, in addition to their native metadata, is when novice users of EAC neglect to undo the default compression settings during the EAC setup and configuration.

I personally think it's worth the time to get foobar2000 set up as desired for all tagging and batch renaming operations.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by linuxworks /img/forum/go_quote.gif (sorry, I meant 'vorbis', not 'ogg', apparently) I can't imagine HOW I could confuse that (lol).

No worries!
You're certainly not the only one who have mixed up those two, and you wont be the last.

Luckily I know what they are though..

 

[BloodSugar00]

Thanks for all the input! So .FLAC files can be ID3 tagged but this isn't advisable for numerous reasons, including potential corruption of the audio section of the file(s) in question- possibly affecting their decoding and/or playback- and/or more common problems with displaying such metdata. .FLAC is, however, taggable with Vorbis tags, these being more complementary to this type of audio file codec.

That's great, I'll now proceed to tag my .FLAC files with Vorbis tags. However, couple of quick questions:

1) If a .FLAC file or files are already inadvisably tagged with ID3 metadata, I should imagine, as per the above shared information regarding potential file corruption and/or playback issues, that delting such files (and then reripping/recreating them to be tagged a fesh with Vorbis tags), is advisable. However, can you identify if a .FLAC file has an ID3 tag? I imagine this could depend on what program you're using to tag the files, so, as I like the look of it, though I havn't yet used it, lets say 'Tag & Rename' is the program I'm gona use.

2) Same as the above, really, except identifying where a .FLAC file is Vorbis tagged- how do you identify this? (again, for now, using 'Tag & Rename').

 

[Jaska]

If you're using foobar2000 to play your FLAC files with ID3 tags, you won't experience playback problems. However, if you try to use a program such as dBpoweramp to transcode the FLACs to another format, you'll get errors.

You don't need to re-rip your CDs in order to solve the problem. You can simply use Mp3tag to identify which FLAC files have ID3 tags, select all the affected files, and remove the ID3 tags. This will leave the FLAC files' native metadata intact.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaska /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you're using foobar2000 to play your FLAC files with ID3 tags, you won't experience playback problems. However, if you try to use a program such as dBpoweramp to transcode the FLACs to another format, you'll get errors. You don't need to re-rip your CDs in order to solve the problem. You can simply use Mp3tag to identify which FLAC files have ID3 tags, select all the affected files, and remove the ID3 tags. This will leave the FLAC files' native metadata intact.

Dbpoweramp is a program I am currently using to rip any new CD's I get to .FLAC files for archival purposes (in their own root directory). I then also use it's convertion and/or batch convertion tool to convert any new .FLAC files to 320 kbps mp3 files, now stored in a new, independent, 'mirroring' directory. By transcode are you refering to the process of convertion from one codec to another, e.g. .FLAC to mp3, in the sense that I would above when converting files and creating new copies of the root files? Or are you simply referring to a temporary 'simulation' process to allow a program and/or tool to play .FLAC files? I imagine it would be the latter, as playback would be the logical way to deduce whether a .FLAC file that bears an ID3 tag is being negatively affected by that ID3 metadata when played(back), and thus, a crude way of identifying if a .FLAC file does have an adjudant ID3 tag.

However, surely the above is not reliable as it won't identify where a .FLAC has an ID3 tag unless the ID3 tag induces playback problems!

I was more after a way of simply targeting out and viewing this information, like you can in MP3Tag, with mp3 files, see whether an MP3 file is ID3 tagged and if so wih what version (and, as an mp3 file can have more than one version of an ID3 tag connected to it, the latest version you assigned to it).

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BloodSugar00 /img/forum/go_quote.gif By transcode are you refering to the process of convertion from one codec to another, e.g. .FLAC to mp3, in the sense that I would above when converting files and creating new copies of the root files?

Yes. Otherwise we would be talking about "decoding."
Quote:

surely the above is not reliable as it won't identify where a .FLAC has an ID3 tag unless the ID3 tag induces playback problems! I was more after a way of simply targeting out and viewing this information, like you can in MP3Tag, with mp3 files, see whether an MP3 file is ID3 tagged and if so wih what version.

Using Mp3tag is, as far as I know, the easiest way to find out if you have FLAC files with ID3 tags. Just point the application at the directory holding your FLAC files and let it scan them. You can then view and group the displayed items according to whether they've got ID3 tags or not. If they do, blow them away. In the future, you don't really need to worry too much about your FLACs getting ID3 tags, especially if you don't rip your CDs with EAC and have that program set up to use an external compressor.

Note: It's very good practice to keep your lossless (FLAC) files out of harm's distance from your lossy (MP3) files to avoid mishaps with batch tagging, etc.