Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1

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███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███
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███ Info About This Publication ███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1
███ Info About This Publication ███ Updates ███
███ Info About This Publication ███ Acknowledgments ███

███ Files Format ███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1
███ Files Format ███ Combo Compatible
███ Files Format ███ Combo Non-Compatible
███ Files Format ███ Others
███ Files Format ███ Fakes
███ Files Format ███ Color Branding

███ Audio Player ███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1
███ Audio Player ███ External Display
███ Audio Player ███ Audio Player Multiplication
███ Audio Player ███ Remote Control

███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1
███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Things To Consider
███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Further Tweaks
███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Mp3tag Column Markers

███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1
███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ Mp3tag "Shortcuts" And Macros
███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ All Files Load Up
███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ All Files Re-Load Up

███ PC Hardware ███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide V.1
███ PC Hardware ███ Monitor
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ HDD
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ HDD USB
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ SSD
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ SSD USB
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ PCI Express Drive
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ M.2 Drive
███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ RAID
███ PC Hardware ███ RAM ███
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Fanless PSU
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Semi-Fanless PSU
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Passive Radiators
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Quiet Fans
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Peltier Effect Cooling
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Liquid Cooling
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Non Mechanical Drives
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ HDD Casings
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ PC Casings
███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Sound Deadening Panels

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███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Info About This Publication ███

This is a private attempt by a non-English native speaker on making a subjective list of things that can be done to make the usage of Mp3tag easier and / or quicker. Some of them are obvious to most users, some of them require a lot of computer knowledge / experience. Some of them are explained in detail, and some of them are only mentioned briefly. This guide goes also extensively out of Mp3tag area, coverings topics ranging from audio software to PC hardware. This guide is based on a long time usage; mostly in Windows 7 x64, on a 16:9 monitor, with 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, set to 125% display in the OS [Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display]

Content and form of this guide were vaguely consulted with the Mp3tag creator Florian Heidenreich, but do not bear his seal of approval; thus the "unofficial" title. Content of this guide was not influenced in any way by companies mentioned in it or by Florian Heidenreich. Although most solutions described or mentioned in this guide have been tested and are used by certain individuals, a big discretion is advised in making any changes to Mp3tag settings, changes to the operating system registry or any kind of software; and especially when applying changes to the hardware

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Info About This Publication ███ Updates ███

This guide was conceived over a year ago and was written and re-written since then; and as such it may unfortunately contain some outdated information. Readers are welcomed to point out any mistakes and / or false statements, if they are any

Small and big updates to this guide are planned, but are not mandatory. If small ones do occur, they will most likely take a form of editing of the first original posts. If a big update will happen, a new thread will most likely be created, with a "V.2" denotation in its title

If this guide should be expanded, with the help of other forum users, it could easily relay on already existing comprehensive posts. Like for example publications like that: /t/19210/1. So first thing that should be done in that direction would be a list of possible threads to be included

As for other changes, this guide could benefit from having the already uploaded extensions [GIFs, PNGs and archives] be uploaded to free services other than only the http://tinyupload.com, so that they would have a greater chance of still being hosted somewhere on the Internet years from the time of initial publication. The Tiny Upload site was chosen as it has an easy / proper interface and rules, as there was some issues with other services of that kind

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Info About This Publication ███ Acknowledgments ███

Author of this guide would like to express his gratitude towards Florian Heidenreich for creating the wonderful and free piece of software which is Mp3tag. Author would also like to express his gratitude for all the help received on its forum from various users, especially from [in alphabetical order] DetlevD, ohrenkino and stevehero

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███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Files Format ███

Choosing the right format for files is the most elementary issue. An here is why:

A] Not every file type is handled by Mp3tag

This can be overcome by switching to other file format

That means that for example every VOX in your possession would have to be converted to an MP3 [and deleted afterwards or kept together with MP3s, depending on your needs]. But in order to make such a switch without a tag data loss, you would need some proper software, so that the audio files would keep all of the tag fields intact. And that is an often issue. So beware what software is to be used for such a process and with what settings. Improper ones can simply ignore some tag fields, not coping them during the conversion process. And there is of course the issue of quality loss if going from a lossless format to a lossy one; and the issue of converting a lossy file to a lossless format, which will only make it bigger and not better in terms of quality

An alternative to that is to wait for the hypothetical upgrade of Mp3tag, that will add a new file type support. The last addition was done in April of 2016

B] Not every file type is handled by every hardware stereo equipment

This cannot be overcome without a change of hardware; or an update of software running it, if the device allows at all for such thing

C] Not every file type uses the same tag fields as the very popular MP3 format

This can be be overcome by process called mapping, done within Mp3tag itself [under the File > Options > Tags > Mapping]. Mp3tag comes with default settings containing few already mapped tag fields

But beware of this method. Because when using many formats / fields / actions, at some point there will be most likely a nasty surprise waiting to reveal itself, destroying apart an unified-tag-fields-construction. It can fall apart because of a poorly designed mapping and / or astounding differences in working of the same tag fields in other formats. What should work in theory and looks the same in settings, in practice can be processed differently depending on a format and / or audio player

For example Winamp [5.666] will not display values from DATE tag field written to a MP3 file and will not display values from YEAR tag field written in FLAC; because MP3s use natively YEAR and not the DATE tag, while FLACs use natively DATE and not the YEAR tag. So what this means is this: you can use YEAR or DATE tag for both MP3 and FLAC files in Mp3tag, but in Winamp values from one of these formats will not show up

D] Not every tag field is handled by every audio player

This can be overcome by switching to different audio player or switching to the usage of different tag fields

Both workarounds can be a hard choice, resulting in a lot of additional work. For example Winamp cannot display via its Advanced Tile Formatting tag fields other than those specified by the ID3v2 and Vorbis when playing MP3 and FLAC files [and probably also when reading other kinds of files]. So what this means is this: you can create your own tag fields in Mp3tag, but you will not see them in Winamp

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Files Format ███ Combo Compatible ███

These formats create a range of opportunities, for whatever reasons of distinction:

  • MP3
  • FLAC
  • TTA
  • WV

A combination like this gives a lossy but most popular format [MP3], two lossless ones [FLAC and TTA] plus a format that can store audio both in lossy and a lossless way [WavPack]. All four of them are handled by both Mp3tag and Winamp [5.666] without major issues. The only known problem is with the DATE field of the FLAC format, which [to avoid issues] should be not used at all. Also in regards to images [covers] attached to files of those four formats, compatibility between them has not been tested thoroughly. Other than that, data within these formats behave the same way: whatever you put in them is saved in tag fields exactly the way it was written down. So any format from this combo can have totally non standard values inside tag fields, which is sometimes impossible with some other formats

This combo should work as long as Mp3tag under the

File > Options > Tags > Mpeg

is set to for

Read ID3v1
Read ID3v2
Write ID3v2.3 UTF-16
Remove ID3v1
Remove ID3v2
Remove APE

and also when under the

File > Options > Tags > Ape, Mpc ...

is set for

Read ID3v1
Read APE
Write APEv2
Remove ID3v1
Remove ID3v2
Remove APE

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Files Format ███ Combo Non-Compatible ███

  • APE
  • WMA

Those formats do not behave exactly as those four listed above. For a reference, please read those two threads: /t/17672/1, /t/17714/1

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Files Format ███ Others ███

They may be of course other other file formats supported by Mp3tag [and even maybe Winamp], that better fill certain needs or work in a more user-friendly way with some third party software [like audio player other than Winamp]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Files Format ███ Fakes ███

A need for additional file formats can be overcome alternatively with a neat "cheat", by simply changing extension of a FLAC file from ".flac" to ".flac2" or something similar or completely different. Such new "format" [bearing a non existing file format extension] will not be associated with any kind of software, so the operating system will ask the user in what software should it be opened from now on. Some software like BS.Player Pro [2.70], Media Player Classic [1.7.10.252] or VLC Media Player [2.2.4] should not have any problems with such fake FLACs. But for example Winamp [5.666] will not be able to handle them, until that format is added to it under the

Preferences > Plug-ins > Input > Nullsoft FLAC Decoder > Configure > Extensions

As for the MP3 format, Winamp should not have any problems with reading for example ".mp3-2" extension without additional settings of that kind. So a particular fake file format should be tested out in a particular software, before becoming a permanent part of your files

But of course there could be additional issues with such approach, when trying to play those fake formats on home stereo or car audio system; or when trying to convert them to other [real] formats. It will depend on the fact if the hardware / software will simply recognize ".flac2" as a FLAC format or ".mp3-2" as MP3 format. And most of all, right now Mp3tag itself has issues with processing formats which are not listed by default [for a reference please read this thread: /t/19223/1]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Files Format ███ Color Branding ███

If all audio files are associated with one player, then all of audio files will most likely look the same, bearing one and the same icon. Which seems to be a logical and useful approach- until the user starts to come by many formats and loose time on distinguishing them by their 2-4 letter extensions. A scenario of errors coming out from mistaking one format for another can be averted- by implementation of color to your files extension. Users of image organizers / viewers like ACDSee [3.1] have such a distinction among their graphic files done with the default settings of their particular software, but unfortunately most of audio / video players do not have a similar user friendly approach

So here are the steps necessary, if one wishes to achieve color distinction for audio [or any other area of interest] files

1] Associate all audio files with that one player that you use the most often

2] Go to a site like the Icons DB [http://www.iconsdb.com], where a search for free icons can be done by tags. Choose one color at a time and download the same icon in couple of versions. So you should pick just one, but generate it in 3-5 different color versions

3] Use software like a freeware FileTypesMan by Nir Sofer [FileTypesMan - Alternative to 'File Types' manager of Windows] to change icons of files without the draggish task of going to the system's registry. But do this only for the most often used [worked on] audio file formats; just do not bother with formats that are "exotic" to you

This will result with more clear info presented not only in the Mp3tag itself, but also in your designated file handler [most likely the ordinary Windows Explorer]. There will be no more need to look at the end of files and read their extensions, because a simple glance will reveal what is their format

And why only 3-5 colors and not 15 or 26 [for those "exotic" formats]? If a person keeps its music only in for example MP3 and FLAC format and also edits only in FLAC and WAV format, then only 3 colors are needed [because there are 3 formats being operated upon]. Plus maybe 1 extra for some temporary files that a particular audio editor is creating [for example SFK by Sound Forge]. And all the other rarely seen / used files will be still shown with the same old icon that the audio player uses; so seeing the old icon will tell-tale right away, that this is some kind of audio file that is out of the normal range of operations [out of the usual interest]

Of course when using FileTypesMan, one can take some extra time to change also all those other audio format to some out-of-interest-color. And if more formats are used on a daily basis, then the user can simply download the chosen icon in as many colors as there are formats. But seeing in Mp3tag a list of files done with a wide palette will not be as that helpful as a list displaying only few colors

As an example, the "EG-0001 Color Branding - Mp3tag.gif" extension [http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=07138772167531118209] is a GIF file containing two screenshots, showing a comparison of the same files loaded to Mp3tag without the described color branding and after implementing such tweak to the operating system. It clearly shows the advantage of using [in this example 4] similar and yet distinctive icons instead of just one and the same default icon, assigned to audio formats associated with a given player [with Winamp in this case]

As an example, the "EG-0002 Color Branding - FreeCommander.png" [http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=07527695543966979732] is as a PNG file containing in one screenshot a digital composition showcasing the same aftermath of an audio editing situation / file handling in two version: without color branding [in the left panel] and with distinctive icons system put in place [on the right side]

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███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Audio Player ███

Choosing the right player is the second most important thing in terms of efficiency: you just cannot use Mp3tag in a convenient way without a proper player. A good setup is a combination of Mp3tag and Winamp [v 5.666]. This audio / video player was dead for some time, but now is being resurrected. Winamp has a still working forum, which gives support to its users: http://forums.winamp.com. Aside from the player itself you would also need to have the PT Sans Narrow font installed in your system. You would also need to have the Winamp settings changed in a quite precised way. Those settings are available for download as the "EG-0003 Winamp Configuration Files.zip" archive at this address [just copy them to the folder where your Winamp is installed]: http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=84799335028895950146

And here is a list of those changes; while below them is the description of them:

1] Options > Skins > Bento

2] Windows Settings > Scaling > 125%

3] Windows Settings > Docked Toolbar > Always On Top

4] Windows Settings > Docked Toolbar > Top

5] Options > Windows Sizing > Collapse Windows To Top

6] Options > Songticker > Modern Songticker Scrolling

7] Options > Preferences > Titles > Read Metadata When File(s) Are Played Or Viewed In The Playlist Editor

8] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Show playlist item numbers in Playlist Editor

9] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Zero pad item numbers

10] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Playlist Font Size In Pixels > 10

11] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Use Font > PT Sans Narrow

12] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Text > Force Left-To-Right Order

13] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Scroll Playlist Using Page up / Down > 3

14] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Playlist Editor Appearance > Mousewheel Scrolls Double The Above Number Of Lines

15] Double click than thin Winamp "ticket bar" [Winamp being in the Shade Mode], so that it will expand to around 1/7 of the screen vertical space

16] Look for the "Change the content this area holds" icon at the bottom right corner of the middle window. It contains the "File Info Components" list

17] Choose on the "File Info Components" list what other fields you want to be displayed, aside from default %TITLE%, %ARTIST% and %ALBUM%. Unfortunately the choice is limited and there is space for only two more positions. But do not worry with limited items, as this is not to be your default view but merely a more extended version of it [with intention to not use it all the time]

18] Adjust horizontally the three middle windows to your likening

19] Double click the top of Winamp, so that it can roll back into the form of that thin bar [the Shade Mode]

20] Options > Preferences > Playlist > Titles > Advanced Title Formatting > $if2(%TITLE%,$filepart(%FILENAME%))[ ##%YEAR%^^%PUBLISHER%^^## %ARTIST% %GENRE%]

These last values you can change to your own likening. But when doing this remember, that you can use some uncommon tag fields like PUBLISHER but filled in Mp3tag with some other data that you really need or want to see and not the supposed things [like in that case the name of a publishing company]. In the above example the PUBLISHER is intended to be used for storing the year of a first publication of a given song, so the ticker would display for example:

Title Of The Song ## 2010^^2000^^## The Name Of The Artist ROCK

where 2010 is the year when the album was released, while the 2000 is the year when the song was recorder originally by some other artist. And if a particular file would lack info about that second year [the file would have an empty PUBLISHER tag field], it would be shown in the Shade Mode as

Title Of The Song ## 2010^^^^## The Name Of The Artist ROCK<<

And so seeing ^^^^ would give you right away an information that you lack the info about hypothetical "original" year

Settings like these will result in a thin bar of Winamp residing on top of every other software, thus giving a constant display of tag fields of a currently played file. The kind of info displayed in the bar, the particular tag fields, can be adjusted under the Advanced Title Formatting

Also by double clicking this bar, Winamp will roll out itself to a "middle form" [Compact Mode], showing small Playlist but not wasting space for its large Media Library. This visually expanded version can be then reverted to a thin bar by another double clicking, or be expanded even further to the full view with the usage of the Expand Window button, which is at the bottom near the right side, revealing further items on the Playlist

And so, with these settings, you are sacrificing minimal space on your screen but and at the same time you are able to read right away tag fields of the file that is being played. And by a double click on a thin bar of a collapsed Winamp, you gain access to the playlist. And by pushing the Expand Window button, you can expand the playlist from just 6 to 39 positions. And then you can choose to collapse it back to the bar [Shade Mode] or make it smaller to around 1/7 size of the screen [Compact Mode]. But most important, it will be always glued to the top of your screen, no matter what new piece of software you will run [but will not show up when you are watching a movie in full screen mode in some other player]. And there should not be issues with such a combo, because certain bugs in Mp3tag have been dealt with somewhere in the middle of 2015. The only issue is the font: Arial is not perfect because small version of letters "L" and "I" look the same. But other fonts on the other hand simply take just too much of the more precious horizontal space

Depending on the size of the screen, what resolution it is set up to, and how good are eyes of the user, some sort of scaling option of the whole operating system may need to be adjusted- which in turn will most likely affect all of the other settings. [All of this here was written for a setup consisting of a 16:9 monitor, with 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, set to a 125% display of Windows 7 x64; with the intention of using Winamp only for audio purposes, disregarding it video playback capabilities]

Also tempering with the fonts in Winamp under the

Options > Preferences > Skins > Modern Skins > Font Rendering > Font > Font Mapper

can help further in making the characters more visible. But there are some serious issues and bugs with the Font Mapper options. It seems that unfortunately only the default Arial is the safe way to go in terms of both readability and space efficiency [with the exception of adopting the PT Sans Narrow font for Playlist]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Audio Player ███ External Display ███

There are keyboards on the market with LCD displays build in them. But right now, there are still being made for gamers and not for music listeners. So probably there are no ready to use audio tag configs for them, like there are for certain popular games. Most likely there would have to be some code to be written to make them display tags from your specific audio player

Alternatively you could build a LCD tag display, from an old cellular phone, using DIY guides available on the Internet. But that requires of course some electronic knowledge and skills plus extra time. And still this would end you up in having to have an additional piece of [a possibly fragile] hardware residing somewhere on a desk or attached to a monitor

Alternatively you could search for proper app for a smartphone. In this scenario, the external device would be in form of a phone

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Audio Player ███ Audio Player Multiplication ███

Depending on your workflow, it can be handy to use two or more audio player instead of just one. For example when you want to compare two files by listening to different fragments of them without the need to constantly load up the same files over and over again

To do so, you can just simply install more software. But aside from other issues [financial costs, operating system resources, space on system hard drive, acquiring skin that you like to work with], there is the problem of choosing the default player and associating file types with it: if you were to compare two files with same extension [as mentioned above], you would still need to load up the second file to the second player. So you can either stick to this approach or work around it by using multiple instances of one and the same player. And the easiest way to do so is to:

1] Find .EXE file than launches your player

2] Drag it and create a shortcut from it

3] Right click on the shortcut

4] Go to the Properties > Shortcuts > Target

5] In there add a >>/new<< at the end [after the closing >>"<< sign]

6] Pin your shortcut to the Windows Taskbar

The Taskbar in Windows treats this shortcut as a different piece of software. So if you have already pinned original .EXE to it, this new shortcut will create a second icon. This can be both viewed as a disadvantage [because of the extra space taken on the Taskbar by the same software] and as an advantage [a second icon creates clear distinction between two instances]. But there is one additional limitation: you can use the second icon to open only a second instance and not a third one

Alternatively: you can also go to the

Properties > Shortcuts > Shortcut Key

and put in there a global keyboard shortcut for executing this shortcut. But you can use this shortcut key to open only a second instance and not a third one

Alternatively: you can set such a shortcut to that already made shortcut within Mp3tag itself, by using its Tools option

Alternatively: you can set such a shortcut for a new instance within Mp3tag itself, by using its Tools option. But that will work only when the Mp3tag window is the active one

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Audio Player ███ Remote Control ███

Extra buttons on mouses and additional keys on some keyboards can be pre-programmed via the manufacturer software for execution of a sequence of key strokes. Or can be used for commandeering your audio player, just like remote control buttons for your stereo equipment

But there could be problems, like a common issue of a manufacturer assuming, that you will use as a popular player coming out from Microsoft. But that problem can be overcome by turning on within your audio player the option for global keys and then setting the same keys in the software configuring the devices. In such way even game pads and other wireless gadgets can be turned into remote controls. There is even a third party software available for configuration of PC game pads, which can be useful in case when the software provided by manufacturer is just plain bad or simply does not work

Alternatively: a similar thing can be achieved by using a software like AutoHotkey. But far more knowledge is required to do so and all in all a software is not a hardware. And as such, extra easy access buttons will not magically appear at your workstation; should you decide to choose the AutoHotkey approach- you would still need to use ordinary keys on keyboard

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███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███

This is list of thing that have to be done in order to achieve the most work space possible, while still retaining a proper visibility of the data. Those settings are designed for a set up consisting of Windows 7 x64, with a 16:9 aspect ratio monitor, displaying 1920 x 1080 screen resolution set to a 125% display mode

The "EG-0004 Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization 1920 x 1080.png" [http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=04412668129773512666] is a screenshot presenting how the Mp3tag should look like, after implementation of the instructions from below [in conjunction with visually optimized Winamp]

1] Go in Windows to the

Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Window Color > Advanced Appearance Settings > Item > Message Box > Font

and choose a font named Sagoe UI with the Size set to 11. That is the Item responsible for how the list of files is shown in Mp3tag. And if you like that font, then you can change every other Item to use it for displaying, but it is not necessary. And if you do not have that font it in your system, then simply go get it and install it first

Sagoe UI is the right font to choose, because it shows distinction between characters >>l<< [lower case L letter] and >>I<< [uppercase letter i]; while at the same time it also show a distinction in how the >>|<< sign is drawn in correlation to those two letters

Alternatively, to at least see that aforementioned distinction between the letters, you can try out one of these sans-serif / gothic fonts:

  • Cabin
  • Cantarell
  • Comfortaa
  • Iwona
  • Kp-Sans
  • MA Trebuchet
  • PT-Sans
  • Source Sans Pro
  • Tahoma
  • Verdana
    Unfortunately, various typewriter-like fonts like Courier New or Dark Courier [while having distinctions among letters] are also monospaced, thus taking a much more horizontal space to show the same amount of text in comparison to most of the other fonts. But this can be overcome by using the font called Pragmata Pro, which is a narrow version of that kind. But when choosing any font please remember that it is not only the Mp3tag where it will be displayed, but also the file handler [Windows Explorer, FreeCommander, Total Commander etc.] and possibly in various other places. So it could be that in Mp3tag it will do it job of making the distinction, while in other pieces of software it will fail to deliver a clear view. But it seems that this Sagoe UI does not have that issue and at the same time shows the biggest [positive] visual differences. [Further reading on topic of bad designed fonts is provided in this article https://typography.guru/journal/letters-sym...misrecognition/, while this blog http://www.lowercasel.com documents the existence of the bad "fonting" problem outside of the digital world]

2] Go to the

Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Window Color > Advanced Appearance Settings > Item >

and choose small / thin sizes for elements like "Border Padding", "Scrollbar", "Active Title Bar". The lesser they are, the more work space there will be. But on the other hand, the smaller the elements will be, the harder they will be to operate on / with: it can be simply difficult to aim at the Caption Button [the minimizing "_" icon] and not accidentally maximizing a window or even closing it [with the "X" button]

This can be tricky, because some of these settings are interconnected; and so changing one changes automatically others

3] Auto-hide your Windows Taskbar at the bottom

Taskbar [Right Click] > Properties > Taskbar > auto-hide the taskbar

Or just place that Taskbar permanently on the left side of your screen, but without the start menu button visible; and / or auto-hide it. And do not waste time for trying out the placement of Windows Taskbar at the top or at the right side of your screen, because such placement prevents from having a quick access to the "X" caption button [that closing icon] of every maximized piece of software. [The eventually docked at the top of the screen thin Winamp is a not really a problem, as in time it will be overcome by your muscle memory]

3.1] Open now your Mp3tag

3.2] Place the Mp3tag Toolbar at the top, on the left side

3.3] Place the Mp3tag Filter Box at the top, on the right side

3.4] Place the Mp3tag Tag Panel in a free floating form somewhere at the right side of the screen. Make sure you can see all of its borders

3.5] Grab and drag the bottom border of Tag Panel all the way to the top

3.6] If the Tag Panel covers the buttons on the right side of the Filter area, then grab its right border and adjust it

3.7] Grab the bottom border of the Tag Panel and pull it down, but not as much as to cover the status bar at the bottom

3.8] File > Options > General > Display Grid Lines At File View > semi-selected [not empty and not with the "V" check sign]

Such arrangement squeezes around 37 lines out of the main window of Mp3tag [that area which shows up list of files in the main window]. Those settings will also provide for the Tag Panel enough vertical space to display a whooping 12 additional single lined tag fields with a COMMENT tag field configured at the same time as a multiline. And if the 125% display setting of the entire operating system would be changed to a normal 100%, there would be even more files at a single screen. But then again: the data [the characters displayed by font] gets smaller, which can result in user mistakes [misreadings] and thus generating errors during the workflow. Because it is one thing having a small font in a player just for a quick reading, once the proper data is already saved in a file. But providing that data without errors is another thing and requires the utmost visibility conditions

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Things To Consider ███

1] If you are using Winamp docked at the top in form of a ticket bar [the Shade Mode], then you loose at least one line

2] If you have Filter Box turned on and set in the same line as the Mp3tag Toolbar, then you loose half a line

3] If you have Filter Box turned on placed in a form of a line under the Mp3tag Toolbar, then you loose more even more space

4] If you have Windows Toolbar docked at the left sided and not autohiding it, you loose some horizontal space

5] When creating some extra tag field, choosing single sign values will save you horizontal space when a time will come to display them in columns in the main window You do not have to for example use words like "excellent", "good", "mediocre", "bad", "awful" as values in field containing some rating system, as you could use "1", "2", "3", 4", "5" instead of them or "A", "B", "C", "D", "E"; or something like "+", "0", "-"

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Further Tweaks ███

1] You can make the Filter Box float and place it at the top. But when using this in combination with Winamp docked at the top, the Filter Box will sometimes obscure the Winamp

2] You can make the Tag Panel transparent, revealing what is behind it. See this thread for instructions: /t/17644/1

3] In the current version of Mp3tag [2.83] it is still not possible to rearrange / remove icons from the Taskbar of Mp3tag. An implementation of such feature could lead to a possible further optimization of workspace

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Arrangement Optimization ███ Mp3tag Column Markers ███

The "EG-0005 Mp3tag Column Markers - 1920 x 1080.gif" [http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=04785415825423727677] is a comparison of 2 screenshots showing the same set of files, the first one using in tag fields signs featured on a typical QWERTY keyboard and the second one using non standard signs

As that example clearly illustrates, using signs like



:arrow_forward:

gives a lot better overview, than usage of signs like

@
*

!
+

This Wikipedia article provides a list of signs of such kind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_Shapes

And for adding even more on spot recognition of files marked with such signs, especially when scrolling down through long list of tag fields full of data, using the same column twice but placed apart will give a lot more clearer situation. This comes especially handy in a work environment consisting of more than just once monitor or on a single wider screen, when there is a more horizontal space / data. All the user has to do is to create another column with the same Value and Field data. Doubling [or ever tripling it] does not affect how Mp3tag processes content of that tag field: changing value in one column will automatically change it in all of its duplicates

As an example, the "EG-0006 Mp3tag Column Markers Repetition - 3440 x 1440.gif" shows the same list with a few marked files displaying markers in one and in two columns in a 3440 x 1440 environment

And too further enhance an on spot recognition of marked files, usage of signs like those should be combined with the Mp3tag check box available at

Option > General > display grid lines at file view

set to either the semi-state between the on and off or simply turned on [depending on some other settings of the operating system that a given Mp3tag is installed on]

██████████████████████████
███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███

Read the list of available shortcuts https://docs.mp3tag.de/keyboard. Especially if you have been using Mp3tag for quite a while, as you may be quite surprised just how many of you daily Mp3tag tasks can be done with a stroke of a keyboard

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ Mp3tag "Shortcuts" And Macros ████
Get acquainted with the capabilities of Tools [located under the File > Options > Tools], enabling creation of various shortcuts and macros

For example you can use CTRL + 1 combination to send a selected file straight to your audio editor. And / or you can use CTRL + 2 to open a TXT file containing a list of your filtering expressions, ready to be copied into the Filter box in Mp3tag. Or use CTRL + 9 to open a second instance of your audio player

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ All Files Load Up ███

The quickest and easiest way for loading all of the audio files into Mp3tg is to create an ".m3u8" playlist file containing locations of your music folders. For example it can look like that:
#EXTM3U
C:\Music
D:\New Music
D:\Downloads\Audio

If you pin such a file onto your player icon residing on a Taskbar of the Windows, then you are two clicks away from loading actual state of your audio data. You can also just click the playlist file itself or the shortcut of it. Please note that such a neat playlist contains only location of and not the actual list of files; because relaying on pre-generated lists of files would require an update every single time when even just one file is added to your music folders or when a single file / sub-folder located in them is renamed

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Mp3tag Shortcuts ███ All Files Re-Load Up ███

If you have enough fast RAM, you will be able to reload all of your files by using the pinned icon a much quicker than when loading them for the first time after a system reboot. Because the first time the files are loaded from the hard drive, and the next time the data is evoked from the RAM [if it still was not replaced during the workflow with something else]. This statement is true when using HDD, USB HDD, and SSD drives, but most likely is also true with PCI-E and M.2 drives

██████████████████████████
███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███

This section is about the computer hardware. [There is no section about non-PC hardware i.e. stereo or car equipment]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Monitor ███

Using a 16:9 monitor instead of a 4:3 [which equals to a 12:9 denotation] will give you more horizontal space. And this comes especially handy in Mp3tag when displaying tag fields containing long titles, filenames and paths, thus allowing for seeing at one screen of more / wider columns [with less need for possible scrolling]. But finally the market came to the point where there is a competition between manufacturers producing even wider monitors: in the cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio. The are marketed as ultrawide and give the user over 30% more of horizontal space, while retaining the same vertical length described. Although a 34" 21:9 monitor has the screen itself physically only slightly higher that a 24" 16:9 monitor, but it displays 2560 x 1080 pixels instead of 1920 x 1080 pixels. And there are even 34" units capable of displaying 3440 x 1440 resolution. Such monitor has still lower resolution than what a 4K 16:9 monitors have to offer [1440p vs. 2160p]. But there should be more advancement in this field, as something like a year ago a first 38" ultrawide model has become commercially available [but still with the native resolution of 3440 x 1440] and there are also rumors of even wider aspect ratio to be pushed on the market

Also instead of investing in a single ultrawide, you may consider a set up of two 16:9 monitors, or a combination of 16:9 and 4:3. The window of Mp3tag can be dragged all the way from left edge to the right one and from top to bottom, without the usage of the maximize button [which when executed would choose one of the monitors to display the entire Mp3tag window in it, leaving the other monitor completely not occupied by Mp3tag]

And also there is another thing to be aware of. Although pixel pith may be the same in two different monitors, it could give a little more workspace in one of them, because of the actual display area. But that kind of info is very hard to get by. For example www.DisplaySpecifications.com claims that an ultrawide 34" Samsung 34E790C is suppose to have 89.26% of display area, while a 34" Acer XR342CK is suppose to have 89.22%. And so there should not be any noticeable difference between them with that negligible 0.04% gap, but in reality that Acer will show 43.5 lines in Mp3tag, while Samsung will show 43 lines [with the exact same settings]; and the Acer will also displays more lines in other pieces of software

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███

Here are some general tricks and tips regarding data storage and performance

A] Performing defragmentation process on your HDD can speed up the access process to the data it holds

B] Performing defragmentation process on your SSD will not speed things up- instead it will wear off the drive

C] Do not keep your system on the same drive as your audio files, because of the possibility of data loss [when in urgent need of a new system] and because of speed issues [overlapping commands]

D] Use a separate drive only for your audio files; at last when working with your audio. Especially do not run torrents on it at the same time. Also do not create on it a scratch disk [temporary folder] for whatever editor you are working with

E] Turn off caching for the disk you are using it for your audio, if you do not have separate power source of some kind. In case of power grid failure you do not want to be in a middle of some complex Mp3tag action, that will leave you with a question like "how much files were already processed and how will I distinguish those files that did not get treated with that abrupted action"?

F] Turn off indexing feature in Windows. Instead of speeding things up, it will slow down the search process. Here is how to get rid of this system feature

F.1] Go to the

Control Panel > Indexing Options > Modify

and leave unchecked all of the locations; with the exception of maybe Users and Start Menu

F.2] Go to the

Computer > C: Drive > [Right Click] Properties > General > Allow files on this drive to have content indexed in addition to file properties

After unchecking this option for the drive C, you can repeat this action for the rest of your drives. [The order of those changes does not matter]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ HDD ███

There are not such thing as SATA II or SATA III cables that will automatically grand you 300 MB/s or 600 MB/s transfer, in opposition to the very first SATA version cables with the speed of 150 MB/s. Those newer cables have merely a better designed heads, that sit firmer once they are plugged to the drive / motherboard. And it will not matter if you will use SATA, SATA II or SATA III drive either. Because the higher transfer speeds of SATA II and SATA III are only purely theoretical: you will not squeeze more than around 140 MB/s out of your magnetic drive; unless it will also be a one that is a 10 000 RPM or 15 000 RPM instead of a standard 5400 or 7200 RPM. Such drives have platters to spin, so more rotations per minute give higher speeds. But the consisting lack of progress in certain areas of magnetic drives technology, prevents them from utilizing fully the possibilities given by never version of SATA interface. And so, a SATA II or SATA III drive that has 10 000 RPM provides only 10-20 of MB/s more for moving and coping files. But there is a real advantage in them for the Mp3tag users: they will provide a much quicker access time. So this means a faster loading of files into Mp3tag. Plus a 10 000 RPM hard drive will still come cheaper than an SSD of the same size and will be quicker than any other 7200 RPM drive that will probably ever come to exist. But the problem with them is, that they are quite a niche products and as such are hard to get. But they are the only sensible solution is a scenario, when you have very large set of files but do not have a motherboard that supports the usage of SSD drives

As for the 15 000 RPM drives, they are even more expensive and harder to get. They are simply not a consumer grade products, because they are meant to be used in servers. So also, as such, they will likely have some other connecting method than a Serial ATA, which will probably be another obstacle for the casual PC user

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ HDD USB ███

Those external drives have the same issues as the normal HDDs, because they are just magnetic drives but connected differently

You should not use them as an operational drive, because in comparison to ordinary HDD drive, they will have the transfer slower from 5 to 10 times. But if for some reason you just have too use them, then make sure to acquire an USB 3.0 drive and that your motherboard or laptop has the USB 3.0 connectivity. You can still use USB 3.0 drive on 2.0 connection, but you will only then get out of it only the speeds of the USB 2.0 standard

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ SSD ███

Prices of them have dropped and newer models are even quicker than those from 2-4 years ago. And if they are still too expensive for you, then you could buy a small one, just for the immediate work, while keeping the rest of your files on an ordinary HDD

Maintenance of them is quite different then in case of magnetic drives:

  • They should not be filled to more than 75% of their capacity
  • They should not be defragmented at all
  • They should be connect in AHCI mode
  • They should have TRIM turned for them

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ SSD USB ███

Those external drives have the same issue than the normal USB drives, because they are limited by the speeds of the USB protocol

So the only advantage they can provide over them is the much quicker seek time, less noise, no vibration and virtually no heat

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ PCI Express Drive ███

They are in theory 2-3 times faster than SSD drives. And as such are much more pricey than them

They use the same slots on a motherboard as for example external graphic cards

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ M.2 Drive ███

They are in theory 2-3 times faster than PCI-E drives. And as such are much more pricey than them

But the problem with them is than only the newer motherboards can use them as bootable drives, without running into serious issues. Aside from having a physical ability to be able to install them [which can be overcome by the usage of adapters allowing for otherwise impossible connection of older motherboards with M.2 drives], there are issues with the support of the NVMe protocol. And not every older motherboard will swallow the trick with adapters, because the motherboard has to be a one with at least FM2+ CPU, so that it can provide a PCIe 3.0 support. And also in regard to adapters, depending on the layout of the motherboard in question, you would most likely have to operate a video card in a lesser x8 mode, leaving the PCI-E 3.0 lanes available for M.2 drives [because the goal would be to utilize those 3.0 speeds for the drive, leaving out for the graphics card the slower slots]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Drive Usage ███ RAID ███

When not being able to use M.2 drive with enough space on them, even the fastest SSD drive and the fastest available RAM sticks can be not enough if you are often loading sets of tens of thousands of files. But you can connect two or more exact same HDDs or SSDs in several [more or less malfunction-proof] configurations, so that they are seen as a one drive in the operating system. As a result [to put it very short] the speed of reading and writing process goes up by 100% for every additional drive

But the costs are obvious: cash has to be spend on hardware and power consumption. And also there are the issues of extra heat and noise, coming out from the PSU and drives themselves. Moreover, more complex [and thus more safer] configurations will require a lot of connectors, resulting in a possible need of adding a PCI-E hub card providing more of those connectors; or switching to a larger motherboard

But RAID can be viewed not only as a method for speeding up the work, but also as a method for securing precious data. Unfortunately, making an actually working hardware setup, that can by itself verify a data loss on one of its components and then automatically restore it to a proper state, is quite a hard thing to do

There are also other such systems than RAID

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ RAM ███

How to choose the fastest / optimal Random Access Memory sticks? It is a long process:

1] Check in the manual of the motherboard the information about what kind of socket it uses, so that you will chose only the right type of RAM for you [DDR2, DDR3 or DDR4]

2] Find a price engine or an e-shop that allows for defining values of various RAM parameters

3] Select the lowest available latency that shows up

4] Select the highest available speed [frequency] that shows up

5] Open another tab in web browser and copy the URL address to it. Check just to be sure that the webpage does not work in some strange way; check if what you are getting in both of the tabs has the exact same search results

6] Repeat the two previous steps. But change the previously selected latency to a higher one and see if it is available with also higher frequency [speed]. Because only such RAM is providing quicker computing power and not just merely presenting a higher theoretical speed. Use this formula to be sure

Cas Latency / (MHz/2) * 1000

This gives a number for comparison. If it comes out lower than in the previous one, it means that it is better. If it is higher, then such RAM is actually slower and another repetition should be performed

7] Repeat the whole shebang [opening of the tabs, changing in them the CS values to higher ones, checking if they are available with higher frequency]

8] When you run out of latencies to check, go back to the motherboard manual and see what is the highest frequency that it is able to handle

9] Close the tabs containing results with frequencies above those of your motherboard. Or leave them for theoretical comparison; for the evaluation of a possible need for a newer motherboard

10] Choose the RAM with the best [lower] result from the formula

11] Select other parameters according to your needs, like the number of GB in one set

12] Do not forget to consider the height dimension of what you are about to buy. Because some heat sinks can stick out so high up, that they will simply not fit under the cooling system of your CPU

13] At last, compare the prices of different products

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███

If you use Mp3tag heavily, then you probably want to enjoy music to the full extent and maybe even you are a person that edits music / sounds. An so, in order to do that, you need to have quiet leisure / work environment, right? And the real quiet [at least in case of only listening] should be defined [subjectively] as a state of silence, when the user cannot tell if the hardware is turned on or off, without looking at it or forcing it to generate some sounds on purpose. And things like a PC case going into a resonance is a very common problem. So here is some knowledge about, how you can make your working desktop computer inaudible [as there is of course no way of totally stopping the hardware from generating any decibels]

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Fanless PSU ███

The big problem with them is, that there are a niche category and do not have as much power as normal PSUs can give. Also there there are only few models available. But the situation now is much batter than 5-6 years ago, because they broke the 400W and 500W barriers and finally there is some competition on the market. And going as much as 10-12 years ago, you would have to deal with a problem of fanless PSU not being in the ATX standard and / or heaving to deal with some additional external radiator disposing off the heat, most likely in a form of a big tower

Here is a list of PSU units with power above 500W, starting from the most powerful ones:

  • Deltatronic SPS560W
  • Deltatronic Silentium! SPS550W
  • Enermax Digifanless 550W (EDF550AWN)
  • Seasonic Platinum-520FL Fanless (SS0P-520FL2 F3) 520W
  • SilverStone Nightjar Series NJ520
  • XFX XTS 520W
  • SilentNight Series 500W 80+

Available are also versions of them [or simply other models] with less watt power. And if it is the opposite you need [way more than 500W] then maybe a usage of two such PSUs is a way to go. But providing power for all of PC components with two separate PSUs [and even simply turning them on and off with just a single switch] can be tricky and will most likely require a serious hardware alteration, resulting with he hardware warranty being no longer void

Unfortunately, the two leading models are not for sale on they own- Deltatronic specializes in making passively cooled workstations; and thus making them supposedly really silent. You can only buy a whole PC rig from them and not even an empty PC casing with just the PSU

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Semi-Fanless PSU ███

There is also a sub-category of PSUs, that do have a fan, but a one that starts to rotate [and thus making noise] only after a certain percentage of power capabilities is drawn from it. So they stay quiet when power consumption is low, with their fan kicking in only when there is [theoretically] a need for it. So from a point of view of professional audio editing or comfortable music listening, such a unit should do the job of not producing additional noise, because audio tasks will most likely not require much power [when compared to for example gaming or video rendering]

Unfortunately such hybrids are often wrongly described as fanless and only sometimes more appropriately as semi-fanless. Also when doing online shopping there are often only two categories, without the third [semi-famless] between them

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Passive Radiators ███

Technically speaking every radiator is a passive cooling hardware element. But almost all of them are made to be used [and are sold with] at least one fan. But there are few on the market which are meant to be used without one

Unfortunately in recent years, as the computing power of CPUs and graphics cards went up, even those "real" passive radiators [the ones sold without a fan] started to be manufactured with the intention of mounting to them [after a separate buy] a dedicated fan, produced also by the same company from which such radiator comes. But do not waste money on those compatible / certificated fans, because they are marketed as "quiet" but without a specified dBA value- which suggests that their manufactures were unable to make them really quiet [because if they would have been able then they would brag about it in data sheet]. And in the end, such approach simply turns their field of expertise [super effective radiators] into a preposterous joke beyond absurdity [passive radiator plus a noisy fan]

Problem with passive radiators can also be their size. If you compare first passives with he modern ones, you can be surprised how much more space they need now. This problem comes down not only to the space inside your PC casing but also the placement of RAM and PCI-E slots, which when filled up with components may leave you with an impossibility of mounting some of those big radiators

But fear not: even the smaller / old ones can be still efficient; but you might need to buy them on the aftermarket. You would need just to use a quiet fan with them [a concept explained in the next section of this guide]. As for the compatibility of those old radiators with the newer CPU socket or GPU cards: it can be still possible to use them together. For example it is doable to mount an old Thermalright HR-01 on a newer FM2+ CPU socket, with just a little extra force. And you can for example mount Arctic Accellero S3 on a MSI Radeon R7 370 4GB GAMING video card, leaving out some parts of the 12th and 14th step of its 14 steps installation manual. Unfortunately, unless someone on the Internet will make a brag about how [s]he has made it possible, you will have to test such a combo for yourself. Because manufacturers of passive radiators will discourage you from using old passive elements on new hardware components. Manufacturers will most likely evoke impossibility of such combination on the account of hardware incompatibility and / or on not enough cooling effectiveness

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Quiet Fans ███

What constitutes as a quiet fan? A "quiet" in its name? A "pretty much quiet" description on the vendors site? Cool looking design? No, no and no

A real life scenario quietness constitutes itself when you can hear the fan spinning only after putting it next to your ear. And that is probably below 10 dBA, depending on how good your hearing still is. But taking into account that it will be enclosed inside a PC casing and then most likely putted at some distance and / or under a desk, something like 11 or 12 dB will also do the trick. Just make sure it is a PWM fan, so that it has steady RPM and you do not have to constantly monitor the heat. A PWN designation means, that such a fan does not have a higher mode, which automatically kicks in because of rise of the heat- and so it works always with the same speed thus same noise

Right now the most quiets fans on the market are those with 8 dBA. But the problem with those 8-12 dBA fans is that there is not much competition between the manufacturers of them, because it is a niche. The second problem is that they have pretty low flow of air [thanks to slower rotation], so you might need more of them. But unless you are also a gamer or video editor, you will most likely need only 1 for the CPU and 1 for sucking the air outside of the PC casing; plus maybe 1 more for the graphics card and a second 1 somewhere as a fail-safe [in case one of those essentials ones stops to work and you do not notice it as you do not monitor them]. This will vary, depending mostly on how many HDDs you use simultaneously and what environment the PC is residing in

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Peltier Effect Cooling ███

There is a way to cool down electronics with the electricity itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectri...#Peltier_effect

And there are eve some niche PC components of that kind available on the market. But the idea of having some kind of Peltier device eliminating noisy fans seems contradictory. Because if the hardware is enclosed in a PC casing residing near the audio workspace, then this hardware needs power from PSU, which also needs cooling. And the more cooling is needed, the more power to provide it is needed. And so an endless loop could be crated, that could be "broken" only if the PSU would be placed in another room. But that is is all a theory

In reality, a Peltier CPU unit comes also with a radiator, which disposed the heat. And the heat is supposed to be disposed from the casing with fans. So unless a big drop down in temperature is needed, a Peltier cooling system seems to be just a side bumpy road in the quest for the silence

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Liquid Cooling ███

This is the most effective way of cooling. But it still has radiators [which need fans] and on top of that it needs a pump [witch has moving parts]. And it would be wise to have a second pump installed within the system as a precocious, in case one of them stops working. So one should expect more additional noise with a system of that kind; thus making this a real dead end turn in the quest for silence

Using water cooling [in respects to silence] would only make sense if all of the components [including the PSU] were included in that system, while at the same time the pump was placed outside the room where the PC unit is held. But there is this multi-part "Whole Room Water Cooling Project" video by LinusTechTips on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bLtg9J1Oc], where it is shown in details just how complicated and ineffective such complete-liquid-approach could end up to be, in spite of all the hardware knowledge / experience and planning

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Non Mechanical Drives ███

An HDD drive has to spin platters and move its head. SSDs do not have them at all. SSHD is a hybrid combining both technologies; which in terms of silence puts them in the same category as ordinary HDDs. Also drives of the PCI Express and M.2 technology have no moving parts

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ HDD Casings ███

Mechanical drives can be enclosed in special casings like the Scythe Quiet Drive or Tacens Lateo Butimenbox. Unfortunately, for years now they are hard to get and there is little competition on the market in this field. It is probably the smallest niches within the silence quest

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ PC Casings ███

You do not have to any more to manually put noise reducing materials inside your PC rig. There are manufacturers making ready to use PC cases like that

Unfortunately, a small problem with them is that they are designed for housing a water cooling system inside them. So they can have some elements / solutions not necessary for a passively cooled PC or even contradictory to it

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ PC Hardware ███ Noise Reduction ███ Sound Deadening Panels ███

In case of using an ordinary PC case you can always go old school and try to stop the noise leaking out from it by using sound deadening panels and some foams. That is how it was done in the old days, before manufacturers started to provide casings for enthusiasts of silence

You can also use them to further sound proof the [supposed to be already] silenced PC casings

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Reservation ███ #08 ███

This post [and thus its number] has been reserved for a possible further addition [updates] to this guide; so that it would also appear at the beginning of this thread in case of a profound addition / integral addition to it

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Reservation ███ #09 ███

This post [and thus its number] has been reserved for a possible further addition [updates] to this guide; so that it would also appear at the beginning of this thread in case of a profound addition / integral addition to it

███ Unofficial Mp3tag & Audio Efficiency Guide 1.0.0 ███ Reservation ███ #10 ███

This post [and thus its number] has been reserved for a possible further addition [updates] to this guide; so that it would also appear at the beginning of this thread in case of a profound addition / integral addition to it