# Is Mp3tag Reporting The Codec Correct?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-mp3tag-reporting-the-codec-correct/7927
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 13, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-mp3tag-reporting-the-codec-correct/7927 "2009-02-13T22:47:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DasFox](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DasFox)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-mp3tag-reporting-the-codec-correct/7927/1 "2009-02-13T22:47:42Z")
I'm using Kid3 because it shows extended tags that mp3tag doesn't, but one other thing I noticed for the same songs is that Kid3 is reporting some songs as MPEG-1 Audio Layer 1 while Mp3tag is reporting it as MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, so I'm at a loss to figure out which program is showing the correct information.
In fact Mp3tag doesn't show any MP3 I have in my collection as MPEG-1 Audio Layer 1 while Kid3 does. Since I see this difference in Kid3 I tend to believe it's showing something Mp3tag isn't.
Here are some screenshots:
Kid3 showing a song as MPEG-1 Audio Layer 1
[](http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=71935458ca7.jpg)
Mp3tag showing the same song as MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3
[](http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=62789843eg9.jpg)
Any thought here?
THANKS
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### Author:  [@Sebastian\_Mares](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sebastian_Mares)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-mp3tag-reporting-the-codec-correct/7927/2 "2009-02-14T08:11:11Z")
Well, Layer I would be \*.mp1. Do you recall encoding something using such an ancient encoder? Hell, I don't even know where you could download a Layer I encoder.
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### Author:  [@Moonbase](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Moonbase)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-mp3tag-reporting-the-codec-correct/7927/3 "2009-02-15T16:57:37Z")
Probably just some dumb encoder messed up the header bits … have seen this more often than not with stuff downloaded from the net, even from »supposed good« sources. Older iTunes encoders had this problem, just experienced it with the [»The Damnwells - One Last Century«](http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/register_and_download/the_damnwells_one_last_century) download ☹
This one has really messed-up header bits (specifying wrong Emphasis, layer and such) though Mp3tag (correctly) shows them as MPEG 1 Layer III files. »Eat-all players« like Winamp will even play these, though one might stumble over programs like _MixMeister BPM Analyzer_ or _Rapid Evolution 2_ which won’t handle these corrupt files.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-mp3tag-reporting-the-codec-correct/7927/4 "2026-02-09T12:21:23Z")