# Mp3Tag fails to read ID3 v.2.3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [March 2, 2016, 8:32am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708 "2016-03-02T08:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/53a042/32.png) [@oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/oyvindo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 7:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/21 "2016-03-05T07:49:33Z")
> [@Rijkstra](#): > > I was amazed at how much faster foobar2000 (v1.3.9 2015) is than MP3Gain. Ok, so Foobar is your choice now? I did'nt know that Foobar could do bulk volume levelling and gain analysis. It must be with one of them Plug-ins then? ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/22 "2016-03-05T12:14:14Z")
> [@Viking](#): > > ... I did'nt know that Foobar could do bulk volume levelling and gain analysis. It must be with one of them Plug-ins then? Replay Gain is built in into foobar2000, see file context menu "ReplayGain". DD.20160305.1414.CET ---
**Author:** ![oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/53a042/32.png) [@oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/oyvindo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/23 "2016-03-05T12:55:53Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > Replay Gain is built in into foobar2000, see file context menu "ReplayGain". Many thanks 🙂 What is your advice onhow to use ReplayGain when the objective is to have 9000+ albums (125.000 tracks) to play nicely without having to adjust the volume of the amplifier every time a new track is played? (This is especially annoying when the playlist is set to random tracks from the whole library) ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/24 "2016-03-05T19:33:06Z")
> [@Viking](#): > > ... What is your advice onhow to use ReplayGain ... to adjust the volume of the amplifier every time a new track is played? ... In earlier times, 10..15..20 years back in time, the physical datastream of a MP3 file was changed in a destructive way by tools like Mp3Gain. Nowadays ReplayGaining is a non destructive method to support audio volume related technical data, which are saved into the metadata part of the music file, in order to adjust the loudness and to level the output to a common value, automatically done by the player, which has to be able to read such metadata. Once an audio file got the Replay Gain Meta Data inserted into the tag, a fitting player follows the rule of ReplayGaining and the gain is automatically regulated to normalize loudness for individual tracks or albums. Nowadays there is no need to physically change the volume data per each mp3-frame. See also ... [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay\_Gain](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay_Gain) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay\_Gain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay_Gain) DD.20160305.2133.CET ---
**Author:** ![Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/rijkstra/32/22_2.png) [@Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Rijkstra)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/25 "2016-03-05T20:09:01Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > In earlier times, 10..15..20 years back in time, the physical datastream of a MP3 file was changed in a destructive way by tools like Mp3Gain. > ... Mp3GainPRO is newer than that and is definitely of the destructive type. I only use it as a last resort when foobar2000 returns a fatal error. ---
**Author:** ![oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/53a042/32.png) [@oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/oyvindo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/26 "2016-03-05T20:42:31Z")
Thank you - you've been most helpful 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/rijkstra/32/22_2.png) [@Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Rijkstra)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/27 "2016-03-07T17:54:46Z")
> [@Rijkstra](#): > > Mp3GainPRO is newer than that and is definitely of the destructive type. I only use it as a last resort when foobar2000 returns a fatal error. I found out today just how destructive Mp3GainPRO is. I had three files that foobar2000 could not handle so I normalized them in Mp3GainPRO. FB2K could then apply gain to them, but there was a problem! 1. The files all sounded like Chipmunk recordings. 2. The new files were half the size of the source files. 3. The duration was cut in half. I do not recommend Mp3GainPRO nor Mp3Gain. I was able to repair the files in Audacity with Edit/Remove Special/Trim Audio, but not without needing a high track gain of about +12.0 db. ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/28 "2016-03-07T20:46:05Z")
> [@Rijkstra](#): > > I do not recommend Mp3GainPRO nor Mp3Gain. These 2 pieces of software have nothing to do with the other. ---
**Author:** ![Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/rijkstra/32/22_2.png) [@Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Rijkstra)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/29 "2016-03-07T23:28:22Z")
> [@poster](#): > > These 2 pieces of software have nothing to do with the other. So true! The only thing they have in common is the destructive rewrite of the files. I used Mp3Gain for many years and I never saw anything come out of it as bad as the result from Mp3GainPRO today. ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/30 "2016-03-08T04:52:40Z")
> [@Rijkstra](#): > > So true! The only thing they have in common is the destructive rewrite of the files. I used Mp3Gain for many years and I never saw anything come out of it as bad as the result from Mp3GainPRO today. I used MP3Gain for years and I never noticed any destructive rewriting. On what specific behavior you refer? ---
**Author:** ![Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/rijkstra/32/22_2.png) [@Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Rijkstra)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/31 "2016-03-08T05:45:19Z")
> [@poster](#): > > I used MP3Gain for years and I never noticed any destructive rewriting. On what specific behavior you refer? This thread explains the difference. Destructive just means the file stream itself is rewritten as opposed to the writing of Replay Gain metadata which tells the player how to adjust an unaltered stream. I had a horrendous Mp3GainPRO destruction experience today that went beyond anything I ever experienced with Mp3Gain. ---
**Author:** ![Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/rijkstra/32/22_2.png) [@Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Rijkstra)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/32 "2016-03-08T05:45:20Z")
> [@poster](#): > > I used MP3Gain for years and I never noticed any destructive rewriting. On what specific behavior you refer? See post #24 ---
**Author:** ![oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/53a042/32.png) [@oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/oyvindo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 7:10am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/33 "2016-03-08T07:10:13Z")
> [@poster](#): > > I used MP3Gain for years and I never noticed any destructive rewriting. > On what specific behavior you refer? MP3Gain can only write to APE. That's not exactly destructive, but pretty lame.... ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 9:09am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/34 "2016-03-08T09:09:40Z")
> [@poster](#): > > I used MP3Gain for years and I never noticed any destructive rewriting. On what specific behavior you refer? The unwanted behaviour is the modified rewriting of the Global-Gain-Field within each physical mp3-frame. The binary checksum of the audio part will be changed. The original delivery status is destroyed. Tools such as MP3Gain take advantage of this and add undo information into the metadata tag, so that the process is reversible, as long as the meta data has not been deleted from the tagged file. Without the knowledge of the original gain values, it becomes a guessing game to restore the original state of the file. The outdated tool Mp3Gain, and also the special option in foobar2000, have their place and justification, ... if someone want to play mp3 files by a passive player, which have no active ReplayGain support, such as older car stereo players. DD.20160308.1109.CET, DD.20160308.1633.CET ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 9:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/35 "2016-03-08T09:55:33Z")
> [@Rijkstra](#): > > Destructive just means the file stream itself is rewritten as opposed to the writing of Replay Gain metadata which tells the player how to adjust an unaltered stream. To call a method "destructive", just because it only rewrites the stream is not correct. Destructive would mean that the method destroys the stream. MP3Gain changes the stream completely reversible. It does not reencode anything. [http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MP3Gain](http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=MP3Gain) Without changing the stream in the way Mp3Gain doe it, you completely rely on the ability of all players to interpret the replaygain-tags. If you don't want to rely on this you have to use this method. Even Foobar does this if you tell it do so. Mp3Gain can work without any replay-gain-tags at all, it does not write them if you don't want it. Without the tags it only is not possible to get back to the former gain **automatically** , but the gain can be changed anyway later without reencoding anything. Replaygain is used by many different programs in different ways. [http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=ReplayGain](http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=ReplayGain) [https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,24527.0.html](https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,24527.0.html) You can prefer Foobar or any other gain-software, but don't do it for the wrong reasons. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:02am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/36 "2016-03-08T10:02:22Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > The unwanted behaviour is the modified rewriting of the Global-Gain-Field within each physical mp3-frame. An unwanted behaviour is not destructive per definition. I don't agree, that this behaviour is unwanted. When I use MP3Gain I **want** this behaviour. If someone does **not** want this behaviour he should use other software. ---
**Author:** ![oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/53a042/32.png) [@oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/oyvindo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 11:00am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/37 "2016-03-08T11:00:39Z")
> [@poster](#): > > MP3Gain changes the stream completely reversible. It does not reencode anything. Can you in plain english explain how to 'reverse' what MP3Gain has done to my files? ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 11:15am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/38 "2016-03-08T11:15:09Z")
> [@Viking](#): > > Can you in plain english explain how to 'reverse' what MP3Gain has done to my files? I don't know what you have told MP3Gain to do. If you have told it to store the gain-changes in tags, just select "Undo Gain Changes". If you have told it, to not store gain-tags, you have to know yourself what you changed. ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/39 "2016-03-08T14:51:53Z")
> [@Viking](#): > > Can you in plain english explain how to 'reverse' what MP3Gain has done to my files? If the mp3 file contains metadata, such alike ... MP3GAIN\_MINMAX = 008,210 REPLAYGAIN\_TRACK\_GAIN = -0.600000 dB REPLAYGAIN TRACK PEAK = 0.474803 ... then apply Mp3Gain to "Undo Gain Changes". DD.20160308.1651.CET ---
**Author:** ![oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/53a042/32.png) [@oyvindo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/oyvindo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708/40 "2016-03-08T16:52:22Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > If the mp3 file contains metadata, such alike ... > MP3GAIN\_MINMAX = 008,210 > REPLAYGAIN\_TRACK\_GAIN = -0.600000 dB > REPLAYGAIN TRACK PEAK = 0.474803 > ... then apply Mp3Gain to "Undo Gain Changes". What is the difference between the above method, and just use Mp3Tag to delete those metadata fields from the ID3 Tag? [Previous page](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/mp3tag-fails-to-read-id3-v-2-3/17708.md?page=3)