Thread: id3 genre tagging problem

I use this string with EAC to encode my mp3s and create just id3v2 tags:

--alt-preset standard --nohist --id3v2-only --pad-id3v2 --tt "%t" --ta "%a" --tl "%g" --ty "%y" --tn "%n" --tg "%m" --tc "LAME3.92 --alt-preset standard" %s %d

Before I started using that string, i had used EAC's tagging options, and of course it was creating both id3v1 and id3v2 tags. The problem is that the Genre information used between these two methods is not equal. When using EAC's tagging option, the genre information written to the id3v2 tag is purely text, for example "Blues" is displayed when the tag is viewed by all programs.

On the other hand, when using the string above to write the id3v2 tag, the genre information when viewed by certain programs is instead a numeric representation of the genre menu item in parentheses. For example "Blues" is instead displayed as "(0)" and other genres may produce some other number in the parentheses. But, even when using the above string, when viewed by Winamp, the correct "Blues" is still displayed! I achieve similar results (the latter) when using CDEX to tag my mp3s, even without using any special tagging commandline options.

I would like to have the genre information displayed in all my programs correctly, instead of the "(#)" that is displayed by some of my tagging software. Maybe %m is not the correct genre information from EAC that I want, but I do not know.

Thanks

LAME replaces EAC text information by the number representation... Ask LAME developers...

cu, Andre

lol, thanks a lot, I figured it was a LAME problem (har har har)

i appreciate the help, btw, is there any way to register on this board is English? I guess I'll just work my way through the German, its been a while since I had to read Deutsch.

I am using EAC + LAME, but don't specify that LAME deal specifically with the ID3 tags. I have 2.3 (not 2.4) chosen in the EAC options. The problem:

The 2.3 spec for the TCON tag is that it is numeric, but EAC seems to be writing text to that field, in 2.4 style. My EAC version is V0.9 beta 4.

This is a bug, no? Should I report this in a more official way? Or is it fixed in more recent versions of EAC, and I should update?

The (informal) standard says :

References to the ID3v1 genres can be made by, as first byte, enter "(" followed by a number from the genres list (appendix A) and ended with a ")" character. This is optionally followed by a refinement, e.g. "(21)" or "(4)Eurodisco". Several references can be made in the same frame, e.g. "(51)(39)". If the refinement should begin with a "(" character it should be replaced with "((", e.g. "((I can figure out any genre)" or "(55)((I think...)".

"can" means : can, not must...

cu, Andre

"Can" in this context means that you can refer to genre numbers defined in id3v1, or you can define your own numbers. It does not mean you can use whatever string format you like. In fact, the v2.3 TCON frame paragraph starts with a very explicit and unambiguous definition:

The 'Content type', which previously was stored as a one byte numeric value only, is now a numeric string.

Free text TCON was not introduced until v2.4. v2.3 tags may use an optional textual refinement, but only after a numeric genre specification.

I'm including the entire TCON frame paragraph for reference:

TCON

The 'Content type', which previously was stored as a one byte numeric value only, is now a numeric string. You may use one or several of the types as ID3v1.1 did or, since the category list would be impossible to maintain with accurate and up to date categories, define your own.

References to the ID3v1 genres can be made by, as first byte, enter "(" followed by a number from the genres list (appendix A) and ended with a ")" character. This is optionally followed by a refinement, e.g. "(21)" or "(4)Eurodisco". Several references can be made in the same frame, e.g. "(51)(39)". If the refinement should begin with a "(" character it should be replaced with "((", e.g. "((I can figure out any genre)" or "(55)((I think...)". The following new content types is defined in ID3v2 and is implemented in the same way as the numerig content types, e.g. "(RX)".

RX Remix
CR Cover

Respectfully,

/Björn Stenberg
Rockbox developer

Try this one and it will work:

--alt-preset standard --add-id3v2 --pad-id3v2 --tt "%t" --ta "%a" --tl "%g" --ty "%y" --tn "%n" --tg "%m" --tc "EAC / Lame 3.90.2 @ APS" %s %d