Audio Tags (iTunes AAC, ALAC, Ogg, FLAC, APE, SPX, Opus)

[Leo]

Introduction:

The plugin gives Opus the ability to display metadata (and in the future thumbnails) for various audio formats. This is in addition to Opus's built-in support for MP3 and WMA.

Unlike the dMCTags Plugin, this plugin supports 64-bit and does not require any third-party software.

The plugin supports the formats listed below.

Tags & cover-art thumbnails:

• iTunes AAC/M4A/M4P
• Apple Lossless (ALAC)
• Ogg Vorbis
• FLAC and Ogg-FLAC
• Opus (unrelated to Directory Opus)

Tags only:

• Monkey's Audio (APE)
• Speex (SPX)

Plugin's Web Page:

See the plugin's web page for more information:

pretentiousname.com/audiotags/index.html

Screenshot:

History:

Version 12.1.0.0 (2nd September 2016):

• Comes with Directory Opus 12.1.
• Tag and thumbnail support for the Opus audio format. (The Opus audio format is otherwise unrelated to Directory Opus.)

Version 1.0.0.7 (22nd September 2015):

• Comes with Directory Opus 11.17.
• Now handles incorrect FLAC files with ID3 data before the "fLaC" header by skipping over it.
• Support for bit-depth reporting where applicable. (Actually added in earlier 26th March 2015 update included with Opus 11.13.)

Version 1.0.0.6 (9th February 2012):

• Comes with Directory Opus 10.0.3.3.
• Extracts copyright fields from Ogg/FLAC/Spx/APE.
• Recognises Album Artist tags on APE files written by dBpowerAmp (different tag name to Mp3tag).

Version 1.0.0.5 (31st January 2012):

• Comes with Directory Opus 10.0.3.2.
• Support for Disc Number and Album Artist tags.

Version 1.0.0.4 (30th April 2011):

• Comes with Directory Opus 10.0.0.0.
• Tag and thumbnail support for iTunes AAC/M4A/M4P and Apple Lossless (ALAC).
• Tag support for Monkey's Audio (APE).
• Tag support for Speex (SPX).
• Thumbnail support for Ogg Vorbis and FLAC (in addition to existing tag support).

Version 1.0.0.1 (22nd May 2009):

• First release as part of Directory Opus 9.1.2.0.
• This first release of the plugin is intended to replace the old Ogg/FLAC plugin.
• Supports 64-bit Windows/Opus.
• Supports Opus running from USB sticks (i.e. no registry changes).
• Supports Unicode filepaths and tag data.

[Kaminari]

Hi Leo,

Thanks for the heads-up. Great plugin! So far, I didn't notice any issue with Unicode characters in Vorbis/Flac tags. At last I can stop using Nosh's Ogg plugin for Opus 8

[fuzi1968]

Hi Leo,

great! THANKS!

Is it please possible to support ID3 tags from WAV files?

It's really easy - you only have to find the ID3 start point in the file and the rest is as in MP3 files.

ID3 tags in WAV files is a defacto-standard used by

• iTunes (never tried it but the developers of the DJ software Serato Scratch Live have told me that)
• Rane Serato Scratch Live
• Tag & Rename (3.5.1)

I'm using Tag & Rename but reading them via DOPUS would be great too!

I'm not a Windows programmer but I know the format and I've written a how-to "read/write" ID3 tags from a WAV/AIFF file here

You only have to handle from one sub chunk to the next until you have found "id3 " (4 characters). Then the marker ID3 indicates the start as in MP3 files ...

Here are other very useful links about the RIFF WAV/AIFF format:

ccrma.stanford.edu/courses/422/p ... aveFormat/
sonicspot.com/guide/wavefile ... estructure
sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exi ... /RIFF.html
sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exi ... s/WAV.html
kk.iij4u.or.jp/~kondo/wave/mpidata.txt
muratnkonar.com/aiff/aboutiff.html

[Leo]

I thought ID3 in WAV files was "illegal" and could cause problems with some players? Maybe that's wrong?

Why not use WMA-Lossless, FLAC or Apple Lossess which are both smaller and have official tag formats? Is there something that supports WAVs with ID3s but not one of the other lossless formats?

[fuzi1968]

@leo

I thought ID3 in WAV files was "illegal" and could cause problems with some players? Maybe that's wrong?

No - this is not true.

I'm using WMP 11, RealPlayer 10.5, QuickTime 7.6, WinAmp 5.5 and never had a problem with a WAV file (with a sub chunk called "id3 ") - they don't use it - as for other sub chunks which exist but they don't need it so they overread it.

Additional sub chunks could be defined by other programs. So "other" programs which have problems with a sub chunk "id3 " are also having problems with other new sub chunks defined by other programs. This is not related to the sub chunk "id3 " !
(There might be problems when programs are using the same sub chunk id for their own data/application only but never heared a problem).

I've also tried other djing software and the music programs WaveLab 5 and Sony SoundForge 9 and never had a problem.

WAV is embedded in the RIFF file format.

A very basic explanation of the file format:

"RIFF"
length of following file content RIFF
- "WAV"
- length of following content WAV
- - "sub1"
- - length of following content sub 1
- - content of sub 1
- - "sub2"
- - length of following content sub 2
- - content of sub 2
- - "sub3"
- - length of following content sub 3
- - content of sub 3
- - ... (more sub chunks)
- - "id3 "
- - length of following content "id3 "
- - the content of sub "id3 " - starting with the id "ID3" - the marker as in other music file types which support ID3
- - "sub5"
- - length of following content sub 5
- - content of sub 5
- - ... (more sub chunks)
end of file

(Check ALL links in my first post above and read it carefully for all the details).

So the only one thing you have to do:

Open the WAV file, read the sub chunks (read the first, add the content length and make a new seek in the file, read the next, and so on ...) - until you have found the sub chunk "id3 ". Then the standard ID3 stream begins as in other music files with the id "ID3". From there you use the same sub routine for reading ID3 in MP3's

In http://www.id3.org/id3v2.4.0-structure, chapter 3, read the first paragraph - and especially the part after "but".

ID3v2 is a general tagging format for audio, which makes it possible to store meta data about the audio inside the audio file itself. The ID3 tag described in this document is mainly targeted at files encoded with MPEG-1/2 layer I, MPEG-1/2 layer II, MPEG-1/2 layer III and MPEG-2.5, but may work with other types of encoded audio or as a stand alone format for audio meta data.

So - you only have to read the de-facto standard. If it's there - use & display it as you read the ID3 stream from MP3. The ID3 stream has it's own standard format. As explained above - it doesn't matter where embedded!

Ok?

@leo

Why not use WMA-Lossless, FLAC or Apple Lossess which are both smaller and have official tag formats? Is there something that supports WAVs with ID3s but not one of the other lossless formats?

I want to have it easy:

• I only use MP3 or WAV - I don't want to use more formats. Space is not the problem. All the software I'm using might not be able to read FLAC or Apple Lossless, etc. - MP3 & WAV are defacto standards here and widly used. I don't want to change it.

• I only get MP3 or WAV files promoted for download (sometimes AIFF from MAC studios but it's the same as WAV - only high/low order bytes are switch which I convert with sox in a few seconds).

• When I buy music, MP3 and/or WAV is available. No convertion required

• I want to us the SAME audio tagging standard - which is ID3 and works in both files (with all the software which support it and which I have).

The funny thing is - whenever I post "please support ID3 in WAV" I get a return question "Why don't you use another lossless format?" (see e.g. mp3tag.de forum).

.. if you would not support Apple Lossless and other people ask why don't you support Apple Lossless - would you ask "Why don't you use another (lossless) format?"

However - a support would be great. It's really easy to read the data out and no big overhead to find the ID3 stream ... and analyzing the ID3 stream is still programmed - use this sub routine

Cheers,
Robert

[fuzi1968]

PS: If you need a WAV file with ID3 tags for testing. Please ask me for one ... ROBERT

[Leo]

Thanks for the info. I'll add it to the to-do list.

[fuzi1968]

btw: You can download & install Tag & Rename 3.5.1 - there is 30 days test mode - and tag your own files.

I recommend THIS version because the previous versions/betas had a bug with ID3 in WAV files (in detail: a sub chunk must have an even number of bytes - maybe a "00" have to be added after the ID3 stream). - Which explains that ALL wav files must have an even number of bytes.

[fuzi1968]

Maybe you want to have a good mapping between different tags & versions:

Click
http://help.mp3tag.de/de/main_tags.html

mp3tag.de is the best tagging program (except it doesn't support ID3 in WAV files but the programmer is informed and will look into it when time).

[fuzi1968]

btw: In DOPUS 9.1.2.0 there is still a bug showing the property bit rate of a wav file.

All wav files have the bit rate 176 kbps ... which means that a mp3/192 would sound better?

The correct value is 1411 kbps - as shown by any other program. Reported as bug BEFORE 9.1.1.8 came out.

[Leo]

WAV bitrate isn't to do with this plugin, but Jon tells me he's fixed it for the next version.

[Dal]

Thanks for the plugin, but it is not displaying any info about my flac files.

The plugin is selected in Preferences, and I'm running Dopus 9.1.2.0

What am I doing wrong?

The FLAC files are made with CD DA Extractor v12, with highest compression, BTW.

[Leo]

If the FLAC files have ID3 tags instead of Vorbis Comments then the plugin will not show the tags. (ID3 tags on FLAC are illegal, but some programs still put them on.)

Otherwise, or if you're not sure, please create a small sample file for me to look at. (e.g. Maybe find a CD with lots of those 4 second silent tracks padding the end before a "hidden" track 99 or similar, and rip & tag one of the silent tracks.)

So long as you zip the file and it isn't too large you should be able to attach a FLAC to a forum message. (Please avoid copyright stuff for obvious reasons. A silent track will be fine, though.)

[Manuel74]

I had the same problem, no tag for FLAC file.
After some time I realize that while with MP3 Directory Opus automatically switch folder format to music and display tag, with FLAC I have to manually switch folder format to music and after that i see the tag.

Can Dopus change folder format automatically also with flac file ?

bye
Manuel

[Leo]

You just need to add FLAC to the Music file types group, under Settings -> File Types.

(Not 100% sure but I think .FLAC is in the group by default now, but if you installed Opus before that change then you'll have the old list of extensions... I might be wrong though. Either way, it's easy to add.)

[NeilN]

Hi Leo,

Any word on how m4a support is coming?

[Leo]

The M4A work is done but also tied to a bunch of other changes which I'm not yet ready to release. Hard to say when it'll be ready to use, sorry.

(Update: It's released now as part of Opus 10.)

[mark_d]

Does DOpus have plans to support the new universal free codec... Opus?
(It's already supported by Linux, Android, VLC, foobar2000...)

[Leo]

We're not ruling it out, but don't have any definite plans at present. Someone else could if they wish, using the plugin API and this plugin as a starting point.

I've still yet to encounter an Opus audio file in the wild, nor any real explanation for why yet another audio format is needed so it seems like a curiosity at the moment, rather than something useful, but maybe it is used by people who do certain things which I don't know about? Or is it like the MNG and APNG image formats, a nice idea that nobody uses?

[mark_d]

@leo

I've still yet to encounter an Opus audio file in the wild

Well, I've just ripped my 3 last CDs to opus and I'm very satisfied with the result.

Actually, I don't expect the opus format to overtake the other ones in the foreseeable future, even if it has the best qualities, because MP3 is so prevalent and well-known because one of the first to come.

Even wma, pushed by Microsoft, and ogg, with better qualities than MP3, are still a minority. But we might expect on the long run that all these formats coexist in different proportions.