| Symptom | Likely Cause | The Fix | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Player ignores all gain tags | ReplayGain is disabled in software | Go into preferences and enable "ReplayGain processing" or "Volume normalization." | | Only some tracks work | Tags are corrupted or incomplete | Use metaflac --remove-tag=REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN and rescan. | | Distortion on loud tracks | Peak values are over 1.0 (clipping) | Run rsgain again with the --pre-amp -5 flag to add headroom. | | Player reads tags but volume doesn't change | Player is in "Album" mode, but you have a playlist | Switch player to "Track" gain for playlists. | The original ReplayGain spec is now outdated. The modern standard is EBU R128 / LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) . Tools like rsgain and the latest ffmpeg use this.
Your ears—and your amplifier's volume knob—will thank you. flac gain fix
If you performed your FLAC gain fix before 2015, you should re-do it. The new algorithm better matches human hearing across different genres (bass-heavy electronic music, treble-centric classical). | Symptom | Likely Cause | The Fix
If you have ever built a high-resolution digital music library, you have likely encountered a frustrating phenomenon: You are listening to a classic rock album from 1973, and the volume is perfect. The next track—perhaps a modern classical recording or a remastered pop song—either blasts you out of your chair or forces you to strain to hear the quiet parts. You reach for the volume knob (or the digital slider) multiple times per playlist. | The original ReplayGain spec is now outdated
For users of the format, this problem has a specific, elegant, and permanent solution. It is called ReplayGain , and the process of correcting broken or missing gain data is known colloquially as the "FLAC Gain Fix."