On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:19:24 -0400, NRen2k5 wrote:

Unfortunately that volume reduction is probably achieved digitally by
just throwing away bits, which is a bad thing.

It doesn't throw away bits. What it does is it changes "global gain"
values. Doing so is totally lossless and reversible.

But, while it is happening, the system is throwing away bits.


Anyway do you WANT
everything reduced to the level of the quietest? You then have to
apply more amplification, bringing noise levels up.

So?

You don't see that as undesirable?


And you don't have to reduce them to the level of the quietest. What you
can do is apply "track gain" so that all the songs are a certain volume,
for example 89dB, and then use "constant gain" to bring the volume of
every song up or down by the same amount.

I had a look, and I can't see how the device works without modifying
dynamic range - but even if it works by lowering... you have another
valid 'yuk' point.

MP3Gain doesn't touch dynamic range.

Of course it does. The noise floor of the playback system isn't going
to go away. Reducing signal level will bring peaks nearer to the
noise floor, i.e. reduce dynamic range.