Editing Tag info

[DADSGETNDOWN]

Hello, boys and girls
I actually have a couple questions.
When editing Tag info of an mp3, do you always have to export as mp3 ?
which you also have to choose a quality. So if you save it as the same bitrate is there any
quality issues ?
I would like to edit the tags without having to recompile or export, something
that feels more like a "save", is that possible with Audacity or some other program ?

Here's a good one,
Take a MP3 at 128 Kbps for example.
then you save it as a better quality say 192 or whatever, the file size ofcourse is going to be
bigger, but,
(1) You start with a cruddy 128 so it can't be producing a better sound quality..?
(2) what does it do to get this bigger file size ? Just the bitrate itself ?

[steve]

When editing Tag info of an mp3, do you always have to export as mp3 ?

This is a bit of a "quirk" - Audacity 1.3.4 and earlier ask for Metetag data when you export, even for formats that do not support metatag data (such as WAV's). In version 1.3.5 you can switch off the prompt for metatag data.

I would like to edit the tags without having to recompile or export, something

Audacity is not the right tool for this - try Googling for "mp3 metatag editor" or something similar.

Take a MP3 at 128 Kbps for example.
then you save it as a better quality say 192 or whatever, the file size ofcourse is going to be
bigger, but,
(1) You start with a cruddy 128 so it can't be producing a better sound quality..?
(2) what does it do to get this bigger file size ? Just the bitrate itself ?

Crud in, crud out.
When you import an mp3 file into Audacity, it decompresses it into a high quality 32 bit float version. This may of course be very precise and high quality crud. When you export, Audacity, or more accurately "LAME", will encode this data as an MP3 with whatever parameters you have selected.

[waxcylinder]

You can edit MP3 metadata tags with Windows Explorer - just right click on the file name (or you can select a whole album or group of files) select Properties and edit, the page on the Summary tab.

WC

[DADSGETNDOWN]

Wow, I tried that but it didn't look like it would, the whole line was hilighted blue
but didn't open up for typing I actually had to hit a key first,
AFTER reading your post (below).
Thanks for the reply I gave yp on that when I thought it didn't work.

DO YOU know if that stays with the file no matter where it goes ?
or what's done with it.
I don't want to edit it and put on a an mp3 player or burn it to cd, or load it ina certain player and have it not work.

You can edit MP3 metadata tags with Windows Explorer - just right click on the file name (or you can select a whole album or group of files) select Properties and edit, the page on the Summary tab.
WC

[waxcylinder]

Yes indeed the tag stays with the MP3 wherever it goes - I have two iTunes libraries on two different PCs and an iPod - and the tag data remains with any MP3s that I distribute across these platforms - plus my son gets occasional MP3 copies from me for his iTunes - and he gets the tags ok too.

The tags actually form part of the MP3 file - so travel with it ...

WC

[DADSGETNDOWN]

So when you use a tag editor of any kind, that does not mess with the sound quality or format
or anything like that ?
It just edits the header and whatever else but leaves the rest alone I guess.
I found a decent yet small "probably could use ona USB". 281KB tag editor called,
mp3tagtools from sourceforge, through cnet downloads.
Has everything I can think of, ID3 v1 and 2, lyrics, pictures of every sort from front and back
covers, to other about 20 different choices to tagging different photos.
And much, much more, it is the only one I have used.
Oh here's something, what tags and or tag reading are most common by programs and players
these days ? ID3V1, 1.2, 2 ? or wahtever they are.
what is the difference ?
I am having a small problem with a file and ID3 1.2 or 2.