[flac-dev] Gapless Support

[LRN]

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On 17.01.2012 12:44, Richard Schülein wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> 
> 
> i’m not part of the FLAC project, but i have a question regarding
> FLAC and Gapless support… I hope, I get an answer from some of you
> ;-)
> 
> We are currently try to add Gapless support on our device… If we
> rip an CD with our device, we can find out, that one track follow
> after another so we can
> 
> recognize, that the tracks are gapless or not.
> 
> But how can we find that out on already existing FLAC files (or
> other formats). Is there a marker inside the file, who tell me,
> that this
> 
> File is a gapless file? Also gapless make only sense, if you have
> the follow up file also…
> 
> 
> 
> Example:
> 
> 
> 
> CD
> 
> Track 1 not gapless
> 
> Track2 Gapless
> 
> Track 3 Gapless
> 
> Track 4 not gapless
> 
> 
> 
> If I rip now all 4 titles and play them later the player must know,
> that Song 1 is not gapless but Song2 and 3 “Fit” together.
> 
> What will happen, if I delete Song3…. Is the player playing now
> from Song2 to Song4 gapless, which is not correct…
> 
> 
> 
> Anybody a good description for me, how this is solved on FLAC?
> 
> 
AFAIK, gaplessness is the sole responsibility of the player.

How do you know *at all* that tracks 1 and 4 on that CD are not
gapless, but tracks 2 and 3 are?

Anyway, no matter where you get that info from, you can put arbitrary
metadata into FLAC files, including the information you need for
gaplessness.

Also note that many players support gapless playback. For audio files
that do not fit together it doesn't make a difference: one file ends
in a definitive fashion, then another one begins. Doesn't matter
whether they are played gaplessly or not. When files fit together,
gaplessness becomes apparent (if implemented). So most players usually
do gaplessness regardless. Of course, if you remove "Track 3" in your
example and try to play Track 4 after Track 2, gaplessness won't help.
But then again, it's not FLAC's problem, it's the problem of the user
removing 3rd track, and/or of the player not recognizing that tracks 2
and 4 don't fit (and even if player does recognize that - what would
it do? Skip Track 2?).
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