| 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 | The original ReplayGain spec is now outdated.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.
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." flac gain fix
Your ears—and your amplifier's volume knob—will thank you. | Symptom | Likely Cause | The Fix