HDCD CDs and transcoding

[PhilE]

(24-02-2021 22:33)vkshankar Wrote:  

(24-02-2021 18:45)simoncn Wrote:  You could add ReplayGain tags to the files you don't want to be reduced by 6 dB and use volume=replaygain=album or volume=replaygain=track in convOut.

FYI, you don't need -c:a pcm_s24le now that you have changed the transcoding output type to wav24.

Thanks. Will try this out.

I have a handful of HDCDs that I'd like to try through the FFmpeg filter. From web searches all of them have the PE flag enabled. The rest of my libray consists of 16/44 FLAC files which all have Replaygain tags.

My current settings are:
stream.converter = ffmpeg
stream.transcode = flac:wav24;
stream.options = convOut=-af volume=replaygain=track

Can you please tell me if I'm correct in thinking that:

1. FFmpeg hdcd filter will decode the FLACs ripped at 16 bit because they are being transcoded to 24bit, and therefore I shouldn't/don't need to encode them with HDCD DSP (available in dBPoweramp)

2. I should change stream.options to:

convOut=-af "hdcd, volume=replaygain=track"

3. The FLAC files from HDCD rips shouldn't have Replaygain tags as this would mean the playback volume will be adjusted twice: reduced by 6dB by hdcd filter AND plus or minus the Replaygain tag value? If that were the case it may happen if I had ripped some HDCDs that didn't advertise they were HDCD (but it's very unlikely I have any)

If needed my renderer is Volumio running on Raspberry Pi. I don't think it is capable of HDCD playback.

Thanks