I hardly ever download mp3, I prefer FLAC. So when I find hard to find albums, I don't mind if it takes a day or two.

Likewise, patience is a virtue when seeking harder to find material.
I share over 380 flac files nowadays. I'm sure that will get up to 500 before end of year. I sometimes give choice between both mp3 or flac, depending on the person's own preference. Some of my flac are less than half the size of original aif files, the rest 55-65% of original uncompressed size. I also id3 tag all my flacs.

Oh no, never ever ID3-tag FLAC files. Use Vorbis comment which won't mess with some hardware players and will allow retagging. E.g. Tag&Rename will read the vorbis not ID3, but Foobar2000 will allow the ID3 to override + in perfect rips. ID3-tag might even mess with a perfect burn i.e. not a source=copy. Source being the actual physical CD first ripped.

I missed that article. Do you have links to such expert information that pours acid on taggers that add information to flac files?
I use Media Rage to add tags to different types of files. Media Rage

I could just as easily go back to using Apple Lossless. Just limits who can use them. If FLAC is so affected by tags, then it was definitely a mistake to start using FLAC. It shows FLAC's limitations compared to Apple Lossless that players or burners should be affected by such minor issues as tag information. :rolleyes: iTunes cannot play FLAC for example which is my main player.

From version changes: What's New in 3.4? Release Date 2008.03.14

- [Feature] Added support for the Vorbis/Flac comments "ALBUMSORT" and "ARTISTSORT" using by SlimServer devices.

What's New in 2.3? Release Date 2005-12-21

- [Feature] Support viewing/editing the COMPILATION comment in Ogg Vorbis and FLAC files.

BTW it might also depend on FLAC version.

The problem is many encoders add vorbis and ID3 cause problems.

EAC Setup Guide

This is the official ripping guide for any site that has proper FLAC

As for the Foobar2000 it's personal experience after having edited the tags on 100s of badly tagged rips in Tag&Rename. As well as trying it out myself by checking that option. As for exactly what players can't play or display ID3 I don't know or care. I just make sure to follow that guide except for naming scheme.

I do everything Tracknumber - Title or Tracknumber - Artist - Title for various artists CD's. Also I name the folder Artist - Album (Year) [FLAC] {Other info e.g. catalog number} as per Pedro's and E naming scheme rules. I can't link to that.

I would find some more extensive discussion on it if I wasn't going out. But I'm sure you would find something about it on Hydrogenaudio.

iTunes can play FLAC, but I have no idea if it's by using some plugin or if it's only in Windows or anything like that.

Edit: What better place to find answers than the actual FLAC FAQ:

http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html#general__tagging

I noticed in all the changes with FLAC in the tagger I use, same changes were made with Vorbis in same sentence (there was a few other mentions other than I quoted). I don't know if my tagger does use extra id3 tagging, but do recall they removed one option for tagging FLAC to comply with FLAC changes.
Windows only guide lol :D Unfortunately my tagger does not specify or give options about whether it is using vorbis comments or id3 tag.
I'd like to know more about that. There was Ogg Vorbis works done for mac osx for each of iTunes & QuickTime. However work has not been continued on those projects in a few years at least. I used the vorbis plug-in option for iTunes on my previous mac.
Many programs have limitations of some sort or another. Looks like Foobar2000 has some limitations of its own. Lack of foresight in their programming.

As I hinted at earlier, there are apparently different versions of FLAC. Perhaps the earlier version encoders cannot cope with the added information (earlier version flac libraries). I use Switch for my encoding. I can say Toast Titanium, the best burner program for Mac appears to have no problem with my FLAC files (just tried burning some.)

But points taken. :)

Yeah, I know Windows only sucks, but a program for Mac called CDParanoia should do the trick on a Mac.

For years and years Mac could not do Proper FLAC, but now with the Intel engines and ability to install EAC on a Mac (by using switches), there should be no problems.

It gives me a link to Max, which I already have. lol :D I previously listed Max on alternate audio program section for OSX. It reads the flac tags/comments I'd already added with Media Rage.

BTW did you see FLAC - download where Media Rage is listed at the official FLAC site. :eek: :rolleyes: :rofl:
Quote from FLAC site: And there you are jumping down my throat about me using Media Rage to tag FLAC files.
It also mentions Toast Titanium.

It does not mention Switch, however I only use it for converting.

I never said Media Rage was bad for tagging files or jumped down anyones throat. I just said FLAC files should not be ID3 tagged.