[ID3 Dev] questions regarding TBPM frame.

[darien]

hi there.

i have a quick question for this list ... i combed through the 
documents on id3.org, and even attempted to contact martin nilsson 
via email with my questions but never received a reply, and i am in 
need of some sort of answer, so i thought i would join the list and 
ask. i apologize if the information i'm asking for seems trivial or 
if it is indeed answered on the id3.org site and i just missed it.

my question primarily pertains to the id3v2.x TBPM frame.

as far as the TBPM frame is concerned, what is allowed, 
convention-wise, and what is deemed improper for data contained in 
this frame? ie, would the following types of BPM data be 'legal' 
within the convention of this frame:

12781
127.81

are there any limitations on this frame with regard to size, length, 
or type of data entered into this frame?

the reason why i am asking is this.

i am a user and beta tester for a piece of software called Traktor, 
which is basically a piece of software that allows you to DJ using 
mp3 files (as well as a myriad of other audio file types). the 
software, when importing mp3 files into the program, does analyzation 
of the file to create a 'stripe', which contains a representation of 
what the mp3's waveform looks like and so forth, and reads the id3 
tag for information about the song and puts that in its' database. at 
this point in time, when it reads the bpm data stored in the TBPM 
frame, if data longer than 3 digits exists or if a decimal place 
exists in the frame, the software rounds the BPM data contained in 
the frame off to three digits and then re-writes it to the tag itself.

ie:

if the data in the frame equals 13279, the software rounds the digits 
off to 133 and re-writes the rounded-off TBPM frame back into the tag.

i contend that this behaviour is wrong, as i do not like it rounding 
off my bpm data contained in the TBPM frame to 3-digit numbers -- i 
bothered to change them to reflect 10th and 100ths, and i'd like them 
to stay that way. i have tried to get the programmers of Traktor to 
fix the problem so that my frame data in the id3 tags i've spent 
hours working on aren't overwritten or messed with in anyway ... but 
the programmers seem to think that the id3v2.x standard doesn't 
support the frame data the way i've been entering it. the official 
word from them is :

"That's actually a problem with the id3 standard - it only supports 
integer BPM. so all editors, including traktor, that show higher 
precision use a custom tag and are thus not compatible with each other."

and

"a 5 digit bpm in the TBPM-frame is as far as i know non-standard. 
basically everyone can scale as he wishes which makes the so-called 
standard to a not-really-standard-at-all :("

every tag editor that i've ever used (DrTag+ and Tag and Rename being 
two of the ones i've tried) have all allowed me to enter 5 digits 
(with or without a decimal place, ie 132.78 or 13278) into the frame 
without a problem and there doesn't seem to be a limit that i can see.

so, my question is : what is the standard for the TBPM frame? are 
there any limitations?

any information would be greatly appreciated! i would really like 
them to fix it so my tags don't get clobbered anymore! :)

cheers and thanks in advance,

--darien!


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