-----------------------------------
----==== Unofficial.FLAC.Standard.Rules v2.1 ====----
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Due to the ambiguous nature of the current rules, it's time to revise and |
| add some additional rules. For further clarification check changelog. |
| |
| NOTE: The definitions of these keywords are to be interpreted as follows: |
| MUST=obligatory (release not allowed if rule not followed) |
| SHOULD=suggested (release allowed if not followed) |
| CAN+MAY=optional (release allowed if not followed) |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| GENERAL |
| 1.1 Valid filetypes are: .cue, .flac, .jpg, .log, .m3u, .nfo and .sfv. |
| .1 A release MUST contain an SFV, NFO, and JPG. |
| .2 A release MAY contain CUE and LOG files from a CD source. |
| 1.2 Valid media sources are: BLURAY, CD, DVD, HDDVD and VINYL. |
| .1 A release is not allowed to combine multiple sources. |
| 1.3 Trackfix is NOT allowed. Bad quality rip requires a repack and MUST |
| include the ADDITIONAL tag -REPACK- or -RERIP- (rule 4.6). |
| 1.4 Bad quality rip means: |
| .1 One or more tracks are incomplete or contain an audio defect such as |
| skipping, popping, or crackling. Defects that occur during the |
| production or mastering process of the disc are unavoidable and |
| cannot be nuked (eg. digital clipping). In such cases, the ripper MAY |
| include a LOG from EAC proving the defect is due to the disc itself. |
| .2 The tracks are distorted and constantly clipping (eg. vinyl rips). |
| .3 The tracks contain constant hissing (eg. vinyl rips). |
| .4 The tracks are low volume sounding or mono from a stereo source. |
| 1.5 Directories and filenames have a limit of 128 characters and MUST |
| contain only valid characters: a-z A-Z 0-9 _ . - () |
| .1 You MUST replace directories that contain regional characters with |
| their respective corresponding English alphabet characters when |
| applicable. |
| .2 You SHOULD replace tracks that contain regional characters with their |
| respective corresponding English alphabet characters when applicable. |
| CD-Tag contains a bug which prevents these regional characters from |
| displaying properly. |
| NOTE: Regional characters and their required English character translation |
| can be found at http://www.immi.gov.au/helptexts/elodgement/elp-h0015. |
| 1.6 CD releases (including mixed CD) MUST be ripped as separated tracks, |
| according to the CD's Table of Contents, unless the CD contains only |
| one track. |
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| DUPES |
| 2.1 The following dupe rules exist for all sources without exception: |
| .1 BLURAY does not dupe any other source except HDDVD. |
| .2 HDDVD does not dupe any other source except BLURAY. |
| .3 CD does not dupe any other source except BLURAY and HDDVD. |
| .4 DVD does dupe every other source. |
| .5 VINYL does dupe every other source. |
| 2.2 A release MUST have all its audio tracks included in one single release. |
| Bonus material, such as bonus tracks or bonus discs, or any other subset |
| of tracks cannot be released by itself. Tracks that contain all silence |
| MAY be excluded from the release, but note should be made in the NFO. |
| 2.3 A release MUST not have all its tracks included in ONE previous release. |
| 2.4 A release MUST not be identical to ANY previous release(s). |
| 2.5 A multi-disc release MUST not be identical to ANY previous release(s). |
| 2.6 A release is not a dupe under these conditions: |
| .1 Previous release has different mastering, even if different quality. |
| Example: 2014 Remaster vs. 2004 Remaster, Remaster vs. Non-Remaster. |
| .2 Previous release has different tracklist. |
| Note: Silence before or after a track resulting in differences of |
| tracklength is not allowed. |
| .3 Previous release has a different version of one or more tracks. |
| Example: Edited, Explicit, Remixed, Live, etc. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ENCODING |
| 3.1 Encoding settings: |
| .1 MUST encode using FLAC 1.2.1 or 1.2.1b. |
| .1 MUST encode using --compression-level-8 option. |
| .2 SHOULD encode using --verify option. |
| .4 MUST NOT encode using --replay-gain or any other setting which |
| alters audio quality. |
| 3.2 Encoding quality: |
| .1 MUST encode using 44.100 Hz / 16 bit LPCM (2.0) for CD. |
| .2 MUST encode using 96.000 Hz / 24 bit LPCM (2.0) for VINYL. |
| 3.3 DVD settings: |
| .1 Audio source MUST be LPCM. |
| .2 Channels, Bits per Sample, and Sample Frequency MUST be kept. |
| .3 MUST contain all its music tracks. Additional tracks such as |
| interviews or clips are not required but MAY be included. |
| .4 NFO MUST contain Source Codec, Source Bitrate, and Source Channels. |
| 3.4 HDDVD/BLURAY settings: |
| .1 Highest quality audio source MUST be used. Audio source priority is: |
| 1. DTS-HD Master Audio |
| 2. Dolby TrueHD |
| 3. LPCM |
| .2 Channels, Bits per Sample, and Sample Frequency MUST be kept. |
| .3 Releases with multiple files of the same playlist index MUST be |
| encoded together in the same order as the playlist index. |
| .4 MUST contain all its music tracks. Additional tracks such as |
| interviews or clips are not required. |
| .5 NFO MUST contain Source Codec, Source Bitrate, and Source Channels. |
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| RELEASE NAME |
| 4.1 Mandatory directory structure: |
| - Artist-Title-SOURCE-FLAC-YEAR-GROUP |
| - Artist-Title-LANG-SOURCE-FLAC-YEAR-GROUP |
| - Artist-Title-LANG-TYPE-SOURCE-FLAC-YEAR-GROUP |
| - Artist-Title-(CATALOGUE)-LANG-ADDITIONAL-SOURCE-FLAC-YEAR-GROUP |
| - Artist-Title-(CATALOGUE)-LANG-TYPE-SOURCE-FLAC-YEAR-GROUP |
| - Artist-Title-(CATALOGUE)-LANG-ADDITIONAL-TYPE-SOURCE-FLAC-YEAR-GROUP |
| 4.2 Directory MUST contain Artist, Title, Source, Year, and Group. |
| .1 ARTIST means performer, composer, band, or musician. It MUST be a |
| unique name, OST isn't a valid artist. If artist can't be identified, |
| "Unknown" or "Unknown Artist" MAY be used. Compilations with Various |
| Artists MUST use "VA" as ARTIST. Various Artists is considered 4 or |
| more separate artists in one release. |
| .2 TITLE means the actual title of the album. It MUST be a unique name, |
| Self-titled is not a valid title. If title can't be identified, |
| "Unknown" MAY be used. |
| 4.3 Catalogue number MAY be used but is not required. |
| 4.4 Valid SOURCE tags (MUST be Uppercase): |
| .1 BLURAY (eg. 2BLURAY, 3BLURAY) |
| .2 HDDVD (eg. 2HDDVD, 3HDDVD) |
| .3 CD, CDS, CDM, CDEP, MCD, CDR, CDRS, CDREP (eg. 2CD, 3CDS) |
| .4 DVD (eg. 2DVD, 3DVD) |
| .5 VINYL, VLS, LP, MLP, EP, INCH_VINYL (eg. 2VINYL, 3LP, 4INCH_VINYL) |
| 4.5 Valid TYPE tags: |
| - Advance, Bonus, Bootleg, Clean, Collectors_Edition |
| - <country> (eg. JP_Retail, US_Reissue) |
| - Deluxe_Edition, Demo, Digipak, Explicit |
| - Limited_Edition, Limted_Deluxe_Edition, Ltd_Edition |
| - MAG, OST, Promo, Reissue, Remastered, Retail |
| - Sampler, Special_Edition, Split, Unmastered |
| .1 TYPE tags are not case sensitive, but MAG and OST MUST be uppercase. |
| .2 Import editions MUST use the country where the release originated |
| (eg. UK_Retail). Using the continent is not allowed (eg. EU_Retail). |
| .3 Multiple TYPE tags MUST be separated by using an underscore. |
| 4.6 Mandatory TYPE tags (when applicable): |
| - Bootleg, Clean, Demo, MAG, OST |
| - Reissue, Remastered, Split, Unmastered |
| .1 You MUST use Explicit TYPE if Clean edition is already released. |
| .2 If previous release exists, you MUST use TYPE tag to differentiate |
| your release (eg. Deluxe_Edition or US_Retail). |
| 4.7 Valid ADDITIONAL tags (MUST be Uppercase): |
| - DIRFIX, NFOFIX, PROPER, READNFO, REPACK, RERIP, REAL and CUEFIX. |
| .1 When ADDITIONAL tag is used, NFO MUST mention the release name being |
| updated or replaced. |
| .2 When PROPER tag is used, NFO MUST mention the reason for the proper. |
| 4.8 LANGUAGE MUST be an Uppercase 2-letter country code based on the |
| official ccTLD database at http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/. |
| .1 LANGUAGE tag MUST be used for releases in which 50% or more tracks |
| feature vocals not in English. |
| .2 For tracks which have vocals featuring two or more different |
| non-English languages, you MUST use the language that is heard on the |
| majority of the tracks. |
| 4.9 Spaces in artists or titles SHOULD be replaced with underscores. |
| Punctuation in artist or title such as commas, periods, dashes, or |
| slashes SHOULD be kept as close as they appear on the cover, booklet, or |
| medium. Brackets MUST be clearly seen in the proof image in order to be |
| used in artist or title tags. |
| 4.10 Internal releases MUST be tagged as GROUP_iNT or GROUP_INT and MUST |
| follow FLAC rules. Internal releases MUST not dupe any existing release |
| less than or equal to 732 days old. |
| 4.11 YEAR tag MUST be when the label or artist officially published the |
| release. For non-original presses, you MUST use the year in which the |
| album was re-released. |
| 4.12 Typos where the artist or title is in English are NOT allowed. DIRFIX |
| MUST be used to correct the release name. |
| .1 Artists and titles that are not in English MUST not be translated. |
| English alphabet characters MUST be used to replace regional |
| characters when applicable (rule 1.5). |
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| FILENAME |
| 5.1 Filename MUST contain Track number, Track artist, and Track title. |
| 5.2 All filenames (including SFV, NFO, and JPG) MUST be lowercase. |
| 5.3 Track artists and track titles MUST be kept as close as they appear |
| on the back cover, booklet, or medium. Additional information such as |
| featured artist, remix, live, demo, or bonus track MUST be kept in the |
| track title if present on the back cover, booklet, or medium. Additional |
| information that appears ONLY online SHOULD be used when available, but |
| can't be nuked when not used. |
| .1 Multiple typos are not tolerated. If a release contains 3 or more |
| typos in its filenames, then the release must be repacked and is subject |
| to a proper from another group. |
| 5.4 Filename structure MUST be: |
| - number-artist-title.flac |
| - number-artist-title-repack.flac |
| - number-artist-title-rerip.flac |
| OR: |
| - number-artist-title-group.flac |
| - number-artist-title_(live).flac |
| - number-artist-title_(remix).flac |
| - number-artist-title_(featured_artists).flac |
| - a1-artist-title.flac |
| - b2-artist-title.flac |
| 5.5 Group name suffix (-group) MAY be used but is not recommended. |
| 5.6 REPACK and RERIP releases MUST contain the -repack or -rerip suffix for |
| all .flac files. |
| 5.7 Various Artists releases MUST contain actual artists in its filenames. |
| "VA" or "Various Artists" is not a valid artist. |
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| VORBIS TAGS |
| 6.1 FLAC files MUST contain only unique Vorbis comments. |
| 6.2 Vorbis comment field contents use UTF-8 character encoding to allow easy |
| representation of any language. It is recommended to use UTF-8 in field |
| contents to ensure accurate tagging. |
| 6.3 Mandatory Vorbis comment fields to fill in: |
| - TRACKNUMBER, ARTIST, TITLE, ALBUM, GENRE, and DATE (YYYY). |
| .1 "Vendor_String" field MUST display the correct lib FLAC version. |
| .2 Various Artists releases MUST have a valid ARTIST field for each |
| track, using "VA" or "Various Artists" is not valid ARTIST field. |
| .3 FLAC files MUST not have two separate ARTIST field names. |
| 6.4 FLAC picture block (METADATA_BLOCK_PICTURE) MUST be empty. |
| 6.5 GENRE field MUST be the same for every track in a release. |
| You MUST use one of the genres listed in the id3 specification list at |
| http://www.id3.org/id3v2.3.0#Appendix_A_-_Genre_List_from_ID3v1. |
| .1 You MAY also use additional genres 125-147: |
| - Goa, Drum & Bass, Club-House, Hardcore, Terror, Indie, BritPop |
| - Negerpunk, Polsk Punk, Beat, Christian Gangsta Rap, Heavy Metal |
| - Black Metal, Crossover, Contemporary Christian, Christian Rock |
| - Merengue, Salsa, Thrash Metal, Anime, JPop, Synthpop |
| .2 You MUST NOT use the following genres: |
| - Alt. Rock, Folk/Rock, Pop/Funk, Unknown |
| .3 'Psychadelic' MUST be used in place of 'Psychedelic' except with |
| 'Psychedelic Rock'. |
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| ADVANCE/PROMO |
| 7.1 ADVANCE and PROMO releases are not available at retail stores and are |
| labeled with 'Advance' and/or 'Promotional'. Possessing a release before |
| its retail date does not automatically mean that it's an advance. |
| 7.2 ADVANCE and PROMO releases that contain voiceovers, silence, or cuts are |
| not allowed to be released. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| BOOTLEG |
| 8.1 A bootleg is a release or recording not officially released by the |
| artist or label. |
| 8.2 Conditions for bootleg releases: |
| - NOT officially released by the artist or label. |
| - NO confirmation that the release is valid by the artist or label. |
| - NO direct connection to the artist's label. |
| - NO legitimate label distributing the release. |
| - NOT available for purchase at three valid retail stores. |
| 8.3 Valid retail stores (Private sellers are NOT allowed: |
| - www.amazon.com |
| - www.boomkat.com |
| - www.bestbuy.com |
| - www.cduniverse.com |
| - www.decks.de |
| - www.deejay.de |
| - www.hmv.com |
| - www.juno.co.uk |
| - www.sonymusicstore.com |
| - www.virgin.com |
| - www.ukdancerecords.com |
| - www.walmart.com |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PROOF |
| 9.1 Release MUST contain a proof camera picture in JPG format. |
| 9.2 Proof picture MUST contain all medium(s) and cover(s) together. |
| Booklet, insert, or promo sheet MAY be substituted if cover is not |
| available. Artist, title, and/or tracklist MUST be clearly readable. |
| 9.3 Material that could expose your identity MAY be blurred or blackended. |
| No other types of picture editing are allowed except cropping. |
| 9.4 Proof picture MUST contain small piece of GRPTAG paper photographed |
| physically over the medium(s) and/or cover(s). Actual group name of the |
| release MUST be inscribed on the paper. Size of the grptag paper MUST |
| be smaller than the medium(s). |
| 9.5 Medium and grouptag alone MAY be used for advance, promo, or demo |
| releases in which no cover, booklet, or insert exists. |
| 9.6 Proof picture resolution MUST be at least 800x600. |
| 9.7 Prooffix is not allowed. Missing proof, wrong resolution, or any other |
| violation of the proof rules requires a repack. |
| NOTE: You SHOULD remove all EXIF data. Information such as the camera serial |
| number or GPS coordinates is a potential security risk if not removed. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| CHANGELOG: |
| |
| 2011-10-03 first version (v1.0) |
| 2011-10-10 rule 1.10 with NOTE added to forbid single file+cue unless |
| source is single track with index. |
| 2011-10-10 rule 3.5.1 added (explanation for TYPE tag). |
| 2011-10-10 rule 3.8.1 added (explanation for ARTIST and TITLE tags). |
| 2011-10-10 rule 5.1 adjusted |
| 2011-10-10 rule 5.5 adjusted |
| 2011-10-10 rule 5.5.1 added |
| 2012-05-15 GENERAL section 1.0 splited. |
| 2012-05-15 rule 1.3 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 1.4 adjusted and NOTES removed. |
| 2012-05-15 DUPES section created 2.0 |
| 2012-05-15 rule 3.1 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 3.2 encoding setting changed. |
| 2012-05-15 rule 3.3 DVD encoding audio settings. |
| 2012-05-15 rule 3.4 HDDVD/BLURAY encoding audio settings. |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.1 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.2 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.4 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.5 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.6 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.7 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.10 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 4.12 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 5.3 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 5.4 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 5.6 created |
| 2012-05-15 rule 5.7 created |
| 2012-05-15 rule 6.1 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 6.2 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 6.4 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 rule 6.5 adjusted |
| 2012-05-15 PROMO/BOOTLEG section splited. |
| 2012-05-15 rule 8.4 created |
| 2012-05-15 ADVANCE/PROMO created. |
| 2014-04-15 rule 1.4.1 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 1.5.1 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 1.5.2 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 2.1 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 2.2 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 2.3 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 2.4 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 2.5 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 2.6 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.1 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.5 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.5.1 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.5.2 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.5.3 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.6 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.6.1 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.6.2 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.7 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.7.2 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.8 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.8.1 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.8.2 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.9 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.10 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 4.11 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 5.3 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 5.3.1 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 5.4 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 6.2 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 6.3 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 6.4 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 6.5.1 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 6.5.2 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 6.5.3 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 7.2 removed |
| 2014-04-15 rule 8.2 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 8.4 removed |
| 2014-04-15 rule 9.1 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 9.2 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 9.3 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 9.4 adjusted |
| 2014-04-15 rule 9.5 added |
| 2014-04-15 rule 9.6 adjusted |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+