EarTea Articles
Practical notes on lossless audio, music metadata, and organising a personal library: written while building EarTea.
Why Music Metadata Is Always a Mess (and How to Fix It)
Titles without capitals, one artist spelled three ways, an album split into five. Here is why it happens and how to fix it without starting over.
FLAC, ALAC, WavPack, APE: Which One Should You Use?
Four popular lossless formats compared on device support, compression ratio, speed, and the long-term safety of your library.
Cover Art: Sizes, Formats, and How to Store It Properly
A 4000-pixel album cover bloats your collection for no benefit. A practical guide to sensible sizes, formats, and storage.
LRC Files: How Lyrics That Follow the Song Actually Work
The LRC format stores lyrics with timestamps. An explanation of the format, the difference between line-level and word-level timing, and how to build your own.
Backing Up a Music Collection: A Simple Strategy You Will Actually Follow
The 3-2-1 rule, storage media options, and how to back up a large music collection without making the process so tedious that you abandon it.
How Computers Recognise a Song From Its Sound Alone
Acoustic fingerprinting lets a song be identified without reading its title. A plain explanation of how AcoustID and MusicBrainz work together.
Organising a Local Music Collection: A Folder Structure That Stays Sane
Folder structure, file naming, and the simple habits that keep a collection of thousands of songs tidy for years.
Why Keep Your Own Music Files in the Streaming Era?
Streaming is convenient, but its catalogue can change at any moment. The real reasons people still maintain a personal music collection.
Why Volume Varies Between Songs (and How to Even It Out)
One song is quiet, the next one slams. An explanation of the loudness war, ReplayGain, and how to make your collection sound balanced.
How to Tell Real FLAC From Fake FLAC
FLAC converted from MP3 stays large but the quality never comes back. Four signs you can check yourself.
Hi-Res Audio Explained: What Those Numbers Actually Mean
Sample rate and bit depth measure two completely different things. A plain explanation, and an honest answer on whether Hi-Res really sounds better.