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[-alvin-]

Sorry if this has been answered before, but I've done some Googling and can't seem to find the answer.

I've got MC 21+ and need to export a particular playlist across with Volume Leveling and Adaptive Volume included on to an iPod Touch 2nd gen and an iPhone 4 to be played at a function.

The transfer side all works fine, but my music library on the PC has stuff from everywhere and levels are all over the place hence the need to control the levels.

So, before transferring (and just for the time being) I've created a new separate folder and converted all the music I've chosen from my library for this playlist and put it in this temp folder as mp3's.

I've then audio analyzed all the files in that folder.

I've then set the DSP to Adaptive Volume and Adaptive Leveling.

The files play reasonably well now on the PC and the DSP seems to be doing an acceptable job, but I need to now send this playlist across to both the iTouch and iPhone with the same audio levels controlled by MC's leveling in DSP.

After exporting the playlist across to the iTouch and iPhone and then playing it back on an amp from these devices, it doesn't sound the same as on the PC and there are tracks that are still at different levels.

I'm obviously doing this the wrong way.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

[~OHM~]

I'm pretty sure that those settings are MC only. In other words you need to play from MC to get the DSP settings, I could be wrong, if so a guru will stop by and let us know....good luck

[blgentry]

In theory, this is the option you want:

Device Options (of your handheld sync definition) > Conversion > Audio > Apply DSP
Then click the DSP settings button and check the settings you want "baked in" to your synced files.

I say "in theory" because I've read some rather long discussions about volume leveling doing weird stuff when applied to files for handheld sync.  Give it a try and see; it should work.  Good luck.

Brian.

[-alvin-]

Thanks guys for coming back so quickly.

Ahhh, sorry Brian I'm having a brain fart this morning.
I've had MC for many years. but only use a few of it's abilities and your terminology didn't click when you said... 'Device Options (of your handheld sync definition)'

Do you mean in MC 22 to go to Tools > Options > Handheld >  Conversion > Tick the 'Apply DSP box?

[-alvin-]

Ah, forgot, you mention to 'bake in' the DSP settings.

I've got them selected when any of the tracks play, but does that mean they will also automatically go with the export because i've selected the 'DSP' box in the Handheld > Conversion?

I've also clicked the DSP settings symbol > Playback Options > Volume and ticked the Volume Protection Box.

Other than that I'm not sure how to 'Bake in' these settings for export?

Regards, Alvin

[blgentry]

when you said... 'Device Options (of your handheld sync definition)'

Do you mean in MC 22 to go to Tools > Options > Handheld >  Conversion > Tick the 'Apply DSP box?

Yes.  That's one way.  Just make sure to select the proper handheld profile (definition) at the top of that dialog box.  You should see a list of all of your handhelds there in a pulldown list.

Brian.

[blgentry]

Ah, forgot, you mention to 'bake in' the DSP settings.

I've got them selected when any of the tracks play, but does that mean they will also automatically go with the export because i've selected the 'DSP' box in the Handheld > Conversion?

The playback options are different from the Handheld Sync options.  The playback options are in Player > DSP Studio.  This is what you hear when you play a song in MC.

The Handheld Sync options are in the Tools > Options > Handheld area we were just talking  about.  I'm using the term "bake in" to mean:  Apply DSP settings on Handheld sync, such that these DSP options are present in the files that are created.

It's really processing the files to change their volume levels, etc, making a new and different file.  Which I believe is what you want.

Brian.

[-alvin-]

Thanks for all this Brian,
All understood regarding what's actually happening with the files, but just one hitch, the drop down box in the 'Handheld' section only shows an attached memory card i've got plugged in at the moment and not the iTouch.

Even though the iTouch is showing up in my standard file explorer (and that's only pointing to the storage portion on the iTouch) and in my MC export options, there is no showing in the drop down box to choose this device as a 'hand held definition'!

I do have a choice on the right to 'Check any that should be included in your sync' and I'm guessing that I should of course tick the box  next to the playlist I want to apply the DSP settings to, but I can't see what's required to point to the iTouch and of course, if I want to send this also to my iPhone, the playlist has to be exported via File > Export to iTunes and iPhone, so how do I align this setting then if I can't apply it to a device?

Thanks, Alvin

[blgentry]

Handheld Sync can be a little fiddly.  I only do this with the Mac version of MC, so my advice might not be the best.  I find that attaching the handheld *first* and then starting MC *after* gives me the best chance of MC seeing the handheld.

Once you get MC to see your handheld, you can just click on it in the left navigation area under drives and devices.  Once you've clicked on it, you'll see an options button in the main part of the window near the top.  Click that and you'll get all of those options that you see through the Tools > Options > Handhelds area.

That way you can be sure that you are applying these settings to your handheld.  ...and of course, you MUST have MC recognize the handheld at some point, otherwise you can't ever sync.

Brian.

[-alvin-]

Thanks Brian,
Sorry for the delay but I've been caught up with chores.

Ok, a couple of things.
Some time back now it was problem free for MC to recognise the iTouch as a device (which is marked as an iPod anyway) therefore allowing direct viewing and syncing from the device.

I've (from some point in the past) ALWAYS had a pita time trying to even get the iTouch to be recognised by Windows and even though it now does show up and connects to Win 10, it does NOT show up anymore as a device in MC, hence no direct viewing and syncing, so I'm either forced to use the 'File > Export to iTunes or iPhone' route (which for some reason does work) using the 'supplied by Apple' SDK... or another method.

Thanks to your advice I've had a good look at the controls you've suggested and they all make sense now that I've had a play.

After your advice and my reading I'm of the opinion (and please correct me here if I've got this wrong) that running any DSP settings, while they may be applied in real time to Playlist while running in MC, they do not necessarily travel with a Playlist when you 'Export to iTunes & iPhone', rendering the whole exercise useless anyway!

But, if you (as you pointed out previously) do a 'Send to'... with your Playlist to a device, you automatically get a choice of being able to run a number of functions downstream of your Playlist as it's now really being exported with these functions burnt in!

So, I've created a new folder on my HDD as a landing zone for my exported & modified Playlists out of MC,  then in 'Tools > Options > Handheld' I've added this new folder as a device in 'Add device'.

Then either (as you said) you can set up the parameters while in that 'Options' box, or simply go straight to the particular Playlist you want to export, right click, choose 'Send To > Drives & Devices >' and choose your newly registered folder as the 'device'.

MC then creates in the 'Action' window below a box labelled with your 'device/hard drive folder/or whatever' and using the 'Options' button, you now have the ability to choose any or all the functions you need apply to your music as it exports out of MC.

In my case it wasn't just volume leveling, I also needed to convert a number of my tracks from .ape and other file types to .mp3 as the iPod is limited in what it can play, so I set up the 'convert all to .mp3' parameters too.

Once all the things you want to add or alter have been selected after hitting the 'Options' button, you then press the big 'Transfer' button and everything goes across modified as you've selected to your new temp folder.

Then from there it's a simple matter (even though it's unfortunately a 3 step operation) of opening up iTunes, go to 'File > Add Folder to Library' and select your temp folder with the exported Playlist and voila, it imports with all the modifications (I believe (;->).

The rest is history as iTunes recognises even the Playlist name and adds it as another Playlist and you then just drag and drop your new Playlist on to your iPod/iTouch/iPhone after that (;->

So, apologies Brian for the novel, but thought I needed to say thanks and add my journey for anyone else if it's of some use.

Thanks again... Alvin

[blgentry]

I've (from some point in the past) ALWAYS had a pita time trying to even get the iTouch to be recognised by Windows and even though it now does show up and connects to Win 10, it does NOT show up anymore as a device in MC, hence no direct viewing and syncing, so I'm either forced to use the 'File > Export to iTunes or iPhone' route (which for some reason does work) using the 'supplied by Apple' SDK... or another method.

Yeah, ipod support in MC is very selective as Apple changed things several times, which made it essentially impossible for MC's programmers to support all of the ipods.  It works with older ones, but not with newer ones.  While I *am* an Apple fan (I'm typing this on a Mac), I've pretty much given up on ipods, iphones, etc as music devices.  I'm now using a fairly customized Android device as a music player and I'm pretty happy with it.  Though it did take a huge amount of effort to build it and get it working the way I wanted.  Anyway...

After your advice and my reading I'm of the opinion (and please correct me here if I've got this wrong) that running any DSP settings, while they may be applied in real time to Playlist while running in MC, they do not necessarily travel with a Playlist when you 'Export to iTunes & iPhone', rendering the whole exercise useless anyway!

I'm not familiar with how Export to Itunes does it's job or what controls it does or does not have.  If it doesn't have an Options section like Handheld Sync does, then I think you're right:  It won't bake in DSP settings as you want it to.

But, if you (as you pointed out previously) do a 'Send to'... with your Playlist to a device, you automatically get a choice of being able to run a number of functions downstream of your Playlist as it's now really being exported with these functions burnt in!

I never use "send to"; I make handheld sync definitions and check off Playlists in the configuration of the handheld.  I *think* the functionality is equivalent; just stating what I do because I've never done the send to thing with handhelds.

So, I've created a new folder on my HDD as a landing zone for my exported & modified Playlists out of MC,  then in 'Tools > Options > Handheld' I've added this new folder as a device in 'Add device'.

This is a great workaround for a lot of handheld sync problems.  I'm glad it's working for you.    ...and glad you've got an overall working solution.  Good job!

Brian.