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[m@Xist]

Hi everybody

Some oddity in MC 25.0.98 (64-bit). I have a USB drive attached to the host, which I use to sync some music with. My handheld conversion settings are:
- Mode: Specific output format
- Encoder: External Encoder or MP3 Encoder, ALAC (see below comments)
- Cover Art: No Change
- Apply DSP: False

What happens is that MC is not applying the currently set encoder/profile during sync action. This applies for both the internal and external encoders (dbPoweramp, etc.).

When I use the converter tool (Library Tool / Convert Format) everything works like a charm, no matter it is the internal or any external converter (for external converters the terminal pops up).

This occurs on both Windows and Mac version of MC.

Example a) Internal MP3 encoder.
When I choose MP3, the output files are MP3 but not with the currently set profile! For example choosing LAME CBR 320, the output files are not as per the settings but as per one previously (but not the last) defined once by myself. No matter what I then change on the converter settings, the resulting MP3 are 32 kbit. When I select ALAC, then the resulting files are ALAC. When I change back to MP3 and alter the profile, the resulting outputs are again 32 kbit.

Example b) External encoders, dbPowerAmp AAC or others.
No matter which one and which profile I choose, it seems like MC is not using that converter at all and just using the internal one, depending on the chosen file extension!

The attachments demonstrate the sync vs. the converter tool.

[BryanC]

Do you have the conversion cache enabled? If so, disable it. Otherwise it will just pull the matching file format from the cache, regardless of bitrate.

[m@Xist]

Thanks dude, you saved another endless evenings of analyzing the "root cause" for this (I lost already four nights trouble-shooting this arghhh).

Initially when this happened, I always blamed the external converters and my settings for this behavior, but when I realized that it's doing the same with the internal conversion, I was about to freak out.

I think the setting you mention is a bit unhappy. At least, the setting should be made available/visible in the Sync section.


Cheers

[BryanC]

Yes, I've always wanted more control over how MC uses the conversion cache. For example, when I transcode on-the-fly for Gizmo, I use the lowest MP3 bitrate setting available. When I sync my car USB drive I create very high quality MP3's with volume leveling DSP applied (since my car can't read Replaygain tags). When I sync my smartphone, I want the original file quality without volume leveling (to avoid transcoding). At present, the conversion cache will just incorporate the first created converted file and serve it for all successive hits on that file and its filetype.

A better option would be to store the encoder settings for each file in the conversion cache file or MC's hidden database, and only use that file if the requested bitrates and volume leveling (and other relevant) tags are the same. Those users with a lot of disk space for the conversion cache could choose to store separate copies of each file in the cache. Users with less disk space could continue to use the current behavior.