Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[brettja]

Just bought a new CD player, amp and speakers and then noticed on iTunes that the volume was flat, ie, unchanging when compared to the CD.

Does MC16 do the same thing?  I've downloaded the trial version but ran out of time before being able to properly test.

[Vocalpoint]

Just bought a new CD player, amp and speakers and then noticed on iTunes that the volume was flat, ie, unchanging when compared to the CD.

Does MC16 do the same thing?  I've downloaded the trial version but ran out of time before being able to properly test.

By "cropping" do you mean "leveling"? As in Replay Gain? Then yes - MC can calculate and insert replay gain on several well known file types like MP3, FLAC etc....I swear by it here to keep my entire library in check and keep playback volume between disparate albums consistent.

MC can calculate the values and insert the values and then you must go to Tools->Options-Audio->Settings->DSP Settings and enable Volume Leveling enabled to "read" the gain data and playback each track with a consistent level.

Cheers,

VP

[brettja]

Thanks VP, however, from your answer I think we're meaning different things.

What I'm hearing through iTunes is a lack of volume change within a track when compared to the CD's output; I'm concerned that the same thing will happen with MC16.

[Trumpetguy]

My understanding of your question is that you wonder if MC give the same dynamic range as your cd player. From my experience (based on my ears), it does. There is no difference in dynamics compared to my old (and quite good) cd player. As a matter of fact, MC sounds much better, but that is becuase I now have a far better DAC connected to my pc than the ones used before in my cd players. And bit perfect harddisk flac rips of my old cds to avoid real time correction algorithms in the cd player. I have of course no volume normalization in the signal chain.

I can not understand why iTunes should sound dynamically compressed either, except if you 1) have heavily lossy compressed music files or 2) use volume normalization or 3) use a crappy DAC and hook up e.g. a laptop using minijack analog out (have you heard the amount of electric noise you can pick up?).

[Vocalpoint]

Thanks VP, however, from your answer I think we're meaning different things.

What I'm hearing through iTunes is a lack of volume change within a track when compared to the CD's output; I'm concerned that the same thing will happen with MC16.

OK...in order to figure this out - let's talk apples to apples. When you say "what I'm hearing through iTunes"...what exactly does that mean. That you are taking a favorite CD, popping it into the computer and when it plays through iTunes - it doesn't have the dynamic wallop of your new disc player? Or are you playing the tracks ripped from the CD in iTunes and hearing something odd?

Look forward to an update.

VP

[brettja]

I'm hearing something odd when playing the CD and the ripped wav file through iTunes.  I'm also hearing something odd when playing the CD through Windows Media Player.

An example of what I'm hearing is from the track American Idiot from the CD American Idiot by Green Day.  A couple of seconds in on the CD there's a volume increase that isn't apparent when playing through the PC.

The PC is connected to a Musical Fidelity M1 DAC which is the same as the DAC in the CD player.

[Vocalpoint]

I'm hearing something odd when playing the CD and the ripped wav file through iTunes.  I'm also hearing something odd when playing the CD through Windows Media Player.

An example of what I'm hearing is from the track American Idiot from the CD American Idiot by Green Day.  A couple of seconds in on the CD there's a volume increase that isn't apparent when playing through the PC.

The PC is connected to a Musical Fidelity M1 DAC which is the same as the DAC in the CD player.

I am playing that track right now - and do not notice anything strange. However - it's certainly not the best track to use to discern any "volume" issues. This track (and the entire CD) has so much peak limiting and compression - that any volume changes have been mixed right out of the source material. If I open this actual track in Wavelab - the waveform looks like a brick on screen - with no peaks, valleys or any indication of any volume changes. That's today's music delivery for ya

You might try to use something pre-1992 that really sounds great and has lots of dynamics to really test your theory. Maybe some Peter Gabriel, Suzanne Vega, Steely Dan...etc

Let us know what you find out.

Cheers,

VP