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Topic: Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain? (Read 8414 times) previous topic - next topic
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Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

All of my MP3s are MP3gained to the default setting. Recently, I've been purchasing more iTMS AAC tracks, and the loudness difference is kinda annoying when listening between them and my existing MP3s. My question is, is it safe to enable soundcheck? I'm just afraid that soundcheck will simply boost the volume of my MP3s instead of normalizing the iTMS AACs. I had a bad experience in the past with another software, where it provided an option for "normalizatoin," but what it did was jacking up the volume of all tracks to 100db. Is soundcheck "smart" enough to normalize the AAC tracks, or will it just boost up my MP3gained MP3s to equal the AAC (risking clipping)? What I really want to do is normalize the iTMS AAC tracks to the level of my existing MP3s if possible.
twitter.com/pika2000

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #1 –
After reading other posts, looks like iTunes soundcheck cannot do album gain. I guess I have to hold off for now, since I have some albums that are album-gained using MP3gain. Still, it would be great if anybody can share their experience using iTunes soundcheck.
twitter.com/pika2000

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #2 –
Apple's Soundcheck just adds a proprietary tag to the file noting the track's average volume. It doesn't change any data. It relies on iTunes or an iPod to boost/cut the volume upon playback.
Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #3 –
Quote from: dcorban on
Apple's Soundcheck just adds a proprietary tag to the file noting the track's average volume. It doesn't change any data. It relies on iTunes or an iPod to boost/cut the volume upon playback.

It's reassuring that's it's "safe" in that it doesn't modify the MP3s. However, what I'm trying to ask is will soundcheck will normalize things to the point of no clipping (kinda like replaygain), or will it just boost up the volume of everything else to equal the loudest track. In other words, will it bring the highs to match the lows (the ungaines AACs to equal the gained MP3s), or the other way around (boost up the gained MP3s to match the ungaines AACs, risking clipping)?
twitter.com/pika2000

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #4 –
You won't have the problem you are worried about. Soundcheck will NOT simply increase the MP3 volume to match the AAC files. With about 40,000 songs in my library, ITUNES virtuallyalways REDUCES the volume with the soundcheck feature (particulary on newer music). The Soundcheck adjustment is always fairly close to the replaygain track adjustment in terms of db change. Many (most) of my AAC purchased songs (a few hundred of the 40,000) have the volume DECREASED with soundcheck applied.

The only issue you may have is the following. If you added the mp3 files to your itunes library BEFORE applying mp3gain and you had soundcheck enabled, then ITUNES created the soundcheck info in its library. If you then mp3gain the files, playing them in itunes with soundcheck will be a problem as the itunes soundcheck info is based on the mp3 file BEFORE you mp3gained it.  To get around this problem, you should simply delete all the songs from your itunes library, mp3gain them all, then ADD all the files back to your library. In this case, itunes will reanalyze all the files and create NEW soundcheck values. These will be correct because they will be based on the mp3 files after the mp3gain info was added.

By the way, I replaygain all my mp3 files and use album info in playing files in fb2k. But I also pull all those files into ITUNES for use in my ipod and there use the soundcheck value.  Replaygain and soundcheck do not interact with each other or otherwise cause problems. Itunes doesn't use replaygain info and fb2k ignores the tag (ITUNNORM) with the itunes soundcheck info.

Also note that MP3TAG ver 3.97c is purported to have a script that will take replaygain info (the album gain info if you wish) and REPLACE the soundcheck info with the replaygain info.  I haven't played with this yet, but sounds like a nice option.

However, in your case, you've already used mp3gain on your files. So even when read in ITUNES they've already been album track adjusted for volume. I suspect when you turn on soundcheck and let itunes set the soundcheck value, you'll see that the mp3gained files have virtually NO adjustments made regarding playback volume.

Quote from: pika2000 on
Quote from: dcorban on

Apple's Soundcheck just adds a proprietary tag to the file noting the track's average volume. It doesn't change any data. It relies on iTunes or an iPod to boost/cut the volume upon playback.

It's reassuring that's it's "safe" in that it doesn't modify the MP3s. However, what I'm trying to ask is will soundcheck will normalize things to the point of no clipping (kinda like replaygain), or will it just boost up the volume of everything else to equal the loudest track. In other words, will it bring the highs to match the lows (the ungaines AACs to equal the gained MP3s), or the other way around (boost up the gained MP3s to match the ungaines AACs, risking clipping)?

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #5 –
Quote
The only issue you may have is the following. If you added the mp3 files to your itunes library BEFORE applying mp3gain and you had soundcheck enabled, then ITUNES created the soundcheck info in its library. If you then mp3gain the files, playing them in itunes with soundcheck will be a problem as the itunes soundcheck info is based on the mp3 file BEFORE you mp3gained it.  To get around this problem, you should simply delete all the songs from your itunes library, mp3gain them all, then ADD all the files back to your library. In this case, itunes will reanalyze all the files and create NEW soundcheck values. These will be correct because they will be based on the mp3 files after the mp3gain info was added.


is there any way to have re songs resound chedked with out deletingthem from the library.

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #6 –
hmmm, not sure. I understand the issue: when deleting from library you lose the ratings, last played info, etc. You might just experiment. take a file, add to library, check the the soundcheck adjustment in the file properties summary within itunes. Then mp3gain the file without deleting from library. Open the file and check properties within itunes and see whether the soundcheck adjustment has changed. If not then probably not possible....

I don't really use the ratings, last played, etc. info so it is no big deal for me, other than a few hours CPU time, to delete and re-add the mp3 files back to the itunes library.

Quote from: scooterfrog on
Quote
The only issue you may have is the following. If you added the mp3 files to your itunes library BEFORE applying mp3gain and you had soundcheck enabled, then ITUNES created the soundcheck info in its library. If you then mp3gain the files, playing them in itunes with soundcheck will be a problem as the itunes soundcheck info is based on the mp3 file BEFORE you mp3gained it.  To get around this problem, you should simply delete all the songs from your itunes library, mp3gain them all, then ADD all the files back to your library. In this case, itunes will reanalyze all the files and create NEW soundcheck values. These will be correct because they will be based on the mp3 files after the mp3gain info was added.


is there any way to have re songs resound chedked with out deletingthem from the library.

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #7 –
Doesn't mp3gain now also support AAC files?  Could you run your AAC files through it so there's not such a volume difference?

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: zipr on
Doesn't mp3gain now also support AAC files?  Could you run your AAC files through it so there's not such a volume difference?


iTMS tracks are encrypted, so software can't access the AAC part.
 

Is it safe to use iTunes soundcheck after MP3gain?

Reply #9 –
garym: Thanks for the info. I always MP3gain my MP3s before adding them to iTunes, so no worries on that.  Again, thanks for sharing.
twitter.com/pika2000