PDA

View Full Version : dB MP3 Files Incompatible With All Other Players



Lizard
08-05-2006, 04:50 PM
I have a problem with the MP3 files I created with the dB ripper. They appear to be incompatible with all the other software players I have including ITunes. The dB files play on them, but of varying quality and the track lengths are sometimes snipped at the end and the listed track times are wrong (by a long way).

I have not seen any problem with the dB WAV files.

I ripped the original CD tracks onto my hard drive using the dB converter transferring into WAV files. I then used cakewalk PYRO software to edit the WAV files for volume or tone as needed.

Finally, I ripped the WAV files into MP3 files using the dB converter.

Here are the problems I encountered with the MP3 files created by dB converter:

1) On the Cakewalk PYRO editor/player.

a) track length times shown for the dB MP3 files are wrong, as in way too short. A cut with true length of 8:27 showed as 7:31.

b) the visual track content display of the music for this showed that the end had been clipped.... but the part of the visual display that was still there looked correct.

c) playing this dB MP3 track using the PYRO player, it actually played the whole track except about five seconds was clipped off the end. The music playing did not correspond to the visual display of music content which showed about a minute cut off the end. In reality, only a few seconds was snipped The visual display was wrong in what it displayed as the "location bar" moved along the visual display as the music played.

d) As an experiment, I converted the original WAV file to MP3 using the PYRO MP3 converter and it showed correct time and visual display of content, no problems at all.


2) Windows Media Player:

a) Incorrect track length time was shown when the dB MP3 file was played, but audio playback sounded OK. A couple of seconds seemed to be trimmed off the end of the track. The PYRO MP3 file had no problems at all.


3) Roxio Player: When I tried to play the dB MP3 file in this player, there was SEVERE warbling distortion as well as the incorrect length display. The MP3 file created by PYRO worked perfectly both in sound and duration.


4) ITunes: the Itunes player gives OK audio, but also shows wrong track lengths for the dB MP3 files. Some of the files also seem to have the ends snipped off a couple of seconds worth. When playing cuts on my IPOD, I notice some tracks are snipped.

When PYRO MP3 files are used, the correct track lengths come up and there is no snipping.


SUMMARY:

The dB MP3 player has a compatibility problem with every other player on my PC, including ITunes.

When I created MP3 files using the converter in the PYRO software, everything was fine across the board. All players show proper track lengths, all play with good audio, no end snips off the tracks.

I would appreciate knowing what is wrong, and if it's possible to fix it.

I loaded about 250 CD's onto this drive and spent many hours ripping them into MP3 files to go onto my IPOD (as well as make MP3 CD's for auto). The dB files have small end snips (seemingly more on some tracks than others).

I used the dB MP3 ripper because it's a little faster than the one in the PYRO converter. I hope I don't have to go back and redo all that work to get the tracks right.

LtData
08-05-2006, 09:31 PM
Check to make sure you are not applying any DSP effects during your conversions.

Regarding the wrong track length problem, what are the settings (bitrate, frequency, channels) you are using for your mp3 files? Also, what are your mp3 tag settings? The tag settings are in dMC Configuration (Start menu --> Programs --> dBpowerAMP Music Converter --> Configuration --> dMC Configuration).

As for the distortion problem, I have no idea unless it is related to your bitrate/frequency/channel selection.

Also, what OS and version of dMC are you using? dMC version numbers are in dMC Configuration.

Lizard
08-05-2006, 11:40 PM
Check to make sure you are not applying any DSP effects during your conversions.. I use the PYRO program to adjust volume, do noise reduction and adjust the front or tail leads of the track in WAV format (not sure if those are "DSP effects". Then I convert the finished WAV file to MP3 using dB converter.

I do use the dB "adaptive volume normalize" on some tracks which is a DSP effect. The track in question which was 8:27 in length and reading wrong on other players did NOT have this effect used, but did have the volume adjusted manually in PYRO to the WAV file before conversion.




Regarding the wrong track length problem, what are the settings (bitrate, frequency, channels) you are using for your mp3 files? .

Freq=44100, stereo channels, bit rate 256k



Also, what are your mp3 tag settings? The tag settings are in dMC Configuration (Start menu --> Programs --> dBpowerAMP Music Converter --> Configuration --> dMC Configuration).
.


ID TAG Explorer ID Tag property pages

ID3 TAG FORMATION Smart v1 & v2



As for the distortion problem, I have no idea unless it is related to your bitrate/frequency/channel selection.. I don't know why it only does it on one player. The garbling sound is EXACTLY like when I tried to do MP3 conversions using a low bitrate (56k). Except, these files are made at 256k and they sound good on the other players. I only got bad sound on the one (Roxio)






Also, what OS and version of dMC are you using? dMC version numbers are in dMC Configuration.

OS = Windows XP Home

DMC Release 10.1

Power Pack Release 3
Registered: Yes

dB Power Amp CD Writer Not Installed



Lame Version 3.93.1 (Dibrom's Switches) MP3





Thanks.

LtData
08-05-2006, 11:57 PM
You might try updating to dMC r11.5. Just install the new version over your current version to keep your registered status.

There have been a very long list of fixes, updates, and new features since r10.1, including the fact that r11.5 uses LAME 3.96.1. This alone may help solve your problem.

Spoon
08-06-2006, 08:37 AM
First try converting an unaltered wave file to mp3, using one of the lame presets (keeping the frequency [as source])

Lizard
08-06-2006, 05:17 PM
First try converting an unaltered wave file to mp3, using one of the lame presets (keeping the frequency [as source])

As far as I know, there is no problem doing that.... but nearly every file has to be volume normalized so they are set at a consistent volume.

If all the dB converter can handle is an "unaltered" file, it's completely useless to me so that won't help at all.

I did more work last night and started going through folders examining tracks. One thing I noticed is that the tracks that seem to have the largest dicrepancy from true track time and dB MP3 displayed time are "LIVE" tracks...

this makes me suspect that the dB MP3 ripper is having a cow in response to the PYRO editing feature which allows you to reduce the track length (front or rear) and do a fade in or out. I know that feature would have been used on all those tracks.

But I also see time variances and "end snip" on some which are not live, so I may have only shortened the track a bit just to delete "dead air" off the end of the cut. I don't have the time or inclination to spend to find out exactly what is causing the dB ripper to fail to convert the WAV track properly. Since I use the PYRO volume editing feature on most tracks, it is required that the ripper convert the WAV files from it properly. If it can't do that, it's worthless.

The PYRO software has no problem processing WAV files which have been processed by the dB volume normalizer or any other of it's DSP effects. It would never have occurred to me that the dB ripper could not handle the WAV files done in PYRO, and so I did not examine them for problems..... just ripped a couple of thousand and created an MP3 master file for the IPOD software to copy tracks from. Then I noticed some have end snips.

I wish I had known that the dB MP3 ripper would not work on these files, so I wouldn't have wasted so much time doing that.

At any rate, the problems have a common theme: the dB MP3 tracks all show wrong time length, snip the end a small amount and seriously malfunction when I try to edit them in PYRO. The visual display either comes up wrong or does not come up at all. If there is a display, the sound played does not correspond to the "position bar" moving along the track.

Lizard
08-06-2006, 05:19 PM
You might try updating to dMC r11.5. Just install the new version over your current version to keep your registered status.
.

How do I do that?

Lizard
08-06-2006, 05:47 PM
You might try updating to dMC r11.5. Just install the new version over your current version to keep your registered status.

I downloaded it and tried it on three "bad" tracks I had been running tests on and the 11.5 version did convert the WAV files to MP3 and show correct track length. Visual display also looked right (end was not snipped), so I guess that version will work for MP3 coversion.

Thanks.

I guess now I just have to go through 250 CD folders and rip new MP3 tracks for all the WAV files with length differences between the two....and then put artist name tags on every new MP3 track, delete all the old MP3 files from the library, copy the new MP3's into the library and reload my IPOD.

That shouldn't be more than about 100 hours of work.

LtData
08-06-2006, 06:11 PM
FileSelector should help in the mass conversions. Its included with dMC r11.5 and is in the folder in your start menu.

And I'm glad the upgrade fixed your problem. :D