iTunes 11.3 ignores .m4a in Automatically Add directory

[Echidna]

I have just installed the dbpoweramp trial version and converted some FLACS to Apple Lossless. I am using Windows 7 Home Edition and iTunes 11.3. At first when I copied the .m4a files to iTunes Automatically Add to iTunes, it just ignored them, although it did generate a message saying that it had detected that it was not the default audio player. When I set iTunes as the default player for .m4a, iTunes then moved them from Automatically Add to the Not Added directory.

I do not want to convert to MP3, if possible, because I would prefer to be able to use the files for audiophile as well as general use. The Apple forums seem contradictory on whether iTunes supports .m4a, but it seems incredible that iTunes would not support Apple's own lossless format.

This is probably just a beginner's error with a simple solution, but can someone please advise? Thanks!

[Spoon]

Re: iTunes 11.3 ignores .m4a in Automatically Add directory

Yes 100% certain iTunes supports m4a Apple Lossless, as a test drag and drop one of the files into the iTunes Window, to see it if can play it.

Check also the filesize of the file, it should be bigger than 10MB for a normal audio track.

[BrodyBoy]

Re: iTunes 11.3 ignores .m4a in Automatically Add directory

The Apple forums seem contradictory on whether iTunes supports .m4a......

Really? I don't frequent the Apple forum much, but I can't imagine that knowledgeable folks there wouldn't know that .m4a is a very widely-used format in the Apple universe, and that it's indeed supported on all things Apple (iTunes, iDevices, etc.)

When I've seen iTunes move files to that "Not Added" folder, it was because it was a unsupported file type. So I suspect there's an issue with your conversions. Follow Spoon's advice and test one of these files by just trying to play it in iTunes. If it does play, try adding some of these converted files manually. Then report back. The results of these "tests" will help determine whether the problem lies with the files or (as can sometimes happen) a screwed-up iTunes installation.

[bubble]

Re: iTunes 11.3 ignores .m4a in Automatically Add directory

Hello,

I had exactly the same problem yersterday,
luckily I solved it by trying the dsp effect "ReplayGain" (the one with NO "apply" into brackets, after it). I chose it and set it to write itunesnorm (the third option).

It is an experimental solution... I know almost nothing about the real mecanism of the problem and how I solved it... Anyway, all the files I've converted using this dsp effect are on my Iphone now ^^

[Echidna]

Re: iTunes 11.3 ignores .m4a in Automatically Add directory

Hello,

Spoon, BrodyBoy, thanks for your encouragement to continue experimenting. Bubble, thanks for mentioning the DSP functions.

First I just tried some different FLACS and everything seemed to work!

Then I tried the Replay Gain DSP on the FLAC I had first tried - no joy, but by getting me started looking at the DSP options, I found the function to manage the number of channels. Through the dbpoweramp hover-over-a-file-and-see-its-characteristics, I had noticed that my problem files were quadrophonic, while all the ones that worked fine were stereo. So I re-encoded to two channels and suddenly iTunes would accept the previously-problematic .m4a s! Wouldn't it have been nice if iTunes could have put up a message saying why it was ignoring the attempted imports?

So a further question, perhaps for Spoon: when digitally processing down from quadrophonic to stereo, is it best just to take channels 1 and 2 and ignore the rest? Or would it be better to mix each of Channel 1 and Channel 2 with a reduced level component of the rear channels? Is there a recommended recipe for this?

[Spoon]

Re: iTunes 11.3 ignores .m4a in Automatically Add directory

It is hard to say, as mixing potentially you can get clipping. You could try these DSP Effects:

Bit depth >> to 32 bit floating point
Channels to 2 and mix in channel 3 and 4 to 1 and 2 respectively with something like 70%
Volume Normalize: Peak
Bit depth to 16 bit (with dither)

This will allow it to go over the maximum but not clip as is floating point, the volume normalize scales back to non clipping before 16 bit.