What I master in Logic is not even related to what plays in iTunes

[therealbigd]

Hi Guys

I'm mastering in Logic and the track is sounding spot on despite being cranked so high that the bounced wave is literally a solid block. It's quite distorted on the crashes but otherwise it's pretty clean, and (see my previous thread if you can find it) the band insist on the crushing thing.

Anyway, the issue is that when I play it in iTunes, it falls apart completely. There's a lead guitar line that's loud and clear in Logic, yet in iTunes it's not there. The bass has come up in iTunes too. I don't have any EQ settings in iTunes... does anyone have ideas? What should I trust more? The Logic 'opinion' or the iTunes one?

EDIT: Have tried mix in Quicktime and Logic & Quicktime agree with each other. Only iTunes doesn't. Any ideas?

[bleen]

Do you have the "Sound Enhancer" turned on in iTunes?

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by bleen

Do you have the "Sound Enhancer" turned on in iTunes?

Good spot.

I never told it to do that, but yes it was switched on (and hidden away in the preferences menu).

What is the point in these things? If the ME can't 'enhance' the sound - what makes Apple think a little algorithm in iTunes can?!

Additionally, it's kinda ironic that it wasn't 'enhancing' it at all, it made it sound cack.

[work2do]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

Good spot.

I never told it to do that, but yes it was switched on (and hidden away in the preferences menu).

What is the point in these things? If the ME can't 'enhance' the sound - what makes Apple think a little algorithm in iTunes can?!

Additionally, it's kinda ironic that it wasn't 'enhancing' it at all, it made it sound cack.

itunes is not geared for the mastering engineer, the audio professional, or trained ear. It's for consumers who want more bass!!!!

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by konkaos

itunes is not geared for the mastering engineer, the audio professional, or trained ear. It's for consumers who want more bass!!!!

It's true.

But unfortunately, without these people, we don't get paid!

[Lagerfeldt]

Turn off "Sound Enhancer", "Sound Check" and also make sure the EQ is set to "Off" (Windows > Equalizer).

[Adam Dempsey]

This ought be a stickie.

[Jesse Graffam]

Originally Posted by Adam Dempsey

This ought be a stickie.

On Apple's forums & support sites.

[Llitsor]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

Good spot.

I never told it to do that, but yes it was switched on (and hidden away in the preferences menu).

What is the point in these things? If the ME can't 'enhance' the sound - what makes Apple think a little algorithm in iTunes can?!

Additionally, it's kinda ironic that it wasn't 'enhancing' it at all, it made it sound cack.

I don't like those sound gimmicks in iTunes, so I too turn them off. But having used iTunes since V1 many years ago, and on numerous computers, i have played with these 'features' some, and I figured that they are there to make built in speakers on laptops etc sound that bit less shitty. And for that, it works. But for anyone with a half decent system to listen on, definitely turn all that off. Sound Check, EQ, Sound Enhancer, the lot!

[The Beatsmith]

it's always 'off' by default on every system i've installed osx onto, except perhaps, many years ago

so are the other things, other than the EQ which is always 'on' but set flat. which is a waste of a couple of percept of CPU, which i never really understood

[blackcatdigi]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Turn off "Sound Enhancer", "Sound Check" and also make sure the EQ is set to "Off" (Windows > Equalizer).

Also, don't forget to make the sure the volume slider is at 100%. With these settings, iTunes WILL pass a bit perfect rendition. Verified.

And this should be a sticky because it comes up all the time.

[The Beatsmith]

Originally Posted by blackcatdigi

Also, don't forget to make the sure the volume slider is at 100%. With these settings, iTunes WILL pass a bit perfect rendition. Verified.

And this should be a sticky because it comes up all the time.

agree!

[Darwin James]

Originally Posted by Adam Dempsey

This ought be a stickie.

This ought to be common sense. Check the preferences, gee......... who would think..

[Adam Dempsey]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

This ought to be common sense. Check the preferences, gee......... who would think..

That's largely the problem.

You do realise I'm speaking for a non-engineers users' perspective (ie: music audience). It's the modern-day "I never knew I needed to clean the heads of my cassette deck" equivalent.

[arf]

Originally Posted by blackcatdigi

Also, don't forget to make the sure the volume slider is at 100%. With these settings, iTunes WILL pass a bit perfect rendition. Verified.

And this should be a sticky because it comes up all the time.

Are you certain about this? I think it does SRC when it encounters a track with a different sample rate from when the app was launched.

[jdg]

OSX/Quicktime/iTunes (plus alot of other apps) will automatically SRC to whatever core-audio SR you have set, if the SR of the audio is not the same.

its "awesome" for consumers, a PITA for us.

[blackcatdigi]

Originally Posted by arf

Are you certain about this?

Yes

[api2500]

If you hate the sound of the EQ, Sound Enhancer and Sound Check, whatever you do, DON'T CHANGE THE PRE-AMP CONTROL IN THE EQ.

. thumbsup.

[Lagerfeldt]

Originally Posted by blackcatdigi

Yes

I believe iTunes does realtime SRC when it encounters sample rates different from the Core Audio setting, just like Quicktime.

Fortunately the quality of the realtime SRC was improved massively from Tiger to Leopard/Snow Leopard though it's something you need to pay attention to.

[sammyp]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

This ought to be common sense. Check the preferences, gee......... who would think..

Yup! Agreed wholeheartedly

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

This ought to be common sense. Check the preferences, gee......... who would think..

Having already turned off the EQ, I didn't expect there to be anything else there to EQ the sound. I mean, why, if you have 1 EQ, put another in the preferences menu?

Preferences, as far as I was concerned, was what file type CDs imported in and stuff like that. Not, do I want a preset mid-scoop EQ across all my songs.

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by Llitsor

I don't like those sound gimmicks in iTunes, so I too turn them off. But having used iTunes since V1 many years ago, and on numerous computers, i have played with these 'features' some, and I figured that they are there to make built in speakers on laptops etc sound that bit less shitty. And for that, it works. But for anyone with a half decent system to listen on, definitely turn all that off. Sound Check, EQ, Sound Enhancer, the lot!

A nice update for iTunes would be for it to be able to apply different settings (in sound check / sound enhancer / EQ) based on whether the machine was using its standard built in card or an additional card. The laptops / imacs especially. They know when the external card takes over because the volume buttons on the keyboard switch off.