On a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo-or Solo-the program doesn't take advantage of multiple CPU cores. Last but not least, the Replay Gain algorithm is a lot slower than what iTunes uses. If the tag isn't there, significant contortions are necessary to get iTunes to add it. The program also can't write the volume tag into the file itself-it can only modify an existing iTunNORM tag. Unfortunately, it's not possible to run iVolume on files that aren't in the iTunes library. iVolume allows you to forget previous volume determinations or even to restore the original values set by iTunes, too. I got excellent results with the default 92dB: songs that previously lost the battle against traffic noise on my iPod when walking outside now held their own without going into imminent hearing damage territory. There's also "master volume" that determines the perceived loudness. The automatic part doesn't amount to much, as iVolume apparently doesn't learn information about gapless playback from iTunes. To avoid issues with gapless albums (such as The Wall), you need to use one of the album modes. First of all, there's the choice between single song, manual album, and automatic album modes. I got my registration key within minutes after paying by credit card. The full version costs $15 + sales tax/VAT. In the unregistered version, the program will only scan ten songs at a time. iVolume does work on DRM-free AAC files bought from the iTunes Store, but not on protected songs. iVolume then gets the list of selected songs from iTunes and runs the Replay Gain algorithm over them, listing the original (backup) volume as determined by iTunes, the volume that was in effect for a song until now, and the new value that iVolume wrote into the MP3 or AAC file. What you do is select a number of songs in iTunes, and then click on "Adjust" in iVolume's window. However, it does take some time and a little effort to reevaluate song volumes for a sizable iTunes library.Äownloading and installing is easy enough-it's actually running iVolume that can be a bit tricky: although iVolume is standalone program, it acts as an extra window for iTunes. Because Replay Gain ignores the five percent highest peaks, it's not fooled by the difference between older and newer style CD mastering, so all songs actually sound equally loud. What iVolume does is replace iTunes' idea of what a song's volume is with a value computed using the Replay Gain algorithm. This effect extends to songs bought from the iTunes Store, Amazon downloads, and so on. Because older CDs use a lower average volume and use the extra headroom for occasional peaks, and recent CDs tend to stick close to the maximum volume throughout, this means that iTunes will actually reduce the volume for songs ripped from older CDs more than the volume from more recently mastered songs. That's not a good representation of overall volume. iTunes seems to scan for the highest peak in a song's volume. Last but not least, there's the loudness war ( long text and short video explanations). With Sound Check enabled, track 13 is 12dB louder than track 12, which makes for a jarring listening experience. Without Sound Check, track 13 is a seamless continuation of track 12. If you are the proud owner of Pink Floyd's The Wall, have a listen to tracks 12 and 13 of the first CD. The second problem is that Sound Check works per song. This seems to have been fixed at some point, but unfortunately, there is no way to reevaluate the volume of songs that have already be scanned, so affected songs remain too quiet. The first problem is that older versions of iTunes didn't calculate the volumes correctly: AAC-encoded files would consistently be quieter than MP3 files. Because the actual volume adjustment happens during playback and Mac OS X internally stores audio as 32-bit floating point values, this doesn't result in a reduction in quality. When playing back, loud songs are reduced in volume and quiet ones receive a boost, so the resulting playback volume is constant from song to song. If iTunes' Sound Check feature (under the Playback pane in the program's preferences) is enabled, iTunes scans all songs in the library to determine their volume. So I decided to get an iPod: gigs upon gigs worth of storage, and the iTunes/iPod "Sound Check" feature would forever solve my issues with uneven song volumes. Then, after a trip to Amsterdam, I arrived back home sans MP3 player. Some songs would barely whisper, while others would make my ears bleed. When I got my first MP3 player many moons ago-one of those 128MB USB-sticks-with-a-headphone-jack affairs-the thing that drove me crazy was the wildly uneven volume from song to song.
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