itunes reference mixing

[aramism]

in my studio computer i have tons of cds imported as wavs that i usually reference through itunes. but it seems to me quicktime sounds a little different (very slightly) than itunes. like itunes is a hair not full gain or something. it could just be me being neurotic but does anyone else use itunes to reference or a standalone cd player, or quicktime?

 

[ratsapprentice]

Itunes might have it's eq on, and i think if you look at the volume bar, it's default is around 85%

 

[aramism]

no eq is off. if anything itunes feels a hair lower. just a hair. again it's getting neurotic but i wanted to know if there is any validity to my claim.

 

[462studio]

I just rip reference CDs to WAV format, and chop a few bits up and put them in Cubase on a stereo track called "Reference" and send them to an output bus called "Reference" without any compression/limiting/EQ on it.

So I can mute/unmute it and my tracks to compare the levels and tones easily. I don't have to deal with any discrepancies between software this way.

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

There's a thread on Gearslutz of people claiming that iTunes 10.1 playback sounds like shit and fucks up with the stereo image, I haven't checked this out myself as I use Songbird but lots of people there agree

 

[punkrockacademyfightsong]

I just rip reference CDs to WAV format, and chop a few bits up and put them in Cubase on a stereo track called "Reference" and send them to an output bus called "Reference" without any compression/limiting/EQ on it.

So I can mute/unmute it and my tracks to compare the levels and tones easily. I don't have to deal with any discrepancies between software this way.

same here

 

[Let it burn...]

It's not the EQ, its a "sound enhancer". It is on by default. Preferences -> playback -> turn it off. It has a fader to adjust the intensity

 

[HeadCrusher]

Or maybe it's the one setting that should be something like "adjust volume" in the English version. It's right below the sound enchancer. Apparently this adjusts the volume for alle the tracks. As soon as you have something that's not mastered to Mars and back in your library it will make all the loud tracks quieter to match the lowest one.

 

[DanLights]

Or maybe it's the one setting that should be something like "adjust volume" in the English version. It's right below the sound enchancer. Apparently this adjusts the volume for alle the tracks. As soon as you have something that's not mastered to Mars and back in your library it will make all the loud tracks quieter to match the lowest one.

yeah it's called "soundcheck" in english, I always turn all of that off

 

[aramism]

sound enhancer, eq, volume limit, all that is off

 

[JeffTD]

There's a thread on Gearslutz of people claiming that iTunes 10.1 playback sounds like shit and fucks up with the stereo image, I haven't checked this out myself as I use Songbird but lots of people there agree

I just referenced a couple tracks in finder's preview function vs. within iTunes... holy shit, there is a HUGE difference. It really does fuck with the stereo image, sounds slightly mono! Very heavy on the right-channel (explains why I had to adjust my monitor levels), and super cloudy.


*Edit* Just read the gearslutz thread... almost word for word what they're experiencing, too.

 

[GarethSE]

I always found that iTunes sounded worse to me than winamp, and people shot me down saying "they can't possibly, check the sound enhancer's not on!"
To this day, I still maintain that winamp sounds better.

Just to clarify though, I'm not necessarily talking about things sounding more.. Eh, how do I put it... Well think of the difference between monitors and a nice set of hi-fi speakers. Monitors go for ultra clarity and transparancy, hi-fi speakers are made to sound nice, which may not be a perfect reflection on the source material.

I have compared Winamp to Reaper and I find they sound quite different to my ears, too, but compared to winamp vs itunes, I will not say either sounds "better," just different.

 

[aramism]

from what i understand (and hear) quicktime seems to be the most transparent. i think it has to be the newer version of itunes because i never felt a difference. listening to some music recently i noticed it sounded slightly different thats what prompted me to check quicktime by just opening the same song in quicktime and switching between QT and IT.

 

[GarethSE]

I wasn't using 10 when I decided to switch to winamp. I think it may have been 9.

 

[xFkx]

lol @ using itunes. (and yes, i'm writing this on a mac)

 

[JeffTD]

Reverted to Itunes 10.0, sounds fine now.

 

[aramism]

how do u revert i'll google too but maybe there's a simple explanation

 

[nervirasme]

Guys, are you talking PC or Mac? I work on a Mac, have a 10.1 version of iTunes and I just checked for differences between iTunes, Finder and QuickTime and can't hear any!

 

[JeffTD]

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/6041084-post24.html

 

[Erik Monsonis]

I just use AIMP 2, sounds either identical or very similar to Reaper. (I use Windows 7 anyways)