Reinstalled iTunes - "Sound Check" option no longer effective

I've always used and liked the "Sound Check" option in iTunes. Recently, due to 13-year-old hijinx, my library became corrupt. I uninstalled iTunes, downloaded the most recent version, and reinstalled it. I assumed the "Sound Check" option defaulted to "off", so I proceeded to add all my music folders to create a new library in the newly installed iTunes. Then I realized the "Sound Check" option was actually turned on - why I don't know, since I hadn't switched it on. I had assumed after the "add music folders" process I would turn on "Sound Check" and iTunes would read the music files to obtain the volume (usually a several hour process with my 6000+ songs). But it never did read the files. And now, even though "Sound Check" is on, it doesn't seem to me that the songs play at the same level. I've tried switching "Sound Check" off and then turning it on again to no avail. Is there a way to manually force iTunes to re-listen to the music files to re-set the levels for "Sound Check"? -Murray

hmmmmm. this is going to be experimental. (because i've never seen the problem i'm checking on manifest in quite this way before.) but in theory, it could help identify the cause.
Sound Check is an itunes preference. sometimes we get cases of preferences refusing to change for folks because one of the itunes preference files has gone skunky in some way. so it's plausible that you've got a preference file gone bad here.
let's try an experiment aimed at seeing if this might be the cause of the problem in your case.
quit itunes.
head into your user accounts control panel and create a new user account with full administrative rights. (there's help documentation on how to do that at the left of the control panel screen.) while you're in that control panel, switch off "fast user switching" in your logging-on preferences.
now log out of the old account and log into the new account.
launch itunes.
import some music into the (currently empty) library in the user account. (perhaps a couple of different albums with fairly wildly different recording levels.) listen to them with Sound Check on, and with Sound Check off.
does sound check make a difference in the new account?
(there's a different set of preference files in the new account and the old account, which is why a preference problem in one account usually doesn't affect preferences in a different account, and why this experiment may indicate the preference files are at fault in the old account.)

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Balancing volume/gain across clips - anything like iTunes Sound Check

I am now in charge of a pretty large pile of pre-cut FCP clips captured in less than ideal circumstances, but with reasonably clear narrated voice overs. There are hundreds of short similar clips, but the volume varies tremendously, and I am trying to assemble them into longer sequences.
So - since they are all speech at a similar volume, is there any batch operation I can run on my clips to raise or lower the gain on each one to the same final level? I am looking for something similar to iTunes' sound check.

You could TRY (try) the normalize feature by sending it to Soundtrack after you edit.
Might work ok for you.
CaptM

When syncing iPhone with iTunes I get an iTunes stopped working and the network connection timed out message. I reinstalled iTunes and checked settings still no go.

When syncing iPhone with iTunes I get an iTunes stopped working and the network connection timed out message. I reinstalled iTunes and checked settings still no go.

Disable or turn off your firewall, anti-virus, and all security software and try the download again.
Stedman

Is iTunes "Sound Check" better than five years ago?

I got into iTunes (briefly) about five years ago. I got all excited about mixed playlists and what-all ... but I burned out quickly because the Sound Check feature that would regulate the volumes from different CDs was mostly worthless. Most songs averaged out, but that one track in ten would still sneak in there, too loud or too soft, and ruin the listening vibe in the house.
I ditched iTunes and went back to my CD player.
Now I'd like to get back into iTunes again and I'm wondering if Sound Check ever had any significant improvements in the last five years? Did Apple finally perfect it?
Do we finally have mix playlists that play consistently, like one properly re-mastered compilation CD? Or are occasional tracks still showing up too loud or too soft?
-John

John_Neumann wrote:
Thanks for the replies, Wolf and Sanjampet.
Yep, both of you are spot on correct about some of the dynamics that affect Sound Check. The only thing I know is that, five years ago, I didn't like it. I also remember not really being able to make manual adjustments work for me because I have music playing constantly and jumping up and running over to the Mac while an offending song is on my mind got mighty inconvenient. That's why I stuck with my CD player. ...
I think you answered my question for me. No, Sound Check is no different than it was five years ago.
Not quite what I said. I certainly expect it has improved over 5 years, I can only tell you it will never be perfect. And that is relevant because of your expectations.
The fact is, CD players do not have SoundCheck at all. But when your CD mismatches song volumes, that does not "offend your ears". And yet, oddly, iTunes does. Listening sequentially to a CD you already know, you are accustomed to those particular mismatches, so they "sound right" to you. What I'm speaking of here is cognitive bias, which is human and normal, and the thing to do is simply be aware it's there.
I too have tried playlists and was not impressed. I remember when the level adjustment (in Song Properties) came out and thought "about time". And I've never spent the time to actually try playlists again. But I did not abandon iTunes entirely simply because one of its features "is not for me", i.e. sucked. Digital playback is still the Best Jukebox Ever, with instant and searchable access to my music. CDs are in every way inferior.*
It sounds like you jumped into digital playback with both feet, found some of its features were not ready for prime time, and jumped back out. I would suggest easing back in with one foot, remembering that setup is a one-time task and it's pure profit from there.
* purposefully ignoring the question of musical fidelity, some believe compression is bad, others believe digital is bad. Not this thread.

IPod/iTunes Sound Check Sync

Half the music on my iPod comes from my own computer that originally had Sound Check enabled in my iTunes. But the other half of my iPod music comes from my friends' computers, and I know that not every one of them used Sound Check. So the obvious problem is that the volume levels for the music on my iPod are not all normalized. I know that you can't directly Sound Check songs on the iPod, and that it only happens in iTunes. I also know that the solution is for me to import the iPod music into iTunes (with iPodRip), thus Sound Checking anything that wasn't originally normalized, and then updating it back to my iPod. But I don't want to import my entire iPod library if I don't have to.
So my question is this: Is there any was to know which of the music on my iPod was originally encoded with Sound Check? I only want to fix what needs fixing.
Thanks.

I can't remember the exact phrase as I'm not near a Mac with any sound checked files on it... It is at the bottom of the left column when it's present.
<TABLE CELLPADDING=0 CELLSPACING=0 WIDTH=100%><TR><TD>It was a joke about life...
Dave</TD><TD ALIGN="RIGHT">U</TD></TR></TABLE>

ITunes Sound Check

When Sound Check is enabled in iTunes preferences, does this feature carry over to the iPod on my iPhone 4s when I sync?

It should if it's checked when syncing

Sound check option on my shuffle?

I cannot find the software update when searching the: "To use this feature, your iPod shuffle must have the latest software, which you can download for free from the iPod website." Can any one help me update and get a sound check on my shuffle? I am only finding setting that control autofill in the lower right corner on iTunes, which may mean that my shuffle software needs udating. I need to control the volume of to be the same on all songs on my shuffle.

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestion. I did try this, along with creating a new Nokia account via computer and logging into the new account via my mobile. Still made no difference. I even tried the same with the Facebook account it was paired with, but still not working at the time.
I have since got the Check-in working and the only thing that I finally tried before giving up was going into Settings - Connectivity - Destinations - Internet and changing the priority of my internet connections so that Virgin Internet was listed as priority "1". When I first looked it was listed as priority "3" out of 4 possible connections (the other connections being 2 x WiFi connections + Optus Internet).
It still didn't work straight away after changing this, but when I checked again the next morning the Check-in worked. I'm not sure if this was how it was fixed or if I just fluked it but all is right again for the time being.

ITunes Sound Check (volume levelling) not working with AirPlay?

Playing music from iTunes. Just changed from cable connection to Airport Express. Now the volume fluctuates between songs. Any ideas?

go to:
iTunes
preferences
advanced
highlight the "general" tab
look at the second to last line
uncheck the box
i think that should do it for you
DY
the box is unchecked thanks for the help though

Used Sound Check on my iTunes library-did I make a mistake?

Hi all,
I have some rudimentary questions about iTunes, and the "Sound Check" feature in particular.
I've just completed converting my 18K FLAC song library into ALAC, mainly to use iTunes Genius mixes and to be more compatible with my iPhone and Touch. My library was ripped a few years ago when I bought my Sonos system to get whole-house music. At that time, I ripped my CD's into the FLAC to maintain the highest sound quality possible. No equalization was applied during the ripping.
Once I loaded my new ALAC songs into iTunes (converted using XLD), I began experimenting with Sound Check to normalize the volume among my songs, especially where the Genius mixes are concerned (I have quite a bit of classical music). While iTunes started the long conversion of my music to use Sound Check, I started reading about volume normalization and the effects of the quality of the sound. I read that Sound Check was really not the right way to go if I wanted to just normalize the volume; that it also affected the sound quality.
After reading this, I stopped the iTunes Sound Check conversion. Luckily, iTunes had only converted around 400 songs into Sound Check. But now I'm worried about those songs that iTunes did convert, and if I have compromised the sound quality of my ALAC tracks.
How does iTunes determine the Sound Check settings? I initially thought that Sound Check only affected the playback volume of the songs, but upon reading the discussions, it seems to change other things?
Does Sound Check store its parameters in a tag(s)? Or does it physically change the songs themselves? I hope that it does not change the songs, or I'll have to reconvert those 400 songs again.
Is there another program that I can use to just normalize the volume of the songs across my library? In the discussions I read, iVolume was mentioned, but I don't (obviously) have any experience with this program nor any others that affect song playback. Any suggestions as to other apps to investigate would be appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
Mike

Thanks for the reply Jim and for the link to the KB article. I looked through all the tags by showing each one, but I didn't see any that looked like they were populated by Sound Check. I'll read the link you provided to find out more.
Jim VanLeeuwen wrote:
I have used iVolume for some time and have been very satisfied. Of course, at age 64 I no longer have audiophile hearing. You can get information here: http://www.mani.de/ivolume/index.html
I have 52 year-old ears, both of which have tinnitus, so I know about my lack of audiophile hearing I just want to make sure that I don't mess up the audio quality of my songs for the next generation
Thanks again. I'll look at iVolume more closely.
Mike

Where on Nano is option for "sound check"

I have a brand new Nano, 3rd generation, 8GB and want to use the "Sound Check" option described in the manual.
I checked this option in Itunes, under Preferences> Playback to automatically adjust playback volume to the same level. The manual indicates this must also be done on the Ipod. I can't find the menu option on the Nano.
I've looked under Settings and these are my choices: About - Shuffle - Repeat - Main Menu - Volume Limit - Backlight - Audio books. I tried "Volume Limit" but that only is for "locking" the volume, not adjusting each song.
Any ideas?

1)- Turn on the iPod
2)- Scroll down & select "Settings"
3)- Scroll down to "Sound Check" & click on it

Sound Check and Alarm

What does the "sound check" option actually do. It appears to just limit the volume, but how does it know what volume to which to limit?
Also, is there any way of making the alarm BEEP louder?

What does the "sound check" option actually do. It appears to just limit the volume, but how does it know what volume to which to limit?
Audio CDs are mastered differently, so you may have discrepancies in volume between songs on different albums.
You can use the soundcheck feature to standardize the volume of all the songs in your music library.
Apply it in iTunes using the edit/preferences/playback menu (Windows).
iTunes/preferences/playback (Macs).
Turn it on on the iPod using the settings/soundcheck/on menu.
After applying it in iTunes, sync your iPod to reflect the changes made.
There are 3rd party programs that do this more effectively (at least in my opinion).
For Macs there is iVolume.
Also Macmp3Gain.
Also, is there any way of making the alarm BEEP louder?
Not as far as i know.

Enabling "sound check" in ipod nano second generation

I have spent hours trying to figure out how to enable the "sound check" for my second generation ipod nano. I want to adjust all my songs to play at the same sound level, and I think that's the first step. I've followed all the directions I can find.
I find the right screen and select "enable sound check" but the minute I close that screen, the check-mark in the "enable sound check" box goes away. What's the trick for getting it to stay?

Hi,
I would suggest going to "Preferences" in iTunes first and then going to the "Playback" tab.
Make sure the checkbox with Sound Check is checked. I had read that you must have it checked in the iTunes program so it will then work in the actual iPod when you sync it.
I have a brand new 80 GB Classic and a 2 Gen. 2 GB Nano and I had checked this sound check option on each of the ipods in "Settings" but it never seemed to make any difference.
I was reading the online manual for my new Classic and found that the Sound Check needed to be checked in iTunes for it to work in the iPod.
I did this and iTunes instantly went thru each of my songs in my library and adjusted the volume.
It has worked for me on my Classic but I cannot say if it has on my Nano since I use it for only Podcasts and do not have any music loaded on it. Plus I use a different computer for each of my ipods and have iTunes installed on each.
Hope this may be of help. Check the iTunes software first.
Mr. Hoz

Ipod nano sound check

I have a new Ipod Nano (5ht gen) and although I have 'Sound Check' on in ITunes, the volume levels of music played on my Ipod varies by song and/or album and is very frustrating. How do I set or upload the 'Sound Check' attributes to/on my Ipod?

From iPod main screen, do you find a Settings item?
If so, select it, look for Playback item. Do you see *Sound Check* option (on or off)?

Sound check - apple tv

My music library is at iCloud.
When I'm listening my music on apple tv, the volume is often diferent from one song to another.
In iTunes we have "sound Check" that automatically adjusts song playback volume to the same level.
Is possible to do the same when listening my icloud music library on apple tv ?

Yes, there is a sound check option under the audio settings.

IPod nano 2nd generation sound check bug

Every time I sync my 2nd generation 4Gb iPod nano with my computer to add songs to it, the sound check option becomes turned off, but it says it is still on. My iPod software is the latest version (1.1.3). Sound Check is turned on in iTunes, and I had it turned on in my iPod's settings menu before syncing. Turning it off and back on in the settings on the iPod after syncing re-enables sound check, but it turns back off every time I sync. I have also tried resetting and restoring the iPod nano, but it still has this problem. A third generation iPod nano used on the same computer doesn't have this problem. Is this a bug, or am I doing something wrong when syncing (auto sync, disk use enabled)?

This problem is also happening with my ipod, except the sound check function doesn't even work! My brother in product design says it could be a problem with the volume control chip in the ipod.

Reinstalled iTunes - "Sound Check" option no longer effective

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