Burned Tracks Are Super Quiet - What's Going On?

[Jason Dunn]

In order to get around Puretrack's asinine DRM implementation :roll: (more on that later) I burned my DRM protected tracks to an audio CD, then was planning on ripping that CD to get non-protected tracks. The old download-burn-rip play. Here's what's strange: I've done it twice, on two different CD burners (one's a DVD burner actually), but both times the result has been the same: the audio tracks are significantly quieter than the original source WMAs. We're talking 50% less loud - what's going on? I searched around for some sort of normalization burning option in WMP 10 beta, but couldn't find it. There's an option for volume leveling between tracks for playback, but nothing for burning. Any idea as to what's going on here? Has anyone else ever encountered this problem?

[dean_shan]

Didn't know what Puretracks was so I looked it up. I noticed that it's for Canadians only. I'm wondering if it's just Canadian lables only?

[Filip Norrgard]

Are you ripping using the digital or analog as the sound channel from the CD? For me, ripping using the analog CD sound channel results in a somewhat more silenced sound -- not noticable but still noticable... :roll:

[Jason Dunn]

Didn't know what Puretracks was so I looked it up. I noticed that it's for Canadians only. I'm wondering if it's just Canadian lables only?

Yeah, it's just for Canadians in the same way as iTunes is only for people in the US and now some parts of Europe.

[Jason Dunn]

Are you ripping using the digital or analog as the sound channel from the CD? For me, ripping using the analog CD sound channel results in a somewhat more silenced sound -- not noticable but still noticable... :roll:

Actually, it's not even when I'm ripping it! When I play the CD it's really quiet. I've also ripped it and the volume level matches that of the CD. So it's definitely happening when I go from the DRM-protected WMA to the CD.

[dean_shan]

Didn't know what Puretracks was so I looked it up. I noticed that it's for Canadians only. I'm wondering if it's just Canadian lables only?

Yeah, it's just for Canadians in the same way as iTunes is only for people in the US and now some parts of Europe.

I mean is the music at the store Canadian artists only or worldwide artists as well?

[Jason Dunn]

I mean is the music at the store Canadian artists only or worldwide artists as well?

Worldwide artists. But that's not really the topic of this thread. ;-)

[dean_shan]

is thread. ;-)

Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I know. http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/nonono.gif

[bdipert]

Jason, I assume you're burning the CD from within Windows Media Player? If so, download and install the TweakMP plugin from Microsoft's website, then (before you burn the CD again) launch it from within WMP and, under the 'CD' tab, deselect the (by default enabled) checkbox to 'automatically level the volume of files when copying to an audio CD'.

Each time you subsequently add or change a CD recorder or its drive letter, as the instructions say, you'll need to remember to re-run TweakMP.

Regards,
Brian Dipert
EDN Magazine

[PatrickD]

Jason, I also purchase music from Puretracks and do the old burn and rip routine. I can't say that I have noticed any difference in volume between the original WMA songs and the new uprotected WMA songs. Must be something with your setup. What software are you using? I am just using Windows media player for the whole process.

[PatrickD]

Ok disregard my first post. I went back and compared some tracks, and I did notice a definate difference in volume level. I guess I never really compared them before.

[Jason Dunn]

...under the 'CD' tab, deselect the (by default enabled) checkbox to 'automatically level the volume of files when copying to an audio CD'.

AUUUUUGGGHHH!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS MICROSOFT THINKING BY HAVING SUCH A HORRIBLE FEATURED TURNED ON BY DEFAULT?!?!?!?!

That solved the problem. Un-freaking-believable that they'd do that. Time for a front-page rant... :roll:

THANK YOU for passing this info my way. I'm completely stunned at this.

[Filip Norrgard]

...under the 'CD' tab, deselect the (by default enabled) checkbox to 'automatically level the volume of files when copying to an audio CD'.

AUUUUUGGGHHH!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS MICROSOFT THINKING BY HAVING SUCH A HORRIBLE FEATURED TURNED ON BY DEFAULT?!?!?!?!

Mmm, 'kay? :?
That is not good UI planning :!: Settings should not be hidden from the user nor require the user to download an external program to set this setting. I myself tried to dig around WMP's options and there are way too much levels (sub-dialogs need to be digged thru for certain settings) to the UI and options are thrown around too much (distributed across places). The main problem is that the non-technical users doesn't like the chaotic feel that the WMP options dialog greets them with and thus they rather leave the problem as it is that mess up their settings in a chaotic control mess. :roll:

Apple iTunes has gotten this quite nicely planned in into their UI layout (although I do not like the fact that they list both Options and Preferences in their menues) and WMP UI design team could learn one or two things from them *hint hint* ;)

So, Microsoft please make the Options dialog in WMP less cluttered and multi-leveled, and think of the simple user! Doing some time to make the settings simpler to use is a great investment to do... :)

[Mike Temporale]

Thanks for posting this! I too, have been wondering why my PureTracks CD's are so much quieter than normal CD's.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. oh, and nuts to you Microsoft!