Category: Geeks r Us
A few days ago, I noticed something very annoying. If I plug my thumb drive into my Macbook, then plug it back into my pc, the mp3s on it become distorted when I play them back on the pc. That is, they sound as if they're being played on high volume through speakers that can't handle it. I don't know how else to say it, and the real volume is fine. Note that I did not copy these from ITunes (I don't even use that), nor even from the Mac's hard drive. They were already on the thumb drive. But I'm sure that, if I copied folders with mp3s from my Mac to the thumb drive, they would do the same thing. Is there any way for me to fix these mp3s so that they sound normal? Note that I don't need to save them in high quality, as I prefer to keep the file size small. But I do want them to sound as they did before this happened.
While we're at it, if I did copy files from the Mac, how can I delete the extra forks? That is the empty files that start with .? For example, document1.txt, .document1.txt?
You have learned it is best to play files that have been gotten on a Mac on a Mac, and files that have been gotten on a PC on a PC.
Now, here's something however. This is the magic of iTunes. You can have iTunes on a Mac, files in that library.
Have iTunes on your PC, the same files will be in your iTunes library.
On both machines they will sound great.
Someing up. If you put all the files in iTunes, not only don't you need the thumb drive, but the file will sound great. This will cost you 20 bucks a year, because you'll need iTunes match.
Sweet stuff.
I didn't get these files on a Mac. I don't use ITunes or any similar program. Some were downloaded with Songra, some were ripped from cds, and some were given to me by people. Regardless, I just copy and paste all files from one computer to the other. Plus, I already have my own folders, with their own names, most of them not by artist or album, but by the name of the Youtube channel where I got them or the type of music contained within them. Many songs just say things like Track 1, and others are written in Greek, which the Mac cannot read, unless I get a Greek synthesizer, which costs about $100. I'm not about to pay for using my music files, which I have always done freely, and I don't use the Mac enough for it to be worthwhile in any case. So is there a better sollution to get these files back to normal?
This is a maybe.
Copy the files on to say the Mac in the media player.
Now copy the files on to the PC.
On the PC use Windows Media player, or iTunes and have it convert the files to the default setting.
Now if that works, use separate thumb drives. One you use on the Mac, one on the PC.
You didn't say if you'de been doing this before without a problem, so now just developed one?
I also don't know what changes happened when you used the drive, or what condition that drive is in.
Maybe someone else will post with a solution.
Thanks. I'll try that. The drive is new, and I believe this did happen in the past, but had forgotten. I think there may be programs out there to stop this, but must see. In any case, that's a very good idea about the Mac and different drives. I use it so rarely that it's usually not even a problem.
look into mx media player, it can be installed to your mac and does not require ITunes. I have a few questions for you tiff about why you do not like ITunes on your mac but its best I just leave that pile of dead fish alone.
haha Starfly, you sure you want to open that flood gate with her? lol
I pretty much explained everything about that. I'm not paying just to listen to my music, and I have my own folder structures. It's just as easily to copy and paste folders.
When you said you are not paying just to listen to music, do you mean, all your music you got it from the net for free by some illegal methods?
I never know that you need to pay anything using itunes, when you already own the music, and have the music on your computer or however you store it
I told her to pay the 20 dollars for the iTunes match. The reason for this is when she puts music in iTunes that has not been purchased from iTunes, to share that music among devices, she has to by match. Once it is on all the computers, she doesn't have to pay for the next year.
She has 1 thumb drive, but wants to listen between devices, so it was just a suggestion.
what tiff is saying makes absolutely no sense.
the mp3's dont get modified in any way between devices or anything of the sort.
you could normalize the volumes of the tracks down to a lower level, but i dont see what good that would do.
have you tried t the mp3's with different media players/
iTunes Match is not you paying 'just to listen to your music'.
Instead, you are paying for an anywhere access method and storage, where you're not storing music in a vault but accessing all your tracks by license from a public resource - the iTunes store.
If one doesn't want to pay for that, that is fine, but at least being intellectually honest about what you aren't paying for has merit.
I don't pay for iTunes Match either, but that is because I don't care much about a personal music collection anymore. Namely because I can listen to most things I want to via iTunes Radio or other online services like that.
And I can always buy a song or an album via iTunes if I really want it, or rent a movie from them.
But $20 a year is really nothing to ask for someone who has a large vault of music and wants to have anywhere access for all Apple devices or devices that can run iTunes software.
Just being honest about what the service actually is.
Leo
Thanks. I thought it was for the player and such. Regardless, I hardly ever use my Macbook, and it's so old that it can only go up to Lion. This was just temporary until I get a portable computer.
I'll try another media player. I'm not sure what's going on with the music either. It's a bit strange.
Agree with JH and Leo. I think, some of the technology problems come from the user. Because the user refuse to do sound and proper research, to learn and understand the problems, they end up blame the software/hardware that may have nothing at all to do with the problem. I have 2 apple computers, 4 apple IDevices, and 2 pcs. All running the same itune library, and i do not pay a single penny for it to simply play, what is already on my library, doesn't matter if i use it cross platform, or use it in other player, etc.
But if you put music you purchased from say Amazon in your iTunes library on 1 device, it will not cross over.
Now you can send it to the other device and put it in iTunes, but iTunes match does this for you.
Because she used the Thumb drive, it may have changed the format a bit.
We, as I've said, don't exactly know what was on the machines she was moving between had on them, or what programs interacting with her files.
I don't buy music from Amazon etc. *smile* I don't even think I played any files from the thumb drive with the Mac. I just installed the drive to put some other files on the Mac and maybe to read something. Then, I put it back in the XP machine (though it would probably happen with 7) and played the mp3s with Media Player Classic. But the idea of the format changing a little does make sense. I think I actually saw a few forum posts on other sites about this, and maybe a program or two to fix it. I'll have to look. I was just curious if anyone here had something similar happen and could recommend something accessible. If not, then I do know a nice converter site that works with both audio and video files.