Current mp3gain alternatives for reducing clipping?, Clipping determined to have been caused by iTunes equalizer. Options

[BrownNote80]

Hi All,

First time poster, long time reader.
I've been using mp3gain for years, and I basically just want to know if there are any modern equivalents or alternatives to reduce clipping in mp3 files. This is all that I use mp3gain for. I do not use it to make all tracks or albums the same volume. I actually prefer there to be volume differences between songs and albums.

I'm surprised that "clipping" is not a more-discussed issue among all music listeners, not just audiophiles. I have countless examples of songs that, during their regular volume, even at 320 kbps, produce distortion that to my ears is unbearable. Like a fuzzy crackle whenever the levels push through the ceiling. After applying mp3gain to bring below the clipping level, these tracks sound perfect to my ears, and the clipping is totally eliminated. I can't imagine not lowering the gain on most tracks, and I guess that is why I'm surprised that there are not a plethora of programs that try to address it.

Anyway, mp3gain does what I need, which is "apply constant gain". I don't necessarily need track/album gain, target volume, or max-no-clip. I just like to be able to manually reduce tracks by a few decibels to eliminate clipping. Basically, my question is:

- Are there any other programs that do the same thing (i.e. reversible process to apply constant, custom gain reductions without loss in audio quality)? Are there any where the focus is removing clipping rather than equalizing volumes? I guess this is an odd thing to ask since mp3gain serves my purpose, but I can't help but think that this program is old, and support for it has run out. Surely there must be something equivalent that's more current? I've tried many recommended alternatives, but none of them seem to satisfy my needs - they're either way overboard (too many features I don't need), or they are missing key features. I'm also looking for a Mac equivalent, but none of the current Mac mp3gain ports have all of the following:
- Reversible
- Can analyze for clipping
- No loss in audio quality
- Can apply custom, constant gain changes to files/albums

Sorry for the long post, and many thanks for any help.

This post has been edited by BrownNote80: Dec 18 2012, 05:12

[BrownNote80]

Since we're apparently so hell-bent on discovering the source of distortion, I think I found it for you - it's the EQ in itunes. When it's off, there's no distortion (even on original lossy files before mp3gain). When I apply the EQ, there is distortion, unless the file has had gain reduced.

Right, I know, itunes sucks, and yes I'm sure I'm a noob and a tool and all these other things for using itunes to listen to music, and I should be ashamed for even coming to these forums.

With that out of the way, let's rephrase the question:
"Are there any other programs out there that allow me to reduce the gain/amplification by a specified amount on a large number of files simultaneously, so that I can happily apply the EQ in itunes without hearing any distortion?"

Thanks.

[saratoga]

Since we're apparently so hell-bent on discovering the source of distortion, I think I found it for you - it's the EQ in itunes. When it's off, there's no distortion (even on original lossy files before mp3gain). When I apply the EQ, there is distortion, unless the file has had gain reduced.

Right, I know, itunes sucks, and yes I'm sure I'm a noob and a tool and all these other things for using itunes to listen to music, and I should be ashamed for even coming to these forums.

For what its worth, its not that iTunes sucks. Applying positive gain will generally result in clipping unless you add headroom (or are sure the music was mastered with it). When you do that you're basically telling the software to digitally increase the volume, which eventually causes clipping once you get above max.

[skamp]

For what its worth, its not that iTunes sucks. Applying positive gain will generally result in clipping unless you add headroom

FWIW, iTunes / iPod EQ presets do suck, since some of them use positive gain. Reducing gain at the source (like with mp3gain) is the only solution to prevent clipping with those, AFAIK.