Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 19:21
Hi,
I've ripped (*for settins see below) one of my Audio CDs and found that the low frequencies are completely missing when playing back on my computer with 2.1 speaker setup. It sounds as if there is no subwoofer at all.
When playing it back on analog CD Player via amplifier etc. the sound is normal. Does anybody have an idea what is going on?
*EAC logfile:
QUOTE
Used drive : TSSTcorpCDDVDW TS-L632H Adapter: 0 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : No
Make use of C2 pointers : Yes
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Installed external ASPI interface
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 192 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\lame\lame.exe
Additional command line options : -b 192 --add-id3v2 --pad-id3v2 --tt "%t" --ta "%a" --tl "%g" --ty "%y" --tn "%n" --tg "%m" %s %d
thanks in advance
It is not possible for EAC to selectively remove some frequencies, and I see nothing in your lame command line that would do that either. I would check the playback path to see if some sort of equalization is being applied.
Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 19:47
No, there's no equalizer loaded nor any other plugin that would affect the sound. I've tetsted foobar2000 0.9.6.7, VLC 0.9.9 and Windows Media Player 11.
A few years ago I recorded the CD onto an audio cassette (for my walkman) and there also were sound issues. Maybe the CD has been improperly mastered.
edit: I've ripped the CD at my parents where it currently is. So I can't test the original audio for the next few months.
edit2: Is there any way to edit the file? I've tried compressors, equalizers and other tools with WaveLab a.o. without any effect on the lower frequencies. Well, they are present, but I can't hear anything out of my subwoofer.
The problem is not in the files. You are searching at the wrong end. Are you even playing it back through the same pair of speakers?
Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 20:27
QUOTE (rpp3po @ Jun 8 2009, 20:17)
The problem is not in the files. You are searching at the wrong end. Are you even playing it back through the same pair of speakers?
Sure. Most of my files sound normal.
Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 20:47
alright, update: I just transferred the tracks to my portable player and everything's cool. Seems like a PC playback issue.
It sounds really crappy. If any of you has one of those modern cell phones with mp3 support, I mean one with the cheapest and worst speakers, you'll probably guess what I'm hearing here
The strange thing here is, that only this CD rip is affected. I have absolutely no idea what could be the matter.
Because you have not yet explicitly said that you have checked your cables from you speakers, I would suggest you do so. Maybe you have the wrong connector connected to your soundcard's subwoofer output, or maybe your stereo jack is connected to the wrong output. Also, some audio drivers support changing the outputs, i.e. green is usualy for stereo output, but with some audio drivers you could set it up to be for example the left rear channel output for surround, etc.
So go and check all of this and report back.
Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 21:11
Everything's checked. It's a mobile setup: Laptop + 2.1 speaker set (creative inspire a200) connected to the one and only, green output jack. The onboard soundcard's equalizer and settings are reset. There's no other hard-/software that could interfere at this point. Sorry guys, I tried everything I could, but nothing helps.
Well, if anything would not be connected or connected to the wrong jack, all other files/tracks would sound the same way, right? But they do not. It is only this specific file. That's curious.
I could post any information (dxdiag, Everest report, etc) if that would help, but the only thing I see, that something is wrong with the file / CD.
However, it works well on any audio devide.
*edit: i meant output jack, of course.
What CD is it, and how old? I'm always suspicious for pre-emphasis on older CD's.
Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 21:17
The CD is from 2001.
If there's nothing that could be done, that doesn't matter. It's not that important, I'm not listening to it all day long. But if any postprocess with audio editing software could improve the sound, it would be great.
QUOTE (Vittorio @ Jun 8 2009, 22:17)
The CD is from 2001.
Some modern classical CDs use pre-emphasis as well.
Pre-emphasis can't be the the cause if the MP3s play fine on his portable, because there is no de-emphasis flag for LAME MP3s, that would be automatically set by EAC.
Considering that we have the following information:
- Concerned tracks play false on his PC.
- Other tracks play correct on his PC.
- Comparison is done through the same set of speakers and amp.
- Concerned tracks play correct on his portable.
- Concerned tracks are regular LAME encodes with no fancy CLI options.
- Concerned tracks have been ripped with EAC.
- No EQ is active while playing.
I don't believe the story on technical grounds. There is no intrinsic feature of MP3 tracks at this bitrate, that could cause considerable high pass. Also EAC's ripping can't be the cause, because it handles time domain samples without converting them to frequency domain (required for EQing). One of the above premises must be be untrue.
Vittorio
Jun 8 2009, 21:47
besides, I'm using an ATRAC player, not a mp3-player. mp3 is supported, but transferred/converted to Atrac3/OpenMG files.
OK, I tend to agree with rpp3po now. Something must be untrue... At least logic suggests that. But, let's just say that Vittorio is really not making it up. No offense pal, but you have a really strange case there.
Vittorio, could you please rip the troublesome track to some other format than mp3. And then also use some other encoder for mp3. Report if those two test also give the same problem with playback. I kind of have a feeling, you will get different results.
QUOTE (rpp3po)
I don't believe the story on technical grounds.
Hypothetically: low frequencies in anti-phase.
QUOTE (lvqcl @ Jun 9 2009, 10:59)
QUOTE (rpp3po)
I don't believe the story on technical grounds.
Hypothetically: low frequencies in anti-phase.
Are you suggesting cancellation of the signals to the subwoofer? I'm not sure where an inversion of one channel could be occurring here, but a quick test would be to eliminate the subwoofer and send everything to the left and right.
Vittorio
Jun 9 2009, 17:38
QUOTE (pdq @ Jun 9 2009, 16:05)
[...] but a quick test would be to eliminate the subwoofer and send everything to the left and right.
What exactly do you mean? Nevertheless, I can't disconnect the sub, I can't even turn it off
- I know, a cheap set of of speakers, but it wasn't meant to last for long...
take a look:
Is there no way to connect the left and right out from your sound card directly to the left and right speakers? Or does your sound card have left, right and sub outputs? Perhaps you can plug headphones directly into your sound card.
Vittorio
Jun 9 2009, 17:51
Negative, I'm using a notebook with mic and headphone jack only. There's no line-out jack unlike standard soundcards so the speakers are connected to the audio jack. Maybe that's the point.
edit: I connected the headphones directly to the soundcard. Well, it sounds a bit better, but still not the same as other tracks.
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