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iTunes Ripping - Strange Digital Artifacts

I've tried a few variations on archive searches and wasn't able to find an answer to this: In ripping some of my CD's into iTunes (either Apple Lossless or WAV) I've been getting some very odd, brief digital artifacts at the end of each songs on a CD. This sounds like two or three seconds of an audio tape on fast forward. It only seems to happen on new releases (I cannot think of any older CD's it's occurred on). I just got a copy of Mary Gauthier's new album (great CD by the way) and it happened on that one. I tried ripping it multiple times in Apple Lossless, and WAV (always in iTunes) and each and every time it created files where this strange artifact existed at the end of every song. I play the CD I ripped the files from and the artifact is not there. Is this some kind of anti-piracy technology...or do I simply have some setting off in my itunes preferences (Error-Correction is on, WAV or Apple Lossless is always set to Automatic, have experimented with importing to startup disk and external disk-same results). The artifacts seem to always sound the same too...they never vary, except that they sound different from song-to-song, but the same if say, the first cut is played over again.

Anyone have any clues what this might be?

Marco
jax2
jax2 OP
3,031 posts
 
Thanks, Jeffrey. I didn't think of that, though I'm not sure I'm following how it might have an effect. That may be mostly because I've never understood exactly what it was for. Those settings have gone unchanged from whatever the default is. The system on the Tower was imported from the laptop when loading the OS (Leopard) software so the two should be identical. Some of the affected rips were made on the laptop using Tiger as well, so it's not anything new in the software. I went in and took a peak at the settings. I'm not sure what I'd be looking for though(?)...just that the settings are the same? There seems to be only settings there for Mic and speakers. None of the dropdowns have any options available without any devices plugged in. The other option is to check Midi devices which is limited to the IAC driver and Network. Can you give me some direction as to what I might be looking for there?

Thanks for the suggestion...anything is worth considering at this point.

Marco
jeffreybowman2k
216 posts
 
i think you would need to have your output device plugged in, then you can check the output settings for that device (sample rate, etc.). that said, if you haven't made any changes to them, the settings are probably still at the default so this may not be an issue at after all.

here's some interesting reading on the subject: Benchmark Setup Guide
jax2 OP
3,031 posts
 
Great link, Jeffrey. Thanks!

Since it shows up on the rip through any source I play the files through, I don't think the output settings have anything to do with it though. Even the file transferred to my iPod has the exact same artifact. So it is the original rip that is corrupt.

Marco
jayboard
301 posts
 
Now that you've determined the problem happens on your laptop and not your tower, you could also see if it's limited to one specific user account on the laptop. Try ripping the CD from another account, even if you have to create a new one for this exercise. If things are fine on other accounts, try deleting the iTunes preferences files from the Libraries folder in your original account. Or, with a little work, you could migrate to the new account as your main account and leave your troubles behind.
nycjdc
10 posts
 
Just checked my one-week old MacBook w/ Leopard...at the end of a large # of tracks I have a disturbing artifact, too. In fact, it is is very electronic sound, a few little beeps, moving from channel to channel.

No idea what it is.

how do i get rid of it? Fortunately, I've only ripped a dozen discs in apple lossless format to an eternal firewire drive. No other activity on the computer. Dedicated system just for music storage.
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