AIFF Exports Won't Play On iPod

[pgoodwin1]

- Audacity for Mac 1.3.12; downloaded from Audacity site.
- Mac OS 10.6.6 (latest SW) on an iMac11,2 (new 3.06 GHz machine)
- iTunes 10.1.1 (4) - latest SW
- iPod Photo running 1.2.1 (latest SW)

I've had absolutely no problems using Audacity. I've recently Exported songs out of Audacity as AIFF, and imported them into iTunes. This went without a hitch. The songs play fine from the iTunes library.

I then copied the AIFF songs from my computer iTunes library to the iPod. They play fine in the main iTunes library (on the computer). This is where the story gets a little bizarre.

With the iPod is connected to the computer via the sync cable, the iPod AIFF songs play when I select them in the iTunes window (i.e. in the iPod music song lists in the iTunes window).

When I disconnect the sync cable, and play the same AIFF songs just on the iPod, they pull up on the iPod display, but immediately skip to the end . If that next song is another AIFF created by an Audacity export, it will again pull up the next song on the iPod display, but immediately skips to the end. None of the Audacity AIFF exports play on the iPod when it's not connected to the computer with the sync cable.

I thought maybe the iPod/iPod SW was the problem BUT: When I import an AIFF file from an audio CD (created by something other than Audacity - I would think anyway) into iTunes, copy to iPod (using all the same steps), that AIFF file plays fine regardless of whether the iPod is or isn't connected via the sync cable.

Note - I do not know if when you select a song on an iPod playlist in the iTunes window (when you're connected to the computer via the sync cable) that it actually plays from the iPod or plays from the main library on the computer and the iPod is just a pointer (with the sync cable connected)

Edit: There's nothing peculiar about the songs. They're pretty typical 4-5 minute songs, 40MB to 50 MB AIFF files

[kozikowski]

Before you pull the songs into iTunes, Open one with QuickTime Player and Command-I Info panel. Does the INFO panel look anything like that? Your 48000 may say 44100 instead.

Koz

[pgoodwin1]

Thanks Koz. I changed the Audacity pref to 48KHz, but it still skips. Not sure why the QT info says 0.00 bit/sec. iTunes shows it as 1536 kbps. It plays fine when the sync cable is attached - when selected from the iPod list in the iTunes window.

here's the QT info

info.png (37.06 KiB) Viewed 3573 times

I did notice that the AIFF song that does play on the iPod has the filename suffix ".aif" and theones that skip have the suffix ".aiff".

[pgoodwin1]

Here's the Quicktime info for the file that will play on the iPod without skipping. It was imported into iTunes from a CD. Note that it's 44.1 KHz.

[pgoodwin1]

I exported the same song from Audacity in WAV format, and it doesn't skip on the iPod - it plays fine

[pgoodwin1]

I imported the Audacity ".aiff" files into the app "Switch" and exported them as AIFF files (extension ".aif" ) and loaded them into the iPod, and they play fine.

What's the difference between the ".aiff" and the ".aif" formats?

[kozikowski]

None. It's the same thing. I just did your exact test with my iPod and an .aiff file and it worked fine.

Is the aiff file produced by Switch 48000, too? My test was with 44100.

[time passes]

Nope. I tried 48000 and that worked, too.

I'm stumped....

Koz

[kozikowski]

I tried this on a more modern machine and my Quicktime INFO datarate is 1535.96 kbp/s.

Let's crank through the numbers. Which OS-X, which Audacity version, what machine, which iPod?

Since you have to go through iTunes twice, let's split that up. Get piano2.wav from here:

http://www.kozco.com/tech/soundtests.html

...and send that into Audacity to make a new AIFF file. Pull into Quicktime INFO, pull into iTunes, your iPod, etc.

It is suspicious that your music is at 48000. That's the video standard and a bit unusual for standard music. Audacity is not a good converter.

Koz

[pgoodwin1]

- Audacity for Mac 1.3.12; downloaded from Audacity site.
- Mac OS 10.6.6 (latest SW) on an iMac11,2 (new 3.06 GHz machine)
- iTunes 10.1.1 (4) - latest SW
- iPod Photo running 1.2.1 (latest SW)

[pgoodwin1]

here's the QT Info after pulling piano2.wav into Audacity and exporting it as an AIFF - without touching any Audacity settings

[The extension tiff has been deactivated and can no longer be displayed.]