[Neccros]

Very limited but even if I disable the EQ, the loudness and distortion still exist... I think I have tried everything possible

 

[GREQ]

Final thought:
Where did you get the FLAC from?

 

[Neccros]

A friend of mine that DJs had a few in his collection, and since I mostly used 320 MP3s. I wanted to see if I notice a difference because I have about 1000+ CDs I'm about to start ripping and trying to decide what I will rip them to.  I don't have all the space in the world to store FLAC files so was trying to see if it was worth it.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  A friend of mine that DJs had a few in his collection, and since I mostly used 320 MP3s. I wanted to see if I notice a difference because I have about 1000+ CDs I'm about to start ripping and trying to decide what I will rip them to.  I don't have all the space in the world to store FLAC files so was trying to see if it was worth it.

 

1000 CDs is roughly 700GB - you can just get a 2TB portable drive from Seagate or Western Digital. If you're not storing them in the internal storage of a computer, or if you're using a computer with very limited SSD storage, go and buy two so one is a back up in case the one you occasionally move files with fails (you can store them in 320kbps in this drive if you use them on portable devices too, just make sure you have a FLAC back up). It looks expensive now but the time that can go to waste ripping them again should be kept in mind. I have three sets myself - one large drive at home with the back up for photos and music, a portable 2.5in that I first and more often back up with, and then the local storage in my desktop gaming rig (just in case), laptop where I work, and the microSDs in my players (plus the SDs in the cameras that I don't wipe until they're almost out of space).

 

[GREQ]

Well, unless you can verify the source of the FLACs was legitimate, my guess is that they were poorly/incorrectly ripped.
Other than that, I can't guess what the cause of the distortion is. 

 

[Neccros]

They are legit, I just don't know where my friend bought them... He DJs and buys music all over... 

 

[inthere]

  Well I find that some FLAC files are just really loud and distorted.... When I normalized a 320 kb MP3 to 90dB I get no distortion or clipping.
 
BTW, normalizing a file has nothing to do with the encoding of the data, its strictly the volume level of the file. At least in MP3s.
 
And when you make a FLAC file from a CD, isn't that already a lossy source???

 You get no clipping but you can't remove distortion from a recording. 

 

[Neccros]

I had distortion in the Beatport files due to the levels being so high... Once I normalized them down to 90dB from 100+ they were clear and distortion free   
 
Maybe I am not using the right terms.... But distortion is the best way to describe it..

 

[inthere]

Your problem isn't the files-something in your system can't take the high volume. You can't remove distortion from a recording by normalizing it.

If distortion is in the file, normalizing the file will keep the distortion, but the overall level will be lower.

Your problem could be a number of things, your playback software, headphones, sound card.

I guarantee you can get someone else to play the same Beatport files at their original level and it'll be distortion free.

 

[Neccros]

Funny, then why do these sound distorted in my car, on my laptop and my other computers?  

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Maybe I am not using the right terms.... But distortion is the best way to describe it..

 

You might just be hitting the clipping point too early. Take a dB meter and compare the actual output from teh non-normalized file and compare that to the actual output from normalized files, both initially set to how loud you listen. Chances are the non-normalized files may still be playing louder, you just hit clipping earlier on the amp since its getting a louder input signal.

 

[inthere]

  Funny, then why do these sound distorted in my car, on my laptop and my other computers?  

links to some of the songs then please.

 

[Neccros]

Oh geeze... that's like asking what I had for dinner when I was 8yo.... LOL

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Oh geeze... that's like asking what I had for dinner when I was 8yo.... LOL

 

He's going to check if the distortion are actually present in, for example, Tidal. If it is, then that means the problem is the recording, and there's not much that can be done. If it isn't then at least they eliminated the recording itself as the primary source, and now it's down to your copies or your playback hardware.

 

[inthere]

 

He's going to check if the distortion are actually present in, for example, Tidal. If it is, then that means the problem is the recording, and there's not much that can be done. If it isn't then at least they eliminated the recording itself as the primary source, and now it's down to your copies or your playback hardware.

 
Thanks! I'm a sound engineer and I have the software and equipment to check the files.