[thecfg]

I've been watching the X3 for - ooh - 12-18mnths, and finally got me an eBay used one.
LOVE it.
Updated the firmware to the latest Beta.
The lack of ReplayGain irritated, as does the clunky playlist support. Much as I love playing albums (there's a special quality about them, and the Gapless works well too...), I like my Playlists...
So....
Whilst I use Jriver, I found that MediaMonkey was the best, it can directly address my media card to:

(1) set the format mask to \<Album Artist>\Album when copying
(2) convert the FLAC to 92 db - I realise this is a physical gain conversion...
 
I'd have preferred ReplayGain, but this at least stops one album moving the next in a playlist blowing my head off....
 
I adore Rockbox! Ipod Nano...Sansa Clip/Zip.......... but.... 70s/80s cd albums on this.... they sound, well, like my old NAD/Technics/Marantz separates (or was it Phillips? who did the Bitstream thing?).... kind of "analogue" sound (can't believe I put that in quotes....)
 
I tried copying the playlists into the internal disk, and changing them to reference b:\ for the microSD, but that didn't work.
 
Works smashing with my Koss Porta Pros.... lovely retro look and sound.
 
Does this help anyone? Anyone tried the above, or know any probs with what I've done? I realise you guys know more than I do about all this stuff.........

 

[Mmet]

  I've been watching the X3 for - ooh - 12-18mnths, and finally got me an eBay used one.
LOVE it.
Updated the firmware to the latest Beta.
The lack of ReplayGain irritated, as does the clunky playlist support. Much as I love playing albums (there's a special quality about them, and the Gapless works well too...), I like my Playlists...
So....
Whilst I use Jriver, I found that MediaMonkey was the best, it can directly address my media card to:

(1) set the format mask to \<Album Artist>\Album when copying
(2) convert the FLAC to 92 db - I realise this is a physical gain conversion...
 
I'd have preferred ReplayGain, but this at least stops one album moving the next in a playlist blowing my head off....
 
I adore Rockbox! Ipod Nano...Sansa Clip/Zip.......... but.... 70s/80s cd albums on this.... they sound, well, like my old NAD/Technics/Marantz separates (or was it Phillips? who did the Bitstream thing?).... kind of "analogue" sound (can't believe I put that in quotes....)
 
I tried copying the playlists into the internal disk, and changing them to reference b:\ for the microSD, but that didn't work.
 
Works smashing with my Koss Porta Pros.... lovely retro look and sound.
 
Does this help anyone? Anyone tried the above, or know any probs with what I've done? I realise you guys know more than I do about all this stuff.........

Congratulations 

 

[gerelmx1986]

  I've been watching the X3 for - ooh - 12-18mnths, and finally got me an eBay used one.
LOVE it.
Updated the firmware to the latest Beta.
The lack of ReplayGain irritated, as does the clunky playlist support. Much as I love playing albums (there's a special quality about them, and the Gapless works well too...), I like my Playlists...
So....
Whilst I use Jriver, I found that MediaMonkey was the best, it can directly address my media card to:

(1) set the format mask to \<Album Artist>\Album when copying
 

I have musicBee highly customizable media player/manager
 
I use the mask MUSIC\<Composer>\<Album>\<Track> - <Title>
 
I don't do any gain leave as is

 

[CarstenF]

Thanks for that information. I'll look into it.

That's right - me and a lot of other users requested this new feature - as always tastes differ but luckily for you there's an option to turn it off

 

[thecfg]

  I have musicBee highly customizable media player/manager
 
I use the mask MUSIC\<Composer>\<Album>\<Track> - <Title>
 
I don't do any gain leave as is

ReplayGain for me is a HUGE disappointment (not having it), whether it's Rockbox, iPods, PlayerPro/Neutron etc on Android... they've all got it (or the ITUNORM field equiv on iPod).
 
How do you all manage with the X3 and Playlists otherwise? OK, most albums from the last 10 years are all mastered loud, but if you listen to a mid-late 80s CD track, then a 00's album track... the volume jump will blow your head off!
 
Am I taking the right route doing a Gain adjustment of the tracks before coping to the X3?

 

[erdie]

Does anyone know if in-line headphone controls work at all? I have headphones that have in-line controls that work with iOS and some other devices.

 

[Mmet]

  Does anyone know if in-line headphone controls work at all? I have headphones that have in-line controls that work with iOS and some other devices.

not with the first X3 ... but works with the new X3 II

 

[erdie]

Mmet, many thanks for answering my question.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

ReplayGain for me is a HUGE disappointment (not having it), whether it's Rockbox, iPods, PlayerPro/Neutron etc on Android... they've all got it (or the ITUNORM field equiv on iPod).

How do you all manage with the X3 and Playlists otherwise? OK, most albums from the last 10 years are all mastered loud, but if you listen to a mid-late 80s CD track, then a 00's album track... the volume jump will blow your head off!

Am I taking the right route doing a Gain adjustment of the tracks before coping to the X3?

I have loads of tracks and albums at different volume levels. I really don't see this as a big problem. Can't you just judge how loud the track is before putting your headphone/earphones on? Turn it down or up to get to what you want. I listen album by album so the volume only changes at the end of some albums. It is maybe more understandable if you listen to a playlist with random tracks that are all at different volume levels.

It will be possible to get all the tracks to the same volume before putting them on the X3 bot it won't be very easy I don't think. I program I have used called Audacity is capable of doing this but there will be much better programs that this that will do it much quicker.

 

[thecfg]

I have loads of tracks and albums at different volume levels. I really don't see this as a big problem. Can't you just judge how loud the track is before putting your headphone/earphones on? Turn it down or up to get to what you want. I listen album by album so the volume only changes at the end of some albums. It is maybe more understandable if you listen to a playlist with random tracks that are all at different volume levels.

It will be possible to get all the tracks to the same volume before putting them on the X3 bot it won't be very easy I don't think. I program I have used called Audacity is capable of doing this but there will be much better programs that this that will do it much quicker.

Listening to just albums avoids this entirely of course, as you say.
Take Suzanne Vega's "Luka" track - from around 1985 for instance. Compare that with the level of, say a Bruno Mars track. These are mastered loud. Has been the trend of "remastering", even Peter Gabriel and "So".
I listen to just albums a lot, but Playlists are a fundamental part of a portable music player too I think, thanks!!

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

Listening to just albums avoids this entirely of course, as you say.
Take Suzanne Vega's "Luka" track - from around 1985 for instance. Compare that with the level of, say a Bruno Mars track. These are mastered loud. Has been the trend of "remastering", even Peter Gabriel and "So".
I listen to just albums a lot, but Playlists are a fundamental part of a portable music player too I think, thanks!!

I have the original albums of So and Us by Peter Gabriel. They are very quiet compared to the remastered recordings of early Genesis I have. I also have that album by Suzan Vega and I recorded that with Audacity from Spotify and that was loud and I think it must have been a remaster. Normally, I do prefer the sound of remasterd recordings. With the Genesis remasters though, it sounds like the treble has been treble has been increased and the bass has been decreased slightly.
I really don't mind this volume difference and I have never come accross anything that makes everything the same volume level. I would't expect a player to have any such feature. That is what I think anyway.

 

[thecfg]

I really don't mind this volume difference and I have never come accross anything that makes everything the same volume level. I would't expect a player to have any such feature. That is what I think anyway.

 
ReplayGain is a pretty cool feature of so many audio players, not least the mighty Rockbox of course (I'm a fan)
I must admit, that I've recently tried the "Volume Levelling" feature of mediamonkey, but that has of course (lossily) modified the actual file...goes against the grain when I'm exclusively FLAC!
 
I also must admit, when I say to my kiddies that I listen to albums, they look all confused and say "why would you want to listen to all those songs by the *same* person?".
Playlists... they're the future 

Lack of ReplayGain turned me off my old HiFiMan player, and my Sony (the "dynamic normaliser" they implement is rubbish), and even my old Sony tape Walkman could do it! (it was called adjusting the recording level for each track on our mix tapes...........he he he)

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

   
 
 
 
I also must admit, when I say to my kiddies that I listen to albums, they look all confused and say "why would you want to listen to all those songs by the *same* person?".
Playlists... they're the future 

 

I really don't like listening to music by playlists

Album by album makes so much more sense! Why listen to one artist than another with a totally different style of music? You will need to change your mood every song

 
I like albums as normally, each track is the same sort of music and I can choose an album depending what mood I am in. I suppose if you listen to playlists by genera, it isn't quite as bad then.

 

[steelglam]

I really don't like listening to music by playlists Album by album makes so much more sense! Why listen to one artist than another with a totally different style of music? You will need to change your mood every song:tongue_smile:

I like albums as normally, each track is the same sort of music and I can choose an album depending what mood I am in. I suppose if you listen to playlists by genera, it isn't quite as bad then.

Listening with play lists or shuffle is like listening to Pandora or the radio, which is one of the most common ways people listen or listened to music (radio isn't as popular as it used to be, but that has more to do with the kind of music that gets played on the radio rather than the format).

Are you really trying to criticize people for the way they listen to music, be it album or shuffle/playlist? Seriously? Sometimes people want to listen to an album. Sometimes people want to listen to a mix or variety. There was a reason that in their day, mixtapes and mix cds were really popular.

 

[gerelmx1986]

 

I really don't like listening to music by playlists Album by album makes so much more sense! Why listen to one artist than another with a totally different style of music? You will need to change your mood every song:tongue_smile:

I like albums as normally, each track is the same sort of music and I can choose an album depending what mood I am in. I suppose if you listen to playlists by genera, it isn't quite as bad then.

Listening with play lists or shuffle is like listening to Pandora or the radio, which is one of the most common ways people listen or listened to music (radio isn't as popular as it used to be, but that has more to do with the kind of music that gets played on the radio rather than the format).

Are you really trying to criticize people for the way they listen to music, be it album or shuffle/playlist? Seriously? Sometimes people want to listen to an album. Sometimes people want to listen to a mix or variety. There was a reason that in their day, mixtapes and mix cds were really popular.

I use both albums when i have different types of music in a row... but i tend to shuffle or playlist when i have f.e a 60Cds of canatas by bach and i don't want to be bored so i mix to make it more inetersting, loved the ipod could play album shuffle