iTunes > AudioMIDI no restart required now???

[poop]

I would love some users with DACs that can verify to test the new version of iTunes...

 

It seems that one of our much desired iTunes features may have been implemented in the background without our (or at least my) knowing it. I have a friend who has emailed to explain that he recently upgraded iTunes and noticed when changing sample rate in AudioMIDI that his DAC indicated the change without having to restart iTunes. Previously iTunes would have to be restarted for the change to take effect.

 

Can anyone verify this please? Just want to be sure it isn't something odd happening with the DAC used.

 

Fingers crossed!!!

 

[watchnerd]

It seemed to behave for me as your friend described for me last night.

 

[John]

Hello. New here, although I have been lurking for a couple of weeks. The site is just an amazing resource. I have learned so much, reading through the forums. Thanks.

 

Anyway; I also can verify this. Using a Macbook and itunes 8 into a Cambridge 840C I just changed midi settings sample rate while a song was actually playing and the DAC showed the change in real time.

 

- John.

 

[watchnerd]

It also seems to apply to QuickTime, as well.

 

I played an AVI file via QT and the change was capable of being applied in real time as the file was playing.

 

[DanRubin]

Now what we need is for Audio Midi to change automatically (and according to a set of user-defined rules) in response to different file resolutions, so we can play 24/96 files without having to manually make changes to the settings each time we change from Redbook to high-rez or back again.

 

[watchnerd]

I bet you could write an Apple Automator script to do this.

 

Not elegant, but a work-around.

 

[poop]

Not perfect, but it's a start! Thanks for checking it out guys.

 

[lapaix]

An article from Benchmark Audio suggests setting Audio Midi at 24/96 and forgetting about it thereafter. I have tried this, and it seems to work. But, how does one get 24/192 or 24/176 from a Macbook to an DAC (other than the Weiss DAC2-Minerva)? And, what are Apple Pro Tools and where does one find them?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi guys - I think this is a false alarm. The Audio Midi sample rate always changes when it's switched, but iTunes still locks on to the sample rate that was set upon the app's opening. So, Audio Midi is up or down samppling from the iTunes locked in rate :-(

 

[watchnerd]

Downsampling is bad, but would upsampling hurt?

 

I can see it being a wasted effort (it's not going to make a 16/44.1 file better), but it shouldn't hurt, right?

 

As mentioned above, any reason not to just leave it at 24/96 all the time?

 

 

 

[DanRubin]

Well that sucks. You have no way of knowing what you are really getting unless you remember to restart iTunes.

 

 

[DanRubin]

>any reason not to just leave it at 24/96 all the time?

 

The reason is that your Mac may do a poorer job of upsampling than your DAC does, if your DAC upsamples. I don't know that this is the case, but it makes sense to me, and I think I get better sound from 16/44 files if AM is set to 16/44 or 24/44 than when set to 24/96.

 

 

 

[poop]

Sorry for the false alarm guys... I have never personally had a DAC that locks onto the signal to indicate sample rate. Seems like a good idea in theory, but in practice perhaps a bit misleading based on this experience

 

Guess we'll have to keep waiting and hoping.

 

[watchnerd]

Chris, if Audi Midi is changing the sample rate, and it's showing up on your DAC accordingly, how are you able to determine the bit level iTunes is operating at, independent of what's coming out of the digital out?

 

Unless one is using some kind of software development tool that might tell this.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

With the Alpha DAC I can see that the HDCD flag on the 16th or 24th bit is not getting to the DAC without being changed.

 

[John]

Not all upsampling algorithms are equally effective so it would depend on the algorithm your DAC uses vs that used by the computer. I would think in most cases, setting the midi output to 16/44.1 for CD quality material would be best, so letting the external DAC do all of the maths. Only listening will tell, of course.

 

[Opusover21]

Ok so I'm confused..Is it best to leave it as 16/44 and only switch using high res? I use the options in Itunes to see what the sample rate is...but whats best to leave it as..are we saying leaving it at max settings is creating a false output? sorry to be thick ;-)