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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
 
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.
nycjdc
10 posts
 
Update...The electronic beeps, starting right channel and moving to left channel, don't exist on my IBM Thinkpad in apple lossless format, but they do on my Macbook.

I just ripped a four tracks that had the electronic beeps on my Macbook on my Thinkpad and on the Windows XP machine, the beeps aren't there.
jax2 OP
3,031 posts
 
Nycjdc - what you describe does not in any way resemble what I'm getting, but certainly could follow a similar path of investigation. Do you have "error correction" switched on? Which format are you ripping with (WAV, Lossless, AIFF)? BTW, for me, this did not start when I switched over to Leopard - I have several CD's I burned using Tiger that have the same artifacts. AFAIK all were ripped on my iBook, or so I suspect (I rarely rip on my tower). Interesting that we both have problems with ripping on Mac laptops. Thanks for posting.

Marco

PS Where can I get one of those "eternal" firewire hard drives! :-)
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