Jittery music from I-tunes

[dave2010]

I meant to post yesterday. I tried iTunes (9.0.3.15) via USB from my laptop, and it sounded OK on several tracks. This was with WinXP on an Asus 1000H netbook. I assume you're not just talking about something which I'd need golden ears to detect.

One possibility is that there's something on your machine which is grabbing the processor from time to time. I have had that kind of problem before, though some players and servers seem much more resistant to it than others.

Hope you're making progress.

[monstermoo]

I meant to post yesterday. I tried iTunes (9.0.3.15) via USB from my laptop, and it sounded OK on several tracks. This was with WinXP on an Asus 1000H netbook. I assume you're not just talking about something which I'd need golden ears to detect.

One possibility is that there's something on your machine which is grabbing the processor from time to time. I have had that kind of problem before, though some players and servers seem much more resistant to it than others.

Hope you're making progress.

I think you could be right Dave, I've tried it again today, and it can run ok for a while but everynow and then I get the odd crackle and wierd effect on the vocals which sounds like a slow down in the processing.

Hmmm, does this mean I would get the same effect if I were using Airport Express? I assume so, which is not good. I guess it would be better to diconnect from the internet when playing music through the laptop to see if that makes any difference....

[dave2010]

monstermoo

I have wondered about this for a while. If I drive my DAC directly via USB from my netbook, then if I interact with the computer I get disturbances in the sound. I think also that there are programs which may cause similar effects without my intervention.

On the other hand, there is another odd bit of evidence. I run a Squeezebox, and the server is installed on the same netbook. Through the Squeezebox there is no problem, and I can stream data from my networked HDD with no adverse effects on the music. The data does go via my netbook, not directly from the HDD - though I may be able to configure it to do that. However, I note that when I turn the netbook off, the music continues for quite a while, which indicates that the Squeezebox does quite a lot of buffering, and thus smooths the flow of data to the DAC.

Possibly improving the buffering for iTunes might help - see http://theappleblog.com/2008/10/06/c...her-streaming/ for some more information from someone who experienced buffer issues with videos.

[Themis]

However, I note that when I turn the netbook off, the music continues for quite a while, which indicates that the Squeezebox does quite a lot of buffering, and thus smooths the flow of data to the DAC.

Indeed, SB has a very large (about one minute) buffer.

[Kris]

which sounds like a slow down in the processing.

Download and run the DPC latency checker http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml "Thesycon’s DPC Latency Checker is a Windows tool that analyses the capabilities of a computer system to handle real-time data streams properly. It may help to find the cause for interruptions in real-time audio and video streams, also known as drop-outs".

It will tell you what the latency of your system is. The higher the latency the less likely you are to live stream/play audio/video without stuttering.

Make sure you've got the indexing service switched off, also make sure that there are no unnecessary programmes running in the background.

If you have a lot of things loading on PC startup, download and run the Microsoft Autoruns prog from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb963902.aspx You'll just be interested in the 'logon' tab for now. Uncheck any progs you don't want to run at startup. If you have any worries, report back here and I'll tell you what's safe to uncheck.

Also don't forget to regularly clean your pc out with CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/ and defrag the Hard drive. Actually CCleaner has a good start up tab where you can disable start up progs. maybe better for you than autoruns which is a bit too complicated for first time users

Kris.

[technobear]

Hmmm, does this mean I would get the same effect if I were using Airport Express?

No. Different protocol.

[monstermoo]

Thanks guys, I'll be sure to take a look at the links you have posted and see if things can be improved

[dave2010]

Another problem I sometimes have is a program (anti-virus sotware) which insists on giving me an audio message every time it does a database update. One of the hazards of using a PC for audio I feel.

I hope you don't get that one.

[Stratmangler]

Another problem I sometimes have is a program (anti-virus sotware) which insists on giving me an audio message every time it does a database update. One of the hazards of using a PC for audio I feel.

I hope you don't get that one.

Simple answer to that one - remove Avast from your systen and use a different AV software.

Tesco are doing Kaspersky Security Suite for £14 at the moment.

[dave2010]

Chris

Might just go back to AVG. I only tried Avast! to see how it works - apart from the voice thing it seems OK. Is Kaspersky any good? I've never actually succeded in getting that installed - it seemed to produce too many conflicts with other software I have, though I know it's quite highly rated. Last time I tried I wasted half a day.