Volume trouble on iPod Classic

My Classic no longer works (yes, it was a sad day), but if I recall correctly (and I'll admit, I'm struggling), the volume "lock" in settings is to control the maximum volume that the general volume control can reach. Specifically, if the general volume control is at 50% (half way), when you change the volume in Settings, once you press the Play button, the indicator bar above the arrow will drop back to the point of the general volume.

To put it another way, (again, if I recall correctly), that setting is made up of two parts:

1. a bar across the screen with a black fill-in (part filled-in)
2. an arrow pointing up at the bar

When you change this setting, the bar and the arrow move together, but once you press the Play button (to lock the maximum volume), the arrow reverts back to the actual level of the general volume control, leaving the filled-in bar at a higher level. If my description does not match what you see, then I've got this wrong, but if my description fits your scenario, then my explanation is good.

Edit: I may have this the wrong way round: the arrow stays at the higher setting, while the filled-in bar reverts to the lower (actual) level.

I mention this because your statement:

I want the same loud volume for all songs as I use an external mini speaker to listen on when on holiday.

would appear to be something different.

The volume control in Settings is know as the Volume Limiter (because it limits the maximum volume possible on the Now Playing screen's volume control). Once you have set the Volume Limit to the right hand side, go back to the Now Playing screen and you can turn the volume up to the new maximum limit that you have just set.

To make all songs produce the same volume as one another (which I think is what you are trying to do) cannot be done "on the iPod". Each recording studio and, recording engineer and music producer has their own settings for volume. So songs on one album may (and often are) at a different volume to songs on another album, even by the same artist.

tt2 may recall detail of software that can attempt to make all music appear to be at the same level (volume), if that's what you're trying to do. It's gone from my head.

In iTunes there is a feature under Edit > Preferences > Playback > Soundcheck which if enabled is supposed to add volume adjustments to each track so that they all play at the same level. I've never used it. I don't know if those offsets are copied to and used on the iPod.

tt2

I was thinking more along the lines of an external programme to adjust the levels of the files.

I've not tried that particular option (Soundcheck) but when I did try the individual Volume Adjust on songs (several years ago), I found that those changes didn't make it to the iPod Classic.

If matching sound levels is what the OP is after, I suspect it's going to be difficult to achieve in a domestic situation. Radio stations manage it by using expensive audio compression software, which would possibly undermine the audio quality of an iPod.

Possibly, the only practical way is to adjust each individual file in something like Audacity and then export that back into iTunes. To be honest though, I've tried it on a few songs that I find particularly quiet on my iPod, but not had much success.

Phil

Reset the device (hold down menu+select for 6 seconds) and try again.

tt2