Jason Turner3
Level 1 (5 points)

Q: iTunes Match Bitrate discrepancies...

I just enabled iTunes Match last night.  First, I started with my master library which contained 9,500 tracks and a lot of them were encoded/ripped at 320Kbps AAC.  This library also included my older 128k iTunes purchases.

 

This process went great.  Tracks were uploaded and others were matched.  Some files were upgraded to 256k from the original 128k purchased version.

 

Then I added my MacBook Air which sync'd it's library.

 

Today, I checked both libraries and noticed what I consider to be a big misrepresentation to the MATCH service, which should be well documented in a FAQ.  It replaced my ripped CD's that were 320k with Matched 256k AAC in iCloud and my devices syncwith those files and NOT the original versions that were uploaded!  It kept the original 320k files in the computer's iTunes Library that it was originally stored on but when I would add another computer/device, all of those tracks are now 256 - even the uploaded tracks.  This is after I'm paying for the most amount of storage iCloud allows, thinking it would used for these tracks.

 

It seems that Apple transcodes the uploaded tracks to 256k by default and that is the only bitrate available to other sync'd devices. Given the amount of storage I have purchased with iCloud, why wouldn't the original be stored and made available to me as my master iTunes library?  Or at least have an option of making 256k available to mobile devices to conserve bandwidth?

 

Is there a work-around for this?  Or is this a "feature" of the service?

 

Additionally, some previously purchased tracks are not syncing.

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Posted on Jan 9, 2012 12:17 PM

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Jason Turner3

Q: iTunes Match Bitrate discrepancies...

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  • by roebeet,

    roebeet roebeet Jan 10, 2012 7:41 AM in response to Michael Allbritton
    Level 2 (430 points)
    Jan 10, 2012 7:41 AM in response to Michael Allbritton

    Quick test on my part -- had my local iTunes set to AIFF import, first off.  Imported a 48khz WAV (again, an obscure artist from a needle drop that I was certain would upload), then did my upload.   Then downloaded that new iCloud file to compare.

     

    It's not only a 256kps AAC, as we expected, but the local app on my PC wrote the file (it lists the writing application in the metadata).   And the uploaded file also has my Apple ID tagged in the metadata as well.  Lastly, it's 44khz and not 48khz, so it does re-sample before upload, if it's a lossless transcode. This is all stuff I expected, given what we already know.

     

    I also grabbed a few Amazon Cloud uploads, just as a comparison (they support AAC and MP3 uploads, and can handle 48khz files as well).    The uploaded file and the original are bit-for-bit the same, even the MD5 sums are identical.  So Amazon isn't touching those files.  Just an FYI.

  • by roebeet,

    roebeet roebeet Jan 10, 2012 7:50 AM in response to JiminMissouri
    Level 2 (430 points)
    Jan 10, 2012 7:50 AM in response to JiminMissouri

    Jim, have a great birthday!!!!

  • by JiminMissouri,

    JiminMissouri JiminMissouri Jan 10, 2012 8:06 AM in response to roebeet
    Level 2 (465 points)
    Jan 10, 2012 8:06 AM in response to roebeet

    Thanks roebeet.  I'll do my best.  A break from working on the House From **** is probably long overdue anyway.

  • by Michael Allbritton,

    Michael Allbritton Michael Allbritton Jan 10, 2012 9:59 AM in response to JiminMissouri
    Level 6 (16,832 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 10, 2012 9:59 AM in response to JiminMissouri

    Happy day, Jim.

     

    I actually haven't been to a live show in person in many years either. Don't really like the crowds. So I content myself with buying them and listening to them when ever I like. I'm grooving on a Gov't Mule show from July 2008 right now.

  • by Michael Allbritton,

    Michael Allbritton Michael Allbritton Jan 10, 2012 8:00 PM in response to roebeet
    Level 6 (16,832 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 10, 2012 8:00 PM in response to roebeet

    I finally got a chance to do a little investigation of my own this evening and it turns out that when transcoding ALAC files for upload iTunes is using a "custom encoder," for lack of a better term, and does not use what ever the default iTunes import settings are.

     

    I downloaded a few tracks from a list show off archive.org (48/24 tracks, BTW), converted them from FLAC to ALAC and added them to my library. I had set my iTunes import settings to MP3 @ 320 Kbps VBR. I then let iTM do its thing. After it had uploaded the files I switched to my other library, which has just iTM tracks for streaming in it and downloaded the handful of tracks.

     

    Lo and behold they were 256 Kbps AAC files with a sample rate of 44000. So that confirms what robeet found ealier today that the tracks are also downsampled in addition to be transcoded.

     

    Perhaps useful information.

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