FIXED -- Windows 11: Low volume on recently purchased iTunes (m4a) songs

[rpsgc]

The issue has been fixed by Microsoft.

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Exactly the same issue as this user:
https://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewt ... p?t=103286

It also affects MM4 (and some other players) because it's an issue with Windows 11 AAC codecs (since 22H2 I believe).

K-Lite Codec Pack didn't help. The usual workaround is to use Bass AAC add-on but I can't do that in MediaMonkey.

Any ideas?

[Peke]

Hi,
If they are not DRM, can you please in support ticket supply DL links one track that has low volume and one supplement track with correct volume you compared with one that has low volume? We would be curious why this is happening.

[rpsgc]

Done.

Ticket #6455

[Peke]

Hi,
Interesting, THX for files, but unfortunately both are on same level for me, but 2015 track has real sound dynamics where 2022 track is compressed on all frequencies.

Very interesting as I haven't been doing much sound quality comparison recently, but this is trend today due the fact most people listed music on phones and BT speakers digitally enhancing the sound and not natural sound where speaker actually move the air to your eardrums.

as for MM can you make sure these are enabled:
- Menu Play -> Volume leveling
- Tools options -> player -> Volume leveling -> Set playback per track -> Playback and Target volumes to 95db, enable clip prevention (rest you can leave at defaults) and disable all under General sub-options

If that do not help select low level tracks -> Right click -> Analyze volume and play them again.

You can also try disabling Menu Play -> Volume leveling and also change output plugins at Tools -> Options -> Player -> Output plugins and see if there is any difference. I suspect some sort of Auto Normalization (Windows/Driver possibly) to average peak levels which make Compressed Sound lower than it should.

[rpsgc]

Thanks. I'll do that and hope that Microsoft gets their act together and fixes the codecs.

[Peke]

Hi,
What solution worked for you?

[rpsgc]

Enabling volume leveling helped but I had to turn it off because seeking/fast forwarding/rewinding caused a horrible static noise.

[izzian]

It seems at some point over the last month or so there was an update to the windows 11 codecs that was rolled out to my pc through windows update because I'm now longer having this issue (I was the user whose topic you linked). Interestingly it wasn't the 23H2 update because I was still having this issue after that.

So seems like Microsoft fixed the issue. Only took them a good year.

[rpsgc]

It was update KB5035942 on March 17.

[Peke]

Enabling volume leveling helped but I had to turn it off because seeking/fast forwarding/rewinding caused a horrible static noise.

That is most likely driver output buffer issue. Can you post screenshot of device manager -> Sound, video and game controllers and volume control to see which one is default?
These are my settings: