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Fixing Compilation and Gapless Settings in iTunes 7

TMO Quick Tip - Fixing Compilation and Gapless Settings in iTunes 7

by , 7:30 AM EDT, September 13th, 2006 - Digg This

iTunes 7 is the sleek, new version of iTunes that Apple released on Tuesday. For the most part, it looks like a nice upgrade to the already powerful music and video management application, but it doesn't seem to be correctly tagging some albums as compilations or as albums that should play each track without a gap when updating your iTunes 6 library.

For this example, I'll use the sound track from High Fidelity. In iTunes 6, it properly displayed as an album. In iTunes 7, each track appears as its own unique album.


iTunes 7 doesn't catch many compilation albums.

  • Start by finding the album you want to modify. I like using iTunes' browser. You can open it by choosing View > Show Browser.
  • If you are using the iTunes browser, albums appear in the right hand column. You can trim down your album list by selecting a genre from the left column, and an artist from the center column.
  • Once you select the album you want to modify, choose File > Get Info, or use the Command-I keyboard shortcut.
  • When you select more than one song to edit - in this case by selecting an entire album - iTunes checks to see if you really want to edit the settings for multiple tracks. Click the Yes button to dismiss the dialog window that says Are you sure you want to edit information for multiple items?

  • iTunes confirms that you want to edit an album instead of individual tracks.
  • If you are tagging an album as a compilation, choose Yes from the Compilation pop-up menu. If you need to tag an album as gapless, choose Yes from the Gapless Album pop-up menu.

  • Tagging an album as a compilation...

    ... and another as gapless.
  • Click OK.

iTunes will update the tracks in your selected album so they appear and play correctly. Now the songs in the High Fidelity sound track all appear together, just as they should.


The same album, but correctly tagged.

Terminology check: What's a gapless album? A gapless album is one where each track plays back to back without any break between songs. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is a perfect example of a gapless album.


if you have ideas for Mac related tips that you think other TMO readers might find helpful.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Brutno Posts: 198 Joined: 28 Aug 2002
Subject: Gapless

How does iTunes 7 handle existing joined tracks already in your library? I did not see anything about this on the iTunes web page.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Even after you tag as compilation...

If after you choose compilation and your tracks still show up as separate albums, do a get info on all the tracks again and check the box for Album Artist and say ok, it will clear out that tag and your songs will be in one album. It may not happen to you but it did to me and I spent 10 minutes scratching my head.

Close Name:Tinky Winky Posts: 116 Joined: 14 Jan 2002
Subject:

Joined tracks are handled as one track, just as in iTunes 6.

The "gapless" property in the info dialog doesn't seem to actually change the way the songs are played back. They will play back without gaps if they're supposed to. It just works. So I guess that assigning albums as "gapless" is just for your own reference.

Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2088 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Subject: Gapless

Quote
Tinky Winky wrote:
Joined tracks are handled as one track, just as in iTunes 6.

The "gapless" property in the info dialog doesn't seem to actually change the way the songs are played back. They will play back without gaps if they're supposed to. It just works. So I guess that assigning albums as "gapless" is just for your own reference.


Sure seems that way.

On CDs whose tracks intended to be separate, the sound usually fades a bit at the end of a track. Thus, the VERY short gap in iTunes 6, etc., is not very noticeable. It IS noticeable, rather like a hiccup, in albums intended to be continuous.

For example, Jane Olivor's Safe Return was recorded at a concert. The track separations don't come at the end of a song, but at the beginning of the next. Her introduction to the next song is at the end of the previous track and the applause and audience sounds are continuous. I tried it in iTunes 6 on my PowerBook and the (short) gaps were obvious. I tried it in iTunes 7 with and without the properties setting and got true gapless playback in both cases. It sounds like a live concert, just like the CD. I found the same thing with other concert albums, including comedy concerts. OTOH, some concert CDS, like Nana Mouskouri's Concert for Peace, were produced with gaps--the last 2 seconds or so of each track is silent. Gapless playback won't make any difference in those cases.

Close Name:brett_x Posts: 322 Joined: 24 Jan 2006
Subject:

No overlap is one difference...
I always have my songs fade from one to the next. In 99% of my music, this works fine. They overlap each other just a bit. But when it comes to songs that are supposed to flow together, it doesn't sound right.
Now, why a whole album?
I just wish there was a way to tag 2 songs as gapless, instead of the "whole album" approach. There are many songs that flow into the next song on an album without being an entirely gapless album. Flaming Lips' "The Soft Bulletin" for example, tracks 6 and 7 should be gapless, but the rest of the album is not.
Maybe I'm wrong and there is a way to do this, but I haven't figured it out yet. I'll wait for iTunes 7.0.1 I guess.

Edit: You can tag individual tracks as gapless if you want... just don't select all of the songs before "editing multiple songs". The info still says "Part of a gapless album", but the other songs remain not "part of a gapless album". Apple is usually clearer on this type of thing. But at least I have the feature I was hoping for.

Close Name:Tinky Winky Posts: 116 Joined: 14 Jan 2002
Subject:

Seriously? I thought this was totally clear. Songs play gapless. It just works. If they're not meant to flow together, iTunes isn't going to force them to be slammed up against one another. I don't see how this is so difficult to understand. The "gapless" tag is there for your reference only, it does not affect how the songs are played back.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: "Part of a gapless album" *does* matter

According to the iTunes 7 documentation, the "Part of a gapless album" setting *does* matter. Check it out:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304362

So, the option is only used if you turn on the general "Crossfading" option in iTunes.

Glenn

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Sorting would've fixed it too...

It appears from your screenshot that your sorting on the column "Artist". You could've fixed it to display the album together by just sorting on the "Album" column.

Close Name:Differs2 Posts: 1 Joined: 16 Oct 2006
Subject: Gapless is great

Actually the 'gapless album' tag is not there for your reference only. Its for for people who listen to house mix albums and it stops the split second pause between tracks (usually at the high point of a mix). Take my word for it - its a great feature and really works.

Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2088 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Subject: Re: Gapless is great

Quote
Differs2 wrote:
Actually the 'gapless album' tag is not there for your reference only. Its for for people who listen to house mix albums and it stops the split second pause between tracks (usually at the high point of a mix). Take my word for it - its a great feature and really works.


Don't be so narrow-minded. Gapless playback is "for" a lot of people. It helps with any CD that was divided into tracks after the fact--recordings of live concerts, comedy routines, some classical music, etc. The CDs play continuously, but the tracks get separated when iTunes rips the CD. Thanks for expanding my knowledge, though. I had heard the term "house mix" before, but didn't know what it meant. I haven't been to a dance club in about 30 years, harkening back to the days of <gag> disco!

Close Name:Guest
Subject: gapless but DSOTM is still wrong

so gapless is great, but itunes doesnt know where the song starts/ends it appears..has always annoyed me especially with DSOTM.

like most of "on the run" is labled as "breathe"

anyway to fix that problem? anyone else have it?

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Thanks

V helpful article

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