iTunes import, some songs crackling

@support greetings,

New Roon user. Had an iTunes library that I moved to my new QNAP TVS473e all-SSD NAS running Roon core. Moved the files by dropping the iTunes folder on my Mac into a monitored directory on the NAS.

The Roon is playing to either:
Roon Core on NAS -> Yamaha WCX-50 streamer -> Meridian 808v6 -> DSP7200SE
-or-
Roon Core on NAS -> AppleTV -> Samsung Sound Bar over HDMI audio
-or-
Roon Core on NAS -> Macbook Pro internal speakers (for testing only LOL)

Network connectivity is via high quality wi-fi with good reception (Unify AC HD). iTunes itself has no issues playing any stuff even with tons of other things going on.

So far loving the app, but a number of my purchased songs from iTunes crackle like crazy when they are high amplitude e.g. Red Hot Chilli Peppers Snow. The playback crackles regardless of which of the three playback paths I take above.

No red light is coming on. Here is a screen shot of the playback path as requested:

image
image

…and here is information on one of the original files:

I’ve not been able to hear the crackling on any Apple lossless-ripped CDs in my collection - only with stuff that I purchased on iTunes.

Love the app, seriously considering putting down to buy the thing, but can’t if it won’t play my music without crackling unfortunately :confused: Had assumed this sort of thing would just work out of the box (perhaps wrongly)

Thanks, N

Edit; …since writing this, I googled like crazy - tried using DSP on or off, reducing headroom, meddling volume settings, all with no avail. NAS CPU is only 12%-14%. Network is not much at all being sent. Roon client and NAS both mostly idle. Some songs crackle much more than others. They only crackle during periods of high amplitude as though something is distorting or clipping or otherwise mucking up at the limits.

Hi Neil,

This is a known issue. You can try and update the ffmpeg file or wait for a fix that should be released in the near future. Can’t say exactly when though.

More information in this thread:

Cheers, Greg

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Hey @Neil_Carson – Thanks for the detailed report!

Based on your report it appears that you are experiencing the same behavior that we are investigating as mentioned by Greg above:

There are some details in that thread about updating FFMPEG. I definitely recommend giving that a try.

We also have a ticket open with our development team regarding this behavior. I can’t currently promise and specific timeframes for this solution, but I can say that the team is hard at work on this! I can promise that I’ll be sure to keep this thread up to date as new information becomes available.

Kind regards,
Dylan

Thanks @dylan and @Greg - I’ll give this a spin later today or tomorrow and will report back. Yes, it seems likely it will fix the problem, good :slight_smile:

I hacked the Roon server to include a copy of ffmpeg4 and add it to the path ahead of the built-in one; problem solved. Hope this sort of thing doesn’t happen often :wink:

On to more experimentation - thanks @dylan and @Greg

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@dylan Unfortunately, some tracks still have crackling on at high volume, it fixed most but not all.
Going to pass on Roon for now… The software shows great promise but need to wait for it to be a bit more solid.

Thanks for giving that a try, @Neil_Carson, and apologies for the continued difficulties here.

After updating FFMPEG, does this still happen for all endpoints? Or just a specific endpoint?

Thanks,
Dylan

All endpoints, but it’s a function of the song. Most songs play just fine after going to ffmpeg 4, but I have one that still distorts like before

Hey @Neil_Carson

Just reaching out to let you know we’ve just released an update that addresses this issue. Please update to build 339 and let us know if you have any issues.

You can read more about the update here:

We genuinely appreciate your patience here, Neil!

Kind regards,
Dylan

Thanks - I’ll give it a spin when I’m back home later in the week :slight_smile:

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Hi @dylan, works well - thanks so much, just purchased my membership :slight_smile:

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