[jeff k]

I'm very rusty with itunes/ ipod. I uploaded 10k songs about 6 years ago , and just got back into it.

Back then there was this annyoying thing where every song had a gap upon playback between songs on your ipod, classic example Beatles Abby Road, where there songs bleed into each other you would hear a gap.
I just looked at preferences, (itunes 10.04), and don't see anything about gap between songs

I did a playback of Abbey Road - uploaded 6 years ago, and I did not hear the gap (though have not tested on an ipod, it's lost)
The songs play back to back on the computer, no gap.

Did this issue get solved by software upgrades alone— all my music uploaded years ago is now ok?

[andi*pandi]

I believe it is a setting. I know I've adjusted it in the past.

[Spheric Harlot]

This was fixed years ago.

The only times I still get that gap is when playing some files gleaned from questionable sources back in the day.

[jeff k]

thanks, S.
I'm puzzled, I thought that importing from long ago, those gaps would be permament. Guess software updates took care of it? You just wonder how itunes know where not to have the gap, and where to keep the gap??

[anthology123]

There is a function in the computer iTunes that you can select an album or a selection of songs in order, and then do a get info and set it for gapless playback, and the songs will be synced to your iPod device and play without gaps.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by jeff k 

thanks, S.
I'm puzzled, I thought that importing from long ago, those gaps would be permament. Guess software updates took care of it? You just wonder how itunes know where not to have the gap, and where to keep the gap??

If the tracks on the CD you ripped were gapless, then so are the resulting audio files when played contiguously. Older versions of iTunes (before 7.0), along with 4th generation and earlier iPods, would have a break in the audio while opening the next file. The update, I think, allowed the software to start reading the next file early so there would be no delay.

The "get info"setting for gapless playback is only needed if Crossfade is on, to exempt the files from being faded:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1797

For dinosaurs like me who still have a 4th gen iPod, the only solution is to rip the gapless tracks into a single file. To be able to skip through different parts of that file, I use ChapterTool as if it were an audio book.

[jeff k]

Patrick, thanks, nice clear post.

I use a 5th generation Nano, with the current version of itunes.

But/ so even if the CD was burned 5-6 years ago, (when I got my first ipod - 2nd generation) everything is ok now? That "seems" to be the case from that one test of Abbey Road.

[Patrick]

If it works, it works. I've never burned an audio CD from mp3s, but I would assume it doesn't introduce any gap besides what may have been there already. The standard audio CD format does include a "pregap" before every track, but that can contain audio, as with Abbey Road and many other musical compilations: Pregap - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jeff k]

No CD being burned? Just going from computer to ipod. Still in the past, huge gaps would be introduced.
Anyway, did not understand most of your post, sorry!

[ghporter]

There is (and as far as I know always has been) an option for space between songs. I think the default was 2 seconds (which will sound like a "huge gap" if you're used to absolutely gapless playback).

[jeff k]

G, don't see that preference anymore, so maybe it's gone now? Fixed.?

[ghporter]

In the current version of iTunes, I can't find that setting. Frankly, I haven't used it in quite some time, so it may have disappeared a while back. In the Playback options, there IS an option for crossfading songs, allowing you to overlap the finishing song with the new song.

Digital songs usually have their own lead in and lead out times built into the file, so some of what you may be thinking of is almost certainly part of the purchased song files. But again, recent versions of iTunes don't introduce extra time in between songs, so it's not a problem.

[jeff k]

I'm not buying songs, never had, they are downloaded from my CD collection. But version 2 ipod at that time made forced gaps on a classic like Abbey Road where you have a suite of 6 songs together with no gap.

Only gap I get anymore is, say, I download a 1-2 hour podcast and edit the title, author, etc.

[anthology123]

If you had ripped an album like Abbey Road into the current iTunes then
for burning an audio CD back out again, there is an option to have no gaps between songs, otherwise the default is two seconds.
I believe there is a default 2 sec pause at the start of track 1, but that would be it.
If you sync your iPod with Abbey Road, to make sure it also has no gaps, then when you make your playlist, go into it, select all the songs in the playlist, then get info, and click on gapless playback and select yes, the whole album will have no gaps when you sync that album playlist into your iPod.

[jeff k]

Anthony,
I rippped Abbey Road 7 years ago.
I just played back in the current itunes and it was seamless, no gaps, (on computer, have not tested with ipod, should be same right? )

so I'm thinking that it's just been fixed somehow, WITHOUT, have to re-download.

[Spheric Harlot]

Yes, it is fixed, and has been for years.