Clip plays music slowly, lower pitch.

Bought my 4GB Clip about a week back.  At first, when I was using it, I thought something was off, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  On further investigation, I realized that all of the songs that my Clip plays are played slow.  If you play, say, a four-minute song on a computer and on my Clip and start them at the same time, the Clip will be a couple seconds behind by the end of it.  All the while, the music is played in a pitch lower than normal, so it sounds strange to my ear.  I haven’t the slightest clue of how this can be adjusted.

@xylias wrote:
Bought my 4GB Clip about a week back.  At first, when I was using it, I thought something was off, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  On further investigation, I realized that all of the songs that my Clip plays are played slow.  If you play, say, a four-minute song on a computer and on my Clip and start them at the same time, the Clip will be a couple seconds behind by the end of it.  All the while, the music is played in a pitch lower than normal, so it sounds strange to my ear.  I haven’t the slightest clue of how this can be adjusted.

It can be adjusted with a firmware alteration. This was done to the Fuze a while back, and will probably be done to the Clip as well ( when, I don’t know )

So you’re saying that this is a known problem and could be fixed in the future?  Or is there some kind of firmware update I need to install?

@xylias wrote:
So you’re saying that this is a known problem and could be fixed in the future?  Or is there some kind of firmware update I need to install?

It is a known problem, and could be fixed in the future, yes. There may well be a firmware update available you, depending on which version is on your player. Look in your Settings menu, at System Info…the numbers there are your firmware version. Then read this.

This is a real drag for anyone who likes to play along with the music on the clip, as it will be out of tune with your instrument.

The problem affects Mp3 encoded at 44.1 kHz sample rate (the default sample rate for all CDs and most Mp3).

If you are willing to encode your Mp3 at 48 Khz sample rate, when you rip your CDs, the pitch/time problem is not noticeable.

Some audio software allows you to transcode from 44.1 to 48 Khz sample rate.

This seems to be the only practical work around for this problem, at this time.

I have given up hope of getting a firmware update to fix this (it has been over 6 months).

And yet I still check this message board, just in case…

Happy Trails

Wavy

@Marvin: Version on my Clip reads “V02.01.32A”, which I’m pretty sure is the latest version.  Would it be possible to avoid this problem by installing an older version of the firmware?

@wavy: Can you recommend me a free piece of software that will do what you’re suggesting?

@xylias wrote:

@marvin: Version on my Clip reads “V02.01.32A”, which I’m pretty sure is the latest version.  Would it be possible to avoid this problem by installing an older version of the firmware?

 

@wavy: Can you recommend me a free piece of software that will do what you’re suggesting?

Nope, I think this happens on any of them, sorry.

@xylias wrote:

@wavy: Can you recommend me a free piece of software that will do what you’re suggesting?

 

I’m not wavy, but I use iTunes to transcode everything I put on the Clip from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz.  It works fine, but it’s a pain to have to do.

 

There is no version of the firmware that fixes this problem… yet.

Probably never will be :angry:

I’m on the Mac platform.:smiley:

iTunes can be used for importing at 48 kHz.

You change the setting in iTunes > Preferences > General > import settings > using MP3 encoder > Custom > Sample rate 48.000 kHz

This is used for importing CDs in iTunes.

Other settings you might want to make are iTunes => Preferences => General => Import Settings => Setting => Custom. : 256 Kbps => Use VBR => Quality => Highest, Stereo Mode => Normal , add checkmark to Smart Encoding , and remove checkmark from Filter Frequencies.

If you are an audiophile and/or geek you might want to use a more sophisticated free program on the Mac platform called XLD.

This software is also capable of transcoding Mp3s that you don’t have the original CDs for.

For best quality results you should use the original CD (or WAV. , FLAC. , or other lossless format)

to make your 48 kHz Mp3 rips from.

(let me know if you need the settings to get 48 kHz rip on XLD)

http://tmkk.hp.infoseek.co.jp/xld/index\_e.html

If you are on the Windows platform there is a free version of iTunes for you here:

Or you can use this Google search to help you find more free Windows options.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=CGp&q=free+audio+ripper+for+windows&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Happy Trails…

Wavy

  1. When will Sansa Fix the Pitch problem on the Clip?
  2. Why won’t Sansa Fix the pitch problem on the Clip?
  3. Why won’t Sansa respond to this question on this forum about fixing the pitch problem on the Clip?
  4. Why should any one trust Sansa to fix any problems on their other products if they won’t fix this fundamental flaw with a firmware update?
  5. ???

@xylias wrote:
Bought my 4GB Clip about a week back.  At first, when I was using it, I thought something was off, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  On further investigation, I realized that all of the songs that my Clip plays are played slow.  If you play, say, a four-minute song on a computer and on my Clip and start them at the same time, the Clip will be a couple seconds behind by the end of it.  All the while, the music is played in a pitch lower than normal, so it sounds strange to my ear.  I haven’t the slightest clue of how this can be adjusted.

Congrats on buying a fundamentally flawed player like the rest of us have that we are now stuck with.

You do have a option.  Piece of advice, return the player to where you bought it (since you only bought it a week ago). Save yourself the headache of having to convert all your music to 48 kHz for as long as you own the player, because all signs point to the fact that this issue will never be resolved.

Message Edited by Warrior1986 on 09-01-2009 09:58 AM

i don’t know that this is an issue for all owners. i don’t believe my player plays slow, in fact, both of the Clips i’ve had play a little fast. By a little I mean they gain maybe one second every minute. i first noticed this when i was trying to play a Rifftrax over a small speaker set and would have to pause to resynch every few minutes. same rifftrax played over a PC is flawless. pitch seems unaffected.

I guess the pertinent question is whether Sansa has any track record of new firmware for models that have already been replaced in the lineup?   It shouldn’t be a big deal if the solution is already known (already fixed the same problem for Fuze)

I’m still hoping that with the Clip+ firmware in place, SanDisk will see fit to adapt it for the original Clip, the reason for my separate post on that topic here (no response back yet from SanDisk).

@wavydavy wrote:

  1. When will Sansa Fix the Pitch problem on the Clip?
  2. Why won’t Sansa Fix the pitch problem on the Clip?
  3. Why won’t Sansa respond to this question on this forum about fixing the pitch problem on the Clip?
  4. Why should any one trust Sansa to fix any problems on their other products if they won’t fix this fundamental flaw with a firmware update?
  5. ???
  1. SanDisk employees would know, we don’t.

  2. Maybe they will.

  3. This is a user forum.  Although SanDisk employees often respond here, they don’t consistently do so.  I would recommend that you call SanDisk tech support.

  4. Trust but verify.

  5. Will success spoil Tab Hunter?

Questions about this problem have gone unanswered by Sansa telephone Tech Support.

They claim no knowledge of what firmware will be released, or when.

This is unacceptable.

This forum and this thread are the appropriate forum to air these concerns, and alert others to a significant and yet unresolved problems with their Clip players.

This forum is the place for Sansa employees to browse and comment on progress.

The fact that they have stopped doing so for the clip is very disappointing :angry:

@wavydavy wrote:

Questions about this problem have gone unanswered by Sansa telephone Tech Support.

Sorry if I’ve asked you this before (I think I have), but … when you talked to a SanDisk tech support person on the phone, did he/she just not acknowledge the problem?  Did you mentioned specifically that many people in the forum are complaining about the problem?

Never noticed this problem with 2 clips.

If the music is only off by a couple seconds, most people would never ever notice it because that’s nothing over the space of a 4 minute song.

I think the problem has been decreased with firmware updates, but not completely fixed. Try loading the latest firmware on your player.

@itsmylife wrote:

Never noticed this problem with 2 clips.

 

If the music is only off by a couple seconds, most people would never ever notice it because that’s nothing over the space of a 4 minute song.

 

x2