Variable speed playback with automatic pitch correction

Variable speed playback  with pitch correction is so important when playing podcasts, lectures, and audiobooks.

I am now listening to lectures at 1.5X on my pc using Windows Media Player. It has automatic pitch correction. I wish I could do this on my next mp3 player(I don’t want to use Rockbox). 

@jk98 wrote:

Variable speed playback  with pitch correction is so important when playing podcasts, lectures, and audiobooks.

I am now listening to lectures at 1.5X on my pc using Windows Media Player. It has automatic pitch correction. I wish I could do this on my next mp3 player( I don’t want to use Rockbox ). 

Well, that’s your decision…albeit one many disagree with. :wink:

Some people just don’t want the complications (installation or use) of a non-manufacturer’s alternate operating system; or the possibility, however slight, of bricking their player through installing an alternate operating system; or the possibility of losing the ability to play files, such as library files or files from a music subscription or audiobooks service, protected by digital rights management, upon installing an alternate operating system such as Rockbox.

@miikerman wrote:
Some people just don’t want the complications (installation or use) of a non-manufacturer’s alternate operating system . . . 

Very true. For example, I love Rockbox on one of my e280’s. I even taught myself how to make my own theme a couple years ago (which wasn’t exactly easy, I might add and took me about 2 weeks). But I installed Rockbox on my Clip+ just the other day and couldn’t stand it. Took it off a couple hours later.

There’s something to be said for simple, press & play. If you want to tinker, adjust, fondle, customize and/or spend more time fiddling with all the options or playing games rather than listening to music, books, whatever that’s OK too, but sometimes you just want or need the KISS system, K eep I t S imple, S tupid.

@tapeworm wrote:

 

There’s something to be said for simple, press & play. If you want to tinker, adjust, fondle, customize and/or spend more time fiddling with all the options or playing games rather than listening to music, books, whatever that’s OK too, but sometimes you just want or need the KISS system, K eep I t S imple, S tupid.

Agreed.  Just for pure music listening, devices like the sansa line of players are great.  They have great sound quality out-of-the-box and do not need add-ons nor adjusting of the equalizer for terrific sound.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with those that want to put in the extra effort to increase the quality level to their liking.

I would think the improvement in battery life alone would make it worth installing for some people here. :stuck_out_tongue:

@tapeworm wrote:


@miikerman wrote:
Some people just don’t want the complications (installation or use) of a non-manufacturer’s alternate operating system . . . 


Very true. For example, I love Rockbox on one of my e280’s. I even taught myself how to make my own theme a couple years ago (which wasn’t exactly easy, I might add and took me about 2 weeks). But I installed Rockbox on my Clip+ just the other day and couldn’t stand it. Took it off a couple hours later.

 

There’s something to be said for simple, press & play. If you want to tinker, adjust, fondle, customize and/or spend more time fiddling with all the options or playing games rather than listening to music, books, whatever that’s OK too, but sometimes you just want or need the KISS system, K eep I t S imple, S tupid.

To each his own, I guess :dizzy_face:. The battery life jump on my Clip+'s when I had them was from barely ten hours to 15 hours, with my usual higher bitrate mp3’s. If one was to use FLAC the difference is even larger…from maybe 7 hours to  ~16 hours!

And with this  theme, it was just as easy, if not easier, to read than the OF was. I never play any of the games, etc…I just listen to tunes. But it’s nice to know that after a few minutes of setting up the backlight, scroll speed, and other settings, I don’t ever have to do it again.

And let’s not forget the most important thing…no database refresh in Rockbox anymore! That alone, for those with 32GB cards, should be reason enough to switch.

I may give it another go this weekend. Just received my Cortex CHP-2500 headphones recommended by you (Marvin) here. As I have all FLAC files on my Clip+ (and card) and need to burn-in the phones it would be nice to get more battery life.

@tapeworm wrote:

I may give it another go this weekend. Just received my Cortex CHP-2500 headphones recommended by you (Marvin) here. As I have all FLAC files on my Clip+ (and card) and need to burn-in the phones it would be nice to get more battery life.

As you may have seen in one of those threads I linked to, some people find the cups to be too shallow, and feel their ears right up against the inner foam…and so they stuff them with cotton or the like for more depth, like you can see here with mine.

@marvin_martian wrote:

As you may have seen in one of those threads I linked to, some people find the cups to be too shallow, and feel their ears right up against the inner foam…and so they stuff them with cotton or the like for more depth, like you can see here with mine.

 

Yes, I did see that, but fogot about it until you just mentioned it. I only put them on and listened to a couple songs last night, but did notice they are a bit shallow. The “stuffing” idea is definitely something I’ll have to look into. Additionally, those vinyl pad covers will have to be swapped out with the included simulated velour ones. My ears were sweating after only a few minutes! :dizzy_face:

Rockbox doesn’t have the autoresume feature of the original firmware. I guess it has bookmarks that need to be set?

Unless I’m misunderstanding, Rockbox has autoresume as well as automatic bookmarking capabilities.  Check out the manual (e.g. pages 67-70 in the current Clip+ manual).

http://download.rockbox.org/daily/manual/rockbox-sansaclipplus.pdf

I have embraced Rockbox. It gives me the variable speed playback. It doesn’t help that much with battery life for mp3 files though. I hope Sandisk makes the next clip model slightly thicker and with 30 hours of battery life, to match the battery life of the fruit company’s lowest priced player with a screen.

@jk98 wrote:

I have embraced Rockbox. It gives me the variable speed playback. It doesn’t help that much with battery life for mp3 files though.

When I first Rockboxed my Clip Zips, it brought me from 12 hours to 15 and change. I don’t know what percentage increase that is, but I found it useful.