Swiping Screens / Settings

[mlutker]

Hello - Great product BTW. I have been searching for a program this good for a very long time! This is the best I have worked with.

I had some questions/statements - not really complaints. Thought I would post them in any case.

I have had issues when I swipe between the main screen and back to the EQ/gain screen where it will somehow grab the song slidebar on the EQ/Gain screen and start the song over or just move the bar where it is playing to another location in the song. I think it may be because were the small bar sticks out on the main screen to swipe is similar in horizontal location of the play bar on the EQ screen? No big deal just a bit annoying. I usually just flip between the artist/song/playlist/genre etc screen and the EQ/Gain screen - Track artwork means little to me (and always appear strange on my tablet) so I avoid that screen - wish I could choose to push it to the end of the swipe-able screens.

Can the settings button also be listed on the other screens? I.E. track listing screen? If I switch to a new track from the track list I like to be able to go directly to settings without going back to the main menu.

These are cosmetic and I have read your entire site so I know it is not priority on these things just ideas.

And this may be a dumb question - but what is binding?

Thanks,
Mark

[dmitrykos]

Hi Mark!

Thank you very much for kind comments.

> will somehow grab the song slidebar

Yes, I also noticed it. Will try to improve!

> wish I could choose to push it to the end of the swipe-able screens

There is option for that! Neutron's UI -> Settings -> User Interface -> switch off SWAP MAIN option. You will have screen with EQ/Gain controls in place of screen with art which will be switchable with simple pressing on Display area.

> Can the settings button also be listed on the other screens?

For the phones it is as easy as pressing hardware MENU button but tablets do not have it... Other screens got other buttons and having SETTINGS button will decrease functionality of other screens. Do not know what to invent at the moment but will keep your wish in my mind.

> always appear strange on my tablet

Could you please post here some screenshot? May be I can fix it if it is a bug in Neutron.

> but what is binding?

It means binding to top-level directories which may contain music files. Normally Android has internal database with music files found and registered but Android OS supports much less formats than Neutron and does not support metadata information well. Thus in basic Android music app you won't find any link to directories used by player. But Neutron supports many more formats and thus needs to parse music by its own. For that you need to point Neutron to directories which are shown as binding entries.

[mlutker]

I thank you for addressing all of my statements.

I thought I had gone through every option under settings. But I was having so much fun on the EQ and other settings surrounding it I did not get fully into the UI section until yesterday.

I also have Dolby Mobile on my tablet – that with depth of the EQ and other settings in Neutron, and good headphones - blow any hi-end stereo or other PC DSP program I have ever heard away. And I don’t think there is one I have not tried.

Don’t worry about the track artwork it is not the program – it’s because the pixel count is low making tablet screens degrade the pic (it is the same on other media players I have used on the tablet). However I am slowly re-importing my entire library of CD’s - I had an issue using AAC version of MP3 gain and later noticed it had some negative impacts on VBR tracks and you cannot reverse the AAC version of the program without degradation. I am now adding artwork to all of my music as I import. I am still using AAC at 320 kbps (I am still debating to go back to mp3).

Thanks again for your response. Great product – I have not placed my review but will shortly in the market. Definitely worth the $5; and a blast to tinker with!

[Nostrovia]

Hi Mark,

Just reading your comments here, I noticed your concern with vbr tracks & AACgain/mp3gain. It was always my understanding, that neither program worked on the respective files with vbr encoded files. I've just had a quite check at those sites, but at a glance I could not find any such info (so possibly I've been wrong for quite a long time?)

I think in terms of your own cd's for transfer you should definitely be using flac, i.e if you really want to hear your music at its best. Sure there are times when there is very little difference in sound over 320 files, similarly there are times when one cannot hear the difference between a track @ 320 compared with let's say 196kbps. Of course that all depends on the original recording itself.

Generally speaking though a flac file will sound way more dynamic, with an increase in soundstage over an mp3/AAC encoded track @320kbps.

I know that AAC 'promised' to be an improved version of mp3, but in reality they are much the same in terms of sound, esp when encoded at higher bitrates. I cannot imagine anybody could hear the difference between either @ 320kpbs, but a listener would do with a flac file. Of course for itunes/iphones etc AAC is the standard format, but mp3 has proved very robust over the course of its lifetime despite some serious flaws in its implementation, again mainly at lower encoding rates. And it's been a long while (since early days), when people would chose to encode or even download a track at a low bitrate thinking it will sound good!

Just a few thoughts...

Cheers.

[mlutker]

Hello –
I understand what you are saying about AACgain/mp3gain – and I think I remember a time they did not work on VBR tracks or I may be thinking of DRM tracks from iTunes. But it does indeed work now. I spent much time trying to get my target gain where I wanted it (now I am just over the thing).

I think my issue is more with VBR. I notice distortions with VBR – especially the more DSP added (when playing) the more odd it seemed to sound. It was almost like the decoding process was not keeping up with the actual drops in encoding of the VBR and the volume was flying up and down but not matching the music. Good example (and I would love someone’s input on this) a song starts out with only a few instruments playing – you set the volume – then the main part of the song kicks in (more instruments- vocals etc) – and the volume shoots down. I was running into this a lot with VBR – tested it with CBR and for the most part it is gone. Typically happens with more current CD’s where the decibels are already higher than years ago. The song does not sound ‘even’ so to speak.

I researched many formats to encode with – and with over 800 CD’s I went with AAC – not because I had an Apple product by any means – honestly… I wanted it to be easy. I think mp3 has more depth but LAME was just too much effort for the amount of music I had. So I went with what I thought was a balance of quality and ease. iTunes was just easy and AAC is crisp – so at 320 kbps I ripped away (as I know it’s mp3 encoding is crap). If you can suggest and encoder just as easy I am open to it - the time I spent trying to find one I could of had all of my CD's imported already.

I am open to suggestions/statements on my comments –

Thanks
Mark