I can't be the only one to notice this. It's been happening for at least 3-4 years since I started using ALAC files, across TP3, now TP4, happening on both Windows & Mac,
Traktor will not play or even show the waveform (as if it never existed) of the first 50 milliseconds of ALAC files. Of course that first 50ms exists, as verified by playback of same file in other media players, and any waveform editor. As a consequence, I have been writing 50ms of silence to the beginning of all ALAC files which sorts the problem in Traktor, but:
- This shouldn't be
- Wastes disk space
- Disturbs listening experience in other media players when playing albums whose tracks naturally bleed into each other, as you'll hear this blip of silence between tracks (also DJ mixes)
Traktor used to have this EXACT problem with FLAC; i brought it up to N.I. in 2011 and it has been since fixed (I don't know when). But this exact problem affects ALAC. I would go back to FLAC, but I use the Apple eco-verse (iPhone, MacBooks, iTunes Match etc.) and need to favor ALAC.
This problem is easy to verify. Take any music file whose kick drum starts at the first couple milliseconds, and convert it to ALAC, and load into Traktor and Traktor doesn't play, nor show the waveform for, the first 50ms.
I believe it is exactly 50ms but impossible to tell within Traktor. I have experimented and it seems if you add 48ms, 49ms, the very beginning OF that first transient gets slightly clipped. It seems 50ms is exactly correct.
Most songs have some amount of "digital silence" OR even of course quiet passages at the beginnings of at least 50ms, if not 100, 200, 500+, so Traktor is cutting the first 50ms of those too, you just would never know because there's usually no audio there to practically hear.
edit: I add 50ms of silence to beginnings of ALACs using dbPoweramp, there is a "write silence" plugin you can add when creating/converting to ALAC.
