MUGWUMP  This app seems to work, but I'm finding recently (since 10.6) that

random songs that were previously adjusted now are gray, and need a

re-adjustment.

Also, songs that have been played many times mysteriously come up as

"File Not Found" in this app. I've gone so far as to remove the songs

from the Library and re-add them, but no change. I've tried to get an

answer from the developer, but no reply yet.

I have about 9600 songs - does this make a difference in the way

iVolume works?

And there's still no alternative to this?  
(Version 3.5)

WERTY  Worked really good, the only things that i don't like of this app are the gui and the price...  
(Version 3.5)

LARRY R  The staff that updated iVolume should be applauded for responding so quickly to the volume adjustment problem that was created by iTunes 9. Using the new updated version of iVolume I was able to go into my iTunes, selected all the songs that iVolume was unable to previously adjust (due Tag issues) and it adjusted everyone of them, quickly and without a single error. Congratulations for work well done. Everyone needs to recognize mani.de efforts.   
(Version 3.5)

PL_SVN  ... 15,95 € + Taxes an upgrade from version 2.x? =:-0  
(Version 3.5)

SHOCK J  Apparently iTunes 9's Sound Check uses a new mechanism for adjusting song playback volume. Any new songs I import into iTunes 9 cannot be adjusted by iVolume. It gives me the "No iTunNORM Tag" error every time. And yes I have Sound Check turned on. I hope the developers are already on this problem.  
(Version 3.1.5)

CRWRIGHT  I really like the results this produces - and it was great value with the MacUpdate promo. As I'd already bought it when it went on sale by itself, I have two licenses now... and still don't feel cheated.

Having said that, the user interface needs a fair bit of work to make it meet the quality of the underlying programming.

Just putting a glossy "piano black" top on a floating window and a side pane of "Groups" does not an consistent Apple interface make. Aside from some very questionable aesthetics ("glossy" black title bar? "Glowing" blue text? What on earth are the earbuds floating in space for?), there are some fundamental navigation problems that need addressing. Starting with preference for "Use standard MacOS window" would be great.

For a start, why is any search reset when any function is called? If I search for U2 so that I can level new tracks I know I added... and I select them... and I click "Start", WHY would the search be cleared - returning me to a full list of all 17,000 tracks in my iTunes library? That's nuts. I usually want to watch the tracks being adjusted without doing a second search or scrolling through 12,000 tracks. Just don't clear the search box automatically - that's what the "X" at the end of the box is for. It even happens when I call "adjust tracks selected in iTunes". Not cleverly executed.

"Groups" is no substitute for a quick search & adjust. You shouldn't need to create a new "group" every time you want to isolate a set of tracks to level and check to see how much they were adjusted. In fact I still can't work out what groups are really useful for. I understand the general idea, but they really ought to function more like smart playlists and be dynamic search groups. Having to drag/drop or copy tracks to a new group each time I create it makes them much less useful. I would really like a "Live" group in iVolume to contain all tracks that have "live" in the title, genre or gouping tags to be in that group all the time.

Updating the library/links. There has to be a better way to reload the contents of the iTunes library than quitting and re-launching iVolume. The MacOS has supported system events that notify applications of changes in files since... oh... like System 6.0.2 or something earlier. Not knowing the database has been changed and updating the information in resident memory is a bit sloppy. Even if that's tricky to add - just a button that re-loads the library manually would be great. Don't make me quit/restart every time a track is added to iTunes.

Similarly - there has to be a better way to handle "No iTunesNORM tag". Maybe it will require a script to tell iTunes to add one, but that should probably be on the list of future things to tidy up.

Still and all - I like the results - it works - and it's a good effort. It just needs a bit of spit and polish (and less polish on the title bar).

[BTW - you can easily remove the absurd earbuds yourself (but not the piano black & glowing text) if you just "Show Package Contents" and look for "PhoneLeft.png" and "PhoneRight.png". Delete. You're done. Won't cause any harm in my experience. If you didn't understand that, probably best to leave it alone.]  
(Version 3.1.5)

TINKERBUNS MCGINGERCUDDY  Being able to access your playlists in iTunes, from within iVolume, would be a nice feature as well.  
(Version 3.1.5)

TINKERBUNS MCGINGERCUDDY  Is there a way for iVolume to check only new tracks that have been added to iTunes instead scanning your entire library each time?  
(Version 3.1.5)

BABY BLOC  Are there other developers who are charging an extra "License Code Lookup" fee so you can ask them to lookup the license code if you forget it? I've never had to do that before. Never occurred to me it was a service that "cost" much. Maybe it takes a lot of time?  
(Version 3.1.4)

A-BOMB  Absolutely brilliant application! Once you spend the time to balance it out with protected tracks it brings much needed consistency in your iTunes music library. I can't imagine living without it now.  
(Version 3.1.4)

QUICKBEN  I'm not going to give this app a rating as I take full responsibility for not reading the user's guide, etc as I should have. As far as working, it seems to do a fine job. My problem lies in the comment replacement this app makes. Thousands of comments about songs dating back several years--all gone (the word 'furious' comes to mind in this situation). Does this app really have to replace comments with their own drivel? If you don't comment your songs, then go for it. If you do, I cannot recommend it. (There is a preference check that allows one to turn off comment overwrites, but if you click it a warning message pops up stating the app won't work properly if it can't write over comments.)  
(Version 3.1.4)

AXLE  I can't believe how easy this thing is to use and the amazing difference in iTunes it has made. Even my lower sized MP3s have a boost of energy I always cringed about. I know the ID tag thing is a hassle, but this application is totally worth it. The second time I ran it, I couldn't believe how fast it was going. The initial time was a bit of a pain, but still, faster than what I've heard before. Operating version 3 on a Mac Powerbook G4.   
(Version 3.1.4)

XPLICIT  I tried v3 today and I'm very disappointed. Completely unintuitive, I can't figure out how it works. No problem with v2.5.3, not at all: Select tracks in iTunes, switch to iVolume, hit CMD-Enter and there you go. Not with v3: Why is it necessary to comlicate things like that? I cannot recommend iVolume v3. iVolume v2.5.3 was way better.  
(Version 3.1.4)

DOUG S.  Feature Request: Smart Groups.

Basically, right now this program goes through all my podcasts, audiobooks and songs. I want it to only process songs as the difference in volume isn't nearly so big a deal with those.   
(Version 3.1.4)

SAPPOROBABY  I am on the fence about upgrading to the new 3.x.x version. I am currently using 2.5.3 and it seems to work okay. However, what I did prior was use DRM Dumpster (over priced as hell) to remove all DRM from my library. After this, iVolume should be able to equalize my entire library. Why Apple continues with its crappy algorithm is beyond me. They should simply buy iVolume and include it for free. I am equalizing a library right now to see how things turn out.   
(Version 3.1.2)

STORMCHILD  Well, I finally had a chance to test this out on a Mac Mini (1.83 GHz Core2Duo), and I will say one thing: iVolume 3 really is a lot faster if you have a multicore Intel Mac. As I said before, I saw no speed improvement over version 2 on my PowerBook G4, which is what makes the upgrade price so hard to swallow (essentially no benefit for older systems). I also noticed that you can configure iVolume 3 to work like version 2 (i.e. "Start button processes tracks selected in iTunes"), which was the other main complaint I had about the workflow in v3.

When I'm able to afford a new Mac, I will probably suck it up and pay the $20 to upgrade, as it does seem to offer real improvements on newer hardware. I'm still disappointed about the price doubling in every release, and the fact that iVolume 2 is no longer available for download for those who want to stick with the current version for now, but at least the speed increase adds some real value for the money.  
(Version 3.1.1)

EDSTATE  First of all, yes, this is a "one trick pony". However, this is a pony that Apple, and iTunes should do a much, much better job with than they do. So... as someone who makes a lot of mixes, burns CDs for people, and listens to a lot of music, $30 isn't so bad.

I LOVED version 1.0, but I dinged the DEV in a review here when 2.0 came out, because of the "turn on soundcheck" function. Apparently when the 4th gen iPods came out, they closed the "loophole" the dev was using, so he had to go that route.

So now this version has come out, and at first I was VERY skeptical about plunking for more $$. However, I downloaded the demo, and.. lo-and-behold... it IS re-built from the ground up. The interface is much improved, and it now has the ability to process many songs at once. Yay. It also produces much better results than 2.0. And while still not perfect, it's still better than iTunes "stock" soundcheck.

A couple of features that need a'implimentin':

• A PAUSE button

• Some way of dealing with "no tag" songs. ...updating the tags in iTunes only fixes a scant few of these. More songs than you'd think do NOT have the proper tags.

• Some way of dealing with iTunes AAC protected songs, and podcasts.

Otherwise, a worthy update. A step forward. Stable, fast, and pretty too.  
(Version 3.1.1)

STORMCHILD  If it's really true that iVolume 2 will no longer work properly with iTunes 7.7.1 and newer, then that really stinks. Because quite frankly, $30 for this one-trick pony is a bloody insane ripoff, and I simply won't pay it. It was well worth the $7 it originally cost, and I was even willing to pay again when it doubled in v2, but the developer is getting awfully greedy now, and $30 is absolutely RIDICULOUS -- especially when you consider that the core "work" done by this app is done by an open source algorithm painstakingly written by SOMEBODY ELSE, given away for free, then taken by this schmuck and wrapped in a simple GUI that gets unnecessarily gunked up with CPU-wasting and pointless animations while the price -- for the exact same algorithm and results (which is all the work of someone ELSE) -- doubles every release. I no longer recommend this to anyone, and I will never support this guy ever again.  
(Version 3.1.1)

MJPW  I thought the upgrade price was steep, too, but then I used it. I used to use the old one and it was just okay--it did an important job, but not particularly elegantly. And eventually the issue with the iTunNORM tags made it virtually unusable.

The new one is ridiculously fast compared to the older versions if you have a CPU that can take advantage of it. I'm on a Mac Pro and it is on pace to power through a 21,000-song collection in about 8 hours, even while using the computer for other tasks. In the old version, you're looking at 3-4 days for the same size library. It also has not crashed once--the old one used to crash every few hours (semi-understandable considering the amount of data being processed for such a long period of time, but still annoying).

As for the iTunNORM tag errors, I finally broke down and tried the process outlined on their Web site, and while it does take time, I didn't find it particularly "painful"--you're just creating a temporary library, deleting it and going back to your old one like nothing happened. And after doing that, I haven't seen a single one of those errors, so it must have worked.

The one remaining caveat is that protected iTunes tracks can't be analyzed. But they can still use the default iTunes SoundCheck adjustments, which are imperfect but better than nothing.

I'm glad this has been upgraded. It's absolutely essential if you listen to your tracks at work or on an iPod and don't want to be changing the volume every time a new song comes on.  
(Version 3.1)

DRADRA  iVolume is a must-have once you realize the importance of volume leveling. I simply can't believe such a feature does not come with iTunes. But I'm definitely not upgrading to v3 until the NO TAG problem has been fixed.

Even though this problem occurs with only 10% of the files, it defeats the whole purpose of using a volume leveling program. I still have to raise the volume for those problematic songs and lower it again afterwards.

Although well-detailed, the workaround "kindly" provided by the editor is a really painful process (http://www.mani.de/ivolume/notag.html) .

When I finally decided to give it a try I had to stop at the step A.3 "Select all the songs that ...": iVolume does not support multiple selection and I have 200 files to drag to iTunes.

I find this workaround a bit outraging. Why cannot iVolume do the work itself? Am I supposed to repeat the whole process each time I'm adding new songs?   
(Version 3.1)

CONSUMER  Version 2 promised that the volume adjustment correction made by iVolume was carried over during the audio CD burn within iTunes. That was the only reason I bought it, and it never worked. No responses from the developer when I notified him about my problems.

developer 15, me = 0  
(Version 3.0.1)

STORMCHILD  I've been using iVolume since the very first public release, and I highly recommend it...

...Version 2, that is.

I'll be skipping version 3, at least for now, because:

- It may be faster on current multicore Intel CPUs, but I'm not seeing any real performance improvement on my 1.67 GHz G4 PowerBook. Frankly it might even be slower due to the wasteful new animation in the UI.

- The end result is the same; the algorithm may have been optimized to run faster (for some people), but as far as I can tell, the calculated result is no more accurate than it was in version 2. (If I remember correctly, version 2 introduced a new/improved algorithm with better results.)

- I actually prefer the workflow in version 2. I select some songs in iTunes, open iVolume and hit command-return. In version 3, I have to go find the songs again in iVolume before I can do anything to them. The fact that it loads the entire iTunes library also makes it take a lot longer to startup, and it uses 3-4 times more memory. To me this is zero steps forward, two steps back.

- It's just way too expensive. Version 1 was $7. Version 2 was $15. Version 3 is $30. The price keeps doubling, but it's just the same one-trick pony with a nicer UI. A $20 upgrade for a UI makeover is not worth it, but the fact that the memory usage/disk reads are so much worse clinches the deal.

The bad news is, there is apparently no way to download iVolume 2 anymore. If you're a registered user, you might be able to get a download link by emailing the developer, but if you didn't buy version 2 before, you're probably out of luck. Obviously you can't buy version 2 licenses anymore. :(

To me, iVolume 3 is like Windows Vista. It's prettier, but everyone's going back to XP (= iVolume 2).  
(Version 3.0.1)

GRYPHONENT  I'm shocked by the high upgrade price. As a registered user of both version 1 and 2 I still cannot see much improvement to the earlier versions apart from the GUI and some speed gain. Furthermore, the app has lost ground to iTunes, which now does pretty much the same job... and in my opinion much better.

The developer puts out an upgrade very two years or so... without ever fixing existing bugs or replying to customer feedback in between. I've had enough. Buyer beware.  
(Version 3.0.1)

ESQUARE61  Guys, you have to realize that the maker of iVolume lives in Europe. In Euro the price hasn't changed that much. :)

That being said: I think version 3 clearly needs some work before it's worth its price.  
(Version 3.0.1)

XPLICIT  Does what it's supposed to do. But it's way! too expensive considering that it's based on a free framework. I stick with version 2.  
(Version 3.0.1)

TEKL  I also bought v2 for $15 and it was worth the price. But I'm one of the customers who bought the update without thinking as I need iVolume regularly. Well, if I think about the price afterwards it's really expensive and the update price for customers is a pain in the ass. That's not how to deal with customers. As iVolume is based on the free ReplayGain, you just pay for an interface and some sort of comfort.

To talk about the software itself. The speed-bump is enormous and that's the only real big thing. The new interface is nice but it's just a cosmetic thing. I'm missing some real enhancements like automatically fixing songs with missing iTunNORM tags or a way to normalize DRM songs.

You should think twice if you really want to pay such a high price for the comfort and the speed. If you own v2 and you are satisfied you don't need the update for $20.  
(Version 3.0.1)

JIMW  First of all you may need to change your paradigm of business. It is the exception for a person to be in business to provide a product or service.

The overwhelming focus of almost all business (non-profits excluded) is to make money. Providing a service or product is just how they do it. Some achieve a balance between the quality of the product or service; some are just greedy. For those whose product or service exceed the cost of what they are providing, they either go out of business or run it as a non-profit.

In my experience I have encountered these types of business persons:

1. Quick Buck Artist: Driven by greed, supply a barely on non functional product or service - interested in single purchases by suckers.

2. The Opportunist: Puts out a product or service that sort of works but provide little or no support. In the case of software, buy it again at or nearly at full price. Only looking for one time purchases by uninformed customers and not interested in long term business relationships.

3. Show Me the Money: Puts out quality service or product but charges for every little item or update.

'Nickels & 'Dimes' people to death. Business plan is 'Whatever the market will bear.' Looking for customers that are willing to 'mortgage their house' in order to use their product or service. Only interested in long term business relationships with customers who have deep pockets.

4. Desired Business Person: Achieves a balance between solid products or services and a fair profit.

Their reputation and ethics is as important as profit. Looking for long term business relations where the customer is satisfied and the company makes a reasonable profit.

5. Clueless: No business sense at all. Puts out a good product or service but does not know how to market or charge for it. A short term relationship for both - business and customer. Such businesses go out of business.

6. Philanthropist or Student: Puts out a great product or service. In business for the experience. Regards the journey as the reward or in it for the learning experience. Does not expect to make money but hopes to break even someday. It not, at least they leave a legacy and happy customers.

So I will leave it to the reader to choose what category you might place this developer. Too bad I vote tally can't be set up on MacUpdate :)

FYI: Non-Profit can be sort of a misnomer. While the net profits of a non-profit is supposed to be zero, employees are paid, sometimes very handsomely. Some administrators do very well to the tune of 6 or even 7 figure salaries. That's is not 'non-profit' by my standards. Some argue that that is what they are worth as they would be making that or more in 'industry.' But that has nothing to do with it. If they accept a position with a non-profit there is supposed to be a more important reason that the paycheck. If they were looking for a fat paycheck they should have stayed in 'industry' instead of profiteering from others good will.   
(Version 3.0.1)

TBOOT  I've been using iVolume for just a few months and now I have to buy it all over again for th same price plus $5? No thank you. I like this program a lot, but not enough to upgrade. I haven't been able to get 3.0.1 to run, anyway -- it crashes before it finishes "updating information about tracks."  
(Version 3.0.1)

CABERLIN  Oh please, can those earplugs-icons (with the size of shower-heads) which overlay even screen space not belonging to the software and have no use be removed?

I can't understand why the slick interface from the previous version was replaced with that!

I need that screen space for better things...  
(Version 3.0.1)

JTHEISS  I bought iVolume 2 when it came out. It's awesome - just wish we could get away from a DRM world so I can equalize my entire library.

That said...

Charging 2/3 the cost of the full version, a whopping $20, when I supported iVolume 2 and the only thing different is "it's been rewritten" and "it's faster" just pisses me off.

I paid $15 for iVolume 2. Now, I'm asked to pay that again PLUS another $5 for an UPDATE? Go eff yourself.  
(Version 3.0.1)

BRUCE_Y  FYI, new pricing with iVolume version 3:

New purchase is now $29.95 (not $15).

Upgrade from either version 1 or 2 costs $19.95.

(I bought ver 1, then paid upgrade for ver 2. It works well, but Too Pricey for upgrade for me currently. :-(  
(Version 3.0.1)

BABY BLOC  I'll have to learn more (where's the release notes?) before I decide on a $20 upgrade.) The new version looks flashier, but I like simplicity. If this one does something that's really better, maybe I can use it.   
(Version 3.0)

GRYPHONENT  I registered iVolume at version 2 and reported various problems years ago. They were never fixed. Overall, support and development for the app was literally non-existent. As you can read from the other reviews the app itself isn't really convincing either. I've got no idea what has changed under version 3 but won't update for $20. Way too pricey. Done the mistake once, won't do it twice.  
(Version 3.0)

MAERIC  GOT 'NO TAG' ERRORS - WHAT'S UP?

This is the overall problem I am reading in others comments. I am using the demo mode and in the 10 song limit I found this to be true as well. I went to the website to see what's up before I buy this app and the problem is addressed clearly. Here's the answer/explanation:

iVolume is adjusting the tag named 'iTunNORM' that is embedded by iTunes directly into the tracks when 'Sound Check' is turned on. If the 'iTunNORM' tag is missing in a song, iVolume can't adjust that song. The result is a 'No Tag' error. If you get 'No Tag' errors in iVolume, first make sure that 'Sound Check' is turned on in 'iTunes > Preferences… > Playback'.

Sometimes you may still get 'No Tag' errors for many tracks. Especially older iTunes versions tend to store the 'iTunNORM' tag in its internal database instead of inside the track files.

In this case you can force iTunes to put the missing 'iTunNORM' tags into the songs by performing the following instructions:

http://www.mani.de/en/software/macosx/ivolume/faq.html#tag  
(Version 2.5.3)

SHOCK J  Here is the real deal with this software (from the developer). This application will NOT adjust the volume of songs ALREADY on your iPod. It will only adjust songs in your local iTunes library. Those changes stay in effeect when you transfer the songs to your iPod. This is not a bug. The information this software uses to make its adjustments is not stored on your iPod, only in your iTunes library. So, adjusting the volume of songs already on your iPod in simply not possible using the method this particular application uses.  
(Version 2.5.2)

KLAGRECA  So before I buy this software, can anyone confirm if v2.5.1 is friendly with 4th, 5th gen ipods and itunes 7.4+? Are the past issues that people are mentioning, fixed?

Thanks.

K  
(Version 2.5.1)

SURREALISTAMAC  hi! i have the same problem with my ipod, when a run the ivolume app, there is just "no file" in every song... can you tell me what to do???? thanks  
(Version 2.5.1)

SHOCK J  First time trying this product. V2.5.1 doesn't seem to work with iPods (or latest version of iTunes (7.3) properly). I get a "No File" Error for every file on my iPod. My iPod is really the main reason I was interested in this. Looks like they have a bug to fix.  
(Version 2.0.2)

GRYPHONENT  I purchased this almost a year ago. Had great expectations, and initially the sound level seemed indeed more consistent on my iPod. However, with iTunes 7 this changed. I also found some bugs in the app that were never fixed. The developer is non-responsive and hasn't delivered an update for a while now. I for one have deleted the app from my system and can only warn people not to waste their money on iVolume.  
(Version 2.0.2)

BRENTB1  I doubt the problem with iVolume, but is anyone else getting a lot more "No Tag" errors since installing iTunes 7?  
(Version 2.0.2)

ATA  Promising app but 2 things need to be addressed. First, I'm only getting about a 40% success with the volume adjustments. I'm meticulous with tagging, and most are LAME encoded VBR. All the songs in my playlists have been 'Song Checked' by iTunes but iVolume always gives me the 'No Tag' error. I just registered this app and now I feel a little ripped off since it's not working at the level I expected. Secondly, Playlist support is a no brainer. You should be able to have access to all your Playlists in iTunes via iVolume and choose accordingly. Once these 2 major flaws are addressed then I can recommend this app to people. I would save your money at this point for version 3.  
(Version 2.0.2)

HP  It still can't process iTMS files.

So, what is it good for, if you have music you encoded yourself, and music you bought? Try to listen to such a playlist: your ears will fall off...

It's a good idea, but without m4p support: forget it.  
(Version 2.0.2)

ANON99  I don't think (s)he's talking about the iTrip "tuning signal" tracks -- but rather, the overall volume of the tracks not being loud enough to be received by the radio, thru the iTrip.  
(Version 2.0.2)

SAXPHILE  iVolume is a very useful tool, and probably the easiest to use of all programs like this.

Version 2 addresses a major problem previous versions had with iPod, and I'd recommended anyone who like to shuffle songs to upgrade.  
(Version 2.0.1)

BIG MUFF  This is certainly the best app of it's kind for the Mac. It has made my iPod listening far more enjoyable since now I don't have to keep messing with the volume control; Very handy when I'm on a mountain bike ride. The interface is pretty basic but it gets the job done and it's very simple to use, although I would question why you can't just select a library or playlist from a pop up menu, as-well as selecting individual songs.

As with all of these type apps my bug bear is speed. It takes around 12-15 seconds for an average song on my G5 2.0GHz (1.5GB RAM). That sounds pretty fast until you get into a decent sized playlist and then it starts to become a real pain. My entire library is 15138 songs so having taken the best part of 2 hours to do 441 tracks I reckon it'll still be going tomorrow night. You can use the mac while it works though, at the expense of some cycles.

I suppose I do have a lot of tracks and CPU power is a big decider but it does get frustrating that the songs can't be processed faster somehow.

Either way, it's well worth the money anyway. It's well thought out and beats the other options for the Mac by a mile - Really.   
(Version 1.6.1)

ANONYMOUS  I have set all my songs for the default level of -90db with Clipping allowed. Sounds great in the headphones or thru the dock connection, but my iTrip is now unusable. The songs aren't loud enough to give a decent signal strength, even with the iPod's volume turned up to maximum.  
(Version 1.6.1)

MATT  Works very nicely - EXCEPT it reports an "error" on every protected AAC song (i.e. iTunes Music Store song) in my library.

This is not a clipping-related error. The Error message comes in the "Desired" column.

So now my iTunes library is normalized sound-wise, except for the iTMS songs, which unfortunately in my experience are 6-9db louder than all my other song files.

Anyone know what this iTMS song problem is about? I have a version of the problem with SoundCheck too - Soundcheck will normalize the songs' volume in the library, but not when burning a CD (and yes, that's with "use Soundcheck" selected in iTunes' Burning prefs).  
(Version 1.6.1)

ANONYMOUS  Alright, gang... who's got an iPod? Who listens to it a lot? Who hates fishing it out to turn it up or down, depending on the song?

Yeah, we've all been there. This program is the BEST thing out right now towards solving this common problem. Works much, much better than Apple's Sound Check. I can finally go through a session at the gym without tweaking my levels. Sure it ain't perfect... but then again, neither is the iPod.

Worth skipping lunch one day to pay the sharware fee. And believe me... I like lunch.  
(Version 1.6.1)

TORNDOWNUNIT  While I am not 100% happy with the results from this program (tried it in the past) it works 100 times better then Soundcheck in iTunes. Ignore the reviews below. Soundcheck clips tracks like crazy and makes listening to them like a volume rollercoaster. This application uses a totally different method and produces way better results.  
(Version 1.6.1)

JACOB  The "Sound Check" in iTunes doesn't work as well as this. It seems to dynamically adjust the volume in the middle of a track, which is not what you want.

The analysis that this program does is REALLY slow, but the results are great. I rarely have to adjust the volume on my iPod.  
(Version 1.6)

MORDOR  Works much better than Apple's "Sound Check" and also works correctly with the ipod. This program is worth the shareware fee.  
(Version 1.5.1)

ARYUGAETU  BEFORE DOWNLOADING - Open iTunes. Open "Preferences..." in iTunes. Click on "Effects". Check "Sound Check". (Also add some Crossfade and Sound Enhancer while you're here). Click on "Burning" and add "Sound Check" there, too, if you make your own CDs. Close Preferences. You just saved $7, tons of aggravation, and ADDED the ability to undo it (just uncheck it), by NOT DOWNLOADING this useless application.  
(Version 1.5.1)

JIMW  For those that do not read the entire review history, there a checkbox in ITunes 4 Preferences called "Sound Check" that has a description that states "Automatically adjusts sound playback volume to the same level"? You might want to try that first before shelling out your hard earned dollars for this. It also would be nice if the author of this product provided use with some real "nuts and bolts" reasons why this product is really worth the shareware price over what Apple is doing with a technical information summary on the author's site. Instead the author refers to web sites all over the universe, most of it, general public domain information. It is interesting to note that the algorithm that the author claims to base the code on is freeware/donationware, hosted by SourceForge and has an area to list programs using the algorithm. However this product so far is not listed (1/22/04).   
(Version 1.5.1)

CHRIS H.  This program does not appear to degrade sound quality at all and does adjust levels appropriately. However, on my computer it was extremely slow and crashed often if I had more than 15-20 songs selected. It took more than a week to process my 10 GB collection. I don't think I will be using it until the speed and stability issues are addressed.  
(Version 1.2)

JON VP  Works very well, much better volume adjustment on the iPod than using soundcheck. Had a few issues initially, but Mani was very responsive to my e-mails and eventually the problem was worked out. Highly recommend it. As a side, I am guessing it takes about the same or slightly less time to analyze the songs in iVolume as it does to rip them from CD on my DP 1GHz G4.  
(Version 1.2)

RICKMOEN  I paid my bucks for version 1.0 and was happy with the results for iTunes playback, but iPod playback was ... well, "random." Sound volume was all over the place. This version (1.2) is as close to wonderful as it gets!!! I've only got about 300 tunes on my iPod, but when doing playback on my iCast, I don't have to touch the volume on my radio. The tunes are are spot-on for volume. Adjusting volume for iPod is a fantastic addition. I think that this is a must have for iPod owner!  
(Version 1.2)

ANONYMOUS  Well, I never really got to monitor the success of the app since it was just so terribly slow - I mean, unusably slow. I have around 140GB of MP3's, all ripped at 320 so it would have taken days. Of course, on a faster machine (I am only using a measly G4 667) it may well be much better (if my DP G5 ever arrives I will report back!) but it'd have to be a lot faster for me to use it full time. It wasn't a lot faster on my 1 GHz iMac.

I'm sure that for smaller collections of files this is very good. It appears to have been well thought out and is not dseserving of the pitiful review given by an earlier user who obviously lacked the brains required to understand the explanation of the app given by the developer. Anyone who has used iTunes' SoundhHeck feature will tell you how it does a good job of levelling everything out, except that the level it sets for the overall audio is so ridiculously low that it makes a mockery of the feature.

Maybe in the future as the app is further developed the speed issue will be worked out.  
(Version 1.2)

MORDOR  Great work! It just misses a burn option.  
(Version 1.2)

ANONYMOUS  Anonymous,

What's with the nastiness?

Have you actually tried the program? It doesn't sound like you have.

Have you read the author's notes? It says that iVolume works better than Sound Check. The author is quite aware of that feature.

Finally, have you actually used Sound Check successfully? Even "used properly," (yes, I'm familiar with the nuances of this feature) it is a simple algorithm that does not work consistently across different types of sound. If you had a library full of tracks with similar volume characteristics, it would work well. But if you have a wider variety (e.g., Rock, Classical, Spoken Word) as I do, you'd have to make manual adjustments for new tracks during playback. As I do.

If Sound Check works great for you, I'm envious. As for me, I can use something like iVolume. And I hope the author and others will continue to address the need for better volume balancing.  
(Version 1.1)

JOHN TULL  Too bad some of the previous comments scored this so low without any actual comment on the program itself. I have used it to normalize my entire collection of tunes. Yes, it is painfully slow, but I am not in front of my computer 24 hours a day, so I let it work for me overnight (as recommended). Faster would be better.

The documentation is weak, but the app itself is fairly intuitive. Compares to the commandline mp3gain, but only makes adjustments in iTunes.

Still needs some fine tuning, but worth $7 to encourage the development.  
(Version 1.1)

ANONYMOUS  Superflous and idiotic!!! Why? Because iTunes has a built in volume leveler already which makes sure all the songs play at the same level.

iTunes > Preferences > Effects & check the "Sound Check" box.

Either this developer has never used iTunes properly before or he's simply chancing his luck. Either way I give it a well deserved 1 on all counts.  
(Version 1.1)

MULVA  "It supposively works by using an algorithm based on the percieved volume of human ears, resulting in better volume control and the built-in iTunes "Sound Check" feature."

[Supposively], huh? You mean, you're the "developer" and you don't KNOW whether it works to normalize sound using an algorithm based on the percieved volume of human ears?

Sheesh... :rolleyes:  
(Version 1.1)

HUCK CATON  As I'm only out $7, I won't complain too loudly... however, potential users should be made aware that iVolume (at the moment, anyway) cannot process tracks purchased from the iTunes Music Store. All my "protected" AAC tracks generate error messages. Drag... wish somebody had told me ahead of time.

iVolume is painfully slow on a 1GHz G4 and (thus far) has been unable to tweak my iTunes library of 30,000 tracks -- although I've attempted to do so overnight for the past few days.

Oh well, it's only v1... and (when I does work) it appears to do a better job than Sound Check.

Huck  
(Version 1.0)

ANDREAS  Great little application, does what it should. Unfortunately, you can't burn your normalized music files on CD yet. But for using it on an iPod it's just perfect.  
(Version 1.0)

JIM  What, and you're supposed to PAY for THIS?  
(Version 1.0)