MP3 quality

[Kat]

what bit rate would you choose? 128, 160, 192, 224, 256 or 320 kbit/s
theres so many great mixes out there but i get easily annoyed when they are in 128k. some say that ppl wont give it a try if they see its in 320 coz it takes too much disk space, i personally dont mind, everything from 192 up is fine with me

[Huggie Smiles]

Re: MP3 quality

320 HQ sound is the way to go. uncompressed is still gonna ultimate tho.

I nearly posted this a while back

where does AAC / apple lossless fit into the spectrum of sound quality?
Given FLAC is the highest , where does apple lossless fit in? better than 320k/s?
Is a 320 aac the same as a 320 mp3?

thanks

[lilsensa]

Re: MP3 quality

192 for sets is perfect.

320 for tracks being used to dj in a club.

For tracks used to dj in club...Wav > 320mp3 though...

[Kat]

Re: MP3 quality

from wiki

Audio quality

When performing lossy audio encoding, such as creating an MP3 file, there is a trade-off between the amount of space used and the sound quality of the result. Typically, the creator is allowed to set a bit rate, which specifies how many kilobits the file may use per second of audio. Using a lower bit rate provides a relatively lower audio quality and produces a smaller file size. Likewise, using a higher bit rate outputs a higher quality audio, but also results in a larger file.
Files encoded with a lower bit rate will generally play back at a lower quality. With too low a bit rate, compression artifacts (i.e. sounds that were not present in the original recording) may be audible in the reproduction. Some audio is hard to compress because of its randomness and sharp attacks. When this type of audio is compressed, artifacts such as ringing or pre-echo are usually heard. A sample of applause compressed with a relatively low bit rate provides a good example of compression artifacts.
Besides the bit rate of an encoded piece of audio, the quality of MP3 files also depends on the quality of the encoder itself, and the difficulty of the signal being encoded. As the MP3 standard allows quite a bit of freedom with encoding algorithms, different encoders may feature quite different quality, even with identical bit rates. As an example, in a public listening test featuring two different MP3 encoders at about 128 kbit/s,[26] one scored 3.66 on a 1–5 scale, while the other scored only 2.22.
Quality is dependent on the choice of encoder and encoding parameters.[27] However, in 1998, MP3 at 128 kbit/s was providing quality only equivalent to AAC at 64 kbit/s and MP2 at 192 kbit/s.[28]
The simplest type of MP3 file uses one bit rate for the entire file — this is known as Constant Bit Rate (CBR) encoding. Using a constant bit rate makes encoding simpler and faster. However, it is also possible to create files where the bit rate changes throughout the file. These are known as Variable Bit Rate (VBR) files. The idea behind this is that, in any piece of audio, some parts will be much easier to compress, such as silence or music containing only a few instruments, while others will be more difficult to compress. So, the overall quality of the file may be increased by using a lower bit rate for the less complex passages and a higher one for the more complex parts. With some encoders, it is possible to specify a given quality, and the encoder will vary the bit rate accordingly. Users who know a particular "quality setting" that is transparent to their ears can use this value when encoding all of their music, and not need to worry about performing personal listening tests on each piece of music to determine the correct bit rate.
Perceived quality can be influenced by listening environment (ambient noise), listener attention, and listener training and in most cases by listener audio equipment (such as sound cards, speakers and headphones).
A test given to new students by Stanford University Music Professor Jonathan Berger showed that student preference for MP3 quality music has risen each year. Berger said the students seem to prefer the 'sizzle' sounds that MP3s bring to music.[29] Others have reached the same conclusion, and some record producers have begun to mix music specifically to be heard on iPods and mobile phones.[30]
[edit] Bit rate

Several bit rates are specified in the MPEG-1 Audio Layer III standard: 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256 and 320 kbit/s, and the available sampling frequencies are 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz.[21] Additional extensions were defined in MPEG-2 Audio Layer III: bit rates 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144, 160 kbit/s and sampling frequencies 16, 22.05 and 24 kHz.[21]
A sample rate of 44.1 kHz is almost always used, because this is also used for CD audio, the main source used for creating MP3 files. A greater variety of bit rates are used on the Internet. 128 kbit/s is the most common, offering adequate audio quality in a relatively small space. As Internet bandwidth availability and hard drive sizes have increased, higher bit rates like 160 and 192 kbit/s have increased in popularity.
Uncompressed audio as stored on an audio-CD has a bit rate of 1,411.2 kbit/s,[note 2] so the bitrates 128, 160 and 192 kbit/s represent compression ratios of approximately 11:1, 9:1 and 7:1 respectively.
Non-standard bit rates up to 640 kbit/s can be achieved with the LAME encoder and the freeformat option, although few MP3 players can play those files. According to the ISO standard, decoders are only required to be able to decode streams up to 320 kbit/s.[31]

[Steve Graham]

Re: MP3 quality

128 is meant to be CD quality, so listening to a set, as long is it is at least 128, i'm good with it

I wont play anything lower than 256, if it's a really big system Ii wont touch anything that's not a .wav or 320 kbps

[Huggie Smiles]

Re: MP3 quality

theres noway a 128k/s is cd quality! if you rip a retail cd and rip to 128 and play on a decent system u can here masses of difference. (at least on my hifi system)

kat : that still doesnt address the apple lossless debate (or am i missing something -i might just not understand!))

[Kat]

Re: MP3 quality

128 is meant to be CD quality

it says128 is 11:1

[Steve Graham]

Re: MP3 quality

theres noway a 128k/s is cd quality! if you rip a retail cd and rip to 128 and play on a decent system u can here masses of difference. (at least on my hifi system)

kat : that still doesnt address the apple lossless debate (or am i missing something -i might just not understand!))

i should have elaborated, in soundforge when i save something to mp3 it says 128 kbps (cd quality)

[Kat]

Re: MP3 quality

kat : that still doesnt address the apple lossless debate (or am i missing something -i might just not understand!))

i use wav on my iPod in 1411 so cant answer apple on apple question sovvy
but from whats written in wiki i guess aac to mp3 is 1:4

[lilsensa]

Re: MP3 quality

128 is meant to be CD quality, so listening to a set, as long is it is at least 128, i'm good with it

I wont play anything lower than 256, if it's a really big system Ii wont touch anything that's not a .wav or 320 kbps

Yeppers.

[toasty]

Re: MP3 quality

It really depends. For 90% of what I listen to, 192 is just fine because I'm not listening to it at a volume that I'll really be able to tell a difference. For stuff I really dig, though, or for music that I would expect to be played at high volume, I'll go ahead and blow the disk space for the 320.

[dj_macgyver]

Re: MP3 quality

192 is sure enogh for dj sets, and sometimes 128 will do too, if it's been done with a good encoder. some 128 mp3s will sound worse than others...

when it comes to tracks to be played out loud in a club: 320.

[Kat]

Re: MP3 quality

listening thru these 128 sounds sort of metallic, for a better quality hi-fi 128 wont work imo

[i!!ustrious]

Re: MP3 quality

as my standard, i render all my studio mixes down from WAV to 320. i can tell the difference between each depth, but it really does not matter to me.

WAV FTW

[Micko]

Re: MP3 quality

I don't go near anything under 192 kbps, don't care how good it supposed to be.

128 is criminal

Alot of people like the fact mp3 are small in terms of file size, but if you are after sound quality, the minimum you should settle for is 192 kbps.

I see a huge difference when I play 192 vs 320 on these Monitor Audio RS 1 speakers, but 192 does sound full enough for most music.




If space is not an issue, then go for as big an mp3 as possible

FLAC is apparantly CD quality, as is, I believe, Apple lossless. WAV also gets the thumbs up

The lower the bitrate, the more the tone of the music is comprimised, such as treble and bass.

It really depends on how fussy you are, and I'm a fussy fucker