Recording format conversion

[jlfinkels]

Following up on my own topic I did more testing with various formats and have to agree with pretty much everything said so far. I can definitely hear a difference between 128Kbps AAC vs 128Kbps MP3 with AAC having a certain crispness and depth that MP3 lacks. At higher bitrates things get closer, but the AAC is still subjectively clearer to my ear. At least for concertina and fiddle music, which is what I primarily listen to these days.

 

In the end as long as I can use non-DRM encoded music and any MP3/AAC player of choice I'll be happy, so I think I'm good to go. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice!

[Boney]

I don't think it's in my recording setup, since the WAV files sound jsut fine (not counting my sloppy performance and the Stagi reeds). But after the MP3 conversion you can really hear the difference.

I meant, as Danny implied above, that maybe there's some noise or hiss in your recording which is not objectionable in the uncompressed format, but which gives MP3 encoders a hard time. Did you record the piano you mentioned above, with the same microphones and setup as recording the concertina? If so, then I don't know why you're having problems compressing the concertina. I've done cheap Chinese ones, Stagis, Geuns accordion-reeded concertinas, and my Wakker concertina-reeded instrument, and none of them have been particularly difficult.

 

Jody mentions the new ACC 256 scheme. I wonder if it compresses as small as MP3, which achieves 10:1 or better on file size?

Wonder how soon a Windows update will add it to the Media Player?

I think he meant "AAC 256," which is the format we were talking about above, at 256Kbps. It's essentially an improved MP3 format, supposedly better especially with lower bitrates and higher frequency sounds. Windows Media Player can play it, although it might not recognize the file extension. Tell it to try anyway, and it'll play.

[ragtimer]

I meant, as Danny implied above, that maybe there's some noise or hiss in your recording which is not objectionable in the uncompressed format, but which gives MP3 encoders a hard time. Did you record the piano you mentioned above, with the same microphones and setup as recording the concertina? If so, then I don't know why you're having problems compressing the concertina. I've done cheap Chinese ones, Stagis, Geuns accordion-reeded concertinas, and my Wakker concertina-reeded instrument, and none of them have been particularly difficult.

Well, that's a possibility -- I know that barely audible extraneous signals can really confuse an encoder. I'll listen more carefully to my WAV recordings with the volume way up and see if anything is there.

 

My "piano" recordings were made directly from the MIDI on-board synthesizer, without going thru the air-acoustic domain at all. So they should indeed be pretty clean.

Jody mentions the new ACC 256 scheme. I wonder if it compresses as small as MP3, which achieves 10:1 or better on file size?

Wonder how soon a Windows update will add it to the Media Player?

I think he meant "AAC 256," which is the format we were talking about above, at 256Kbps. It's essentially an improved MP3 format, supposedly better especially with lower bitrates and higher frequency sounds. Windows Media Player can play it, although it might not recognize the file extension. Tell it to try anyway, and it'll play.

OK, thanks. At 256Kb/s it will compress only half as well as MP3 at 128K, but if the quality is a lot better, than we at least have another "price point" in our choice of trade-offs.

 

Now to wait and hunt for an AAC encoding program. Might be a plug-in for Audacity somewhere?

--Mike K.

Edited March 28, 2009 by ragtimer

[Jody Kruskal]

Now to wait and hunt for an AAC encoding program. Might be a plug-in for Audacity somewhere?

--Mike K.

 

itunes will do these sort of conversions with ease. You just set your preferences for the type and quality desired. Go to Preferences/General/import settings, make your selections, import your file and bingo... there you are. Quicktime will play the AAC files if you don't have anything else that will. That is a free download that most folks have anyway.