Sound to difficult for mp3

axeljoachim · Post by **axeljoachim** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:12 pm

Hello,

I wonder if anybody experienced the same problem. I'm doing mainly solo music with my Little Phatty only and when I convert the recordings to mp3 I have to use at least 192kbit/s. Anything lower and it sounds like sh**. I like to program my sounds very "sharp" and somehow the mp3 algorithm can't convert them correctly, there is always strange noise added.
The problem now is that all these popular music upload and networking sites do a reconversion of the uploaded files to a lower mp3 rate and the result is, well, like sh** ...
I tried every possible encoder setting, nothing helps, only a higer rate. Any ideas?

Just Me · Post by **Just Me** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:45 pm

Since an MP3 strips 85% of the sound away and makes artifacts of the averages, I can see that happening. Don't save them as MP3's seems like the solution to me.

Since most folks are listening to mp3 sounds only, I can see why software synths have such a big appeal. People don't know what it is supposed to sound like. Like someone who has only watched VHS tapes. The picture is good ebough. Until they watch a Blu-ray on a big screen. That is what you get with your synth. Hi-def. Then it gets converted to VHS with the MP3 software.

latigid on · Post by **latigid on** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:49 pm

Just Me wrote:Then it gets converted to VHS with the MP3 software.

How about FLAC?

axeljoachim · Post by **axeljoachim** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 5:00 pm

Yes FLAC is great, it is really lossless. But the problem is that sites that accept high quality uploads still convert them to low qual for their players, for example soundcloud. Seems I can only hope they increase their quality some day.
I think if the LP was in a mix with other instruments, the artifacts almost wouldn't be noticeable, but solo, it's too much.

And yes, I think the examples for bad quality people are getting used to, because they rarely get to know the real thing, are endless ...

CTRLSHFT · Post by **CTRLSHFT** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:07 pm

axeljoachim wrote:Yes FLAC is great, it is really lossless. But the problem is that sites that accept high quality uploads still convert them to low qual for their players, for example soundcloud. Seems I can only hope they increase their quality some day.
I think if the LP was in a mix with other instruments, the artifacts almost wouldn't be noticeable, but solo, it's too much.

And yes, I think the examples for bad quality people are getting used to, because they rarely get to know the real thing, are endless ...

myspace is even worse, hooooly crap, it's like running your audio through camel poop and then re-recording it on microcassette.

Subtronik · Post by **Subtronik** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:45 pm

CTRLSHFT wrote:myspace is even worse, hooooly crap, it's like running your audio through camel poop and then re-recording it on microcassette.

That's exactly why I use a different host for all my tracks and an XSPF player to stream them with on my myspace page.

sunny pedaal · Post by **sunny pedaal** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 7:16 am

go for 256 or 320kbits, should be good enough for most ears