VBR MP3 Encoding During (Pre-)Mastering
Back in 2004, One to One magazine published an article about the mastering industry, and a portion of this included my comments on MP3 encoding. Since I am sometimes asked about how to get the best quality MP3s possible, and because such a thing is generally quite useful, following are my comments (partially based on the aforementioned interview).
One piece of software that I continue to commonly use when preparing tracks for Internet Distribution (at least in MP3 format) for my mastering clients is known as the Lame MP3 encoder. I can tell you that it certainly is anything but 'lame,' offering an absolutely massive variety of modifiable parameters. In a sense, it's a 'dream' piece of software for anyone who wants to tweak MP3s to perfection. There's also the ability to use some experimental psychoacoustic tunings too, which is of course an added benefit.
VBR (variable-bit-rate) encoding works particularly well too with The Lame -- it's not at all inferior to CBR (constant-bit-rate), and adds just that much more "edge" to complex portions of the music being encoded. Using my (admittedly quite refined) methods, I can achieve results at 192kb (average VBR) that has frequency response fluctations of less than +-0.2 dB in the entire 20-18,000 kHz range (and less than 1 dB in the range above this). Also, stereo imaging is perfect when compared with the uncompressed WAV master.
The caveat here though is that there's a very noticable drop in quality at bitrates lower than this. Of course, now that broadband is becoming more widespread every day, it's not really much of an issue to distribute MP3s at a higher bitrate than one would back in the analog modem days, as download time differences between 192kbps and for example 128kbps aren't really significant for most people anymore. Another caveat is that if one is not careful in the encoding process, it's easy to have lost peak limiting and clipping. This is why I often will reduce song volume by a dB to compensate.
So, the lesson is that it really is possible to have really good sounding MP3s, provided that one is careful and thoughtful when doing the job, and does not use too low of a bitrate.
Lorenz Vauck is an Audio Mastering Engineer, Musician, and Internet Entrepreneur from Dresden, Saxony, Germany. http://www.lorenzvauck.com/ http://www.xarcmastering.com/
|
 |
|
|
Rock-n-Roll Ringtones
1 - Hinder- Lips Of An Angel
2 - Guns N Roses- Sweet Child Of Mine
3 - Lynard Skynard- Sweet Home Alabama
4 - Xmas- Jingle Bell Rock
and more...
Song Lyrics Directories...Click Here!
includes link to top 100 most visited list of lyrics websites
Lyrics by Genre
Musicnotes.com
Sheet music and guitar tab downloads for nearly 50,000 digital sheet music songs and 260,000 sheet music books in our sheet music database.
 
Hone your vocal skills with these hand-picked audition pieces.and backing full-track CD with music for 18 songs covering every genre: pop, rock, country and standards and more! Contains a 4-page color section with a written forward by a vocal coach giving general audition and performance tips, as well as a walk-through of each individual song's vocal interpretation.
Half the songs in the American Idol Audition Book are suited for male voices and the other half for female. So, regardless of your singing style, your gender or anything else, this audition book is a must-have for anyone seriously considering a try-out for the next season, or simply looking to perfect their singing skills...Click Here!
Movie | DVD | Music | Games
Find your download sites and
DVD Ripper applications here
 Mister Linker
75 Downloads - only 99 cents!!
MORE ARTICLES:
Download 90s Rock Music Free - 4 Variants To Download Free Rock Music
Many die-hard rock music fans are particularly fond of 90s songs and therefore, download 90s rock music more often than anything else. Needless to say, many people look for free downloads in particular, because paying for each song can eventually burn a hole in anybodys pocket.
Free PSP Music Downloads How To Download PSP Music Free
Free PSP music downloads specifically caters to people who are fond of listening music. A lot of websites these days offers totally free PSP music downloads yet, very few are legitimate and considered legal.
Download iPod Music - Sure and Quick Methods for Downloading Music to Ipod
Largely due to the proliferation of Ipod products and the ingenuity of the internet, downloading music to Ipod can now be accomplished in a short time. There are now streamlined and quick ways to fill up your nifty Ipod with music files. Not only are these methods proven effective, these can be done with very few expenses as well.
Legal iPod Music Downloads 3 Places Where You Get Legal iPod Music Downloads
Legal iPod music downloads are quite sought after. How do I know? Everyday, many people are looking up terms like legal iPod music downloads at Google, trying to find places where they can get these for somewhat lesser than what they are paying at the iTunes website. Mind you, paying $0.99 per song is cheap on its own but if you want to load your 80GB device, it is no joke!
iPod Music Downloads ? Download iPod Music to Your Heart?s Content
Downloading iPod music always brings thrill to users whenever they manage to find the tune they are searching for. Just not long ago, when radio was the only free source of music, people would stay tuned to their radio or portable receiver. Then CDs came along, followed by music MP3s. It is apparent that the MP3 player has invaded almost all the modern homes of America. Chances are you would find one MP3 player or more specifically an iPod in the homes since it is the most popular MP3 player. More than 21 million iPods were sold in just the last quarter of 2006 alone, boosted by the Christmas sales. Having a nice gadget with such enhanced capacity to hold hundreds to even thousands of songs and music is not enough. You need to know how and ...
iPod Downloads Are The Online Music And Movie Mega Stores
We are all quite familiar with the female silhouette dancing and bopping across our TV screens. She whips her hair around while the loud and ultra cool music plays on, coming from a device no bigger than a pack of cigarettes.
Ipod Music Downloads - Where To Get Free Ipod Music Downloads
Free iPod Music Downloads
iPod Vs. Zune: Music and Video Download Sites
There are many folks that hate both Apple and Microsoft portable media products. Apple makes iPod an Microsoft makes Zune.Fortunately for the consumer, there are other good portable media players out there now but do not have the same visibility as Apple and Microsoft products. Discussion about these other portable media players like SanDisk?s Sansa series and Creative?s Zen series devices are beyond the scope of this article. This article is about basic iPod and Zune similarities and differences. In addition, sources for purchasing music online for iPod and Zune will be briefly discussed.
iPod Music Downloads ? Download Legally
The Internet has provided great opportunities for people to get iPod music downloads. Now there is no need for people to buy CDs and keep ripping and formatting the files for use on the iPod. All they need to do is find a legal site that will allow them to do the necessary. There are plenty of scams out there, and many sites will offer free downloads. On the other hand, there are also plenty of download sites that can offer you iPod music downloads from legal sources.
Wal-Mart Music Downloads, Napster and Other Legal Digital Music Download Sites
Digital Music Download. Ever since file-sharing programs entered the hard drives of our computers, people have wanted the best place for a digital music download.
Cheap Ipod Music Downloads - Ways to Save While Downloading
Since music downloading can be expensive if done through pay-per-download sites, many Ipod owners are hunting for cheap Ipod music downloads. Since the Ipod is one of the most sought after gadgets today, it is fairly expected of people to look for music files online. This is one of the reasons why free and expensive music sites are on the rise nowadays.
Free Downloadable Music For iPod How To Download Free Music
Since you are here, I am presuming that you are looking for free downloadable music for iPod. It is not a surprise to me, since thousands of iPod users search the internet for information on this. Now, you will be glad to learn how to get free downloadable music for your iPod here.
Pack Your Daytime With Music Artists By Obtaining Legal Ipod Song Downloads
Did you ever wonder what kids are listening to all day long on their mp3 players, and why? I mean day after day of the same songs has to be monotonous. A couple of years ago I asked my daughter and was surprised by her answer.
iPod Download Tips - What You Don?t Know About iPod Song Downloads
The technology behind iPod downloads is interesting. If you are an iPod user, it is not new to you that you simply cannot download those stored song files in your iPod to your computer. In short, iTunes only allow a one-way transfer of files, from the computer via iTunes to your iPod device but not vice versa. People have questioned the rational behind this somewhat inconvenient shortfall in the design of these portable digital devices. We will find out in this article how we can work around this inconvenience and also explore other cost-effective ways to download tons of songs and music videos for pennies.
Popular mp3 Music Download Site Sentero.net Now Offers Previews Over Internet Radio
Users can now try out albums before they buy them at Sentero.net. Registered patrons can listen to any of the site's 50,000 albums over a unique Internet radio feed that offers crystal clear sound and features mp3 music downloads.
|
