[DJ Bible] 320/wav/aiff/flac - explained

[neonriddims]

These are all digital music formats. All of these filetypes can be played from computers or burned to CD's. There are differences between the formats, some of which I'll explain below.

320 is short for 320 kbps MP3 files. This is the highest bitrate available for the mp3 format. MP3 is a lossy audio codec, which means that some data is lost in compression. MP3 files are relatively small in size when compared to other formats and became very popular because internet bandwitch costs money. Less filesize = less money spent transferring music. the track 'Vancouver' by MArtyn is 11,9 MB in size in 320kbps MP3 format.

WAV is a lossless digital audio format. It was created by Microsoft and IBM. WAV files are high quality but they are also very large. For example, Martyn's track 'Vancouver' is 52,6 MB in wav format.

AIFFis short for Audio Interchange File Format. AIFF is a lossless audio format. It was created by Apple. AIFF files can contain audio data but also loop points and musical note data. This makes AIFF more versatile than the .WAV of .FLAC formats. the filesize is about the same as wav, making 'vancouver' by Martyn about 52,5 MB in size.

FLAC (short for Free Lossless Audio Codec) is a method of lossles audio compression. Basically, this means flac files are smaller than wav files but have the same quality. Martyn's track 'Vancouver' is 29MB in FLAC format. When editing or playing back a flac file, it is decompressed by the computer to restore the original .wav file.

There is much debate about wether is is possible to hear the difference between 320kbps mp3's and wav/flac/aiff files. Most music sites sell either 320 or flacs, but some sell wavs too.

Somebody uploaded some clips of 'Vancouver' in different formats here, so have a listen for yourself if you're interested.

[legend4ry]

Cheers! good post!

[Gewze]

fl goes up to 450kbps mp3 ?

[1point5]

how about some info on WAV bit depth and sample rate? could write some stuff about it if you want

[legend4ry]

^ Go for it, I can edit the main post and put it in there (with crediting) if the OP isn't around.

[blinx]

fl goes up to 450kbps mp3 ?

NOTES: The maximum bit-rate for mp3 is 320 kbps and 450 kbps for ogg. This means if you set the slider to 450 kbps, mp3 files will still render at 320 kbps while ogg files will render at 450 kbps.

from the fl studio manual... mp3 are 320 max mang!

http://flstudio.image-line.com/help/htm ... midmp3.htm

.OGG (OGG Vorbis)
Ogg Vorbis is a new audio compression format. It is roughly comparable to other formats used to store and play digital music, such as MP3, VQF, AAC, and other digital audio formats. It is different from these other formats because it is completely free, open, and unpatented.

I'm an artist. Why should I be interested?
There are a couple of reasons:
•Vorbis files can compress to a smaller file size and still sound fine; Vorbis' better compression will cut down on bandwidth costs and keep you from being a victim of your own popularity.
•Vorbis' standardized, easily-edited comment header provides a space for you to scribble all sorts of notes about yourself to distribute with the music; this helps fans find you, your site, and where to buy your stuff.
•If you decide to sell your music in MP3 format, you are responsible for paying Fraunhofer a percentage of each sale because you are using their patents. Vorbis is patent and license-free, so you will never need to pay anyone in order to sell, give away, or stream your own music.

Just quick few things i found on .ogg i never had looked into it until today when he psoed the question.
http://vorbis.com/faq/#what

[1point5]

^ Go for it, I can edit the main post and put it in there (with crediting) if the OP isn't around.

Right, I've explained some stuff the best I can, sorry if it's not very clear:

Sample rate:

The sample rate of a wav can be thought of its resolution along the X axis in 1 second. Each sample represents a value that becomes a voltage when the signal is sent to a speaker. A sample rate of 44.1 khz means 44,100 samples per second.

Sample rate limits the range of frequencies capable of being recorded. The highest frequency audible to the human ear is around 20,000 Hz and we need at least double that frequency in samples to describe the highest frequencies. This is why 44.1 khz - 40,000 plus a bit of headroom - is used as an industry standard sample rate (the sample rate of CD audio)

Some common sample rates are 44.1khz, 48khz, 96khz, and 196khz

The higher ones are not necessary for most audio applications as the limitations of human hearing mean that you won't be able to hear any difference unless you are slowing down the audio by an extreme amount, plus they greatly increase the file size of the wav.

Bit depth:

Bit depth allows for dynamics in audio - a higher bit depth means a greater resolution of vertical positions of the waveform. CD audio is at 16 bit, allowing for 65,536 (i think i've worked that out properly!) different positions for the sample to be in on the waveform, allowing for the same number of different voltage values to be sent to the speaker.

Upgrading to 24 bit is definitely worthwhile though, as the extra bits don't add a lot to the file size (compared with higher sample rates) but increases the vertical resolution to nearly 17 million, increasing the dynamic detail dramatically without much of a trade-off.


If anyone spots any errors or anything, please correct me

[brack3n]

WAVs are like twice the price of a 320 mp3... are they worth it for playing out or is a 320 adequate?

[blinx]

id would suggest that 320kbps is the point of diminishing returns. With all the other real world factors in the sound chain in a club... and the weird overtones and transients the rooms tend to have sometimes... i doubt anyone hears/notices any difference between a 320 track and a wav... but thats just my scientific guess lol and im no scientist.

Funny though when i play my tracks out their in 24bit aiff's lol i havent mastered anything to a 320 yet, but every other track i play in my set HAS to be 320 or its not getitng dropped and i guess i never have noticed a difference between someone elses track and when imix mine in, except that my older tracks are not as well mastered/mixed as my newer stuff but thats just because im kind of getting a lil better.

[neonriddims]

WAVs are like twice the price of a 320 mp3... are they worth it for playing out or is a 320 adequate?

Personally, I think WAVs (or flacs) sound better on a big system than 320s, and find that difference worth paying for. I feel mp3's lack some depth and space in the sound. However, this is highly subjective. If you cannot hear any difference, then by all means buy mp3's. The best thing you can do is try playing a WAV and a mp3 of the same track and checking if you notice the difference.

Also, mp3's have a certain frequency range (I think they only contain sound between 20 hz and 20khz but I am not sure!). So if you're playing from a computer then technically, WAVs would transmit more data. For CD's this doen't matter beacuse they too have a frequency range of 20 to 20K hz.

[didi]

WAVs are like twice the price of a 320 mp3... are they worth it for playing out or is a 320 adequate?

mp3's have a certain frequency range (I think they only contain sound between 20 hz and 20khz but I am not sure!). So if you're playing from a computer then technically, WAVs would transmit more data. For CD's this doen't matter beacuse they too have a frequency range of 20 to 20K hz.

Sorry to bump a thread out of date, but I know the answer:

320 kbps mp3's can contain sound all the way up to 22 khz, the frequency range depends on the sample rate mainly. Having said that, some 320 kbps mp3's don't contain anything higher than 18 khz. It's varies a lot really. If in doubt, wav files are the way to go...

UNLESS

You take my advice and download an incredible (free) spectrum analyser called spek. You can load songs up in it, and it will tell you the kbps if it's an mp3, sample rate, whether it's mono/stereo and it will give you lots of information on the frequency at which the song peaks. It returns an image like the one below (the song is a 320 mp3 of J:Kenzo's Ruff House).



Using this, you can assess the quality of your mp3's and decide if you should play them out.

For best results use in conjunction with your ears.

You can download spek from here: http://spek-project.org/

[1point5]

some mastering engineers will roll off high-end frequencies at around 16-17 khz (even vinyl only goes up to about 18k if I'm not mistaken) so it's not the best way to tell if you have a high quality file or not

[didi]

some mastering engineers will roll off high-end frequencies at around 16-17 khz (even vinyl only goes up to about 18k if I'm not mistaken) so it's not the best way to tell if you have a high quality file or not

Well it's obviously not meant for vinyl. And yes, some engineers might roll off frequencies at above 16khz (I don't know as I'm not an engineer), but some systems can reproduce that high, and higher, which can add brightness etc. to a sound.

So, if dj's are burning cd's or whatever to play at a decent system, and all the other 320's peak at 20 khz, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd assume that any 16 khz peaking tracks might sound a bit dull.

It is a pretty bad example, I know, but it gets across the idea that spek can be pretty useful for a bit of freeware.

[leeany]

Also, mp3's have a certain frequency range (I think they only contain sound between 20 hz and 20khz but I am not sure!). So if you're playing from a computer then technically, WAVs would transmit more data. For CD's this doen't matter beacuse they too have a frequency range of 20 to 20K hz.

does anyone know the frequency range of vinyl / acetate ?