Music Codecs Questions

1. What is the best lossless codec that uses up the least amount of space?
(FLAC, WV,...?)

2. Is .ogg quality better than mp3 or AAC?

Thanks!

 

1) Probably FLAC, for completely lossless

2) OGG is open source, and free, and MP3 is closed-source and problematic. There isn't much of a difference - it's ALL about what bitrate you have your music encoded to. Human ears tend not to hear differences above 128 kbps, but a gold standard is 192 kbps. 256 kbps is considered truly 'audiphile' quality, but the incremental improvement is probably not worth the loss of space.

MP3 files tend to be read much more often on a wide variety of devices, such as car stereos and cd players. I have heard some people state that since the MP3 spec has been around longer, it's a better format.

 

1. I'd also suggest FLAC. While there are lossless codecs that can give you a slightly smaller encoded file, FLAC has the advantage of requiring the least CPU power to decode during playback. Also, being open source, FLAC isn't going to disappear or stop being developed/maintained any time soon... important if you're archiving stuff long term.

2. At low to medium bitrates, Ogg Vorbis is superior to MP3, and is on par with AAC (they exchange the quality crown on a semi-regular basis). That being said, you can still get great results using MP3, as long as you use a well tested and maintained encoder such as LAME.

 

1. Monkey's Audio has some of the best compression ratios, but very slow encode/decode times. FLAC is the most universal lossless codec, but does not compress as well as Monkey's audio or WavPack. I personally prefer WavPack as it encodes/decodes as fast as FLAC and compresses better.

2. When choosing a lossless codec, you should really focus on what you want to use it for. If you need compatibility, use mp3. If you use hardware that uses a specific format, use it. Both AAC and Vorbis are better at lower bitrates than mp3.

 

What is a good program to encode WAV to MP3?

 

Under Linux, its SO easy - use MENCODER or FFMPEG

Under Windows, you need to use a free program (or a for pay program). Scour download.com to do it.

 

I searched and saw that LAME @ 256kbps CBR is best.

Thanks, I already found Audiograbber and installed LAME for it and im using that.

 

EAC > WAV > Lame > MP3 (or substitute for WAV > Flac)

1. 2. 3. 4. << All ripping guides

Or use CDex instead of EAC (EAC actually freeware. Ignore front page text)

Hydrogenaudio forum is a good resource for why I appear to be complicating it

Best thing to do is rip 3 test tracks at different bitrates (if you choose lossy, i.e. MP3/AAC etc) and choose the best to you for file size > SQ tradeoff compared to the original. Or get an external HD and have songs in both lossless and lossy. Best of both worlds

Edit: you can use any ripper you want. EAC just has its fans Slower than others, but it is thorough. Saying that, a normal album takes about 10-15 min for me, depending on the state of the CD (only CDs I borrow from people have scratches )

 

Before you commit to a bitrate, I suggest you test for yourself and choose one that best fits your needs. 256kbps CBR is overkill IMO.

 

Not at all. As you say, its subjective, but 256kbps is the sweet spot for many. If you do your MP3 encoding with Lame, 256 offers small enough file size with not too much discernible difference from the original CD, if at all. Me personally, I tested tracks at 192, 256, 292 and 320. FYI, 256 was quite good, with 292 being as close to the CD as I could tell. But seeing as I was so close, I thought I might as well use 320CBR any way lol.

P.S. The latest trend for Lame 3.98 is to use VBR,, unless you use 320, in which case you use CBR. I use 3.97, because that's what I started out with. I won't re encode with Lame until it hits version 4.2 or something, if it is worth it then, otherwise I'd spend all my days re encoding!

 

I usually use VBR 192-320. Although that's just when I rip stuff myself; the vast majority of my music is whatever bitrate I downloaded.

 

Well yeah its just I was ripping my music from some CD's i've been collecting.

From the band in my avvy.

 

In a blind test I'd put money on you not being able to tell the difference between 192 and the original CD.

 

Don't start that now. That just kicks up hate

 

Basically people "pad" their bitrates up too high when they "think" they can hear a difference between lets say 192kbps vs lossless. All I suggest is people actually blind test their encodings before they choose a bitrate that wastes space vs. sound quality they can't actually hear. I'm not saying encoding your mp3s to 256kbps is bad, I'm just saying most people probably won't hear a difference between 192kbps vs. 256kbps vs. lossless. With Vorbis, I can't tell the difference in a blind test between 96kbps vs the original CD. I therefore use 96kbps on my portable, and it really saves space.

 

Of course, especially as, for an example on hand, you're using it in a portable environment I think the main rational for lossless is
a) External drives are relatively cheap. A good incentive to have both lossy + lossless versions of songs
b) Lossless for playback on your expensive home rig

Then of course the final reason is with storage space in portable players inevitably becoming larger for a cheaper price, eventually we may come to the point where we have a *may as well have lossless* rationale, so its a case of get in there first

 

Sorry for kicking the topic so hard, but to open a new topic about my test is not usefull I think.

I don't know which encoders you use, but the latest Vorbis lib the codecs wins against all other codecs in German tests.

This codec compatible with Cool edit pro 2 is really slow to convert, but the sound is unbelievable.

I conver a set op 320 kbps MP3 back to Vorbis 160 kbps ABR and I hear absolutely nothing between the 2 musicfiles and my headphone is not a cheap ass one.

Top 40 muziek fits good enough at even 96 kbps. Even then the music is enjoyable to listen at. No slissing sounds or other abnormalities.

I fit 40 hours of good sounding music on a 2 GB stick. At parties or at location (I'm a hobby DJ) nobody complains ever about the quality