F7 Sound and Vision's mp3s sound better. Here's why.

F7 Sound and Vision's mp3s sound better!
Here's why - and how you can make your mp3s sound better too.

First, I am "plugging" my own recordings here, but the information on this page is useful whether or not you buy my stuff. You may have noticed that I've made some of my CDs available as mp3 downloads. This is the 21st Century, so, why wait for a CD to crawl to you via snail mail?

And, why pay for a CD when, many times, what you end up doing is ripping the audio from the CD and loading it on an mp3 player like an iPod or your computer? But, mp3s really don't sound as good as a CD (see sidebars left and right for why). Well, actually, they can sound pretty danm good if they're produced properly.

What's an 'mp3'?

An mp3 is a compressed file format for audio and music (MPEG I, layer III). It reduces the file size significantly (and makes downloads much faster) by 'disregarding' certain audio information that we, the listeners, supposedly don't hear. But, when you 'throw away' information, you lose sound quality.

There is a trade off between the end file size and sound quality. The smaller end file, means more information has been thrown away. It is "generally" accepted that 128kbps is "almost CD quality" as far as mp3s go (most mp3s that you purchase are 128kbps) But the "CD quality" part, that's debatable.

What is certain, is that 128kbps data rate ends up being close to 1/10th the file size of the original 16 bit, 44.1 kHz "full quality" sound file where a 600 Mb CD becomes a 60Mb mp3 - more or less.

Bottom line is that the HIGHER the data rate, the BETTER the mp3's sound quality should be.

Where did your mp3 come from?

I'm talking about LEGAL mp3s, ones that you purchased or were given without violating any copyright laws.

Most mp3s were probably "ripped" from a CD. But, there are other "places" that an mp3 could come from, such as:

- ripped from a CD where the original file on said CD was an mp3 that was converted to that CD before "ripping". Oh, and let's add some scratches and finger prints to the CD too. Makes sense?

- converted from another "lossy" audio file format - where "lossy" format is something like ATRAC (minidisc), Quicktime, ogg, or other.

- a recording on cassette or other tape that's been digitized, then saved as "mp3".

- the soundtrack of a video found on the internet

- DIRECTLY from the MASTER audio file - the same file that became the MASTER CD release.

Guess which mp3 would be the best sounding...(assuming the same data rate for each).... Do you care? Should you care?

Below: A simple diagram that shows what most mp3s go through to get to their final destination (you). There are plenty of opportunities for quality loss on the way. The final product is 128kbps "almost CD quality". This is one reason why you might not be too happy with the sound quality of mp3s.

HOME F7sound.com

Recording
- the studio
- services
- equipment
- BIO - credits
- mastering
- tape to CD
- gear reviews
- tape destruction
- field recording
- microphone tips
- record a fart
- Wind Test

Products
- Sound Effects
- Concept:FX vol. 1
- Concept:FX2
- Concept:FX Pro Bundle
- Suburban Thunder
- Night Sounds
- FLUID
- better, stronger...
- Dying Hurricane
- dissipate
- Thunderstorms 2006

Free Stuff
- free sounds!
- downloads
- Podcasts

Used Stuff
- used gear for sale

Links
- links page

Contact Info
- contact page

This is why my mp3s sound better....

my way of producing mp3 files is to convert directly from the master audio file.

No, it's not rocket science or some "magic solution". But, it's very easy. I went to the master audio file (the one that I would burn a replication/duplication master CD from). That's the file I converted to (and saved as an) mp3.

I used a higher bitrate too (192kbps). More data means a better representation of the original. The tradeoff being a larger file size, but still manageable. A 600 Mb CD becomes a 90 Mb mp3 (more or less).

I didn't even talk about eq or compression. I know that some people recommend cutting all the frequencies below 20 Hz. I don't think that's absolutely needed at higher bitrates.

Get them FAST!
Visit my store on lulu.com to purchase premium-quality, 192kbps mp3 downloadable versions of several of my CD releases.

podcast "the Difficult Listening Channel"

Experience "the Difficult Listening Channel" podcast where the sounds in my head become the sounds in yours.

Thunderstorms 2006
You've asked for more thunderstorms. Here they are! My best storm recordings from the 2006 rainy season are now on CD.

Iguana Invasion!
Thousands of giant lizards call Gasparilla Island home. But are they welcome there?

Mountain Streams and Waterfalls CD
Relax to the sounds of nature's beauty. Expertly captured and presented in this 56 minute uninterrupted CD are the pure and natural sounds of... mountain streams and waterfalls.

Want to be an Audio Engineer?
Fame, Fortune, Women.... Yeh, right! :-)

Contact F7 Sound and Vision!

This site is designed and maintained by F7 Sound and Vision.
Copyright © 2007 Michael Oster all Rights Reserved.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail: F7sound@gte.net
or call: 813-991-4117

F7 Sound and Vision || 17732 Nathan's Drive || Tampa, Florida 33647 USA || 813-991-4117



		Michael Oster F7 Sound and Vision's Michael Oster is responsible for this mess.