Minimoog Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Is it generally better to use Constant Bit Rate (CBR) higher vs. lower and (VBR) ? I understood that VBR would give better quality? I've been using CBR 320 kbps vs. 192 kbps VBR.. can't hear much difference actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 In case of VBR, you define a minimum bit rate; if necessary, the encoder will use a higher bit rate, depending on the quality setting. If you use VBR and a high quality level, the encoder will use higher bit rates most of the time, so there is about no audible difference to encoding with a fixed higher bit rate. The file size will still be lower as the encoder won't use a high bit rate all the time. I think VBR is always a good choice. Some very, very old decoders might not accept VBR, but I think this concerns equipment that you don't really want to use anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimoog Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 interesting, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Jope, would you suggest using VBR over CBR all the time then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Definitely VBR and a high quality setting. But what do you need the file for? If anybody or any device refuses to accept VBR, go to CBR... After all, there is no guarantee you will be satisfied with what the encoder does. Listen and decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I'll listen and see. I doubt I'll have incompatibility issues: all I do is upload to SoundCloud and they're pretty open. I'm through with Reverbnation anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimoog Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 I personally can't hear a difference in 220kbps VBR and 320 CBR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I personally can't hear a difference in 220kbps VBR and 320 CBR. Yes, but the 220kbps VBR file should be smaller, which is the advantage of VBR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 all I do is upload to SoundCloud. You can upload (uncompressed) PCM (WAV or AIFF) to Soundcloud, actually. No need for MP3 or AAC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 all I do is upload to SoundCloud. You can upload (uncompressed) PCM (WAV or AIFF) to Soundcloud, actually. No need for MP3 or AAC. Ahh yes. Perhaps I should do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 You can upload (uncompressed) PCM (WAV or AIFF) to Soundcloud, actually. No need for MP3 or AAC. Ahh yes. Perhaps I should do that. I think so. I uploaded all newer stuff uncompressed. They "transcode" the file, which means they compress it again. In case you sent a compressed file they might leave it untouched, but more likely they first decode it and then compress it again, causing an additional quality loss. The only thing is depending on your connection uploading an uncompressed file can take a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yes, I think the first time round I uploaded mp3 just because it was faster, but I forgot the reason since and kept uploading mp3. Time to try WAV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Also, if your tracks are downloadable, the original uploaded version (WAV or AIFF) is downloaded, not the transcoded version; that is only for playback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 But won't that be a bit of an issue then? My bounced WAV files are 100mb+ each! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lagerfeldt Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 If you decide to upload an MP3 you'll also have to live with transcoding, which can get really ugly. It's not just one more layer of processing, the artifacts become very audible. I recommend using 320 kbit/s CBR, not VBR, if space is not an issue. In my tests (LAME and standard Fraunhofer), CBR yields the closest match with the source. VBR makes sense whenever space is important. VBR playback rarely causes problems today (but I've heard some really bad results with VBR on obsolete players), but some encoders have problems with encoding simplistic signals with VBR and it can be problematic with streaming if the bitrate exceeds the pipeline. I don't think that's an issue with SoundCloud which has plenty of buffering. But won't that be a bit of an issue then? My bounced WAV files are 100mb+ each! 16 bit, 44.1 kHz? Unless there's some solution for providing a separate file for the download version (which I doubt), you'll have to live with transcoding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimoog Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Lagerfeldt. Thanks! I use MP3's to post samples of my music on my website, I also send examples to partners and clients for approval. So sound quality is the bigger concern. I'm surprised people are concerned with file size with HD space being so inexpensive and the streaming capability most of us seem to have these days. Seems the difference in an MP3 with CBR vs VBR can amount to maybe 1MB most times. nothing significant anyway IMP. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Lagerfeldt, it's always good to hear what you say. Thanks! I think the best solution for SoundCloud would be to upload WAV and direct them somewhere else to download my music. I was thinking of that anyway. What do you guys think about compressed FLAC? It's technically lossless right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedivisionbell Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I'm surprised people are concerned with file size with HD space being so inexpensive and the streaming capability most of us seem to have these days. Seems the difference in an MP3 with CBR vs VBR can amount to maybe 1MB most times. Speak for yourself, I have a 2Mbps connection that has a 10GB fair use limit. Every 15 days it drops down to 256kbps. People don't look at the amount of space they have either; it's something to do about it being 100MB for just a song. I"m sure I'd freak out my friends if I handed them 3 songs weighing 300MB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lagerfeldt Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 What do you guys think about compressed FLAC? It's technically lossless right? FLAC is fine and sounds perfect since it's lossless compression, but the problem is compatibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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