----- Original Message ----- From: "Stevo Brock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > We are trying to use LAME to encode a WAVE file to a 44.1kHz, 64Kbps, > CBR mono mp3 file and are having trouble matching the quality of the > same file produced by ProTools. > > Currently we are using the following settings: > Source file 44.1kHz > 64Kbps > CBR > Stereo Mode Mono > Quality: 9 > > which gets us pretty close, but there are still some slight audible > artifacts. The ProTools file has no audible artifacts at all. >
Lame is no good encoder for bitrates <160 kbps CBR or <130 kbps ABR. Fastencc (as reference highest possible quality encoder) which is part of protools (if you mean ten-thousands$$$ musical HW&SW of course), is the best for low bitrates as inet audio streaming etc. Lame needs mode parameters tuning, as move ATH, different ATH curves etc. And of course, fastencc does not use MDCT at highest quality mode, but different algorithm, which gave not only spectral waves, but it relys on phase shifts too. Now I hear all audio academics with long titles before and after their names, that ear does not recognize phase shifts... Yes, of course, ear does not recognize phaseshifts at sinusoidal signal, persist from bigbang to collapse of universe. But music is DYNAMIC with transients and here ear should hear tones which is in some cases more than 30 dB under popular audio "0dB" curves. And transients without original phase shifts are not right formed transients, but something totally different. ANd there your ear and brain does not recognize tones as with original signal. You should make some tests for that: you should need very good audio equipment (good <> astronomical price!), rather studio grade with even worse parameters than Hi-End with 0,000000001% sinusoidal distortion. Now you can listen for example R&B with deep plucked bass sounds at levels about 30dB. Yeah, you should hear these deep bass sounds! So public theory about ATH curves lies for that. Studio grade equipments are constructed for transient signal which does not have easy to measurable parameters, if any. But it have maximum sound reality. Noise and sinusoidal distortion are not the main parameter. Hi-End grade audio are constructed to reproduce sinusoidal signals which have nice easy to measure parameters, but it doesnot reproduce natural sound as is. If you want high quality, use studio equipment and does not look at their technical parameters. Total output S/N of mixer like 80dB, THD about 0,01% is normal... Yes, but it sounds BETTER than any Hi-End. Regards, JL. _______________________________________________ mp3encoder mailing list mp3encoder@minnie.tuhs.org https://minnie.tuhs.org/mailman/listinfo/mp3encoder
