Question about WAV/MP3

[dj matt blaze]

I've heard that mp3, even at 320, loses a lot of sub-bass frequency compared to wav; did the test compare that at all?

mp3 compresses frequencies that are impossible for the human ear to even hear. The test wasn't a specification test, it was a listening test to see if in fact 1 could hear the differences between a 320 mp3 and a wav. There is no doubt that a wav is technically a better file. If you looked at an mp3 and a wav on an oscilloscope the difference would be clear. But when listening and knowing what to even listen for its nearly imppossible to tell.

Forum member Mostapha set up a double blind test, 10 tracks. For each track, first the mp3 was played 4 times, then the wav 4 times to orient you to what you were listening to...then the track was played 10 times at random mixing up the mp3 and the wav. The majority of people who took the test couldn't tell the difference, I think I got like 55% right. I was 1 of the poeple that said you couldn't hear a difference. Mostapha was the only person that was really able to hear a difference, I believe with like 80% right, I'm sure he still has all the figures. Mostapha himself did admit that it was a lot harder than he thought and that he probably would not have scored as high if it wasn't with music that he knew and he wouldn't have been able to pick out the file type if the test wasn't in the ABX format meaning if someone just played a file and said tell me if that was an mp3 or a wav, he couldn't do it. The difference, if there even is 1, is so miniscule that even when really listening hard and concentrting it was nearly impossible to pick out.

[Tommi Bass]

I have played mp3 out in a very, very famous Berlin club.......... just after an oldskool vinyl dj.

The crowd went nuts when I played the kinda seemed to wake up a bit... lol The mp3 was a 320. Very well produced and direct from the producers studio. (Like all the mp3s I play)

I put just added little more bass in the mix (2%) when using mp3...... to be honest your guests in the club are wrecked and just wanna dance.

But I review every single mp3 promo pack that gets sent to me in the studio before ... if it sounds shit I will not play out.

[ksandvik]

My biggest gripe with MP3 even 320k is that a lot of music today is hyper-compressed. Then you run a lossy codec over those compressed bits and rip out the few transients that are left leaving more harsh sound. It all depends on the final mastering and if whoever did the lossy codec ripping took into account that. Alas most aggregators just run default settings on their MP3 LAME or QuickTime settings so it's a hit-and-miss.

I have some really nice sounding MP3 files purchased or via soundcloud, also some really nasty sounding ones, all 320k. Oh well. I think use your ears, if the MP3 sounds bad, just don't play it, sounds even worse over a big club system.

WAV and lossless tracks from the original master somewhat isolates from all this.

PS: To really hear differences, you need either decent to good studio reference monitors (if you can't hear the diff between MP3 and original WAVs, then me thinks the reference monitors are not that good.) Or a big *and good* club system. And of course ears that are used to really good sound so they know what sounds good and what not.

PSS: I'm afraid the current club generation has not even heard vinyl over a PA system so they are happy with what they are hearing. Hopefully Bassnectar's and Skrillex's PA systems will start to convert them back to a good sound as dubstep requires really good low-end PAs to be felt and heard.

[sobi]

Today, 11:24 AM #1
SJB246
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Default MP3 vs WAV.... Seriously?!

Hey everyone,

After a week of looking into this debate that seems to never end, I don't know what to do! WAV, or 320kbps MP3?

Of course WAV is better than 320 kbps mp3, but is the difference worth getting so worked up about?

I mean I'd love to have all WAV but there seems so many problems:
Metadata sucks, and for me that's terrible.
There stupidly expensive.
You can't find all songs WAV.
They take up a huge amount of space.

But then I don't want to purchase a load of 320 kpbs mp3's only to have to rebuy them all in a year because I need wavs...It's hard enough having to deal with the fact of purchasing a 'virtual' song and not getting a physical copy to do what I want with...

So guys, I'm not after a massive techy debate, just down to earth does it realllly matter at home/clubs/venues?

Thanks a lot everyone
P


Today, 12:21 PM #2
Maxted
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Doesn't matter quality wise, at least not so much that it would be a problem for djing. (Maaaybe if you're talking sampling from tunes for production)

Personally i'd say wav then rip to flac for your metadata and to save space, i myself have a mixture of flac/320 mp3 with the majority being flac from my cd collection and the mp3s from when i couldnt find wavs.

http://www.mixcloud.com/Maxted/
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Today, 12:25 PM #3
dj matt blaze
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big thread about this a few months ago that you can read here.....http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=51002

in the end....won't make a bit of difference, 320 mp3 is more than fine

http://soundcloud.com/djmattblaze

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Today, 01:51 PM #4
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wav isn't a great format. Use flac. It's a lossless form of compression which mean it has the audio perfection of wav but a much smaller file size and better metadata.

I think it's pretty shameful that companies still charge more for wav and flac. Whenever possible I try to avoid purchasing from companies who do this.

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Today, 01:58 PM #5
sobi
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Take a 320 and WAV file and put them in a play list. After that, hold down the up or down arrow key for 5 seconds. Without looking, load that song, listen, and then load the next song and listen. Do this with a bunch of songs. If you overwhelmingly notice your mp3's to be of a lesser quality, you have your answer.
I think it's bullshit at the end of the day. If you have a high end audiophile type listening station at home, it's one thing, but chances are that for playing out, there's only a handful of venues in your area of the country that even have a system capable of making the difference noticeable.


Today, 02:02 PM #6
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Sobi- if you can get either for the same price, which would you go for?

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Today, 02:33 PM #7
sobi
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I could get them for the same price via Satelliterecords.com, and I get MP3.


Today, 02:49 PM #8
MrPopinjay
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And why is that?

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Today, 03:24 PM #9
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Please continue the discussion on any of the multiple threads on the subject.

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Today, 03:56 PM #10
sobi
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Default MP3 vs WAV continuation

Just starting this here since the mod locked the other thread, and logically, if they lock due to so many, why wouldn't that one get locked? Just saving time from searching...

Quote Originally Posted by MrPopinjay View Post
And why is that?

[sobi]

it saves space on my computer and there's no discernible difference that I can tell.

[Emery]

you can always convert said files to said format using "Ultra Mobile 3GP Video Converter" google it. Its a free converter so you dont have any mix up in formats.. thats what i do.

huh? how would you convert an MP3 to a WAV? You can't add whats missing

[djdunamis]

Get aiff versions, if you want metadata and uncompressed audio. If you want cheap, try Audiojelly first, see if they have the tracks you want in wav, then add data and convert to aiff. For the rest, buy 320K mp3. Not too much difference, but it's noticeable if you know where to look.