High Quality Audio Files
Hey guys,
First if all I wanted to say thanks to everyone on this forum for all the help you have given me.
Let’s say your going through soundcloud and you find a new track. It’s available for free download but I’m assuming that’s not going to be the best quality file. If you can’t find the track elsewhere does anyone have any suggestions on using the track? How do I know if the mp3 is 128 or 320?
Thanks again
Stick it in Winamp (people still use that!) and it’ll tell you just below the volume bit in kbps. If it fluctuates, its in VBR. It might also be 256 amongst other compression rates.
Thank you. Will Winamp run on a Mac?
you can look at the filesize.
or if you’re on windows right click>properties>details
Hes on mac. But in your dj software you should be able to see what the KBPS is. Soundcloud itself does tend to compress tunes. Ive noticed this from using soundcloud to download my own tunes when I forgot them at home. Waveforms have clipping after downloaded back from soundcloud.
Best thing to do is contact the original artist bruv. Most kats have no problem sending you a .wav or 320.
You can use VLC for this. Available on Mac and PC.
Just play the track in VLC and open the “Media Information” screen. It will show you the real-time stream data rate for the track you are playing.
Here is screenshot.
http://d.pr/i/n0n3
I think soundcloud streams at 192 or 128 but it’s re-encoded from the original.
So if they upload a wav, thats what you download.
But can’t you just click properties to see the bit-rate
That’s only for streaming.
iTunes displays bitrate, you just have to enable the column.
That will show you what the file’s bitrate claims to be.
For example:
You rip an track in lossless quality from a CD. Then you compress to 320kbps. You will have a true 320kbps bitrate track.
Now if some one transcodes a 192kbps (CBR) to FLAC format, it is basically a lossy to lossless transcode, which is bad.
The file will claim its, let’s say 320kbps or higher, but won’t really be a “high-quality” audio file. Source file was a 192kbps.
the only real way to find out, is to open the track in a application that let’s you look at the spectrum analysis to see where the frequencies start falling off.
Very true, like Spek. It’s generally only worth running a file through Spek if it sounds a bit funny though, as you have to analyse each file individually. Your ears will be the best guide as to whether or not a file is acceptable quality. If it SOUNDS a lot worse than the reported bitrate in iTunes, Spek it.
exactly!!
well, if you get your music from LEGIT sources, why would it be reencoded from lower to high quality?
there are many people who post free tracks (personal edits/remixes) on SoundCloud that have this problem. Seen it more than you would think.
doesn’t necessarily have to be lower quality to “high quality”. there are instances where someone makes an edit of a track using an already-compressed mp3 file and not using the lossless flac/wav file. they re-compress the file again after the edit. (compressing an already lossy-file).
why do you have to come to an immediate conclusion that someone is download music illegally? don’t have anyting better to do?
I think the OP asked a legit question.
the soundcloud player is 128kbps, if there is a download option this will be at the original uploaded quality.
Thank you all so much.
I look forward to the day when I’m answering more questions than I’m asking.
With that attitude, it’s only a matter of time 
It’s just, that what you posted just seems to be a common practice with that kind of stuff.
You can right-click and get info on an .mp3 in OS X, it shows bitrate.
are VBR tracks ok for djing? or should i go for at least 320kps? im asking cause bandcamp offers both but from their description and what I read online, there isnt that a difference between the two in quality, just that mp3 that is not VBR is more MB.
I recently got the araab mixtape n the tracks were 192 kps but they sounded as good as wav or aiff