Mp3’s
This may have already been discussed in depth somewhere but are Mp3’s good enough in terms of quality to be played in a club? I’m pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that the answer is no, the difference is staggering compared to files burned directly from CD. Is this true or do some people just send the mp3 files through a filter/effect to mask the shittiness?
Mp3s are fine - it would have to be some totally epic soundsystem to notice the difference between a 320k mp3 and a .wav file.
Ditto…I use them all the time on-air and in clubs. If you import from CD at a higher bit rate, you’ll be fine. I would say no less than 256k for big clubs(320k prefered). Most apps(Like Itunes) will give you an import option in the preferences section. Most search/torrent sites will also let you view by bit rate.
plus…wav files will take up a larger amount of hard drive space
MP3 are fine, wav are too large. IMO anything under 192kbs you can hear the audio start to sound crappy
320kbps or V2 for mp3.
VERY audible difference between 192kbps and .wav The 192 lost it’s PUNCH.
However, the 320kbps is a bit tougher. It really depends on the frequency range of your system. But keep in mind, mp3 literally compresses the audio. You’ve just run an electronic track that has been compressed in the studio, and crunching it again. This means that clubs that have compressors, meticulously EQd systems or just really great tweeters, you WILL hear a difference.
Now, if that difference is worth needing an external 1TB drive? eeeeeh…prolly not.
I could go for flac support in serato though!
Nope…the higher. 320kbs being the highest(I think) Should go…192k, 256k, 320k
If files downloaded from CD are ideal, why is it that all mine have a 128 bit rate? Isn’t that really crappy? I’m confused
uhm…who are you saying no to? no one said anything about 192 being better than 320. lol
whatever software you’re ripping from is ripping at a VERY low bit rate. look at your settings and you should find where you can either go 320CBR or like V2 VBR
Do different formats use a lower bit rate without compromising quality? For instance mp3 vs. m4a?
I dunno what happened..the post from Senor before mine asked if “the lower the bit rate, the better”…I was saying nope to that. Now it’s gone…I’ll “quote” next time…sorry 
In Itunes for instance, in the Prefs/import section, you can choose what rate you want to import your audio. Most times it will say custom mp3 and you need to specify what you want. If you have them at 128, I’d delete and re-import at a higher rate if possible. Huge difference.
nvm… I didn’t know Itunes had different import settings. !@#$%
Why would you want a low bitrate?
The answer is no and a sliiiight yes.
Other compression algorithms have much better low bitrate compression (mp3 is notoriously bad at low bitrates). However, it’s STILL compressing the audio.
They call mp3, m4a, etc “lossy” formats, because t compresses the audio and “loses” information. wav, flac, etc are considered “non-lossy” formats because they don’t lose data (this isn’t quite true…but not relevant to the discussion)
If you want totally non-lossy, you need wav. Ultimately, since you’re asking opinions.
I use 320Kbps or V2 VBR compressed mp3s.
Exactly. haha.
Just like other things…the higher the better. Stick with 320k and you’ll be cool.