FLAC vs. MP3

[Ate Shey]

Here's a good article from wikepedia why FLAC is better than MP3. I downloaded songs with the .FLAC format via Emule and it sounds better than MP3..


Lossless Compressed Formats


If you care about audio fidelity, lossy compression just doesn't cut it. No matter high the sampling rate or how good the compression algorithm, lossy files don't sound quite as good as the originals. (Remember that word "lossy"—you lose something in the translation!)

If you want to create a high fidelity digital archive, a better solution is to use a lossless compression format. These formats work more or less like ZIP compression; redundant bits are taken out to create the compressed file, which is then uncompressed for playback. So what you hear has exact fidelity to the original, while still being stored in a smaller-sized file.

Of course, a lossless compressed file isn't as near small as a file with lossy compression. While an MP3 file might be 10% the size of the original, uncompressed file, a file with lossless compression is typically about 50% the original's size. This is why lossless compression isn't recommended for portable music players, where storage space is limited. If you're storing your CD collection on hard disk, however, it works just fine—especially with today's cheap hard disk prices. You can easily store 1,000 CDs on a 300GB hard disk, using any lossless compression format.

What formats can you choose from? The list isn't quite as long as with lossy compression, nor or the formats quite as well known. Here's a short list:

Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC, M4A)—A lossless compression option available for use with Apple's iTunes and iPod.

Free Lossless Codec (FLAC)—An open-source lossless format, embraced by many consumer electronics manufacturers and usable with all major operating systems, including both Windows and Linux.

Windows Media Audio Lossless (WMA), Microsoft's lossless compression format, available in Windows Media Player versions 9 and 10—probably the best option for lossless compression today. (Uses the same WMA file extension as normal Windows Media Audio files.)




Lossy Compressed Formats


Lossy compression works by sampling the original file and removing those ranges of sounds that the average listener can't hear. A lossless encoder uses complex algorithms to determine what sounds a human is able to hear, based on accepted psychoacoustic models, and chops off those sounds outside this range. You can control the sound quality and the size of the resulting file by selecting different sampling rates for the data. The less sampling going on, the smaller the file size—and the lower the sound quality.

The problem with shrinking files to this degree, of course, is that by making a smaller file, you've dramatically reduced the sampling rate of the music. This results in music that sounds compressed; it won't have the high-frequency response or the dynamic range (the difference between soft and loud passages) of the original recording. To many users, the sound of the compressed file will be acceptable, much like listening to an FM radio station. To other users, however, the compression presents an unacceptable alternative to high-fidelity reproduction.

The most popular lossy compressed format today is the MP3 format, although there are lots of other formats that work in the same fashion. Here's a list of available lossy formats:

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)—Also known as MPEG-4 AAC, this is the proprietary audio format used by Apple's iTunes and iPod. AAC offers slightly better sound quality than MP3 files along with strong digital rights management (DMA), to prevent unauthorized use. Unfortunately, most non-Apple music players won't play AAC-format songs—but if you're an iPod user, this is the format you'll be using.

MP3 (MP3)—Short for MPEG-1 Level 3, the MP3 format remains the most widely-used digital audio format today, with a decent compromise between small file size and sound quality. The primary advantage of MP3 is its universality; unlike most other file formats, just about every digital music player and player program can handle MP3-format music.

OGG Vorbis (OGG)—An open-source encoding technology originally known as "Squish," OGG Vorbis was designed as a substitute for MP3 and WMA. It uses variable bitrate compression, which encodes different parts of a song with higher or lower compression, to produce better quality when needed.

QuickTime Audio (MOV)—Essentially the same MPEG-4 technology as the AAC format,

RealAudio Media (RA, RM, RMA)—Proprietary format used by Real Networks, designed particularly for real-time streaming audio feeds.

Windows Media Audio (WMA)—Microsoft's digital audio format is promoted as an MP3 alternative with similar audio quality at half the file size. That may be stretching it a bit, but WMA does typically offer a slightly better compromise between compression and quality than you find with MP3 files. It also provides strong digital rights management.

[mxyzptlk]

ahh..kaya pala anlaki ng file size ng flac.hehe pero parang di ko madistinguish yung tunog ng flac sa mataas na bit rate na mp3. pero pag mababa na bit rate halatang halata na.

[Ate Shey]

medyo subtle lang kasi ang effect nung FLAC sa mga music na hindi gaano mataas ang dynamic range at tonal range.. pero kung mahilig ka sa classical music makikita mo ang pagkakaiba ng MP3 at FLAC.. sa regular music hindi masyado malaki ang pagkakaiba ng high bit rate mp3 at flac..

[mxyzptlk]

saan ba pwede iplay yung FLAC na magkakasunod? kasi sa VLC ko lang siya npplay tapos isa-isa lang eh

[Progmeister]

Definitely FLAC but I'm also quite happy with VBR encoded MP3s. Have you guys tried soulseek for downloading files?

[Ate Shey]

ok ba yan Soulseek.. ang gamit ko kasi Emule

[Progmeister]

Yes it is. I've tried download clients like limewire and emule but when a mate introduced me to soulseek and torrenting I never looked back. Have a read about  soulseek here: 
http://www.slsknet.org/
and here's a link to a Torrent Search Engine searcher
http://www.torrentscan.com/
If you have a fast pipe then you're laughing! 

[fnvillafuerte]

Anu bang bitrate ang pinakamagandang gamitin sa MP3?  Kasi pag 128kbps pangit ang tunog, pag i-maximum naman sa 320kbps, maaksaya naman sa space kasi sobrang laki ng file size.

Thanks.

[Progmeister]

192 or 224 kbps is decent enough but 320kbps or VBR-encoded MP3s are better. Yes, it uses more space but that's a trade-off well worth it if you're into CD quality MP3s.

[mxyzptlk]

224 kbps ok na sakin.

[ziggynpc]

if the song in mp3 format is of lesser bit rate, is there a converter or something to increase the song's bit rate to 224?

[fnvillafuerte]

192 or 224 kbps is decent enough but 320kbps or VBR-encoded MP3s are better. Yes, it uses more space but that's a trade-off well worth it if you're into CD quality MP3s.

Ok thanks for the info.    I tried 192 and 224, I can't discern any diff, so I think 192 will be ok for me because of its smaller file size.  Sinubukan ko yung VBR, ok din pero parang may ibang sound or noise na nadagdag sa musuc? 

[fnvillafuerte]

if the song in mp3 format is of lesser bit rate, is there a converter or something to increase the song's bit rate to 224?

Yes, I think its possible pero siguro hindi mag iimprove yung quality ng sound, lalaki lang yung file size.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Progmeister]

Ok thanks for the info.    I tried 192 and 224, I can't discern any diff, so I think 192 will be ok for me because of its smaller file size.  Sinubukan ko yung VBR, ok din pero parang may ibang sound or noise na nadagdag sa musuc? 

If the files were ripped from a decent source, i.e., a remastered CD then yes, I'd go for 192. The best thing to do before burning the files onto a CD or transfering them into ur portable device would be to listen to them first. As most of you might have experienced, dwnloading doesn't necessarily mean you'll always get good quality audio. The risk of getting shitty files is always there. Same applies on VBR files.
This is probably a topic worthy of a new thread: what type and genre of music are you guys in to?

[Progmeister]

Yes, I think its possible pero siguro hindi mag iimprove yung quality ng sound, lalaki lang yung file size.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As a baseline, I always choose 192Kbps as the lowest MP3 bitrate, since this seems to be a commonly agreed upon threshold for "near CD quality," and most of the MP3's I've listened to encoded below 192Kbps have sounded too degraded for my tastes.

[krayziebone]

Yes, I think its possible pero siguro hindi mag iimprove yung quality ng sound, lalaki lang yung file size.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

sa tingin ko rin hindi na.. pag yung tracks from an "original" audio CD ay ni-rip mo at 128, tapos ni-rip mo ulet at a higher bitrate, yung pagbabasehan niya ay yung 128 na lang..

pagnag-rip ka from an "original" audio CD, kahit 192 ok na para sa akin (mas maganda pag VBR).. pero pagbumili ka ng mga pirated CDs.. kahit anong gawin mo, kung yung bitrate ng tracks na ginamit dun ay mababa, pangit talaga yung output..

[mxyzptlk]

tingin ko din pag kinompress mo yung mp3 sa mababang bitrate eh hindi na mababalik yung mga tinanggal sa pagkompress nung file

[10100]

gamit ko mp4. try comparing a 64kbps mp4 with 64kbps mp3 using winamp, you'll see what i mean ...

[Progmeister]

gamit ko mp4. try comparing a 64kbps mp4 with 64kbps mp3 using winamp, you'll see what i mean ...

mp4 is also great, the beauty with the software I use (Sonicstage) is that it supports almost all formats.