Topic: Converting wav to mp3, does this make sense?

[wharfrat48]

Just getting into recording some live shows (super newbie) and after some research, I'd like to get some comments on whether my plan makes any sense or not.  I am recording at 24/44 wav and want to eventually get to 16/44 mp3 after some minor editing so I can get the files onto CD.  So starting with the original wav file (which I know never to delete) I am planning on using Audacity to perform some editing (usually just gain adjustments), then saving the edited wav file (at 24/44) and finally ?dithering? to a 16/44 mp3 file.  Is this the right way to do this?  Should I go directly to 16/44 after editing?  Are there any other relatively simple edits I should experimenting with to improve the sound quality (High pass filtering, eq adjustments, etc), or should I wait until I get a bit more experience?  Thanks

[page]

Audacity dithers upon export. (if you set it to dither, it always dithers, if you set it to not dither, it never does. Review your setting in the Preferences menu)

Before I'd make any other adjustments, I'd learn about what certain frequencies sound like, how editors and tools work, and practice critical listening on a really good sound system. It took me a couple years worth of work to get fairly decent at the process.

[mr qpl]

16/44 is not mp3 quality, that's std audio cd quality. I use Soundforge for my 24-16 conversions. I record at 44/24, not at 48, I could never hear the difference and the 44 files are a lot smaller and still give you the room to boost quiet parts of the recording without hiss.  All that being said, make sure to save your original files without edits and you can always revisit them if you decide your skills are better at edits than they used to be. I wish I had some original files from when I started taping to see if I could edit them better.  YMMV

[dnsacks]

as referenced above, a cd holds 16/44.1 wav data -- mp3 data is a lossy compression of wav data that, by definition, loses some of the detail/info you've recorded.  Thus, it doesn't make sense to go from a 24 bit wav to a  lossy 16 bit mp3 and then back up to a 16/44.1 wav to make a cd.  You'd be a lot better off either recording to 16/44.1 wavs from the get-go, or recording at 24/44.1 and dithering to a 16/44.1 wav for cd burning.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I am recording at 24/44 wav and want to eventually get to 16/44 mp3 after some minor editing so I can get the files onto CD.

You want you final product to be 16bit 44.1k WAV files.  Avoid MP3 at all costs.  MP3 is the equivalent of eating at Taco Bell when there is a 5star Mexican Rest. next door...

So starting with the original wav file (which I know never to delete) I am planning on using Audacity to perform some editing (usually just gain adjustments), then saving the edited wav file (at 24/44) and finally ?dithering? to a 16/44 mp3 file.  Is this the right way to do this?  Should I go directly to 16/44 after editing?

I would save my 24/44 file untouched.  I would also save a working version, with which you do all your tweaks.  At the end of the day, save your working file to both 24/44 and 16/44.

Find Traders Little Helper to convert all your files to FLAC.  FLAC allows you to compress your files (make them smaller) without any kind of "loss" in quality.  It also allows you to recreate WAV files that are EXACTLY like they were before you converted to FLAC.  Save your FLAC files as your "Archive"...

Welcome to the club!

Terry
 

[wharfrat48]

16/44 is not mp3 quality, that's std audio cd quality...

So generally speaking, for the best sound quality (after recording) I should make my edits and save files at the original 24/44 (and listen to them with my recorder as a player (or some other player which supports 24/44).  What should I do for sharing on CD's?  If space is an issue use mp3 files, if not use 16/44 wav?  Does anyone even share on CD anymore? 

[mr qpl]

save your original, copy it and mess with it with whatever attempts you want to try, the ones I usually do are "normalization" of the entire file and "hard limiting" of loud audience applause (usually only necessary on quiet acoustic type shows). sometimes in reverse order, the hard limit, then the normalize. save early and often, and once in a while rename when you like what you're hearing, to be able to save the edits up to that point. Last steps for me are usually dither down from 24 to 16 for cd copy and then cut tracks for cd copy. WHATEVER you do, save the unedited original on a disc, dvd or whatever to be able to revisit it in the future, when your skill set is larger or programs get easier to use.  have some fun with it, it's a trip to make something sound better, like totally cutting out the sound of a drunk screamer guy!

[wharfrat48]

Hey-- sometimes that drunk screamer guy is me    (Although I do try to be aware of any mics that are around).  Not to beat a dead horse, but how is sharing done these days?  Do you copy wav files to a CD (16/44) or do you use mp3?  I go to a lot of festivals and if I wanted to share a lot music, it seems like it would take a ton of CD's if I was using wav.

[jefflester]

Most everyone shares electronically these days. Torrents of FLAC (losslessly compressed WAV) or post them to file sharing sites. Scroll through the kickdown central section here on TS to get an idea. Tapers hate mp3, as it destroys the quality sound everyone strives for.

[capnhook]

Hey-- sometimes that drunk screamer guy is me    (Although I do try to be aware of any mics that are around).  Not to beat a dead horse, but how is sharing done these days?  Do you copy wav files to a CD (16/44) or do you use mp3?  I go to a lot of festivals and if I wanted to share a lot music, it seems like it would take a ton of CD's if I was using wav.

.flac them onto a dvd, cheapest (short of WeTransfer or something like that)

[Gutbucket]

The jist-

Archive the original files after recording in their native WAV format (in your case 24bit/44.1kHz WAV) or losslessly compressed with FLAC.

Edit those files however you do and store the edited output in either the same format (24/44.1) and/or dithered to 16/44.1, and store that output as FLACs.  This will be your primary storage format.  You can tag the FLAC files as well if you like, some users will appreciate that.

Some tapers choose to store and share both 24bit and 16bit versions of the edited files, some only the 16/44.1 output  That's a personal choice. You can use either for digital listening and sharing.   IMO, if dithered properly, the 16bit edited output should be indistiguishable from the 24bit output and that's sufficient rather than storing otherwise identical copies of both, especially if you hold on to the unedited original files, and also if you will be buring CDs which requires 16/44.1 WAV files.  It's your choice to hold on the the original unedited files or not. Some only keep their edited output.  I keep the original unedited files, the editor's save files (which are small, and allow me to come back later and re-edit the originals without having to redo everything if necessary) and the 16/44.1 edited output.

If you want mp3's for your own use or for distributing to those who want that format, you can derive the them directly from the edited FLACs. For mp3 conversion it doesn't matter if the source files are 24 or 16bit or what their bit rate is.

Editing and file storage practices are whole'nother topics.  However you choose to do it the important point is to store multiple copies in multiple places.

[cashandkerouac]

the previous responses provide al the critical info.  however, maintaining adequate back-up files cannot be overstressed.  i always save the master recording in it's original form (usually 24 bit / 48 Khz) and then create a copy from which i do all the editing (i use Adobe Audition CS5.5).  less is usually more when it comes to EQ (don't overdo it).  once EQ'd and tracked i export to WAV (24 bit / 48 kHz), then convert to FLAC and to mp3 (320 kHz) using Xact.  i save two (2) copies of the the master as well as the 24/48 FLAC files on separate hard drives so i have adequate back-up.  the mp3 files get loaded onto my ipod for listening in the car. 

it doesn't take too long to get the hang of it; you just have to jump right in with both feet are start doing it.  the hardest part for me when i started to record shows was deciding on editing software.  lots of people use Audacity and like it a lot, but i was not one of those people.  Adobe Audition CS5.5 is where i landed and i've been very satisfied with it. 

happy taping!!!   

[mr qpl]

one other thing, if you share, you don't risk losing the recording due to hard drive, cd or dvd failure, etc. so, check the LMA to see if the artist is on there, send copies to friends, post them online (here is a good place, kickdown central) etc. also, try to record some things that other people will likely not, local artists, etc.