Terry, what's the question with how/what r8brain does, exactly?
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,51478.0.html
After reading this thread, I was curious as to how R8 compared to the other methods of ReSamp... While R8 was very easy, I'm not sure how the results compare, and not sure if its the "best". I'd rather use something with a good plug-in, or something that let's me tweak a little more...
Terry
well, that thread is mostly about comparing different dithers, rather than comparing different resampling algorithms. while it's true that the r8brain dither was included in the comparison, I think you'd be hard pressed to find *anyone* who says that just a flat dither (i.e. no noise shaping) is the "best" dither. If most people thought that a simple flat dither sounded "best", then I doubt companies would even bother to create different dithering schemes (like SBM-1, UV22HR, MBIT+, etc, etc...). While I understand the desire of a good resampling plug-in for work-flow considerations, I think the best way to evaluate r8brain is based on what it was designed to do - resampling. You could output a 32bit file with r8brain, and then go back into your favorite audio editing program and apply the dither of your choice to reduce bit depth to 16 bit (I'm assuming that when most people here resample, it's starting with some 24 bit file at either 48 or 96 kHz, and the ultimate goal is a 16 bit, 44.1 kHz file). so, the comparison would be the r8brain resampling algorithm vs whatever othe resampling program you'd like to use, but then use the same dither scheme to get down to 16 bit.
of course, that adds many steps to the work flow, and can be a hassle (it's too bad r8brain isn't offered as a plug-in).
Personally, I think the resampling algorithm has a larger influence on the sound of the 16bit/44.1kHz file relative to the dither scheme, so I generally just use the r8brain resampling and flat dither, because I think it does a better job of resampling, even if the dither scheme isn't as nice as some of the other available options.