Topic: Flac level for 24 bit files

[L Ron Hoover]

What compression rate is everyone running at for 24 bit files?

[sygdwm]

i use 7, but thats just me. 

[Craig T]

6

[RebelRebel]

6

[L Ron Hoover]

Thanks guys +T's. I have been using six as well.

[JasonSobel]

I use 8 for everything.  For me, it doesn't take that long to encode, so why not go with the highest compression.  Especially if you're planning to post a 24 bit show via BT, 24 bit files are so big, every little bit's got to help...

[Nick Graham]

In my testing, the higher levels of compression often result in no increased savings.   And they take a lot longer.

I had encoded something using Level 5, and it came out to something like 703 MB. I figured If I used a higher compression rate I could get it down to fit on one disc. Encoding at the highest level only decreased it to like 701...

so there's very little difference.

[MattD]

I had encoded something using Level 5, and it came out to something like 703 MB. I figured If I used a higher compression rate I could get it down to fit on one disc. Encoding at the highest level only decreased it to like 701...

so there's very little difference.

Actually, that's almost a perfect example as to how that little difference helps. Depending on your burner, let's say 703 MB might be too large to overburn to a CD-R, but 701 is probably doable. I always encode at 8. I usually kick it off before I go to bed, so the time doesn't matter to me.

[kindms]

8

[OFOTD]

6

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I ran some tests a while back.. Just ran'em again.  Of course you'll get different test results using different test files.

Basically, the final size difference between the default 5 and the max 8 is less than 1%. But 8 takes 7X longer. Between 5 and 6, the size difference is only 0.07% and 6 takes about 18% longer.

I ran the test against a 16/44 wav and a 24/44 wav.  The 24 bit file did not compress as well as the 16 bit (about 30% vs. 51%, respectively).  Otherwise, the 16/24 numbers seem fairly comparable.

16 bit file, starting size 330,403,840

LEV: 5
31.19s seconds
flac size: 162957138
LEV: 6
37.54s seconds
flac size: 162834343

LEV: 7
156.70s seconds
flac size: 162491940

LEV: 8
217.02s seconds
flac size: 162277522





24/44 file, starting size 495,599,704

LEV: 5
39.76s seconds
flac size: 346824273

LEV: 6
48.38s seconds
flac size: 346717536

LEV: 7
174.29s seconds
flac size: 346417577

LEV: 8
234.39s seconds
flac size: 345927101