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[MarSies]

What do the MP3 settings exactly mean.

What bitrates are "insane" and "extreme". How can I set the highest possible quality with MP3. It appears to me that MC doesn't reflect these settings well. I get 160 when I set parameters to extreme and VBR. Wen do you use ABR instead of VBR?

Where can I find the parameters  I can set whith the command line.

Marsies .....

[Alex B]

What do the MP3 settings exactly mean.

What bitrates are "insane" and "extreme". How can I set the highest possible quality with MP3.

MC uses the command line string --preset extreme when VBR, Extreme is selected. It is the best VBR setting. The setting is quality based. The actual bitrate can be anything between 128 and 320 kbps depending on the complexity of the source material. The encoder uses whatever bitrate is needed when it tries to keep the quality constant.

MC's setting Bitrate, 320 kbps, Restrict to constant bitrate (CBR) is the highest possible MP3 quality setting. It uses the string --preset cbr 320, which triggers the same encoding options as --preset insane.

It appears to me that MC doesn't reflect these settings well. I get 160 when I set parameters to extreme and VBR.

Could you explain better? Where do you see 160? I get variable bitrates that usually average at 200-270 kbps. Sometimes it can be as low as about 130 kbps if the source material compresses extremely well.

When do you use ABR instead of VBR?

When you need to estimate the bitrate. ABR uses VBR, but with forced average bitrate. It has usually a bit lower quality than VBR because of that forced restriction. Sometimes it also makes needlessly big files because normal VBR could use lower bitrates if more is not needed.

Where can I find the parameters I can set with the command line?

For example here: http://lame.sourceforge.net/USAGE and here: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18091

In my opinion MC's settings are good for the most usual purposes. They have been selected wisely. Extra tweaking may be needed for things like speech encoding.

[MarSies]

Alex B, THANKS !!

I used insane on my 4 and 5 star songs. In MC they show a bitrate of 160. Songs that I used VBR extreme on show up as 256. Only these 2 settings appear on ALL my songs on the iPod.  ?

It's a pitty that MP3 does not support more then 320 like Ogg Vorbis does. Do you know a way of getting apple lossless music on the iPod with MC. With proper tagging off course.

Marsies .....

[SteveG]

Do you know a way of getting apple lossless music on the iPod with MC. With proper tagging off course.

Depending on the file type, it should transfer with no problem. If you are talking about converting to Apple lossless on the way to iPod, that is not supported.

Steve

[MarSies]

Steve,

Why does the bitrate indicate 160 and 256 ?
I don't understand that !!

Marsies .....

[SteveG]

Marsies,

Can you clarify what you are asking?

Thanks,

Steve

[MarSies]

I compress 4 and 5 star songs with the 'insane' setting and 3 stars with 'VBR extreme'. After I have done this and look at the songs on my iPod through MC, MC tells me that the bitrate for 'insane' compressed songs is 160. And 256 for the VBR extreme. I don't understand that.

I haven't done any listening tests but my first guess is that MC does not show the actual bitrate. I have a few MP3 songs on my iRiver and there I could see an indication of VBR with certain songs. I prefer 'ogg', but I could do the test to put some songs on my iRiver to see the bitrate.

Having said that I was always suprised to also see a different/strange bitrate with the ogg vorbis compression. If you want me to do some tests let me know which. (things like filesize, or using the iRiver)

Marsies .....

[SteveG]

Marsies,

MC is showing you an estimation which is what gets stored on iPod. There is no 'insane' setting on iPod.

Steve

[MarSies]

I guess my explanation is not clear or do I misunderstand you 

I upload my ape music from my PC to my iPod. I use MP3 conversion with the setting 'insane' in MC (command line). This way I am supposed to get the 320kb bitrate and highest quality.

When the uploading is done and I look at my iPod through MC I see all the uploaded songs having a bitrate of 160 instead of 320. The songs converted and uploaded with VBR extreme have a bitrate of 256.

The iPod does not show you what the bitrate is of the song your listening to. I have to use MC to see that or use an handheld or program that can show me the actual bitrate.

Is it now clear what I mean?

Marsies .....

[SteveG]

MarSies,

Yes, thanks. That is much clearer. Those numbers are estimates and are not very accurate at this time. It can be improved in the future. The actual quality of the tracks should be what you expect, just the reporting is wrong.

Steve

[Alex B]

MarSies,

What is your exact string for "insane"? It should be exactly one of these:

--preset insane

--alt-preset insane

--preset cbr 320

--alt-preset cbr 320

These are mapped to single internal encoding setting in the LAME 3.96.1 encoder.

Actually, you don't need to use a commandline string for "insane" because the default 320 kbps CBR setting in MC11 is "--preset cbr 320".

[MarSies]

"--preset insane"
That's the one I'm using.

"--preset cbr 320"
Just tried it with that command and the result again is 160 instead of 320.

Have you tried to reproduce this on an iPod?

Marsies .....

[MarSies]

I hope it will be changed in the very near future. Checked the actual compression through my filemanager and the settings are indeed 320 and VBR.

You can also hear that the sound quality of the 320 files is less humpin and pumpin. Not only with high tones, especially bass gets thumpy.

Strange no one else has noticed this yet.

Marsies .....