As far as I’m able to tell, Soundcloud no longer uses mp3 streaming, but switched to an encoding/codec called “OPUS” a while back. Standard/free accounts get the lowest quality - which is currently set at a measly 64 Kbps (!).
The technical reasons it sounds better than a 64kbps mp3 is beyond me, to be honest. But even if I upload a 96kbps mp3 file to my Soundloud, what you’re hearing when you listen to the stream is in fact 64kpbs OPUS file.
…which kind of defeats the purpose of the 4th rule.
If you took the time to download the file to your own computer, it would (probably) still be the original file format - but in practice very few people take the time to that…
…myself included
Apparently Dropbox embeddable player-links also use encoded “preview versions” of the original files (to save bandwidth I suppose). You still need to download the file in order to hear the original file.
Sorry about ranting, what I want to ask is this:
How/where can I upload my file, so when you guys play/stream it, you actually get to listen to the original file - and not some sort of encoded clone in some obscure low quality format?
hm… I don’t know about soundcloud player’s codec, though what you’re saying here surprises me. That rule is here just as a callback to the discussion in the previous bb; 96kbps is not going to alter the sound that badly. You’ll lose some high end, and some clarity, but I have tried even lower bitrates in the past, and 96kbps is not the point where you’ll get glitches, noise, and other deletrious effects (64kbps is that threshold btw). Don’t worry, just do it symbolically.
Soundcloud (assuming people are going to upload to Soundcloud in the first place) will still convert FROM the 96kbps mp3, so the effects will be hard coded into the track once it is in SoundCloud’s streaming format.
The track would be the 96kbps mp3 encoded as whatever SoundCloud streams as. It would decode the mp3, and re-encode the mp3 in whatever streaming format SC uses, losing quality in the mp3 phase and the streaming format phase.
The way an mp3 sounds the way it does (most noticeable at lower bit rates) is based on the algorithm that does the audio content removal. Once that data is gone, that’s how it sounds, whether you re-encode it as WAV, AIFF, or whatever. Any additional lossy codecs applied to the file will stack on top of the mp3 algorithm, much like sending something through an EQ and into a delay in series.
despite armrests very thoughtful post, I will have to heartily disagree.
as Lug was saying (more or less), once you encode to 96kbs mp3, the artifacts are there to stay and there aint shit you can do about it. And it’s definitely “a sound” and it will give a fun unifying vibe to this BB. do it! and make sure you don’t do variable bitrate mp3, as that’s cheating.
I actually have an old track of mine that my friend recorded out of the headphone jack of his macbook via myspace after my laptop was stolen. It’s the only way I could get the track back, and dude the very high end is just non existent. This will be fun.
EDIT: on reading his post again, I guess he’s saying we won’t get the full 96kbps mp3 experience on soundcloud, which is true. But, it will be close enough. If anything we’ll get more fun weird artifacts.
The samples are nice and varied, with plenty of places to lift samples and shapes.
I’ve been listening to Regis and Surgeon lately, so unsurprisingly I ended up with some kind of techno thing. It’s not sounding great tbh, - but at least it’s pretty fast
Nice, I’ve kinda gotten into Blawan, Pariah, Surgeon and those guys over the past few years. Blawan just dropped a new EP, How Many Pings. I like Surgeon’s stuff, and Blawan does some really good stuff, I really liked Getting Me Down, and Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage. Cool stuff.
Actually, kinda really cool story, I got a chance to see Blawan play in Denver!! It was crazy, probably one of the most underground shows I’ve been to. Was an all night event (went until like 6 in the morning), Blawan played, as well as Pariah, and some other guys. They played in this just small basement of some building. I went alone, but still, damn, it was freaking cool. Pariah mess up on one of the transitions between songs tho, was blending in this hi hat line that was hitting on the off beats, making this really cool, bouncy, kinda nervous quivvering sound, then the kick came in… off beat. lol He had to quickly just throw the next track on, he didn’t seem happy about it lol but eh it was a good show all the same.
Blawan has always been a favorite of mine. Deep stuff. I’ve known him through his dub techno stuff on Hessle Audio, but I still enjoy the style he’s developed now.
