Which Atrac format do you use for music on your Hi-MD

[Qwakrz]

I find myself using LP2 for all my recordings on my Hi-MD.

Reasons are

1) It provides a lot better sound quality than Hi-LP

2) I cant hear any errors on the recordings (Unless I listen REALLY closely)

3) Good trade off of file size to quality

Personally I think $ony were stupid not to include Atrac3+ 128K

One thing that is missing in SS is the ability to choose the encoding of the file thats put on your Hi-MD (If you have a Hi-SP and LP2 encoded track I would like a choice).

e.g. encode all your files off of CD in Hi-MD, when you copy the files over it asks "Copy files in Hi-SP or re-encode into LP2, LP4 or Hi-LP". this would be the icing on the cake if it did the encode & did NOT store the files anywhere.

[doclloyd]

For my less than one week of time with Hi-MD, so far I think I'd like to stick with LP2... a good portion of my music on my computer is already in that format (for my N10). However, I'll look into Hi-SP as well. One thing I would like to see is the ability to use MD Simple Burner to copy a CD to a Hi-MD disc, but encoded with LP2. It's possible via SS, so why not Simple Burner?

[mutant1345]

I use HI LP and 48 kbps(pending on what kind of music) and you can bag on 48k all u want but i think its a good way to save space on certain songs it really depends....mostly hi lp though.

[KJ_Palmer]

Only a couple of PCM recordings so far and a dabbling with Hi-SP. PCM sounds really good, but I'll probably stick with Hi-SP once the novelty's worn off...

[dex Otaku]

I've experimented with the various encodings so far..

Hi-SP is the only encoding method I consider worth using, even for portable use.

Hi-LP actually performs admirably well for recording from the radio, or doing voice recordings [both from analogue sources].

Even with the worst playback system, I can tell the difference between Hi-SP and LP2 like night and day. LP2 sounds like absolute garbage to me, whether over speakers, through my cheap Koss canalphones, or over my Sennheiser headphones. I almost don't know how anyone can stand it, but then, I'm hypersensitive to these things. Still, there's no way I would use this, even in a noisy environment like a car. I can hear the compression used by radio stations' computer-based libraries even at the worst of times [such as when driving down the highway at 100km/h with all the windows down in the height of summer], and it drives me nuts, to be frank. And LP2 sounds worse to me than the radio.

That said, it would have been really great if there was a 128-160kbps mode for atrac3plus, which seems to perform much better at a given bitrate than atrac3, IMO.

I can't really see using OpenMG PCM as I'm using standard MDs formatted to Hi-MD mode, and there's not enough space there to get much music on.

What it comes down to is that I can't see myself -ever- using the Atrac3 modes at all. They all sound horrible to these ears, except for SP which appears to only be available when recording in NetMD mode from analogue sources... Which I might have to do eventually, as CBC use MDs quite extensively [all of their fielt reporters/recordists carry MD recorders]. ..And I'm about to try and test for myself whether it's real SP or not.

edit:

SP from analogue sounds like SP to me. I can hear the difference between it and LP2 quite readily - but [and none to my surprise] LP2 recorded from analogue sounds a heck of a lot better than that encoded by SonicStage.

So - I digress - yes, I would consider using LP2 in certain situations if they improved the SS encoder. Right now it's crap, IMO.

[jadeclaw]

edit:

SP from analogue sounds like SP to me.

Redid the test, SP is SP. Seems, that I have mixed up the tracks in my earlier test...

[Syrius]

I don't have a HIMD unit yet, but when I do, I'll only use PCM for copying CDs to HIMD, SP for old-style MDs, and HiSP for HIMD discs.

[Qwakrz]

Ok, I had a blind listen today to 6 tracks, all encoded using the availbale formats

I was shocked to hear the difference between LP2 and Hi-SP

I have started to encode all my music in 3 flavours now (Hi-SP, LP2 & Hi-LP) purely because I do several different types of listening

Hi-SP I use for quiet moments at home, listening to acoustic recordings

LP2 will be used when I go out and about, lots more on a disc

Hi-LP for when quality is not so much needed (out and about in town for a few hours) and where disc swapping would be a pain.

I refuse to use Hi-LP 48K as it just sounds wrong. i like to listen to the track that is playing, not hear a representation of it played through something like a polyphonic phone. :laugh: (and yes i know I have Hi-LP in my list but its not really that bad for getting lots of music on a disc)

Sony, why cant we record in Hi-SP and then re-encode as needed during transfer?

(The track that showed up LP2 v Hi-SP are from "The very best of MTV Unplugged 2", tracks 10 & 11 (Bjork & Human Behaviour, Seal & Crazy. Both acoustic)

[DrZhivago]

For me,it's mostly Hi-SP. I have recorded 4 Hi-MD discs so far, containing 30 albums in Hi-SP. I'am also planing to use PCM to make digital copies from few of my CD's that have seen better days. :happy:

[aeriyn]

LP2 sounds like absolute garbage to me, whether over speakers, through my cheap Koss canalphones, or over my Sennheiser headphones. I almost don't know how anyone can stand it, but then, I'm hypersensitive to these things. Still, there's no way I would use this, even in a noisy environment like a car. I can hear the compression used by radio stations' computer-based libraries even at the worst of times [such as when driving down the highway at 100km/h with all the windows down in the height of summer], and it drives me nuts, to be frank. And LP2 sounds worse to me than the radio.

:laugh:

I can't afford to be that picky. I can't live without music, and my ears aren't so great, and honestly I think my Sharp MD is a lot more forgiving of compressed audio than anything Sony's ever made (could be that Auvi amp in there covering up some of the bad spots).

I mean, yes, LP2 does not sound like the CD. Not even close. But it doesn't sound bad to me. I'm listening to the music, it sounds clear and I can't hear any fuzzing or overt flanging, and my musical mojo is going and it just flows. :grin:

Maybe if my sources weren't 196kbit/sec MP3s, I might have a little more leeway in choosing bitrates and everything. But that would require me to actually spend money on import Japanese CDs... ouch, expensive!

So - I digress - yes, I would consider using LP2 in certain situations if they improved the SS encoder. Right now it's crap, IMO.

I'll agree with you right there. SonicStage's encoder blows. My R900's ATRAC DSP is way better. :whatever:

[Rumz]

LOL, it was Auvi in the first place that revealed the crappiness of Lp2 to my ears, hehe. I agree lp2 is far better than the average mp3 at 128k or sometimes even 160k, but my ears have come a long ways since the days that I thought those were acceptable. Part of the problem is that a good portion of what I listen to is instrumental / orchestral, and those types of recordings tend to suffer from artifacts more than studio recorded stuff. So I guess for rock and pop lp2 does quite well for me, but it's the fact that I know how it sounds with other types of music that prevents me from wanting to use it at all.

So for me it's Hi-SP. Haven't given PCM a try but don't see the point. The NH1 is my ultra-portable, I guess. My D-NE300 serves me fine in many situations (such as at work and at home) if I want to listen to uncompressed music. That is, until Sony makes a Hi-MD deck

[aeriyn]

I agree lp2 is far better than the average mp3 at 128k or sometimes even 160k, but my ears have come a long ways since the days that I thought those were acceptable.

Good for you. :whatever:

I don't have the money to be picky and want to listen to things in higher bitrates. I can't afford to go replace my 70+ albums of MP3s with the real thing.

So I make do with what I have. I think it sounds good to me, so lay the hell off. Sheesh. I'm not going to turn all audio elitist and pretend it somehow injures me to listen to things in LP2 or 128kbit/sec MP3. Sometimes I think you people are just never satisfied.

That includes you too, Skyther. :laugh:

[Latexxx]

LOL, it was Auvi in the first place that revealed the crappiness of Lp2 to my ears, hehe.  I agree lp2 is far better than the average mp3 at 128k or sometimes even 160k, but my ears have come a long ways since the days that I thought those were acceptable.

:laugh:

http://www.rjamorim.com/test/multiformat12...28/results.html

[Rumz]

Latexxx that's nice and all, but I'm talking about run of the mill 128k mp3s that you'll find on p2p networks-- stuff people ripped with musicmatch jukebox or whatever. The mp3s in that test above were no doubt done with LAME.

aeriyn--

my apologies if I came across elitist. I guess to a degree I am but I've gotten tired of playing the quality game and have just had to find a place where I'm content. Precisely the reason I made the comment I did is that I use for MD the exact setup as you (ds8 / ex71). Did you not notice a pretty good difference when you first listened to your DS8 after using the R900? Being pickier about audio quality didn't necessitate buying new equipment over that setup, it just meant some of the music I had recorded to MD I would re-record to SP. Just some of it. The cost involved was not monetary but just time and the amount of music I could fit on a disc.

In short, my intent was not to laugh at you for liking lp2 because I don't listen to it anymore (because I do from time to time-- I have plenty of discs still in lp2 that I enjoy). I was laughing because I thought it was ironic that I thought the DS8 was more revealing while you suggested that perhaps it was more forgiving. I guess that's why the phrase "your mileage may vary" is popular these days.

[skyther]

^^ ROFLMAO. ATRAC3 = Pwned.

Oi, I didn't even say anything, so why do I get pulled in?

Anyway, forgiving the DS8 is not. It's actually one of the more revealing MD portables, IMO. EX71s are the 'forgiving' one in the sense that they mask out artifacts pretty well, muddying everything else along with it.

[Rumz]

Oi, I didn't even say anything, so why do I get pulled in?

You just have that reputation-- you've worked hard to establish it :grin:

[aeriyn]

The cost involved was not monetary but just time and the amount of music I could fit on a disc.

For you.

For me, my favorite kind of music is that which costs LOTS of money, because Japanese CDs are expensive plus throw on high shipping costs (from places like yesasia.com). FYI, all of my locally-bought music is encoded in 256kbit/sec lame MP3s, and the CDs are put up where I might once again use them once I buy me a good CD deck.

Even when it comes to hunting down J-Pop on the internet, I'm very picky. I'll spend six hours looking for one album if I can find it in 192kbit/sec MP3, which is what I generally have (soulseek seems to be the best p2p client for finding music encoded at higher bitrates). I own very few 128kbit/sec MP3s.

I don't watch TV. I occasionally go out to see movies. I read constantly, but usually while listening to music. Music is my preferred entertainment choice, and to stay as music-happy as I want to be, I'd have to spend hundreds of dollars in CDs, which I can't do since I get paid a paltry amount (a pox on you Alabama, and your crappy wages ). I'd rather listen to "muddy" music than no music at all. But I'm going to do everything I can to make the "low" quality music sound better than it would if I did nothing at all to it.

Btw, my profile's out of date. Last week I accidentally crushed my EX71s with the heel of my strappy sandals. :sleep: I have been using the sennheisers that came with the DS8. Looking into other options; I have a pair of shure E2cs (arrived yesterday) but they sound far too quiet on the DS8 (even at max volume), and the cord is really long in any case. I imagine that the E2cs will be coiled around that pink iPod mini i've been eyeing for quite some time... :laugh:

The etys will have to wait. :sleep:

[skyther]

And uphold that reputation, I shall... :rasp:

Ain't pink, but close enough. :laugh:

[Rumz]

aeriyn I understand. I dunno where all the defensiveness comes from, I was just sayin' that when I can help it I use higher bitrates... especially so if I want to listen an mp3 transcoded to atrac, ick. That's where that pink iPod Mini comes in

Question: does soulseek work for jpop, then? I've not had a lot of luck looking for it online, but then, I've not put as much time into it as you. I know how expensive jpop is... bought Utada Hikaru's 3 CDs last year and then her single that came out a few months back... compared to kpop, pretty expensive. I suppose my wallet should be glad I have limited exposure to jpop

skyther-- those are the ER-4P's? Do they go in much deeper than the E3c?

[skyther]

Yep the E3s have a shallower fit.

Speaking of which, the Yupgi Girl OST I ordered has arrived... AUD30 :

[Rumz]

Two more questions then:

1) have you seen the movie? (since you ordered the OST I thought perhaps you had)

2) was it good?

It was on my list of DVDs to buy that I never bought, hehe. Haven't seen it yet, but heard it was good. Sorry to go OT...

The etys don't look too bad with that foam insert. Is that what you typically use?

[skyther]

You can't tell me you haven't... I think I'd be darn happy to watch it without reading the subs. Really, really nice movie.

Yeah, foamies give me a more comfortable fit. The silicon tri-flanges can rape ears pretty badly.

[aeriyn]

And uphold that reputation, I shall... :rasp:

Ain't pink, but close enough. :laugh:

ARGH.

You are making me so jealous.

When's the next time you're going to China? I want you to pick me up some CDs. :laugh:

[aeriyn]

Question:  does soulseek work for jpop, then?

I found all three of Utada Hikaru's full albums in less than two hours.

I've been exposed to new artists because of soulseek. Ueto Aya, Aikawa Nanase (omg, ID:2 is the best CD evar, Aikawa Nanase pwns). Soulseek seems to have higher quality MP3s than most p2p clients, also. Most are 256 or 192kbit/sec and a good deal are lame-encoded.

It's so easy for me to get local US music, but the only US music I like is typically underground and mainstream metal and some alternative (radiohead, a perfect circle, incubus). US pop is so brittney spears that it's pathetic.

btw I'm going to the incubus concert here in a month, I'm taking my R900 and going to make a stealth recording of that bad boy. :laugh:

Should be fun. ^^ Well, if I can find my R900. :whatever:

[Qwakrz]

I think this has gone

Thankyou

[skyther]

Uh yeah, but if mods are part of the discussion and they aren't saying anything, what's your beef?

[tartan]

PCM is what is always used for analog recording as "nothing gets missed". When it comes to putting music onto minidisc for listening to, hi~sp will be the first choice as it has the best balance of playback time and quality.

[Breepee]

Uh yeah, but if mods are part of the discussion and they aren't saying anything, what's your beef?

They should shame themselves and go sit in the corner and write "I will never go OT again" a hundred times. :wink:

Talking about something OT is not bad, but it's wise to create a new topic for it. It simplifies the information structure of the forum, eg. if you search the forum for info it's easier to find what you seek, because all information contained in the database is optimaly categorized. That's the very reason that OT is prohibited or minimalized on most forums, especially the big forums.

[Christopher]

We're still small, so it'll pass for now, but let's focus back on the inital question at hand. :happy: No one is stopping you kids from posting in the etc. forum, it's like I gotta beg you people to do so. :rasp: