Mp3 cd`s

[johnyboy]

When i rip an original shop purchased cd to my hard drive it is converted into 128 kbps.........Ive got loads of other music in mp3 format which is 320 kbps this is music copied from vinyl then converted into mp3......The sound quality on the originally ripped cd is far superior to the tracks converted from vinyl into mp3 format.......Can anyone explain please as i know anything in a higher bit rate should be better sound quality...........

[Funkedub]

the stylus on your decks ... the A/D convertor ... the bit rate and sample rate you recorded the vinyl at ... all that means a whole lot more before you even export a 320kbps MP3

[jabbajaws]

john, you really are having no luck period with your mp3's are you?

[johnyboy]

My mp3`s are ok thanks jabbajaws..............

[talio93]

the amount of full stops you use drives me crazy! the maximum is three in a row! :lol:

[macc4]

unless they are 320kbps full stops

but they should really look more like ......

[Bumpy]

johnyboy have you ever heard of a website called google?

[johnyboy]

Have you guys got nothing better to to than make childish comments rather than helping me with some answers to the question ive posted. full stop

[jabbajaws]

dude...........it's ITM.

You want help? here..
What program are you now using to rip from and to CD's? nero, itunes, winamp?
lets assume you are using Itunes.

When i rip an original shop purchased cd to my hard drive it is converted into 128 kbps.........
I assume the kb size is an issue.
go to EDIT>PREFERENCES>GENERAL>IMPORT SETTINGS>CUSTOM>320KB

Ive got loads of other music in mp3 format which is 320 kbps this is music copied from vinyl then converted into mp3.
The sound quality on the originally ripped cd is far superior to the tracks converted from vinyl into mp3 format. Can anyone explain please as i know anything in a higher bit rate should be better sound quality.
The sound quality compared from a 128 file to a 320 file is different yes. but it works like this... (and fyi, there are numerous threads already in ITM on this such question).
First, lets consider the formats we are working on here...

Every CD you listen to from a commercial publication is written in a format known as RED BOOK. This contains the "highest" quaity possible from the distributor (at time or pressing) and hence contains the most amount of information.
This is visible if you compare a commercially printed CD to a MP3 or WAV CD printed from your PC.
RED BOOK was a format distributed by SONY when the first CD went into commercial use. The size of the CD is also relative to the longest track ever written. A Classical track that exceeds the time of 74 mins.

MP3 is an audio-specific format that was designed by the Moving Picture Experts Group, It was developed to replace their previous MPEG1 and 2 formats.
The use in MP3 of a lossy compression algorithm is designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent the audio recording and still "sound" like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio for most listeners.
An MP3 file that is created using the setting of 128 kbit/s will result in a file that is about 11 times smaller than the CD file created from the original audio source. An MP3 file can also be constructed at higher or lower bit rates, with higher or lower resulting quality.

The compression works by reducing accuracy of certain parts of sound that are deemed beyond the auditory resolution ability of most people. This method is commonly referred to as perceptual coding. It discards or reduce precision of components less audible to human hearing, and then records the remaining information in an efficient manner.

Frequencies deemed inaudible above the range of that of a normal human being are removed to help compress and save space for data in MP3 format. the higher the sample rate, the lesser of the frequencies are removed or compressed.

The use of MP3 formats compared to other formats has become more popular in files being transferred over the internet either via purchase sites or share programs/sites due to the size of the information contained within the file itself.

If you are a true Audiophile and want to make the progression from Anologue to Digital, or want a better sounding digital format. try WAV format instead.

Though a WAV file can hold compressed audio, the most common WAV format contains uncompressed audio in the linear pulse code modulation (LPCM) format. The standard audio file format for CDs,
For example, is LPCM-encoded, containing two channels of 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample. Since LPCM uses an uncompressed storage method which keeps all the samples of an audio track, professional users or audio experts may use the WAV format for maximum audio quality.

The sound quality on the originally ripped cd is far superior to the tracks converted from vinyl into mp3 format
There are many aspects to answer here.
First, what program was used? Hardware? Soundcard? and Samples pre second prior to converting to MP3?

lets assume you are a broke student and use freeware like Audacity.
And lets assume the turntable used had a rca export for plugging directly into a laptop and we bypassed the need for any external soundcard.

here lies your problem.
First, lets say who ever ripped the audo for you (as I assume these still came from your mate in the UK) did not record them at the highest sample rate possible and used said turntable without a soundcard.

You are only as good as your weakest link. in this case everything.
if you want a better sounding recording, use the right gear and record at the highest quality possible.
Get nice new needles for a good quality turntable that is plugged into a good quality soundcard and record onto a computer with a good running speed with a program that fits the bill with recoding set at the highest quality possible.

To sum up..........
If you skimp out on anything, expect a lower quality sound.

[johnyboy]

Thanks jabbajaws...............very helpful

[jabbajaws]

welcome