Are we heading for a time when all CDs will be MQA coded - no redbook available?

[scott wurcer]

IMO, high bit rate MP3 sounds better than FM radio.

An example of what goes into preparing a signal for FM broadcast.

https://www.orban.com/optimodfm-8700i

 

[dmac6419]

Spotify (any streaming service) must use the music files provided by the record labels. There is a real possibility that Warner Music Group might give Spotify the same 16/44.1 MQA encoded files they give to Tidal.

But each streaming service can alter the file to fit their need,no so with MQA

 

[Burning Sounds]

An example of what goes into preparing a signal for FM broadcast.

https://www.orban.com/optimodfm-8700i

That's a bit different to what we had when I was part of a community run college radio station in the 80s. Most of the gear was hand-me-downs donated by commercial stations, so was already of a good age.

Those of us who hosted programmes brought much of our own music in crates. Monthly staff meetings were held in a local bar/restaurant. Those were the days of proper radio!

 

[scott wurcer]

Those of us who hosted programmes brought much of our own music in crates. Monthly staff meetings were held in a local bar/restaurant. Those were the days of proper radio!

I've heard of college DJ's these days making up their playlists with MP3's on USB sticks. I know of at least one engineer that does not permit this.

 

[sergeauckland]

I've heard of college DJ's these days making up their playlists with MP3's on USB sticks. I know of at least one engineer that does not permit this.

I only allow MP3s to be used if 256k or above. The big problem comes when people get a 128k download, then convert it to WAV, FLAC or whatever. I've tried over and again to get the message through that the format broadcast doesn't matter, it's any intermediate stage that matters, once something has been a 128k MP3, it will always be 128k (or worse) whatever is actually on the USB stick or burnt CD. People do struggle with this.

S.

 

[Lambda]

I only allow MP3s to be used if 256k or above. The big problem comes when people get a 128k download, then convert it to WAV, FLAC or whatever. I've tried over and again to get the message through that the format broadcast doesn't matter, it's any intermediate stage that matters, once something has been a 128k MP3, it will always be 128k (or worse) whatever is actually on the USB stick or burnt CD. People do struggle with this.

At some point someone is gonna release a song on CD but the CD version will just be a YouTube rip.
At this point the low bitrate and compression would be part of the artists intend.

So what would be "better" the "official CD" or the youtube video

 

[Frank Dernie]

decided that MP3's are not for me. And never listened to any that I know of again.

There is the rub. You have maybe listened to many MP3 files and not questioned what they were if they did not give you an unpleasant reaction.
To be sure you would have had to have asked about file type every time you listened to any music you hadn't put on yourself and I am sure you did not.

 

[sergeauckland]

At some point someone is gonna release a song on CD but the CD version will just be a YouTube rip.
At this point the low bitrate and compression would be part of the artists intend.

So what would be "better" the "official CD" or the youtube video

In the late 1990s and 2000s, there were whole albums recorded over ISDN with band members in different studios in London, New York, Los Angeles and their contributions sent to some central studio using 128k MP2 or AC2 (not even MP3 or AC3!!) ISDN consisted of two 64k channels, which could be used as a single 128k circuit. It was also possible to aggregate two separate ISDNs into one 256k circuit, but that was rare as it was so expensive.

It was also common to use 32k sampling, as a 15k bandwidth was considered quite acceptable, and that reduced the amount of compression needed to get the stream into the 64k or 128k channel.

I used ISDN extensively at that time, it was also used as a backup feed for FM transmitters and sometimes as a permanent feed to AM transmitters where 64k was considered perfectly acceptable, especially with a lowered sample rate, like 24k.

Having a very stable 64k or 128k connection was wonderful compared with the vagaries of dial-up 14.4k

In those days, data was expensive.

S.

 

[EJ3]

There is the rub. You have maybe listened to many MP3 files and not questioned what they were if they did not give you an unpleasant reaction.
To be sure you would have had to have asked about file type every time you listened to any music you hadn't put on yourself and I am sure you did not.

True enough!