Damage
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2003
- Posts
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- 22
Quote:
I think that quote pertains to music recorded directly to MD using professional MD Deck. There were certain discussions where the ATRAC's artifacting added more warmth or depth (or whatever your favorite sonic qualities are) rather than taking away from it, but I find that to be hogwash.
Quote:
While were at it:
HiMDs can record music at these settings or bitrates:
PCM: Uncompressed 44.1KHz, or also referred to as true CD Quality. 1GB will hold a bit more than 100 minutes or so, off top of my head. As it is true CD Quality recording, there are no compression introduced, and any artifacting you'll encounter will be at the source.
SP: 292kbps, limited to normal MD discs. The venerable ATRAC compression scheme has been with us since 1992 (?). The best recording quality you can achieve with a MD Unit currently, but oddly enough (due to algorithm problems, DRM, or some other unknown reasons) has been left out of the NetMD process entirely. While the new HiMD units can play old MD discs with SP tracks, the new HiMD discs can not record in this manner. Instead, we get:
HiSP: 256kbps. Intended to replace SP Recording, you can listen to HiSP tracks with SonicStage 2 software. It's, to my ears, CD Transparent. It is compressed so it isn't true CD quality, but very hard to tell it vs. the source audio. Uses Atrac3plus
LP2: 132kbps/105kbps. Under the right circumstances and your listening habits, equipments, comes at times brillantly, passable at times. I prefer LP2 over 128kbps MP3, and most LP2 tracks that are recorded directly from CD sources will compare favorably with 160kbps-192kbps MP3s. They do have uses, despite what MD purists and Codec tech-heads will say to you. One thing to note, quality of transcoded LP2, to my hears, sounds a lot worse in some cases vs. the original MP3s. If you're transcoding, you'll have better options.
HiLP 64kbps: First introduced with their line of CD walkmans and network walkmans a year back, uses Atrac3plus codec (from what I understand, the transform window is a lot smaller vs. traditional ATRAC). Sony's own "independent" testing showed that more preferred the quality of HiLP 64 vs. MP3s at 128kbps. Take this with a grain of salt, but most MP3s around 128, 160 survives the transcoding process to 64kbps fairly well. If you're used to listening to low bitrate MP3s, give this a try.
LP4: 66kbps. Suitable for lectures, audiobooks, or other applications where time needs are greater than quality. I'd say this setting is comparable to decent FM Broadcasting. But LP4 is basically dead and buried if you have a unit capable of playing HiLP 64kbps for HiLP 48bkps tracks.
HiLP 48kbps: Absolute worst of the lot, though to me sounds quite better than LP4. FM Broadcast quality. There may have been changes to the coded between the first A3p codec vs. the current A3p codec, hardware or software wise (or could be due to the parametric eq. of the new units). If you listen to any HiLP48kpbs tracks, you'll notice a lot of artifacts in the trebles (the usual metallic sounds, oddly sounding cymbols due to preecho or or what not). Not really worth it either, personally.
| Originally Posted by austonia lol.... how can they say compressed music EXCEED CD quality (uncompressed)..? total nonsense. ATRAC3+ may sound close, but so can MP3 at the right bitrate, or AAC, or WMA, etc.... |
I think that quote pertains to music recorded directly to MD using professional MD Deck. There were certain discussions where the ATRAC's artifacting added more warmth or depth (or whatever your favorite sonic qualities are) rather than taking away from it, but I find that to be hogwash.
Quote:
| Originally Posted by bhw It looked like the top bit rate is 132k on the Hi-MD using ATRAC3-plus compression scheme. How would this compare with the Apple lossless in terms of getting all of the nuance of the CD recording onto the minidisc? Perhaps it won't matter to ones ear, but I'd appreciate a run down on the formats and music quality. |
While were at it:
HiMDs can record music at these settings or bitrates:
PCM: Uncompressed 44.1KHz, or also referred to as true CD Quality. 1GB will hold a bit more than 100 minutes or so, off top of my head. As it is true CD Quality recording, there are no compression introduced, and any artifacting you'll encounter will be at the source.
SP: 292kbps, limited to normal MD discs. The venerable ATRAC compression scheme has been with us since 1992 (?). The best recording quality you can achieve with a MD Unit currently, but oddly enough (due to algorithm problems, DRM, or some other unknown reasons) has been left out of the NetMD process entirely. While the new HiMD units can play old MD discs with SP tracks, the new HiMD discs can not record in this manner. Instead, we get:
HiSP: 256kbps. Intended to replace SP Recording, you can listen to HiSP tracks with SonicStage 2 software. It's, to my ears, CD Transparent. It is compressed so it isn't true CD quality, but very hard to tell it vs. the source audio. Uses Atrac3plus
LP2: 132kbps/105kbps. Under the right circumstances and your listening habits, equipments, comes at times brillantly, passable at times. I prefer LP2 over 128kbps MP3, and most LP2 tracks that are recorded directly from CD sources will compare favorably with 160kbps-192kbps MP3s. They do have uses, despite what MD purists and Codec tech-heads will say to you. One thing to note, quality of transcoded LP2, to my hears, sounds a lot worse in some cases vs. the original MP3s. If you're transcoding, you'll have better options.
HiLP 64kbps: First introduced with their line of CD walkmans and network walkmans a year back, uses Atrac3plus codec (from what I understand, the transform window is a lot smaller vs. traditional ATRAC). Sony's own "independent" testing showed that more preferred the quality of HiLP 64 vs. MP3s at 128kbps. Take this with a grain of salt, but most MP3s around 128, 160 survives the transcoding process to 64kbps fairly well. If you're used to listening to low bitrate MP3s, give this a try.
LP4: 66kbps. Suitable for lectures, audiobooks, or other applications where time needs are greater than quality. I'd say this setting is comparable to decent FM Broadcasting. But LP4 is basically dead and buried if you have a unit capable of playing HiLP 64kbps for HiLP 48bkps tracks.
HiLP 48kbps: Absolute worst of the lot, though to me sounds quite better than LP4. FM Broadcast quality. There may have been changes to the coded between the first A3p codec vs. the current A3p codec, hardware or software wise (or could be due to the parametric eq. of the new units). If you listen to any HiLP48kpbs tracks, you'll notice a lot of artifacts in the trebles (the usual metallic sounds, oddly sounding cymbols due to preecho or or what not). Not really worth it either, personally.
