Hello, Currently I use the command line "--alt-preset extreme -v -b 192 -q 0" for LAME and this gives good results, however I would just like to know what is the BEST VBR command line that would give the highest bitrates and so the best quality? Also I currently have the High Quality button ticked and then drop down set to "Variable Bitrate 192kbit/s" are those the best settings? thanks in advance!
I think there are a few higher settings, but the current settings you have are just fine. Using LAME and VBR extreme gives you the highest quality mp3s possible. Also, if you are getting these wave files from a CD, there should be only ONE program you use to rip your CDs...EAC (exact audio copy). It is free and is the best out there. Check out the guide in my sig
Hello, I've just started using Xiliosoft audio converter to convert all of my songs from their current bitrate down to 192 VBR under the, "Lame MP3 Encoder," option. I'm brand new to Xilisoft but does anyone know if this should work fine? Also, some files I have are already VBR but higher than 192, will this effect anything or cause any problems? Thanks!
use DMC's dBPowerAMP for converting your audio files. like EAC and LAME, its the best out there. It is free and you can download butt loads of codecs for it. check out their website in my sig below. as long as you are happy with the quality of your VBR mp3s, don't change them. a properly encoded LAME 192 kbps VBR mp3 is really the best quality you can get, any bitrate above that is just a waste of storage space, but don't re-compress them to a lower bitrate. converting a lossy format to lossy format (like mp3s) results in serious quality loss. so your best bet is to just leave the files you have the way they are, and from now on use LAME, VBR alt-preset extreme 192 and you're good to go
Hey thanks a load, scoop. I just got dbpoweramp and I'm already loving the options on it. p.s. You weren't kidding about the butt loads of codecs.
Another question (sorry) If a song is at 192 CBR, will converting it to 192 VBR hurt the sound quality at all?
yes it will, you should leave it alone. as I mentioned above, anytime you convert a lossy audio format to another lossy format (mp3 to mp3), there will be a great deal of quality loss. think of it like this...remember those good old VHS tapes? what happens when you keep making a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy? every generation the quality gets worse and worse and worse. the same thing applies to lossy audio formats. digital video (live DVDs) on the other hand are different. you can copy them hundreds of times and they're still the exact same as the original. so even though these audio formats like mp3 and wma are "digital" formats, lossy formats lose quality every time they are recoded over and over. even decompressing an mp3 to an uncompressed wave file, then back to mp3 will still result in quality loss. so long story short, don't even re-encode and mp3 file...just leave it the way it is, and from now on encode all your mp3s with LAME alt-extreme VBR 192 for best results...
i had a question about VBR. it gives me very high bitrates (average) on newer cd i rip, but on older cd's it will only come up with about 180kbps. is this the best rip for the older cd's. i mean is this the highest kbps needed to sound as close to the original? or is there a way to jack the settings up a tad for the older stuff? (im using the method from your tutorial "djscoop")
