Audio file search....can anyone help?

[django0909]

Hey, this isn't really ubuntu related so thought I'd ask here.

I'm in the middle of teaching music tech to a class of 14 year olds and need to show them comparative differences in file bitrates. Sooo, I need two files, one prefereably at something like 64kbps and another at something much higher, preferably at a VBR...I want them to be able to hear the differences in quality.

For that reason it really could do with being the same audio file, (i.e. the same song)..and I really can't think of a way round this? Maybe because I've been at work all day and my brain is a bit fried.

Can anyone help?

[d3v1150m471c]

use sound converter and in the preferences set the bitrate for the file you're going to convert.

[django0909]

Doesn't the resulting quality depends on the bitrate of the original file? Like a 256kbps file converted to 64kbps will sound better than a 128kbps file converted to 64kbps? Am I over thinking this?

[Chemical Imbalance]

Take a favorite CD of yours and copy the files as .WAV or .FLAC and then open them in Audacity (in repos) and convert one to 320 variable mp3 and maybe a 128 to compare.

Or perhaps a more distinct difference would be WAV or FLAC vs 320 variable mp3 (there is a noticeable difference).

[earthpigg]

Doesn't the resulting quality depends on the bitrate of the original file? Like a 256kbps file converted to 64kbps will sound better than a 128kbps file converted to 64kbps? Am I over thinking this?

get extreme:

find a lossless file (flac). play that for the students.

convert/copy that file down to 128 kbps mp3, play that.

convert/copy that file down to 64 kbps, play that.

off the top of my head (im no musician and don't particularly appreciate classical), you could grab Nine Inch Nail's album The Slip (http://theslip.nin.com/) for free in both flac & mp3... or downgrade it yourself from flac.


Like a 256kbps file converted to 64kbps will sound better than a 128kbps file converted to 64kbps?

well, it could. it depends on what software did the converting and how effective that software is.

another method you could use: rip the same song from a cd yourself multiple times, at multiple kbps.

[Chemical Imbalance]

you could grab Nine Inch Nail's album The Slip (http://theslip.nin.com/) for free in both flac & mp3... or downgrade it yourself from flac.

That's a good suggestion. It would save you a lot of time.

[django0909]

That was exactly what I was looking for, something quick and easy. Thanks a million everyone :-)

[earthpigg]

That was exactly what I was looking for, something quick and easy. Thanks a million everyone :-)

be sure to let us know how it works out.