Format for digitized LP's

[rmcellig]

I am digitizing all my LP's (around 6000) for safe keeping and if I need to make MP3 files from them later I can. Right now I am saving the LP's as one wav file. It's quick but the file size is very big so when I save them in my Crashplan account they take a long time to upload. Should I be saving them in another format that is high quality like mabe OGG or something similar? I am using Audacity to digitize my LP's. I'm just trying to find the right format that will yield the smallest file but at the same time with minimal loss of quality.

[Jakin]

I am digitizing all my LP's (around 6000) for safe keeping and if I need to make MP3 files from them later I can. Right now I am saving the LP's as one wav file. It's quick but the file size is very big so when I save them in my Crashplan account they take a long time to upload. Should I be saving them in another format that is high quality like mabe OGG or something similar? I am using Audacity to digitize my LP's. I'm just trying to find the right format that will yield the smallest file but at the same time with minimal loss of quality.

FLAC 96000 hz, 24bit, is what i use. Size is alot better than the WAV.

Im not ure ogg can hold 24bit audio?? But if you don't mind that, the sound difference is probably minimal to most- vs 16bit.

[Cheesehead]

I use FLAC too.

[rmcellig]

Over on the Audacity forum they also recommended FLAC as well. My only concern is which setting to use. 16 or 24. I saw another setting as well but I can't remember what it was. It's when I was exporting to FLAC in Audacity.because I have so many wav files to convert, cold I use Soundconverter to convert them? Again, not sure which FLAC settings to use.

Thanks for the advice!!!

[Jakin]

As long as your sound card is 24bit capable, go for it! If your sound card isn't, then go 16bit.

Flac settings are compression ratio, 9 being the highest(?) i don't remember, but the higher the compression the more work the CPU uses to decode it.

[3rdalbum]

Use FLAC if you want an archival file.

I'll be controvercial here and say that it doesn't need to be more than 44.1kHz, 16-bit. If you're happy to use additional disk space for probably no hearable benefit to you, then go 24-bit and 48kHz. Anything higher, like 96kHz, may actually sound worse as most speakers cannot accurately reproduce ultrasonic frequencies, and those ultrasonics will muddy the sound you can hear.

Not to get into an audiophile flamewar, but for the regular music listener with regular equipment there's no benefit to keeping sound data you simply can't hear.

[rmcellig]

Thanks! If I use Soundconverter to convert the files, do you know if the FLAC options convers in 16 or 24?

If I can't hear the difference I will go with 16 if that option is available in Soundconveter. If not, can you recomend another way for me to convert the files?

And yes, this is for archival purposes. If at some point I need to create mp3 files for my radio show, I can just pull down the FLAC file and use Audacity to export a selection as an MP3 file.

[Jakin]

Use FLAC if you want an archival file.

I'll be controvercial here and say that it doesn't need to be more than 44.1kHz, 16-bit. If you're happy to use additional disk space for probably no hearable benefit to you, then go 24-bit and 48kHz. Anything higher, like 96kHz, may actually sound worse as most speakers cannot accurately reproduce ultrasonic frequencies, and those ultrasonics will muddy the sound you can hear.

Not to get into an audiophile flamewar, but for the regular music listener with regular equipment there's no benefit to keeping sound data you simply can't hear.

Nah, i'd agree. 24bit is the main thing, you'd want to preserve that if possible, i think maybe the highest we human can hear is 44.1 or 48,000khz. I just leave my flac 96000hz as so no to dither the spectrum, the lossless idea, and archive the FLAC.

As an end result (after i've used omething like wavelab to clean up clicks and hiss, i make 48khz 420kbps VBR m4a for ipod and other uses.

[HermanAB]

Hmm, old curmudgeon here...

It is really a waste of resources to save audio with ridiculously high specs. Compress it with MP3 or Ogg at 128 kbps and be done with it. As you get older, your ears only gets worse, so in a few years you won't be able to hear the difference between a low quality MP3 and superior quality FLAC anyway.

If you swear that you can hear a difference, go to a few live rock concerts and stand close to the speaker towers. That will fix your hearing for you.

It is also not necessary to try and save the music for posterity. Your children will not listen to it, unless maybe if you married and had a child at the age of 10.

Thank you, I'll be here all night...

[nothingspecial]

fwiw audacity by default saves the files in one big wav. You then have the option to export the files which you can do as either flac or mp3 so you don't need soundconverter.

I started doing this a few years ago, then decided life was too short a put the record on instead. I've been back to it a few times but come to the same conclusion every time.

[Jakin]

Hmm, old curmudgeon here...

It is really a waste of resources to save audio with ridiculously high specs. Compress it with MP3 or Ogg at 128 kbps and be done with it. As you get older, your ears only gets worse, so in a few years you won't be able to hear the difference between a low quality MP3 and superior quality FLAC anyway.

If you swear that you can hear a difference, go to a few live rock concerts and stand close to the speaker towers. That will fix your hearing for you.

It is also not necessary to try and save the music for posterity. Your children will not listen to it, unless maybe if you married and had a child at the age of 10.

Thank you, I'll be here all night...

128kbps any format is a waste ;) But to each his/her own. IMO If you cannot hear a difference between FLAC and 128kbps... something is seriously wrong :S Im young yet...

[AstroLlama]

Thanks! If I use Soundconverter to convert the files, do you know if the FLAC options convers in 16 or 24?

If I can't hear the difference I will go with 16 if that option is available in Soundconveter. If not, can you recomend another way for me to convert the files?

And yes, this is for archival purposes. If at some point I need to create mp3 files for my radio show, I can just pull down the FLAC file and use Audacity to export a selection as an MP3 file.

+1

do a few tests first and find the maximum quality you can percieve.