T2: HOW 'BOUT MP3???

[johnsholme]

Any plans for MP3 recording, or implemenation?
That's something about Sonar i kind of dig... being able to work up something using almost no disk space. It's just a question... in fact, i should've done my homework before asking, because it might already even be there, i'm embarrassed to say, i've come this far with this post and i don't even know... SO, if it's not already there, any plans for it?

[morelia]

I must agree. For a song I am working on I will usually just use wav. But sometimes when working with someone in another part of the world mp3 is a good file size to send back and forth. I just now tried to import an mp3 into Tracktion but then remembered I can't so I had to shut T down and convert it first.

[Lunch Money]

Yuk. If it's already included, well, I guess I'll 'take' it. But I'd rather that the involved parties not spend one single minute implementing MP3, and instead put that time into other stuff.

Greg

[AndrewSimon]

MP3 integration means royalties = higher prices.
I master in wav anyway.
Converting with LAME is just a natural next step.



Thou I am sure it will be in T3

[AD80]

I could have sworn Tracktion could export ogg files . But I checked and it looks like it can only open ogg files. It would be convenient for T2 to render to some type of compressed file. Not a deal breaker for me tho.

[bastien]

It uses lossy ogg files for archive projects, should you want it to. Ogg sounds loads better than mp3 at a given bitrate. Better than WMA too. Try encoding something at 64k using all three and you'll definitely tell the difference...

[SuperFly76]

Yuk. If it's already included, well, I guess I'll 'take' it. But I'd rather that the involved parties not spend one single minute implementing MP3, and instead put that time into other stuff.

Greg

I second that. If you need mp3 support there are several free programs that are dead simple to use. I would never dream of using the mp3 format for anything professional that I'm working. I do however use the format for my personal music collection (I have a hard drive based mp3 player). Advalame is a great lame based mp3 encoder/decoder and it's totally free. You can get it here http://advacrypt.beplaced.com/avlame_vershist.htm

With all the great freeware mp3 programs out there I too think it is really unnecessary for Tracktion to be able to export mp3s.

[morelia]

Yeah I can take it or leave it. As you say there are free converters out there. BUT. An mp3 is small and converting it to a large wav file won't make it sound any better. If I could work on collaborations over the internet using mp3 files in T then I probably would. Then the only time I would have to worry about sending a 4 hour (estimate only)) file is when it is a finished product.

Like I said though no big deal. I would rather T2 now without than T2 in 2 months with mp3.

[Lunch Money]

If you're collaborating on a 'serious' project, Mp3 just won't cut it anyhow. And if you're collaborating on something significant enough to take 4 hours, burn it to a DVD-ROM (as .wav) or to a set of CDs and mail the darned things.

Don't get me too wrong-- I'm sort of collaborating right now on something (haven't heard back in a few days, but I assume it's still on the go) and MP3 has been quick and easy for exchanging updates; however at the end of it all, I will be sending my stuff as .wav or setting up my computer as an ftp server so that he can download the .wav.

Also, the key words are "quick and easy". I use a program called "Right Click MP3" and I know there are other similar programs out there. Once I've exported the .wav, it's only 1 extra click and one keypress (to confirm that I want to continue) and it's done. Hardly difficult.

[edit: ditto for importing in order to put it on my timeline. One click to convert to .wav].

Greg

[AD80]

It uses lossy ogg files for archive projects, should you want it to. Ogg sounds loads better than mp3 at a given bitrate. Better than WMA too. Try encoding something at 64k using all three and you'll definitely tell the difference...

Yes but can it render a file as ogg?

[morelia]

If you're collaborating on a 'serious' project, Mp3 just won't cut it anyhow. And if you're collaborating on something significant enough to take 4 hours, burn it to a DVD-ROM (as .wav) or to a set of CDs and mail the darned things.

Don't get me too wrong-- I'm sort of collaborating right now on something (haven't heard back in a few days, but I assume it's still on the go) and MP3 has been quick and easy for exchanging updates; however at the end of it all, I will be sending my stuff as .wav or setting up my computer as an ftp server so that he can download the .wav.

Also, the key words are "quick and easy". I use a program called "Right Click MP3" and I know there are other similar programs out there. Once I've exported the .wav, it's only 1 extra click and one keypress (to confirm that I want to continue) and it's done. Hardly difficult.

[edit: ditto for importing in order to put it on my timeline. One click to convert to .wav].

Greg

I see your point. But. Recently I got an mp3 from a friend in Sydney. I did guitar tracks on a song. Just as an ideas thing. He has a very nice professional setup from what I know and said that the mixed mp3 I sent back was pretty good sounding. Ideally I would travel there and record through his setup if it was worth it but it worked out fine for that sort of collaboration.

[rpc9943]

jooz lame

too hard?

get razorlame

RONC

[haydxn]

you can collaborate using the OGG compression used in the archiving system.

say i'm working on a song and i want to send it to someone far away to overdub some guitar, i can archive it with low quality (ogg) versions of the files and send the small file over to them. they can load it up and add some of their own stuff. then they archive it back up and send it to me (Still small). they keep their high quality original new recording there. i open the updated one (perhaps he's made some possible alterations to the original layout too) and i update it to use the original high quality wavs (plus the new guitar part, which is compressed but perfectly audible and useable as a guide). i work on everything else on the song that i need to, adding parts to complement the new guitar part.

when i'm happy and need to do a final mix, i can request the high quality wave file to update the compressed one. perhaps even a slightly lesser that original quality would be sufficient for the mix due to the other stuff going on. you can still get general eQ and FX settings close on a compressed version of the file, so there won't necessarily be much work to do when you get the final track.

at the end of the day, no matter how you're collaborating, you'll most likely want to use high quality recordings in the final mix (but that may not even be necessary, esp. if lots of distortion and effects are used on those tracks anyway) but up until that point compressed versions are ideal for whooshing across the internet to work on a composition, arrangement and general sound of a track.

it is frankly super!

[rockstar_not]

No argument that compressed files are compressed and smaller and easier to share over e-mail and the internet.

I concur with Greg's assessment. Don't bother with mp3.

I've already got 10 different ways to turn audio files into .mp3 on my PC, and I've never had the thought "I sure wish I could convert to MP3 right here in Tracktion."

But I get upset each time I try time stretching and it turns out 'pants'.

-Scott

[sig.nit]

Flac would be ideal for collabaration.

http://flac.sourceforge.net/