Re: [linux-audio-dev] Re: Multimedia compression

["Juhana Sadeharju" <kouhia@nic.funet.fi>]

>From:	Benno Senoner <sbenno@gardena.net>
>
>I prefer to use MPEG Layer 2 ( MP2) at 384kbit (lossy) which outperforms all
>MP3 based codecs even 320kbit. 

How do you know it? Where I could read tests about it?
I have used layer 3 with 320 kbps for compressing radio and cassette
recordings (both music and sound samples snipped from them), so, most
probably I have used the right compressor. But is layer 3 with 320 kbps
somehow not enough for studio mikes (voice, guitar, etc.) or for digital
synth tracks?

Of course, for compressing the final mix (20-bit or greater) of studio work,
the 16-bit MP3 is not enough. But 16-bit could be enough for individual
sounds, vocals, etc. However, I would not use any MP3 compression for even
those because I would record only with 20-bit A/Ds in studio. I have used
MP3 only because I have nothing better than 16-bit A/Ds. So, what compressor
I could use for 20- or 24-bit material? Should we look at ourself for
20- or 24-bit compressor or can MP3 or AAC handle them (similarly than JPEG
can handle 16-bit/channel images)?

Note that 16-bit is most probably enough for mic recordings, but the
extra bits are needed for having extra room. I would not want to dither
20-bit recording down to 16-bit even it would fit very well.

Juhana