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Slash
Cadet 3
Joined: May 02, 2002
Member#: 75
Posts: 12
Location: California
   
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 Posted:
Wed Sep 01, 2004 5:05 pm Post subject: How to improve sound quality? |
 
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I'm getting bad base clipping and high frequency noise on some tracks. I don't have problems when playing CD's so I figure that my soundcard, headphones, and headphone amp are not to blame. As I said, I only get bad problems on some tracks... There was a Matrix Reloaded track the other night that was particularly intollerable while all the Troy tracks that followed came out nice and clean. The Matrix track though seemed to have a high dynamic range with lots of base, mid, and high frequency elements. Nobody else online who deigned to respond at the time seemed to be having any quality problems with the Matrix track.
Another track that I'm getting nasty quality on (playing right now): Pirates of the Carribean, To the Pirate Cave.
I'm wondering then, could the trouble be my mpeg decoder plugin? The noise and clipping I think could be explained by jamming a high bandwidth stream into too narrow a channel somewhere. I'm thinking that maybe my decoder is too lossy somehow... a lot of signal fidelity is being dropped it seems.
I'm running xmms under Mandrake 10. The Mpg decoder is mpg123 v1.2.9 by Michael Hipp and 'the XMMS team'.
Hmm, perhaps the output plugin could be at fault too? In my software as configured by default it is OSS Driver v1.2.9 with Frank Cornelis listed as the developer.
Anyway, if there are other XMMS users out there, are there known ways to up the sound quality and full-path bandwidth of the xmms system?
Thanks for your attention!
Slash |
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 Cocles
Commodore
Joined: Mar 06, 2002
Member#: 15
Posts: 2587
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted:
Wed Sep 01, 2004 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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Problem is you're not using an mp3PRO decoder, so the stream is going to sound like junk no matter what you do. |
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Slash
Cadet 3
Joined: May 02, 2002
Member#: 75
Posts: 12
Location: California
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Posted:
Wed Sep 01, 2004 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Cocles wrote: |
| Problem is you're not using an mp3PRO decoder, so the stream is going to sound like junk no matter what you do. |
Ok, thanks for the tip. I found the entry in the site FAQ about it and therefore the manufacturer website.
Have the SST samples been encoded for a 128k bit rate?
The tech docs on mp3PRO indicate that you get superior performance when you employ their tech in BOTH the encoding and decoding phases. If you do this, they claim that a 64 bit stream can get close to or around 100 bit rate performance. But encoding with mp3PRO would probabably make the stream sound even worse for people who use regular mp3 decoders.
Have you guys started encoding new disks with mp3PRO?
Thanks!
Slash |
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Cocles
Commodore
Joined: Mar 06, 2002
Member#: 15
Posts: 2587
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Thu Sep 02, 2004 2:41 am Post subject: |
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I'd answer your question, but it's all in the newbie FAQ. |
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 j2brown
Commodore
Joined: Feb 22, 2002
Member#: 9
Posts: 3188
Location: Sterling, VA
 
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Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:44 am Post subject: |
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Slash:
I've listened to SST using XMMS for years and have never had the issue you describe. I used to run it under Redhat, but I've been running Gentoo for the last year or so. I'd look again at your config. I'm not on my box at the moment so I can't tell you what I've got. I'll try and PM you with the specifics when I'm back on my own box (maybe next week...  )
jeff
sdg |
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Slash
Cadet 3
Joined: May 02, 2002
Member#: 75
Posts: 12
Location: California
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Posted:
Thu Sep 02, 2004 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Cocles wrote: |
| I'd answer your question, but it's all in the newbie FAQ. |
Ok, thanks, there's some good info in that FAQ.
I've never heard of OGG, but it turns out that XMMS seems to have support for it. For other XMMS users: my plugin is listed as Ogg Vorbis Player 1.2.9. However, when I connect to SST through the 64 bit Winamp Icon, XMMS reports a rate of 64 but only 22kHz bandwidth.
When Winamp decides to report a bandwidth of 44kHz, is that an indulgence of the mp3PRO plugin? (A kind of faux 44kHz.) The OGG plugin on XMMS doesn't seem to go out of it's way to advertise itself this way.
So if I see only 22kHz under XMMS, that doesn't necessarily mean that Ogg isn't working, right?
Perhaps the way to solve this question would be for the SST server to insert a label into the stream title indicating whether the feed is encoded in MP3, mp3PRO, or OGG.
I'm worried that perhaps the SST server doesn't know that my client has OGG capability.
Slash |
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Cocles
Commodore
Joined: Mar 06, 2002
Member#: 15
Posts: 2587
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted:
Fri Sep 03, 2004 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Slash, at this current time ALL of our steams are in mp3PRO, not Ogg or anything else. The links under listen are only for what player you want to use.
Not what format of stream.
And as has already been established, not all players support mp3PRO.
If your player does not receive mp3PRO then you will only be able to hear a (for lack of a better word) CRAPPY 22khz signal.
When your player IS mp3PRO compatible, then you will be able to hear the signal with a full 44khz signal. This is not an indulgence.
And yes the difference is VERY apparent.
Get some windows emulator for your linux, download an mp3PRO compatible player and listen to the stream as it's supposed to be heard.
You're only hearing junk until you see that 44khz. |
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JERIC 
Fleet Admiral (Proprietor)
Joined: Feb 12, 2002
Member#: 1
Posts: 4939
Location: Richmond, VA
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Posted:
Fri Sep 03, 2004 5:59 am Post subject: |
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Please see the Ogg Discontinued thread for more info.
As a linux user the best way to hear mp3PRO is with Live365's pop-up web player.
_________________
"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?." -Maximus
Please do not PM me. Use email, Feedback or Contact Us links. |
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Slash
Cadet 3
Joined: May 02, 2002
Member#: 75
Posts: 12
Location: California
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Posted:
Fri Sep 03, 2004 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| JERIC wrote: |
Please see the Ogg Discontinued thread for more info.
As a linux user the best way to hear mp3PRO is with Live365's pop-up web player. |
Ok, thanks for the pointer to the Ogg thread. That answers that issues as far as SST goes.
Regarding Live365 and Linux... I think the popup just passes on a .pls file which causes the browser to ask for a client to handle... In my case the browser just launches XMMS, the Linux version of WinAmp. XMMS only has OGG and regular MP3 capability, no mp3PRO.
From what I can tell, the mp3PRO developers have released a library for the development of licensed clients and plugins, but they don't actually offer any plugins or clients for Linux.
Anyone know if I am mistaken? Are there any mp3PRO stream clients for Linux?
Slash |
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JERIC
Fleet Admiral (Proprietor)
Joined: Feb 12, 2002
Member#: 1
Posts: 4939
Location: Richmond, VA
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Posted:
Fri Sep 03, 2004 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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You have to update your listen settings at Live365 to listen to the pop-up playing instead if delivering a .pls.
http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/personalize.cgi
_________________
"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?." -Maximus
Please do not PM me. Use email, Feedback or Contact Us links. |
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Cocles
Commodore
Joined: Mar 06, 2002
Member#: 15
Posts: 2587
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted:
Fri Sep 03, 2004 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Slash for a nerd who uses Linux, you sure are having alot of basic, newbie type problems with obvious solutions.
Like changing your settings in Live365.
Did that honestly not occur to you?
Is that really YOUR computer you're on? |
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j2brown
Commodore
Joined: Feb 22, 2002
Member#: 9
Posts: 3188
Location: Sterling, VA
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Posted:
Sat Sep 04, 2004 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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I thought the same thing Cocles.
Now if I could just figure out what IT guys are complaining to Thur about Linux...
jeff
sdg |
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