MP3: good enough?

I am about to upload the rest of my CDs and pitch the disks, but I am having second thoughts about not keeping them in an "original" form. Should I, in fact, make a new batch in FLAC for this very purpose?

Long ago I gave up the idea of keeping eveything in WAV, but now with a lot more drive space (incl the online site they're headed to) -- as well as broadband for the uploading -- it's really no big deal. Still, I don't wanna waste a lot of space (and effort) for nothing.

Most of my stuff was ripped at 192. I'm happy with that day to day, I'm happy with that on my iPod, and I'm happy with the file sizes. But I'm having cold feet, based solely on the fact that this is irreversible.

Meanwhile, once site claims that uncompressed audio is a total waste of time, and that the human ear won't hear the diff between 192 and higher bitrates, much less WAV or FLAC. Again, I agree with this sentiment -- at least in principle -- but I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger where "irreversibility" is concerned.

Opinions?

 

If you're using the stock earphones with your iPod, it won't matter. They are not good enough to portray the differences in sound quality between the various file types. Even if you use very very good earphones, you're still on an iPod... which does not have the best built-in amp out there to begin with.

 

Well, I'm not exactly "using" anything. I'm thinking more in terms of when we're all floating in ionized gels and beaming 8-dimensional sounds upside the hippocampus, will I be moaning that I never "kept" a WAV file!

And it's not regular CDs, either. For those I don't even need to keep the lesser files -- I can always find them again someday online. But some of the foreign CDs, obscure things pressed for some commemoration, things like home movies which were uploaded with Audacity...stuff like that. Things which are truly "irreplaceable".

Can I live a life w/o regret if I only have MP3s? Will the day come that MP47s are so much better that that snooty guy at my local Best Buy will say "why on earth didn't you save your FLAC files?!"

 

If that is your main concern, why aren't you making copies of the originals and converting them? :confused

 

isn't that what i am asking?

perhaps i threw you with that audacity comment. forget that one. the casettes or w/e the files came from are long gone.

but the rest, obscure CDs i shall never see again -- online or in print. but i do still have the disks (for now).

convert to MP3/192 and be done with it, or convert to WAV or FLAC just "in case".

either way, i'm pitching the disks.

 

Um... no. You misunderstood me. My question is, why don't you rip them to WAV, copy the files to a new directory and then convert that new directory to mp3, 4, or whatever you want, while keeping the WAV orginals?

 

i'm still not getting it. that IS my question, isn't it?

i'll always have mp3s etc kicking around for short-term use. i'm certainly not about to start using WAV day-in day-out with vlc, winamp, my ipod, etc.

the question is whether to keep the STORAGE (longterm/backup) copies -- on an online drive or whereever -- as WAV or FLAC. or whether to just let THOSE be mp3 as well.

i kno the issues back and forth -- i'm just being indecisive. i was acutally hoping for a groundswell here one way or the other. "God no, don't lose those!" or "What a waste of space, just pitch em all!"

:major

 

If that's what you want then it comes down to a, "Why do you care if you're listening on an iPod with stock earphones?"

Unless you're working with studio-class equipment you're not going to be able to hear the difference between a 192-bit mp3 and a FLAC or WAV. If it really worries you, keep them as WAV, but then be prepared to shell out the cash for external of internal hard drives that can hold the files for you.

EDIT, to add:
My entire music collection is in mp3, except for recent rips, which are in FLAC. What I get online is still mp3, and it sounds just fine to me. I'm a music lover, not an audiophile.

 

> Unless you're working with studio-class equipment you're not going to be able to hear the difference between a 192-bit mp3 and a FLAC or WAV.

yeah, but will we still be saying the same in 150 years?!

> If it really worries you, keep them as WAV, but then be prepared to shell out the cash for external of internal hard drives that can hold the files for you.

it's only like 20 disks, actually, and well within the limits on online storage drives, even if using WAV for every last one. the question is whether to scrap the 20 disks-worth of MP3 which i previously loaded there, rerip everything back home, and reup these new and improved "storage" copies.

it is telling that you have recently switched to FLAC yourself. while saying it doesn't really matter and the difference probably cannot be heard, something obviously has caused YOU to switch over!

i switch, i unswitch, i switch, i unswitch.

FLAC FLUX!



btw, i'm about to get booted off the server here. just FYI re: sudden dropoff in my replies.

 

Obviously not, since we'll both be dead by then.

I haven't "switched" to FLAC. I rip to FLAC on the rare occasions when I do rip, because it's easier and requires less mouse clicks to do. I'm lazy that way. This means that a whopping 2% of my music collection is FLAC since I haven't bought a CD since 1997. "switched"? Please. rolleyes

You are over-thinking this waaaaay too much. I don't have the patience for this tonight. If you're truly this anxiously nervous and frantic, go find an audiophile forum where they will give you graphs and numbers on why the human ear can't tell the difference.

Alternatively, re-rip it all, for your own peace of mind. If you're agonizing about it this much, nothing else will calm you down.

 

Save in WAV and convert if needed.

 

Maybe I missed something in the last few years, but I thought in order to legally copy music you had to have and keep the original? Otherwise, you would have no proof that the songs on your ipod were bought and not just pirate downloads?

Am i wrong on this?

 

There's no real digital storage medium that works long term,even if you store them on a hard the drive will probably die in 7 years,thumb drives just stop working randomly,writeable and rewritable disks are also quite unreliable in the long term,even the original printed disks if you have them only have a lifespan of 10-20 years due to the aluminium corroding.

If your so intent on throwing the old ones away why not just throw the cases and buy 100 disk wallet? Zip it and Stick it in your wardrobe or something,stick a small bag of silica gel in there to absorb moisture and you should be good for couple of decades.

 

It depends on which country you're in. I think in the US that is the way things work.

 

What about Digital Downloads?

 

Perfectly fine as long as you pay for them. Most legit sites keep records and can look up your order history based on your email address or other info if you need proof of purchase.

Magnatune, for example, will let you re-download everything you paid for if you suffer a hard drive crash, a long as you can give them the address you placed the order with.

 

First off, anyone who cant tell the difference between 192kbps-MP3 and FLAC needs to get ther ears checked!

It is not major differences but when you listen to something like Pink Floyd The Wall, which has lots of "layers" of sounds, the flaws and those supposedly inaudible bits the algo' has removed are blatantly obvious to me.


But for day to day earbuds on a busy main road type of thing I usually kick it at 128kps or lower sometimes, However i would definitely recommend keeping some top quality copies your music. I have all my music stored in the highest i could attain (mostly FLAC, with a lot of 320kbps-MP3)

And like someone said above (rikky i believe) keep them stored and wraspped somewhere nice and dark, with a silica gel pack.
And space is irrelevant to me now, with terrabyte drives for lil more than £50 it shouldnt really matter to anyone else either



Q

 

OK, thanks. Especially to Q -- even though you're in the minority here, the strength of your opinion is enough to push me over the edge re: better save a FLAC copy.

actually, i've decided to save 3 sets: FLAC, mp3@128, mp3@192. that way, a year from now we can have this discussion again, and convince me which 2 to dump!

given that i have FLAC, btw, why is anyone recommending WAV? does WAV serve *any* purpose anymore, now that FLAC exists?

as to the copyright issue, i'll take my chances. they are on a spindle at present, but a spindle full of 20 disks is simply too "bulky" for my liking. i don't even like having a flash drive!

one of these days i'm shifting to a netbook (or less), burning all my possessions, and going for a "walk"...