Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Decoding / encoding mp3 files

[darren kirby]

quoth the Hemmann, Volker Armin:
> On Friday 01 September 2006 17:47, sdoma wrote:
>
> even if there are tools - don't do it.
>
> The artist/title info is in the id4 tags - you can edit them with lots of
> tools, even inside most players. No need to recode them.

This is true, no need to re-encode just to fix tags.

> And recoding: mp3 is a lossy format. If you turn them into wavs you have
> not only wavs based on reduced information, you remove the stuff that makes
> mp3 sound 'better' than they are. If you encode them again, you are
> removing more information.
>
> So after such a circle the sound quality would be worse. A lot worse.
> Hardly bearable worse.

I am well aware of encoding/re-encoding between lossy formats but I still 
don't buy this. I habitually re-encode all formats to my preferred Ogg Vorbis 
format and have not once been overly (or even slightly) disappointed with the 
results. Unless one is the hardest-core of audiophiles with tens of thousands 
of dollars worth of stereo equipment I doubt they will either.

"Hardly bearable"? Maybe if you have the ears of a dog. If you start with a 
decent bitrate in the first place (128+) I don't see a difference with naked 
ears at all.

> Just say no to recoding.

Nice blanket statement. Better advice to the OP: try it. Save the originals. 
Listen to both. Can you live with it? Make up your own mind....

Shameless plug: I have written a ruby script to re-encode between various 
formats: http://badcomputer.org/unix/code/sneetchalizer/

It will allow you to encode mp3 -> mp3 among others. (Ogg, M4a, Wma, Flac).
Undoubtably this is Hemmann's worst nightmare...

-d
-- 
darren kirby :: Part of the problem since 1976 :: http://badcomputer.org
"...the number of UNIX installations has grown to 10, with more expected..."
- Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson, June 1972