I'm wondering if, and how, songs in MP3 (a lossy format) can be restored to CD or near-CD quality, or how their sound can be improved significantly. Are there some filters, "range-extenders," or resonances applied to an .MP3 file that can yield a richer, more professional listening experience?

For instance I know that some MP3 players can optimize the sound, the next logical question is whether there are some software tools available for this task and how they would work. Thanks.

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As far as I am concerned Mp3 quality can't be improved in other wordds once it was ripped from a cd u can't improve it.

MP3 is compressed .WAV, get a MP3 to WAV Converter and youll get the original. U could then Convert the WAV to a higher MP3 with a high sample rate, 192kbps and higher etc

Cool Edit 2000 can do all this and more.

as far as I know, u cant add something that isnt there...if ya catch my drift!

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quote:

Originally posted by esskeh MP3 is compressed .WAV, get a MP3 to WAV Converter and youll get the original. U could then Convert the WAV to a higher MP3 with a high sample rate, 192kbps and higher etc Cool Edit 2000 can do all this and more.

I don't mean to sound offensive, but who the hect told you this?? That's the exact opposite of the truth... Mp3 is a lossy audio compression scheme, not a general compression format like .zip (where all data remains intact).

Read my post in this thread to read why. http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...p?threadid=9415

As for improving the listening experience of mp3s, I recomend a DSP plugin for Winamp called DFX. It was developed to dynamically write-in those missing frequencies of mp3s (which got cut from the compression) to improve the sound quality. The result makes the sound more lively/bright. Check out that plugin here:
http://www.winamp.com/plugins/detai...mponentId=50756

Of course, it's not going to exactly like the original source- but it'll probably improve your mp3 listening experience significantly.

Last edited by goodnet on Jul-22-2001 at 03:54

Goodnet, I appreciate your reply -- thanks a lot! But, how can I apply this filter permanently? In WinAmp, the plugin works only when you run the program. Also, any other suggestions?

Trance Prodigy, I know that MP3 can't be restored physically, but there are tools for simulating or improving the sound.

As a computer programmer I know there should be something like an optimization algorithm for simulating CD quality, in fact maybe there is something like that already available. Simply Turning up the volume won't work, you have to make the sound "fuller."

Whoever said about MP3-WAV-MP3, no offense but I think you have no idea what you're talking about, in fact the second MP3 will sound much worse after you decode and then encode again, regardless of what bitrate you choose!

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quote:

Originally posted by Eugene Goodnet, I appreciate your reply -- thanks a lot! But, how can I apply this filter permanently? In WinAmp, the plugin works only when you run the program. Also, any other suggestions?

What exactly do you mean by applying it permanently? Do you want to output wav files (for burning) of the track(s) w/the applied filter (inwhich case, you would use the diskwriter output plugin)...? (sorry im a little confused)

Sorry it looked like i knew what i was talking about,
It was meant to be an idea/suggestion :P

Last edited by esskeh on Jul-22-2001 at 15:06

quote:

Originally posted by goodnet What exactly do you mean by applying it permanently? Do you want to output wav files (for burning) of the track(s) w/the applied filter (inwhich case, you would use the diskwriter output plugin)...? (sorry im a little confused)

Well, if I use the DiskWriter plug-in, would it write the output WITH the DFX filter, or without it? It seems to me that all plug-ins like this one, DFX, are play-time-only, meaning you can't output them with DiskWriter... but maybe I'm wrong.

For example: when you move the Equalizer knobs, and then record with DiskWriter, -- the filters aren't saved, you still get the same song!

Esskeh, -- no problem

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Eugene, the answer is, yes it does record with the DFX plugin.

Why did you not just try it out yourself instead of asking? That's what I did!

This is a short little blurb on MAD. a new plug in DSP for winamp. The guys at tech-report are drooling over it's quality. Go check it out

"A big shout out to '--k' for posting a link in a thread last week to the MAD plug-in for Winamp. Anybody who has taken the time to listen to Winamp back-to-back with another player, like Sonique or the Windows Media Player/World Domination Instrument, knows Winamp pretty much sounds like an audiophile torture device. I've had a hard time dropping Winamp, however, because I prefer the user interface (the skins and plug-ins are nice, too).
MAD for Winamp is the fix.

MAD itself is a high-quality MPEG audio decoder. The plug-in brings that decoder to Winamp. Why is it better? Like all good things digital, it has more internal precision:

Internally, MAD represents the decoded audio signal with high precision. Combined with a form of dither, this allows output samples to be calculated with less objectionable quantization noise and more audible dynamic range than most decoders produce today. The result is unusually high-quality output that is a more faithful reconstruction of the signal encoded in MPEG audio than you may have realized possible.
The difference is startling. Had I not listened to MP3s on the Aiwa CDC-MP3 in my car, I wouldn't have known how good it could be. Also, K6 and Cyrix owners take note:
Because MAD uses integer computation rather than floating point, it is well suited for architectures without a floating point unit. All calculations are performed with a 32-bit fixed-point integer representation.
Not that those CPUs don't have floating-point units, but, well, you know.
Anyhow, the MAD plug-in for Winamp is highly recommended."


http://www.tech-report.com/onearticle.x/2623

and get the plug in here
http://www.mars.org/home/rob/proj/mpeg/mad-plugin/

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thanks
are you a computers person too?

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