Any Good Suggestions For Mixdown To MP3

[Vyodacoda]

Hi There Eveyone,
I am a relative migrant from Samplitude of around 9 months and I am so pleased that I made the switch from many perspectives.
In my time with Reaper I have tried doing my own final EQ to using Ozone 9. I try and eq and fx each track as I go along.
I Create Backing tracks with a couple of Arranger Keyboards and A couple of midi keyboards using mainly Native Instruments, Spitfire and Waves VST/i. Plus Electric, Acoustic, Semi Acoustic Guitars and a couple of Ukulele's and occasional Harmonicas.
Currently my method of delivery of the Backing tracks is sadly via an iPad which I wish that I had never started with. But the software for gigging with is a blessing but the iPad certainly is not.
I play guitar and ukulele for the gigs and sing sometimes solo but mainly as a Duo. all of which gets fed into a Zoom R16 as a mixer and out to a PA.
It is the recording and final mix that I have never been really happy with because I have never reached (with a set of Sennheiser HD206 Headphones) at least got those levely depths that come with DVD Video nor the beautiful clear highs. Yet I do get them in the Reaper recordings. I know that I am never going to get the same but some way toward would be good. It seems like the MP3 Mix needs special attention within the Master mix because the depth dissappears and the beautiful clear highs but a hi Yuk.
I am not averse to spending a little money but I am not rich lol.
My normal setting for the Reaper mp3 Render is as follows.
Master Mix
Bounds=Entire Project
Tail=1000ms
Sample Rate 48k
Stereo
Full Speed Offline
Resample Mode R8Brain
Format MP3 (encode by Lame Project)
Mode CBR
Maximum q=0
Bitrate 320 kbps
Lame 3.99.5
Render 1 File.
Anything not mentioned is not set.

If you need any further information Please ask.
Any help will be very much appreciated.
I am probably overlooking things through ignorance etc. but I would like to learn.
YouTube Video's come out great with a .wav input.

Many thanks and best regards from me,
Barry.

 

[TalismanRich]

Do you feel the mix has the same "depth" if you render to wav file? A 320KB MP3 should be darn close to impossible to tell from most WAV files. Maybe do a render in both formats and flip between the two.

This will tell you if it's the MP3 or the mix that is the issue. I've heard a very slight difference between a mix and a render under headphones, but on speakers that difference simply disappears. For a backing track it's unlikely to make any difference.

You mention the depth of DVD Video. Most DVDs use AC3 if they aren't PCM, AC3 and MP3 are pretty close in quality.

 

[gvdv]

Do you feel the mix has the same "depth" if you render to wav file? A 320KB MP3 should be darn close to impossible to tell from most WAV files. Maybe do a render in both formats and flip between the two.

This will tell you if it's the MP3 or the mix that is the issue. I've heard a very slight difference between a mix and a render under headphones, but on speakers that difference simply disappears. For a backing track it's unlikely to make any difference.

You mention the depth of DVD Video. Most DVDs use AC3 if they aren't PCM, AC3 and MP3 are pretty close in quality.

Hi,
I am back on Homerecording.com for the first time in a few years, and hope you do not mind me jumping in to this discussion.

When Vyodacoda mentions "DVD depth" I wonder if he is referring to DVD audio being 24-bit - that is the Redbook standard.

I have been quite stunned over the years when I have done the occasional recording on my Zoom 16 set to 24-bit instead of 16-bit, and I always find 16-bit lacking, even without comparing the two.

I can really relate to Vyodacoda's description of "beautiful clear highs", as well as - for me - a feeling of smoothness and almost sumptuousness, in comparison to 16-bit.

Of course, then we get in to the whole argument about how much 24-bit character can be retained when dithering down to 16-bit.

And I do agree with you, TalismanRich, that the difference between 320kbps .mp3 and .WAV is very difficult to detect. I have found it impossible to hear any differences on the occasions I have compared 320kbps and .WAV versions of the same songs.

Enjoying being back here, especially as I am about to jump back into recording (in Reaper, of course) for the first time in a few years, and will be picking everyone's brains on this forum, as well as on the Reaper Reddit and Cockos Forum.