Compressed(zipped)files

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mbuster

mbuster

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I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, but I'll try here I guess. What exactly is going on when you create a zipped folder? I know it creates a smaller file size, but how does this affect audio? I had a folder of 24bit 48khz waves I was going to send someone. Total folder size, 233MB. Quite large. Out of curiosity, I created a zipped version of the folder. Total size 93MB. Much smaller, but what has happened to my audio? I looked at the properties of individual files, and to varying degrees, they were all much smaller. After "unzipping" the folder, all my files were apparantly back to their original size. What is the trade off? What did I lose? Is this a viable way to cram an assload of data on a disc? Thanks.
 
You might also check out Monkey's Audio. It's a lossless compression program (compresses the data while retaining a bit-for-bit exact copy) that's tuned especially for audio. It'll save even more space than zip... usually significantly more.

http://www.monkeysaudio.com/
 
I haven't tried Monkeys audio (yet... thanks, pglewis!) but WinRar, set to maximum compression (Rar format only) outdoes the ZIP format by a long shot, for fitting more data into a smaller space.

As far as what the trade off is, strictly speaking, there is one. Processing power. (or more generally, Time. )

The more you compress anything, the more "math" is involved in compressing and decompressing it. That means your computers CPU has to whip out the old slide rule and get to crunching to do either one. This takes time. A fast CPU can do this better than a slower one, obviously, but there is always a limit. Winrar is absolutely amazing at getting things down to a small file size, but it takes a lot of time. to get it to the absolute smallest size.

I found that for me, it is sometimes better to use less compression on something I am backing up, and have to burn an extra CD or 2, rather than wait an extra 1.5 hours for it to compress.
 
update...

OK, it looks like on processes where you are compressing a bunch of files, Winrar does better, but you end up with only one output file that you have to decompress. For general storage of WAV files with quick acess to them, Monkeys audio absolutely ROCKS!


thanks again pglewis !
 
ok, im asking this because im ignorant in this area - not trying to be an ass.....but is it possible to compress(zip) a wav file and the unzip it and lose ZERO quality?
 
Gidge-mo... unlike MP3, Zip is lossless compression. It will keep a bit for bit exact copy in compressed format, and you'll get back exactly what you put in when you decompress. It's not only possible, it's the meaning of lossless compression. Lossless isn't going to have near the space savings as MP3, but... it's lossless.

Monkey is where it's at for lossless audio compression. It comes with a Winamp plug-in so you can even play compressed files without having to decompress them first. It doesn't put multiple files into a single archive, but you can take the resulting Monkey's audio files and put 'em in a zip file if you want to keep a bunch together. Zipping them isn't going to save any more space, though, since Monkey's squeezes about all you're going to get already. It's excellent, well supported, and it's totally free.
 
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