Frequency Analysis - What cause this Hi Cut?

[Dumbil]

Hi All,

I looked into several commercial CDs to compare with my mix and found that those songs have hi frequencies above 14K or 16KHz reduced dramatically down below -100dB while between 2K and 14KHz, it's moving at -36dB to -72dB. As seen in the attached images captured from Adobe Audition Frequency Analysis Tool.

Could anyone describe why those hi frequencies get cut a lot and what kind of gear possibly used for that (brickwall limiter, multiband comp?). Or is it because of .wma/mp3 format trim it down? My mix (PCM wave format) always have those frequencies moving around -70 to -100dB (please see the 2nd image).

I'm kinda worried that I might do something wrong while mastering and cause the frequency to be such a difference to those commercial stuff....

Lighten me up, please....
Bill

 

[hookiefree]

What kind of music are u using for ur test? What kind are you making? The highs probably weren't cut, just nothing up there.

 

[kylen]

The first spectrum looks like an mp3 or some other codec was used on a wav file. What is it we're looking at exactly ?

Oh - I see, you said it's an mp3. That's some of the lossy mp3 style codec working - there's also some type of brickwall right around 14-16KHz or so too. depending on the bitrate you select I suppose. Don't take my word for what mp3 does though I haven't studied it - just know what it's spectral fingerprint looks like. A high shelf EQ with a steep slope would do that too.

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

Too much 16khz is like an icepick in your ear. If you look at good mixes done before 1994 you'll usually see 4 or 5 times more bass energy, 2 or 3 times more mids energy than high end. But it still sounds 'right'.

If it sounds good I wouldn't worry about it. Don't make music with your eyes--it'll only get you into trouble.

 

[Sonixx]

looks like an MP3...

 

[The Seifer]

it's what happens after mp3 compression. theif.

 

[bennychico11]

it's what happens after mp3 compression. theif.

why is he a thief 'cause of this?

 

[Farview]

Why don't you analyze a real cd and compare that to your mixes? mp3s sound terrible, why would you want to have your mixes sound like that.

So, what does good sound look like?

 

[Dumbil]

Yeah...it's compress format

Hey Seifer...It's from CD that I bought...what wrong with checking out my own stuff...

Thanks for every replies...because of a compress format, huh, that cuts high freq out...wma format does it as well as mp3 and others I think...

I don't know how to open the wav format fom my CD in Audtition, anyone knows, please...

Cloneboy Studio, thanks for the advise...but man, what sounds good possibly looks good too, right? That's why I wanted to compare it...but wrong me...its format was deceptive...

Now...as Fairview asked....Anyone knows what good sound look like in frequency analyser?

 

[kylen]

Dumbil - I use Windows Media Player (XP Home) to rip WAV files from CDs that I like and want to use as reference material - I also have adequate monitoring and room acoustics so that I can tell I like the sound of the commercial CD.

Once I capture (rip) the wav file I walk around the room and listen to it, I also watch the spectrum on various RTAs. Some people don't watch and only listen, some people watch & listen.

I listen on: DAC1-->Event ASP8
I watch on: BehringerDEQ2496, GlissEQ, Ozone3, HarBal, CurveEQ, etc.

 

[bennychico11]

Thanks for every replies...because of a compress format, huh, that cuts high freq out...wma format does it as well as mp3 and others I think...

I don't know how to open the wav format fom my CD in Audtition, anyone knows, please...

yeah, any lossy format uses perceptual encoding to reduce the file size. it does it with a combination of frequency coding, masking and stereo localization. it's great to have smaller files, but it sure ruins the sound at the same time.

 

[Dumbil]

Dumbil - I use Windows Media Player (XP Home) to rip WAV files from CDs that I like and want to use as reference material - I also have adequate monitoring and room acoustics so that I can tell I like the sound of the commercial CD.

Kylen, I used windows media player to rip it too...I suppose your reference meterial would have some compression at high end as well...Or...do I have to set a sample size to the highest 192kbps to get rid of such compression.

I mean, is there any software to just rip the hidden wave files in the CD to wave? What we see from the CD in window explorer is .cda or a link file to hidden wave file, right?

 

[bennychico11]

you can change Windows Media player to rip it as a WMA lossless file. this will help preserve the sonic material.
CDex is a free ripper which works really well too....and you get more than a few choices as to what file you want to rip to.
The .cda file you see is just to tell you it's a "CD Audio" file. It was probably originally a lossless PCM wave file before it was burned to CD.

 

[kylen]

...I mean, is there any software to just rip the hidden wave files in the CD to wave? What we see from the CD in window explorer is .cda or a link file to hidden wave file, right?

I was trying to say that I use Windows Media Player to rip the .cda files from the CD and select 'WAV' so that the file saved to disk is actually an uncompressed 16bit 44.1KHz WAV file. There's a setting under options or somewhere to change from mp3 to WAV.

Besides that I've used Cakewalk Pyro to rip CD Audio files directly to WAV.

 

[Dumbil]

Benny, That's right...there is a lossless format there in WMP.

Now, here..., I think, is a good frequency curve from a decent mix...as a reference to anyone who intestested to see...mine is pretty close...

Thanks everybody...

 

[bennychico11]

but like everyone above said....don't get so caught up in the visual aspect of recording (some digital recording people tend to when working on DAWs). use your ears man.