Mp3 convert

Z

zolappa

New member
I have a problem. When my mixes are done, I export them to 24bit wav. And then they sound good. But when I upload them on soundcloud (which convert the audio to 128kbps mp3) the quality is shit, weird noises and distortion.

What I do to every mix (final master):
Lower the output threshold to .3 db
Use 128kbps mp3 reference tracks, famous songs.
Sometimes I do a low cut below 30 and/or a high cut over 18khz.

What do I do to make my 128kbps mp3's to sound as good as the professional tracks on soundcloud (or youtube)

Thanks,

Alfred
 
You could import the wav file back into your DAW and convert/dither down the 128kbps/44.1kHz mp3 and then upload it. Better if you control conversion than soundcloud.
 
I'll stress that I'm not a Soundcloud user, but...

In a recent thread somebody mentioned uploading original wave files to Soundcloud and having them converted to MP3 at Soundcloud. If that's the way things normally work, by feeding MP3 to the servers you could be letting yourself into the concatenation and compression artefacts you can get when you re-compress something that's already been compressed to MP3. Perhaps somebody who uses Soundcloud could comment on this.

Second, I noticed you mention lowering the output to .3dBFS. Does this mean you let the signal go above 0dBFS in the mix process? If so, digital clipping could also be an issue.
 
I am a soundcloud user. I have uploaded 24Bit wavs but haven't noticed any major difference in the resulting output of the uploaded file. All my upload wavs usually have a peak around -6/-3dBFS.
 
Bobbsy said:
Second, I noticed you mention lowering the output to .3dBFS. Does this mean you let the signal go above 0dBFS in the mix process? If so, digital clipping could also be an issue.
Click to expand...

I export the mix with the highest peak on -10db. Then I master it and export it with -.3 db
 
Well, the main issue isnt to have good quality on just soundcloud, but on any 128kbps mp3 file
 
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I too am not a soundcloud user (yet. "Hai learn M Fawltey, hai learn!") but I would have thought it best to export to the "standard" 16bits 44.1kHz then let the cloud converters work on that?

Re MP3 conversion in general. I use Magix Samplitude Silver. This allows the highest quality to be used but I have no idea if the subsequent cloud system smashes it down further.

Interesting bit of related OT. There was a piece on R4 end of last week where a successful singer/songwriter lass was apalled at the MP3 quality of her releases. I will try to find it via iPlayer...

Dave.
 
zolappa said:
I export the mix with the highest peak on -10db. Then I master it and export it with -.3 db
Click to expand...

That sounds fine...it was just your comment about lowering the threshold to -0.3dBFS that had me worried you were going into clipping.
 
Perhaps it would be useful at this stage if you could link to one of your Soundcloud files exhibiting the "weird noises and distortion" so we can hear what the actual problem is.
 
Massive Master said:
Have mixes that sound as good as those tracks before they're converted to MP3.
Click to expand...

Go here: :" holfix. bandcamp . com /track/stephen-page " Here is a track I made, free to download. Bandcamp also has 128kbps prewiev. The song sounds fine in 320mp3 or any other format, but not in 128kbps.
I do know that lesser kbps means lesser quality. But all famous songs sound great in 128kbps mp3's
 
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I mix in the box and don't allow it to go anywhere near clipping, I don't master: I "render" the mix to 16 wav and then convert that to 320MP3 before uploading to Soundcloud.
At the mixing stage the song is as good as I can get it.
I don't master because I don't pretend to have the slightest level of copetence in doing so - if the song & recording end up being a good enough mix I'll send it off to be done professionally.
I convert with a reliable LAME converter - who knows what SC use after all.
I do it at 320 because there are fewer artifacts at that level.
I've had reasonable success with the stuff I've uploaded to SC in terms of the quality of the sound after it crunches it to their level.
I'm reasonbly new to SC - having used soundclick for years - and I still do once I've sorted the song.
Doing my own 320 means a lot less time in the upload process as well as smaller dent in my data allowance whilst still having reasonable sound quality at my end.
I've thought about using FLAC to upload but the allowance thing wins out more often than not - compromise is what I have to do.
 
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