[Ti] AAC redux...(OT)

[Benn]

On Tuesday, July 8, 2003, at 04:23  PM, Khyber Courchesne wrote:
> So.....its been a few months now since we've been able to AAC on our
> powerbooks.  In my opinion, a 128kbps AAC file does not sound as full 
> as a
> 160 kbps MP3 file.  We played a file of one song from each codec, as 
> well as
> straight from the CD, and the AAC file sounded (to paraphrase neil 
> young)
> like having ice cubes gushing out at you in the shower. Tinnier, 
> thinner,
> and cold.  But that's just me.  The MP3 sounded close to the warmth of 
> the
> CD.
>
> What are other people doing?  Are we all using Apple's recommended 128 
> bit
> rate AAC encoding?  Or something different?  How are you balancing 
> quality
> against file size?

i use:
lame --alt-preset standard
http://www.mp3dev.org
from the help:
The --alt-preset switches are designed to provide the highest possible 
quality.

They have for the most part been subject to and tuned via rigorous 
double blind listening tests to verify and achieve this objective.

These are continually updated to coincide with the latest developments 
that occur and as a result should provide you with nearly the best 
quality currently possible from LAME.

For VBR modes (generally highest quality):
      "--alt-preset standard" This preset should generally be 
transparent to most people on most music and is already quite high in 
quality.


There is also a iTunes script that is customizable and takes the Tag 
info from iTunes and encodes all the tracks from a CD.  Very nice, very 
good quality.

Benn