File formats - Why we use what we use!

[CosmicDolphin]

I know this thread has been dead for over a year but I thought it was worth digging up...

The main reason is because a year has gone by since the last post and I've been using Sonar 7 a while now which can export directly to FLAC.  Now I like FLAC , it's alot more freely licensed than monkeys audio, which I guess is why it's turned up in Sonar.  It also seems to be embedded in alot of portable audio devices, is Mac compatable, and is commonly used in linux distributions.

Does anyone know if it's an export option in any other DAW's , the wind seems to be blowing in Flacs direction as the most popular lossless audio codec recently, I wonder if the time time has come when it's easier to switch than stick with apes ?  I like that I can just play them from media player or on my portable player without conversion , and I now love being able to export them directly without the need to transcode them in wavelab.

CosmicD

[BassPlayer]

I think it's all on personal preference. I dig on wavpack but for me it all depends on whos getting the track. It seems that the flac people also like wavpack http://flac.sourceforge.net/comparison.html.

[Gerk]

In the end game as long as it's truly lossless, doesn't pad the audio and I can decode it it's good for me   The options get better all the time.

None of the Mac OSX DAWs I work with directly export into any of these formats from my experience to date (I haven't looked that hard though, so don't hold me to that one).  I'm a bit oldschool, I still usually output a mix as AIFF for preview purposes, then encode it after the fact anyway so it's just a different option to select for the encoding tool of choice

Mark

[CosmicDolphin]

In the end game as long as it's truly lossless, doesn't pad the audio and I can decode it it's good for me   The options get better all the time.

None of the Mac OSX DAWs I work with directly export into any of these formats from my experience to date (I haven't looked that hard though, so don't hold me to that one).  I'm a bit oldschool, I still usually output a mix as AIFF for preview purposes, then encode it after the fact anyway so it's just a different option to select for the encoding tool of choice

Mark

Can we make it so we can post Flacs if we want as we can't at the moment.  I think Wavpack is good but isn't gaining the widespread support of FLAC, it has alot of mediaplayers , hardware ( http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#hardware ) ,and now it seems Daw's starting to support it, I know it's got support in Reaper , and Ableton 5 , as well as Sonar 7, it's just so much easier to bounce straight from the DAW and either post it or put on my portable player...If you have an Ipod you can use the Rockbox firmware update to give you Flac support too.

http://www.rockbox.org/

CosmicDolphin

[Gerk]

What are the file extensions associated with flac?  Also, just FYI, you can post anything at all, if you zip it first

[CosmicDolphin]

What are the file extensions associated with flac?  Also, just FYI, you can post anything at all, if you zip it first

Just .FLAC as far as I know..... or .ZIP if you zip it afterwards 

CosmicD

[CosmicDolphin]

I  noticed that we can post .anl files from Har-Bal , has anyone made a thread with some on ??

It would be a useful resource to collect them together for different types of well known songs.

CD

[NickT]

I  noticed that we can post .anl files from Har-Bal , has anyone made a thread with some on ??

It would be a useful resource to collect them together for different types of well known songs.

CD

I think 4 or 5 of us use Har-Bal. I remember adding anl files when Curtis and I were comparing mixes one time.

I have so many reference files now, I don't know what do with them.

I am all for collecting some good styles and making a nice library of them.

Nick

[CosmicDolphin]

I've got a few I made from commercial tracks , they make good references when mixing , but since I joined the MC I've ended up mixing styles where I don't have any proper Cd's to compare to, so a library of classics would be a really useful resource.

CosmicD

[NickT]

I usually listen to the song and then find what I think is similar or ask the member who they think it sounds like. I then dig up a similar tune for reference.

I try not to change to much in har-bal. Just even it out a little.

I will make a new thread and we can start making a nice reference library.

Nick

 

[CosmicDolphin]

Excellent....I'll post a few up when it's done

[meekofnature]

So what is the consensus on har-bal, what do you all think?  Is all of the eq done visually without playback?  Can anyone post before and after?  I'd love to hear someone who gave their best shot at a mix that sounded pretty good on its own, and then run it through har-bal and post both.  Possibly post multiple attempts at different eq curve solutions from har-bal. 

Also, is there a demo version?

Thanks,
Marc

[CosmicDolphin]

So what is the consensus on har-bal, what do you all think?  Is all of the eq done visually without playback?  Can anyone post before and after?  I'd love to hear someone who gave their best shot at a mix that sounded pretty good on its own, and then run it through har-bal and post both.  Possibly post multiple attempts at different eq curve solutions from har-bal. 

Also, is there a demo version?

Thanks,
Marc

I think the consensus is it's a great learning tool that can also be used to polish or sometimes if necessary to rescue a track.

The eq is done with ears and eyes you can see and hear what you've done but also A/B it with loudness compensation, otherwise the brain tricks us into thinking the louder one is better. Takes a bit of getting your head around at first.

There's quite a number of tracks here treated with it...but if you wanna post a mix up I can run it through for you.

There is a demo but I think it's only 8 bit

CD

[NickT]

Hey Marc,

Har-Bal is cool in low quantities.

It is great for checking a mix to see if anything is way out of line. I used to really tweak things in har-bal before hitting it with the final comps and limiter.

Now I use it more checking a mix, and then trying to fix the offending eq in the mix. I also use it for shelving.

Really handy when trying to clean up a muddy mix. The pro's hate it. Just google it and see what the prosound gang have to say.

But it has really helped me. I suppose you could do the same thing using a spectral graph of the music. But Har-Bal is easier. And you can save your finale eq "Filter".

Nick

[meekofnature]

8 bit!?! Where do I sign up?? 

Thanks for the input though, it's good to hear it from people who've really tried it.

Thx!
Marc