Lossy

[graceadelica]

A new CD by an established artist has just been released and some of the demo's (recorded within the last 4 years at a top end studio) sound mp3 like to me(swishy sound on high frequencies). I've added some images - anyone able to confirm or deny?

[graceadelica]

And screenshot of whole song.

Certainly looks like mp3 to me. Just to clarify, these demos came on a bonus disc with the regular cd issue? The regular cd is not lossy?

[graceadelica]

It's from a double CD set of previously released b-sides a new demos. Some of the material sounds/looks fine, but there's a set of demos produced by one particular person and a couple of other previously unreleased things that sound like shit.

Are you going to name the cd/artist?

[Five]

that's lossy for sure.

looks like atrac 66kbps lp4 to me. recorded on a minidisc at the worst possible setting

[graceadelica]

Cheers for confirmation. It's from a CD a band called I Am Kloot have just/are about to release (it was available at the gigs before it's official release next month - it's a properly pressed CD) called B and is being released via a record label the bassist is involved in. You'd have to wonder why whoever mastered them didn't pick up on it.

[Five]

I bought a local artist's cd one time and found it to be minidisc-sourced... probably one of those portable 4-track md studios they released a while ago. at least the dude used the highest quality setting available. sounded god-awful swish swish

anyhow what I'm saying is this label must be a very small label starting out if they can't even get this straight.

[graceadelica]

It is a small label, but that doesn't really excuse it, when obviously full quality versions exist.

What's ridiculous is that the guy who produced the tracks co-owns the studio (which has been used by people like Elbow, The Verve, Johnny Marr, Badly Drawn Boy, Doves, The Cribs etc) and has toured with the band, so they're in regular contact. You'd think they'd be working with proper masters.

[E_rock]

Yikes.

Originally Posted by Five

looks like atrac 66kbps lp4 to me. recorded on a minidisc at the worst possible setting

Five -- atrac lp4 - the occasional spikes above the trimmed hedge in the unzoomed in spectrum?

[Five]

I think I can see deep rectangular grooves, its a little hard to see. could be some variation of mp3 or something on second thought.

check the lp4 pics scroll down a bit here to see the similarity
http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/...ead.php?t=8003

compare with whatever cd you can reach... there is something very wrong (lossy) about this one imo.

if graceadelica is still around and wants to pass a sample my way I could take a closer look & am curious to listen.

[graceadelica]

Uploaded a sample (flac from wav) here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/283055833/iak.flac.html

Originally Posted by Five

I think I can see deep rectangular grooves, its a little hard to see. could be some variation of mp3 or something on second thought.

check the lp4 pics scroll down a bit here to see the similarity
http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/...ead.php?t=8003

compare with whatever cd you can reach... there is something very wrong (lossy) about this one imo.

if graceadelica is still around and wants to pass a sample my way I could take a closer look & am curious to listen.

"deep rectangular grooves" just about covers it. Thanks for the lesson, and thanks to graceadelica for the sample.

[Five]

thanks for the closeup

seeing it more closely, I actually think it is straight mp3 128kbps cbr. not md, the blocks of MD look like tie fighters / much less "splattering".