Fixed Bitrate Audio Compression

From iA wiki

See also: Audio Formats | Compression

An audio compression that uses the same data-per-second throughout the entire audio file. This is useful to allow Internet visitors to download and play simultaniously or "stream." It is separate from Variable Bitrate Compression.

The vast majority of Internet music is encoded in MP3 format at 128 kilo-bits per second. This is suitable for streaming over an ISDN or better connection. Ogg Vorbis and MP3Pro, which are better quality than MP3, will have better results at all bitrates.

(Note: ratings are based on Blade MP3 encoder. Different MP3 encoders will have varying quality.)

Some common bitrates for voice recordings:

• 24 - sounds scratchy and computerized, like AM radio, extreme compression ratio of approximately 1:50 from original wav file
• 56 - clear, smooth compression for most voices while keeping good compression (about 1:24 size ratio from original wav file)
• 64 - suitable for soft music background with voice. Music will sound hollow and/or flat.

Other common bitrates for music include:

• 96 - sounds fine on poor quality audio equipment but very flat otherwise
• 112 - better than radio quality
• 128 - CD quality to the untrained ear or on poor equipment, some music beats still sound softened
• 160 - A great level to archive rarely heard but still enjoyed CDs
• 192 - Most audiophiles exchange audio at this bitrate with the best quality versus transfer time
• 256 - Almost indistiguishable from original CD