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How to get your track ready for distribution (Soundcloud)
- Thread starter PaulMale
- Start date
localspace
New member
Any audio editor will do.
Bear in mind that soundcloud uses really shitty 128kb/s MP3 quality for their streaming, but lets you download the file as it was uploaded.
There's no volume levelling (like on spotify, iTunes radio, etc) currently, but that may get implemented soon.
Another thing to keep in mind when making MP3's: if you convert a WAV to MP3 it'll usually peak higher. Like 1 to 1.5dB more.
A WAV file that peaks at -0.3dB or -0.1dB will clip if you convert it to MP3, so you need to leave a bit of extra headroom for that.. or use some extra limiting to shave off the added peaks.
Bear in mind that soundcloud uses really shitty 128kb/s MP3 quality for their streaming, but lets you download the file as it was uploaded.
There's no volume levelling (like on spotify, iTunes radio, etc) currently, but that may get implemented soon.
Another thing to keep in mind when making MP3's: if you convert a WAV to MP3 it'll usually peak higher. Like 1 to 1.5dB more.
A WAV file that peaks at -0.3dB or -0.1dB will clip if you convert it to MP3, so you need to leave a bit of extra headroom for that.. or use some extra limiting to shave off the added peaks.
I've seen few times people saying that -0.5dB is enough, for a Wav. Though in practice I've never heard Mp3 clipping even at 0.0 in wav. Ogg is better. I don't know why but it's better! But don't use ogg if uploading to soundcloud, conversion may be triggered.MP3 it'll usually peak higher. Like 1 to 1.5dB more.
localspace
New member
I've seen few times people saying that -0.5dB is enough, for a Wav. Though in practice I've never heard Mp3 clipping even at 0.0 in wav. Ogg is better. I don't know why but it's better! But don't use ogg if uploading to soundcloud, conversion may be triggered.
Yep, for a WAV it is..
I usually go for -0.3dB or -0.1dB.
The reason not to go -0.1dB originally was that early CD players had crappy convertors that distorted at near peak level, so that's probably no longer a real thing anymore.
I don't know why I stick to it, habit.
But then convert that WAV into an MP3, and often it clips.. mine at least always do! They're tiny spikes so you can shave them off with a limiter.. or leave them clipped. But if you're gonna upload your WAVs to soundcloud or any service that'll convert it for you (this happens on the way to streaming services and digital stores as well!!!!!), it's something to keep in mind. You don't want to pay a bunch for a nice master job and then still end up with clipping.
If you have Ozone, you can check it with the codec preview. I don't know about OGG, as long as it's not widely used it's not that relevant to me. MP3 and AAC are widely used and they both do this.
Yeah, -0.1 to -0.2 for CD as it is a wav format, I don't know if you missed I meant that -0.5 before converting to Mp3 may be enough too as some people state. I don't know why as I've never heard clipping, converted full-power 0dB Wav to mp3.
1dB attenuation seems like sacrificing too much loudness, but you gotta be careful with some things like streaming that's right
I hope there are alternatives to such codec preview in offline mode
1dB attenuation seems like sacrificing too much loudness, but you gotta be careful with some things like streaming that's right
I hope there are alternatives to such codec preview in offline mode
localspace
New member
Yeah, -0.1 to -0.2 for CD as it is a wav format, I don't know if you missed I meant that -0.5 before converting to Mp3 may be enough too as some people state. I don't know why as I've never heard clipping, converted full-power 0dB Wav to mp3.
1dB attenuation seems like sacrificing too much loudness, but you gotta be careful with some things like streaming that's right
I hope there are alternatives to such codec preview in offline mode
Hmm.. on my stuff it always seems to need -1 to -1.3dB. I'm curious to know what makes the difference. I'm not technical enough to know why or how it happens, it's just something I observed when messing with Ozone.
Loudness isn't a big priority for me. I think most of the industry will go towards auto-levelling like on iTunes and Spotify.. and those standards are lot less loud than what everybody is used to. There will always be a place for ultra loud squashed stuff, but I really like the extra dynamic range that it gives and want to use that to my advantage.
What I normally do is make a 24bit wav that peaks at -0.3dB. That's the one I play for myself and keep as a master file.
To make an mp3, I lower the volume by -2db, convert it to mp3 and on that file, I limit at -2.0dB so I'm just shaving the newly added peaks and amplify it back up to -0.3db.
I could set the limiter to -2.3dB and catch them all, but oh well.. call it the 80/20 rule.
If you're just sending your WAVs to a distributor or aggregator who then pipes it to DSP's you have no control over how it gets converted... it might get re-encoded ten times automatically. iTunes will make AAC's, Soundcloud MP3, others will have proprietary formats. The only choice you have then is: do I want to live with the possibility of clipping (which is minimal, hardly anyone notices) or do I sacrifice peak level for pristine conversion? I guess that's why the new loudness standards have lower maximum peak levels, like at -1dB... to account for this effect.