Jump to content

How to get the best quality out of your stream...


James

Recommended Posts

aac+ is a brilliant way to improve your quality, BUT...yep, there always is one!

Many Reciva type radios and Iphones don't support it to my knowledge. Had trouble with both. So, to make life easy- just settled with ordinary .mp3 compression.

If I have helped you with a Freebie- please be kind enough to add a link from your own site or blog to mine- thanks! http://arthurburton.net

 

Thank You!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that MP3 itself isn't the main issue to improve the streamquality .. for reason that even today not all MP3 files are equal.

Tracks converted to MP3 made of official CDs still have a huge difference in quality, eather the volume in general, eather the basskick etc etc

 

Things who can adjust this difference are plugins, these can be hardware or software EQ, limiters etc etc

however .. the taste of everyone is different

What is good and what is better ? .. sometimes hard to tell

 

When I look to some reviews made to my own project by people I know (worldwide contacts and friends) .. they are all telling that it sounds superb.

Some of them are listening to the stream by using their home surround system - I'm using that also at my place - and they are really enjoying the sound.

Once in a while somebody is telling Me that it sounds to flat ...

The current settings has been made after input and reviews made by some pro people who told Me how the good sound could be improved into the best sound ..

 

So what is good and what is better ?

Most of the time lots depends of the media player who is used and most important is the way the EQ settings at their home are made .. and what type of speakers are being used by the listeners ..

 

Sometimes as broadcaster We are pretty sure of the way it has to be done to sound loud and clear .. however We are broadcasters and We are listening in an other way to music and to the quality of a stream

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a software processor Sonos with MBL 4. I run it on a second stand-alone PC as it's a bit processor hungry. It also runs a limiter plugin and stereo enhancer. I've had some pretty good reaction to my stations audio quality. Good quality soundcards are also important I think, my playout machine uses an M audio delta 10/10 as everything is routed thru a mixer, but the processor is running on an old Santa Cruz soundcard. Streaming at 128 stereo helps.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats also my idea about the using of the right samplerate

In general 44.1kHz is a standard samplerate to audio

64k, 44kHz, mono sounds much better.

strange enough lots of projects are using 22kHz very often to lower bitrates

I know also some 128 and 192kbps stations who are using 48kHz as samplerate .. its my idea that at that time a stream is losing some of the quality

however 48kHz is a samplerate who is more often used to audiochannels of videofiles

 

To members who are willing to play a listen.pls file into Win Media Player .. you will find attached a setup file

Download the rar file, unzip and run the .exe setup .. it will install a plugin

This setup works for Win Media Player 10 and higher

 

Secondly You'll find a rar file who contains a setup file to fix aacPlus or aac+ access

In general when this acc+ setup is installed together with the above rar file it has to be possible to play also aac+ streams with Win Media Player and iTunes

However this depends to the settings into the Media Player made by the user / receiver of the stream

 

Point is that you can give it a try, both files are harmless and safe and don't affect any operational issues at your pc

See them as plugins who can be usefull to you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

To solve all issues, I've had the best luck with the following streaming setup.

 

For Streaming : SOS (Stream Overlay Systerm)

 

Encoders 1) 128K 44.1 k Stereo, 2) 32K 44.1k Mono

 

For DSP: Stereo Tool 3 (Which is compatible in SOS/SAM/Winamp as a DSP/Effect PI)

 

For Automation: NexGen Digital 2007 Demo, Player101 Demo/Working Full Version (About to purchase these) from RCS, NexGen is easily a $6500 product where as Player is only $495 plus extra mods for $101. Either way you get a good bang for your buck with true RDS like outputs to SHOUTcast and a whole lot more

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For DSP: Stereo Tool 3 (Which is compatible in SOS/SAM/Winamp as a DSP/Effect PI)

 

 

A VERY slick program.

 

 

Two golden rules:

 

1) A clean source is a better source.

 

and 2) transcoding one file type to another = garbage output.

 

I.E. playing Mp4's from Itunes on a "what-U-hear" transcoding to a MP3 format. PURE GARBAGE at lower kbps/sample rates.

KNSJ.org / 89.1 FM San Diego
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with that Sailor, that's why if anything I'll transcode MP3's to WAV's and nothing else or WAV's back to MP3's.

 

Those are the best sounds when a WAV is transed to an MP3 especially at 128k with that Stereo Tool. I take my BlackBerry and listen to my low band 32 k stream all the time and it even sounds slick when using the Stereo Toll on a mono output, granted I have it set to FM Trans Soft (Stereo) if the volume is set just right, it sounds perfect

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

I stream MP3s @ 128Kbps

 

I find what works well for me are:

 

1. Do not use any of SAM Broadcaster built-in music processors such as the equalizer, agc, etc. Bypass all of it. Then use ...

2. Stereo Tool 6.21 (The latest version) http://www.stereotool.com/

3. Join the Stereo Tool Forum and find an STS file (they are free) that suits your musical taste and genre.

4. Load the STS file into Stereo Tool and let it - and not SAM Broadcaster - do your MP3 processing.

 

Try different STS files and select the one that sounds the best to you.

 

RippedRadio Smooth Jazz

We're Smooth 24 Hours a Day !!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...