[BC] dueling algorithms and audio quality

[Craig Bowman]

The toughest problem I find lately is that there is a basic 
misunderstanding about data reduction algorithms.  I wish I had a nickel 
for each time someone told me "but I converted it to a WAV".  Trying to 
explain that once it is "compressed" (I hate that term) it is always 
compressed.  I try to use the screen door example.  If you stand far 
enough away from a screen door you do not even notice the missing 
parts.  Place several screen doors back to back and pretty soon you 
cannot get far enough away to not notice.  Conversely, converting a MP3 
(or whatever) to a WAV only makes the door and the screen bigger.  The 
screen is always there.

Craig Bowman

Broadcast List USER wrote:
> There is nothing wrong with digital, it is just how we choose to use it.
>
> If everything was 44.1 kHz linear 16 bit, we would be fine.  I don't
> see any reason to do things any better than CD quality.
>
> However, the entire chain from the console to the exciter should
> maintain that quality.  This means no MP3 files to play on the air,
> and no overly compressed STLs to make it work over the public Internet.
>
> The absolute worst thing you can do is keep converting from one
> standard to another.  The MP3 plays back through the linear console,
> then is down converted to the STL, then up converted to the audio
> processor.  Those little errors just pile upon one another, and it
> gets nasty.
>
>