Bob Cain wrote:

Lord Hasenpfeffer wrote:

Encoding 128kb/s MP3s of it at -5dB, -10dB, -15dB, and -25dB down from
it's original level and then importing the MP3s and amplifying them back
to just under Full Scale with Audacity reveals no appreciable difference
at least to my ears - even though the animated close-ups I've been able
to create from various screenshots of these "loudness-restored" WAVs do
reveal visual discrepancies.

You should at least hear signifigant increases in the noise
level when you get as far as -25 dB. Don't you? Or are you
working at greater than 16 bits for these trials?

That was *my* assumption to, however, I cannot. Then again, I'm
listening to a rather loud rock song. And never in my life have I
ever been compelled to stick my ear this close the floor either. So I
really don't know what one sounds like. My best guess would be
something kinda like the natural electronics noise my sound card makes
whenever I turn the volume on my speakers all the way up - only a lot
smoother (aka pink noise?).

I could not tell an aural difference between any of the attenuated and
subsequently amplified MP3s although the visual differences of the
original attenuated WAVs is readily apparent - so I know I'm working
with the correct set of files. At -25dB, the WAV was as thin as a
toothpick in Audacity, yet after reamplification, no difference!

That's why I jumped down to -50dB next and discovered it to be
"flatlining" or whatever that would be called. "Silent" might be more
appropriate - except for the noise of my soundcard at full vol.

I went back up to -40dB and could just barely make out the music at full
volume. So I reason that somewhere between -25dB and -40dB there
*should* be some kind of obvious drop-off point in terms of the
resultant MP3 quality but I haven't made it that far in my testing yet.

I got so bored with that I went off trying to find a sine wave tone
generator that could write a WAV to my hard drive. I found the
generator. But it doesn't write a WAV. I kept looking but haven't
found anything else yet.

Have you a suggestion for a better music source? What besides rock?

I could use A.L.W.'s "Phantom Of The Opera"...

I could use the obligatory Mozart, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" by way of
Sir Neville Marriner & Academy of St. Martin-In-The-Fields'...

Vivaldi's a favourite.

Or how about a little Shoenberg or Berg on Deutsche Grammophon?

Or Cage, maybe? I have some Cage. He's usually pretty quiet.

Oh, there's the required "Beethoven: Complete Symphonies" thing put out
via Musical Heritage Society.

Or how about Elvis? (Presley or Costello, take your pick.)

The Sex Pistols? Naaaah. That's getting too far back to where I am
right now...

Hmmm...

Myke

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