how does MP3 really work?

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  • techno
    Digital Video Master
    Digital Video Master
    • Nov 2001
    • 1309

    how does MP3 really work?

    yeh i know, this is a stupid question but really, how does MP3 work?

    i need to know more in depth for a report I am doing. so far I have basically said that it's compression and stuff, done a diagram/chart showing that the higher bitrate = bigger file size, sometimes quality CAN be improved, depending on the source.

    it cuts the high frequencies humans can't here (this will go in the how psycho acoustics of mp3's)

    anything else?

    how in general does MP3 work?

    Thanks

    Techno
  • SKD_Tech
    Lord of Digital Video
    Lord of Digital Video
    • Jan 2003
    • 1512

    #2
    What MP3 codec does, is that it gets rid of parts of audio that you and I cannot hear. Our human ears are quite limited in that after hearing something loud, you can't hear quiet sound for short period of time. MP3 codec calculates and deletes that part. This is how MP3 achieves its great compression ratio without the apparent quality loss. Our human ears are quite limited in that after hearing something loud, you can't hear quiet sound for short period of time. MP3 codec calculates and deletes that part

    Want it more in depth?


    The Fraunhofer IIS labs in Germany created the MPEG 1 layer 3 codec. Their compression algorithm is based on perceptual encoding. Researchers found that there are certain harmonics in audio signals that humans cannot perceive, as well as harmonics that obscure the presence of other frequencies. An MPEG encoder reads an audio file and determines which harmonics are perceptible and imperceptible. This perceptually based exclusion process is similar to the "lossy" compression used in MiniDisk systems, and results in far greater sonic accuracy than compression through lowering the sample rate. Encoding in MP3 format allows the user to select resultant quality in terms of kilobytes per second (kbps). This measurement refers to how many bytes of data will be analyzed per second. The higher the kbps, the larger the file size and the more accurate the sound quality.

    I found all this by a simple google search

    Comment

    • techno
      Digital Video Master
      Digital Video Master
      • Nov 2001
      • 1309

      #3
      thanks MUCH appreciated

      kisses lol

      Comment

      • SKD_Tech
        Lord of Digital Video
        Lord of Digital Video
        • Jan 2003
        • 1512

        #4
        Originally posted by techno
        kisses lol
        Umm I don't think I am going to comment on that.

        But as for searching no thanks is needed all it took was some keystrokes and 90 seconds

        Comment

        • techno
          Digital Video Master
          Digital Video Master
          • Nov 2001
          • 1309

          #5
          lol thanks

          i tried searching but my keywords may not be good enough :roll eyes:

          Comment

          • Enchanter
            Old member
            • Feb 2002
            • 5417

            #6
            From my limited reading, MP3 works by removing parts of the audio that the human ear supposedly cannot hear. The effectiveness will vary with different people with different sensitivities, awareness of what to look out for and ultimately the gears they use to reproduce the sound. I used to think 128kbps was enough, but now I cannot even stand listening to anything lower than 192kbps (even this cannot compete with lossless).

            The high frequency sound removal is a part of that algorithm. FhG is known for its 16KHz low-pass filtering (which makes it totally unsuitable for musics that frequently reach beyond this frequency value, like Classical and Jazz). LAME solves this problem by introducing configurable low-pass filter (FhG's is fixed at 16KHz).

            You probably will need to look up on the net for more specific information on how MP3s work, rather than asking the question in a forum where most people are more concerned with movies. Best of luck.

            Comment

            • techno
              Digital Video Master
              Digital Video Master
              • Nov 2001
              • 1309

              #7
              thanks technically it is concerned about movies no sound = no enjoyment in movies hehehe

              Comment

              • Enchanter
                Old member
                • Feb 2002
                • 5417

                #8
                Originally posted by SKD_Tech
                Our human ears are quite limited in that after hearing something loud, you can't hear quiet sound for short period of time. MP3 codec calculates and deletes that part
                I did not know the MP3 algorithm does that.

                What I know, though, is that many multimedia speakers used in computers are incapable of reproducing loud sounds while maintaining quiet passages (so you can hear both extremes). Decent audio equipents can do much better at this. Perhaps this is the reason why the MP3 has such algorithm built in, considering that MP3 will be used mainly with computers.

                Comment

                • SKD_Tech
                  Lord of Digital Video
                  Lord of Digital Video
                  • Jan 2003
                  • 1512

                  #9
                  To tell you the truth I barely understand anything that I posted but I knew that it would help out Techno so I posted it.

                  Comment

                  • techno
                    Digital Video Master
                    Digital Video Master
                    • Nov 2001
                    • 1309

                    #10
                    lol

                    thanks and it did.

                    i hope i pass this report, I really need to, the last coursework was hard and i got 59%! i don't think anyone got more than 65%

                    i hope i pass...

                    Comment

                    • SKD_Tech
                      Lord of Digital Video
                      Lord of Digital Video
                      • Jan 2003
                      • 1512

                      #11
                      Well I barely passed Math with a booming 69! that is the lowest D possible! lol oh well I am going to grip down on my grades this last semester though!

                      Comment

                      • techno
                        Digital Video Master
                        Digital Video Master
                        • Nov 2001
                        • 1309

                        #12
                        hehe, i'm sure u will do fine.

                        had an assessment on monday for networking, got 60%....passed...not good enough for myself, then databases, i got 20/25 although it was meant to be a group work but no one done anything apart from me!

                        hmm....i just hope i pass all this, including the upcoming assessments, I WANT TO PASS!! I should know more than the class hehe, im Tech

                        Comment

                        • SKD_Tech
                          Lord of Digital Video
                          Lord of Digital Video
                          • Jan 2003
                          • 1512

                          #13
                          check your PM techno so we don't spam up the board

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