Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

[Tango_t]

Hi all,

I am recording music at 24bits/44.1KHz WAV and convert it with dbpoweramp Reference 14.2 to 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC for tagging & listening at home. That works fine. To share the music with friends, however, I need to convert it to mp3. When I do this, the conversion runs & looks like normal, no error messages. However, when I try to play the new mp3 files, I only get a constant ringing noise. So do my friends.

I have tried both, the lame.exe and the newly installed Fraunhofer codec.

Can someone help? Thanks!

[Dat Ei]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

What player? Did you try different players?


Dat Ei

[Tango_t]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

Thanks Dat Ei. Regarding your question: The problem with hearing only mid/high frequency noise when playing these mp3s occurs with all players tested, incl. Windows Media Player and VCL on different PCs, as well as Galaxy Smartphones.

However, I conducted some further tests last night that suggest that there is something outside dBpoweramp contributing to the observed problem:

- When I convert 24bit ALAC as recorded it works
- When I cut these 24bit ALAC files with FREE AUDIO EDITOR (only cutting, no conversion), then
a) these newly cut 24bit ALAC files play nicely on all my devices (VLC on PC; Linn Streamer)
b) however, when converting these newly cut 24bit ALAC files to MP3 I have the described problem (i.e. I hear only noise on all tested players when playing these mp3s)

Maybe, as a work around, someone has a better suggestion for a simple cutting tool, which can handle WAV & ALAC and which does only cutting (no conversion or other lossy processing)?

[mville]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

Run the Test Conversion on the cut ALAC files. Do you get any errors?

[Tango_t]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

Hello mville, when I run the test conversion on the cut ALAC files, I do not get any error messages (the same is true performing the conversion to mp3).

[blacksun77]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

Check your output audio device or sound card, update driver if needed

[mville]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

when I run the test conversion on the cut ALAC files, I do not get any error messages (the same is true performing the conversion to mp3).

Check out Audacity and see if you can perform the same edits on the ALAC files as you do with your current editor. Then, try the conversion to mp3. Do you still get the noise?

OR

Try contacting the developer of your editing software for a possible explanation.

OR

Perhaps there is a problem with dbpoweramp Reference 14.2?

[Tango_t]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

I found the following workaround, which works (if performed in the following order):

1. cut original 24bits/44.1KHz WAV files with FREE AUDIO EDITOR (only cutting, no conversion)
2. convert with my dbpoweramp Reference 14.2 to 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC for tagging & listening at home
3. convert these tagged ALAC files with my dbpoweramp Reference 14.2 to MP3 for sharing with friends

I.e. when cutting the original WAV files, I do not get the problem with subsequent conversion to MP3. I only get the initially described problem when I cut the ALAC files.

I can live with this workaround.

[Eric Seaberg]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

I don't think MP3s can deal with 24-bit files. Have you tried dithering to 16-bit as a DSP function before conversion?

[mville]

Re: Problem with Converting 24bits/44.1KHz ALAC to MP3

I don't think MP3s can deal with 24-bit files.

Please can you explain/support this statement?