Yes, the static is an artifact. It is to be expected at low bitrates. Blade's artifact is a bit different than the other mp3 codecs; at anything below 192kbps it will produce a massive reverb effect as well as make the drums sound bad.Originally Posted by neilthecellist
OGG is good at low bitrates; MPC is not, it is great at high bitrates. Also, how transparant the artifacts are is affected by the quality of the speakers/headphones. If your speakers only go as low as 40hz, then you won't hear the static as much, but you also won't hear the low notes of the song.Originally Posted by alrakis