Once You Go FLAC You Never Go Back: An Argument for Lossless Audio

Hello fellow audiophiles recovering from MP3 addiction;

My name is tonotopik and I've been an MP3 listener for years.  I was in junior high when the MP3 became a popular format, and like other MP3 addicts in the world, I fell into its trap.  It pains me to admit that I sacrificed audio quality for file size.  I filled my computer with MP3s and deluded myself into thinking 192 kb/s is as good as it gets.

Recently I hit rock bottom:  my hard drive crashed.  Days and days worth of MP3s vanished.  Instead of relapsing into an MP3 binge, I took the higher road and discovered lossless audio.

Nearly everyone will agree that the file sizes of uncompressed audio are unmanageable:  a six minute WAV song will cost you 200 MB.  (Cf. Deadmau5 advocates uncompressed audio.)  Thus, in the height of file sharing the MP3 became popular by reducing a six minute song to 7 MB.  People, admittedly including yours truly, sacrificed audio quality for the ease of file managment.

In this day and age, where media junkies use terabyte hard drives and have high speed internet, it is unfathomable why the MP3 is still in use.  Perhaps we are blindly following the MP3 tradition (see e.g. The Monkey Experiment regarding traditions without meaning), but it is time to stop.  I have switched to FLAC media.  FLAC is a lossless compressed audio codec.  A 6 minute song in FLAC will take up a hefty 43 MB, but it is worth it.  Recently I discovered the remastered Beatles and Pink Floyd catalogs in lossless, and now I know why older folks dispise MP3s.  The cymbals are crisper, the bass has detail instead of just thumping, and the acoustic guitars and voices sound like they are in the same room as you.  Not to mention the Beatles remasters have superb production quality.  And just imagine the beauty of electronic music in lossless format--I reaquired Armin van Buuren's Imagine in lossless and heard more of his god-like production skills than ever before.

FLAC has one minor limitation, however:  Apple does not like it.  FLACs play on many popular programs such as VLC, foobar2000, MediaMonkey, Winamp, and Toast, but not iTunes or Windows Media Player.  Luckily for us iPod users, Apple has created their proprietary ALAC format, which is basically the same as FLAC.  All it takes is a simple lossless conversion (I use xrecode, which is also handy for splitting podcasts into tracks with CUE files) and you can turn FLACs into ALACs to listen to in iTunes and your iPod.  Similarly, using xRecode one can convert FLACs into lossless WMAs (make sure to pick the lossless option), which will play in Windows Media Player.

If I haven't convinced you yet, I offer exhibits 1, 2, and 3:  my newest song "Euphoria" encoded in lossless FLAC, 128 kbps MP3, and 192 kbps MP3, respectively.  I recommend listening to the FLAC version first to open up your ears.  While the 192 version is superior to the 128, the FLAC version excels in the complex parts of the song, letting the high hats shine through the synthesizers.

1:  FLAC

2:  128 kbps MP3

3:  192 kbps MP3

To really test yourself, perform a double-blind experiment:  load all three into a playlist and shuffle it.  See if you can tell the difference and let me know in the comments what you think.

Sidechain Compression Is What Makes the World Go 'Round

For my first post on this blog, I'd like to discuss my obsession with sidechain compression. Its the sound that puts the bounce in my step while walking around the City bearing headphones. Its the musical technique DJs employ to move the floor like a choreographed ocean wave. Its the uncredited cousin of house music's "umm cha umm cha umm cha."

"What exactly is tonotopik talking about", you ask?

Technically, sidechain compression is a production technique. It uses a compressor (device that reduces the volume of an input when it reaches above a set threshold amount) to dynamically effect the output based on the sidechain input. The sidechain input is most usually a bass drum signal. So, whenever the bass drum hits, the compressor reduces the volume of the track being compressed, and as the bass drum releases, the compressor raises the attack level of the track. Usually, the compressor is set to a long attack and short release, never letting the level get to the decay point. The result is the fading in and quick release of the track being compressed.

Non-technically, listen to the following clip (The Bloody Beetroots - Dimmakmmunication) and you'll get it. Pay attention to the organ-like synth at the beginning, and then listen to how it changes when the bass drum enters around 0:44. For a more drastic example, pay attention after "Hey DJ" around 1:35.

By the way, it is my dream to DJ a club and drop this track, watching the crowd go nuts after "Hey DJ."

Another one of my favorites is Autoerotique's remix of Lykke Li- Little Bit. Many different tracks of the song are sidechained, including the bass and a little bit (pun intended) of the vocals. Autoerotique also puts most of the instruments on the syncopated off beats, making it impossible for an engrossed listener to sit still.

Another great track is Purple Haze - Bliksem (Purple Haze is the alterego of Sander van Doorn, master of dark and heavy house music).

And, last, no post on sidechain compression could be complete without the modern classic Deadmau5 - Ghosts N Stuff.