Wav to MP3 -best method for highest quality

Hey Stevie,

best best way to my advice is bouncefrom Logic>MP3>bit rate stereo 320 kbps>normalize unchecked
regards,

Jorge

As far as I'm aware you should get the same results from the Logic or iTunes for compression. One of the factors of compression quality is the quality of the file you are starting with. I would not bounce from Logic and use iTunes to convert, I would bounce straight to MP3 when working in Logic. But since you are starting with an audio file and just want to compress it then iTunes should do fine. Sound quality and file size are directly related. The higher the bit rate the larger the file but the better the sound. If they specifically want MP3s then AACs won't be what they want but if that is OK then you will get a small file size with comparable audio quality as compared to MP3s.

Cheers

in terms of quality, AAC is far better sounding vs mp3.. however, if your client has specifically asked for mp3 then you will want to check what the intended use actually is. if your client wants to have basic mp3s to distribute among the general public, then you will probably have to stick with mp3 because pretty much anything (PC, mac, ipod, generic mp3 player, DVD player etc etc) can read it. just go for the highest data rate you can get away with, while making sure the file size is not too big for your client.

the thing about mp3 is that it has become somewhat of a generic term.. so if for example your client is really just after files to email to various people, and those people are going to be listening on itunes (or you know they are mac users), then AAC is a far better idea. the quality is way better, and you can get away with lower data rates (192 is perfectly fine) and still have perfectly decent audio. but some devices can't play AAC (without downloading a codec I would imagine), which is why mp3 is usually a safer bet for compatibility, even though it sounds worse.

FYI, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia about the AAC format:

"Overall, the AAC format allows developers more flexibility to design codecs than MP3 does, and corrects many of the unfortunate design choices made in the original MPEG 1 audio specification. This increased flexibility often leads to more concurrent encoding strategies and, as a result, to more efficient compression. However in terms of whether AAC is better than MP3, the advantages of AAC are not entirely decisive, and the MP3 specification, while outdated, has proven surprisingly robust in spite of considerable flaws. AAC and HE-AAC are universally accepted as better than MP3 at low bitrates (typically less than 128 kbit/s). This is especially true at very low bitrates where the superior stereo coding, pure MDCT, and more optimal transform window sizes leave MP3 unable to compete. However, as bitrate increases, the efficiency of an audio format becomes less important relative to the efficiency of the encoder's implementation, and the intrinsic advantage AAC holds over MP3 no longer dominates audio quality."

Compressor which comes woth Logic Studio will batch convert your wavs into MP3 - AAC whatever, there is no need to import them into Logic. Depending on the material choose a 192-320 k resolution.

You do not have to use VBR. If it is acceptable to your client to use it then it will help with file size reduction when encoding.

Cheers

don't even sweat it.. I'm hardly ever on here these days and when I am, it's not exactly for star fishing..

glad to have been of some help.