Using Linux to manage a large audio collection [LWN.net]

Using Linux to manage a large audio collection

Posted Mar 9, 2006 5:15 UTC (Thu) by jwb (subscriber, #15467)
Parent article: Using Linux to manage a large audio collection

Why did you convert the DATs to 44.1KHz? I ask because, in the first place, sox uses an incredibly bad sample rate conversion algorithm with high distortion. Secondly, because most computers can record and playback at 48KHz just fine. In fact many computers can only playback at that sample rate. And finally, 48KHz operation is almost universally supported in the external DACs to which you might hope to connect your computer's S/PDIF port.

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I'd like to second that.

Posted Mar 9, 2006 9:56 UTC (Thu) by dion (subscriber, #2764) [Link]

My thoughts exactly, it may not matter much because it's only the higher frequencies that get trampled, but converting from 48k to 44.1k is going to cause the same kinds of problems as when you run 800x600 on a 1024x768 lcd screen.

If I had a bunch of music sampled at 48k then I'd do everything I could to preserve it like that.

... oh and why not use flac in stead of wav?

Using Linux to manage a large audio collection

Posted Mar 9, 2006 18:03 UTC (Thu) by cook (editor, #4) [Link]

> Why did you convert the DATs to 44.1KHz?
A legitimate question, I don't like resampling because it
loses information. It's mostly a historical decision, the files were
resampled several years ago when my goal was to burn everything onto
CD-R. I already have a large dataset that is all at 44.1K.
My recent effort has been trying to rescue all of that processed CD
source data. Besides, I still may want to burn the occasional CD-R and
it simplifies that process to start with 44.1K files.
I have not really noticed a big change in sound quality, but my ears'
high frequency response isn't what it used to be.
On a similar topic, I played with a SoundBlaster live card a while back,
feeding 44.1K data to its S/PDIF input causes it to convert to and from
its 48K internal clock frequency, leaving noticeable audio distortion.
I prefer inputting S/PDIF through the CMI8738 chip, it is basically a
simple UART. One *does* have to uncomment some lines in the kernel
driver code to make S/PDIF input work on the 8738.