Higher Sample Rates. Good, Bad, both ?

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

I do not know how down-sampling is done. If it was done via a D/A, followed by A/D, it should not really matter, if you trust in the math of reconstruction for audio sampled at or above the Nyquist rate, right? Now, it may be more likely that it's done with just math, but I'm in the 48k is just fine club, and anything going to 44.1/16 is likely headed to MP3 anyway, even if it ever went to a CD first...

The degree of accuracy in sample rate conversion can make quite a difference. I certainly have heard degradation with some converters.

Take a look at:
https://src.infinitewave.ca/

RBrain (even the free version does a good job). Years back I was using the converter native to Ableton Live but eventually felt something was amiss. Then I tried RBrain and heard a big improvement. The current version of Ableton Live now does excellent sample rate conversion and I use it exclusively now.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/de...g.html#toc_1ch

also read "Digital Audio Explained for the Audio Engineer" by Nick Aldrich.

Thanks for posting the link. Great read.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/de...g.html#toc_1ch

also read "Digital Audio Explained for the Audio Engineer" by Nick Aldrich.

“Nika” Aldrich. Only because I know him Nika was a real warrior in dispelling die hard myths particularly in the earlier days of digital audio. I actually worked with him for a time. The last contact I had with him however he had hung up his audio hats and was practicing law in Manhattan.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

For the kind of sound design where I'm slowing stuff down a lot and, say, turning pig noises into space monsters, 192 is the only way to go. Otherwise I'm fine with 44.1.

Man!

You made me laugh about the pig noises! Though you are probably serious about that!

- Glenn

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Man!

You made me laugh about the pig noises! Though you are probably serious about that!

- Glenn

The main real-world ingredients in monsters/creatures/aliens & such are pigs, horses and lions, slowed way down, and it's been that way for a long, long time. Easy peasy on analog tape, but with digital at 44.1 or 48 it gets glitchy in a hurry. Starting with a recording at 192, it's a lot better.

For fun, record a belch and slow it way down.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

The main real-world ingredients in monsters/creatures/aliens & such are pigs, horses and lions, slowed way down, and it's been that way for a long, long time. Easy peasy on analog tape, but with digital at 44.1 or 48 it gets glitchy in a hurry. Starting with a recording at 192, it's a lot better.

For fun, record a belch and slow it way down.

Likely depends on how you are changing things, say speed versus tempo, and the DAW. Some ways are more distorting than others.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Likely depends on how you are changing things, say speed versus tempo, and the DAW. Some ways are more distorting than others.

You don't keep tempo/duration the same. As the pitch goes down the file gets longer, like it would with analogue tape. I thought that would be obvious but I forgot where I was. :-)

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

You don't keep tempo/duration the same. As the pitch goes down the file gets longer, like it would with analogue tape. I thought that would be obvious but I forgot where I was. :-)

Cool, did not say that anyway. There are different ways to stretch which choices and resulting sound may vary with your software being used.

From a quick trip to Audacity:
Orginal

http://dcoombsguitar.com/Misc/PigOne.wav

Twenty percent speed:

http://dcoombsguitar.com/Misc/PigSpeed.wav

Twenty percent tempo.

http://dcoombsguitar.com/Misc/PigTempo.wav

[Brent Hahn]

Something like that. :-)

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

The main real-world ingredients in monsters/creatures/aliens & such are pigs, horses and lions, slowed way down, and it's been that way for a long, long time. Easy peasy on analog tape, but with digital at 44.1 or 48 it gets glitchy in a hurry. Starting with a recording at 192, it's a lot better.

For fun, record a belch and slow it way down.

I remember reading in one of my engineering magazines some years ago about how the T-Rex roar in "Jurassic Park" was a combination of several animal samples, some of them slowed down to change the pitch. Seems like there was an elephant, a tiger snarl, an alligator -- It's all pretty fascinating!

That's cool that you get to work with such fascinating stuff!

- Glenn

[rick-slo]

Another link:

https://sonicscoop.com/2016/02/19/th...-when-it-isnt/

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

That's cool that you get to work with such fascinating stuff!

Very seldom, but it's nice to have it in the bag of tricks.

[KevWind]

So I guess we have determined what's important is "how does your sample, rate ? "