New audio format - MQA

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wren
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New audio format - MQA

Post by wren » Tue Feb 24, 2015 11:49 am

Any of y'all heard about this?

http://www.musicischanging.com/

A little more detail here: http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/in_the_studio43/
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Waltz Mastering
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Post by Waltz Mastering » Tue Feb 24, 2015 1:39 pm

"We go all the way back to the original master recording and
capture it completely. Every detail, every tiny drop
of emotion, is authentically reproduced.

Which means, for the first time in the history of recorded
music, you?re really hearing the artist?s performance."


Wait,..didn't Neal Young say that.. and the guys at Mastered for Itunes.
something tells me this is going to end in fisticuffs...

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vvv
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Post by vvv » Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:51 pm

:lol:
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wren
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Post by wren » Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:33 pm

On the one hand I like the theoretical utility of it - having a lossless version and a compressed version in one single file is nifty (if I'm understanding it right - the info is a bit sparse).

But yeah: the marketing and description of it is hilarious. The "authenticated" bit seems like total nonsense. And I completely agree with the first line of Bobby Owsinski's article.
"I don't need time, I need a deadline." -Duke Ellington

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kslight
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Post by kslight » Tue Feb 24, 2015 8:40 pm

wren wrote:On the one hand I like the theoretical utility of it - having a lossless version and a compressed version in one single file is nifty (if I'm understanding it right - the info is a bit sparse).

But yeah: the marketing and description of it is hilarious. The "authenticated" bit seems like total nonsense. And I completely agree with the first line of Bobby Owsinski's article.
I didn't really study the article but I thought that it streamed the "lossless" version so not really "in" the file.

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vvv
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Post by vvv » Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:09 am

I understood it to be a FLAC file inna MP3 wrapper, such that a MP3 player could play as MP3, and the add-on "MQA decoder" ("harware, software or app") would allow the "complete" lossless FLAC file to be played.

My guess is it's really a FLAC file that can be accessed in that format with the MQA decoder, or as a lower-res MP3 file witha ordinary MP3 player.

Mebbe has two file headers?

Just thinkin' aloud ...
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Post by kslight » Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:58 am

This is what made me think that the actual audio is streamed: There?s another part to this that?s interesting. The actual music file that is being downloaded or streamed can first be authenticated by the owner (the artist or record label). If you?re using Meridian?s new MQA decoder hardware a little green LED will light to tell you that you?re listening to an authenticated version.

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vvv
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Post by vvv » Wed Feb 25, 2015 6:59 pm

Pardon this ol' English major ...

"... an interesting way to pack a lossless encode into an MP3 container."

"... backwards compatible with any player that can play a standard MP3 file." (not necessarily streaming ...)

"The actual music file that is being downloaded or streamed can first be authenticated ...."

" Hi-res download site 7Digital and streaming service TIDAL ...."

(italics mine)
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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:07 pm

Yet Another Fucking Computer Audio Format.

Oh my.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Drone
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Post by Drone » Fri Apr 10, 2015 6:04 am

vvv wrote:I understood it to be a FLAC file inna MP3 wrapper, such that a MP3 player could play as MP3, and the add-on "MQA decoder" ("harware, software or app") would allow the "complete" lossless FLAC file to be played.

My guess is it's really a FLAC file that can be accessed in that format with the MQA decoder, or as a lower-res MP3 file witha ordinary MP3 player.

Mebbe has two file headers?

Just thinkin' aloud ...
Does FLAC go beyond 16-bit 44.1KHz?
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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vvv
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Post by vvv » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:49 pm

Source EncoderEdit
FLAC supports only fixed-point samples, not floating-point. It can handle any PCM bit resolution from 4 to 32 bits per sample, any sampling rate from 1 Hz to 655,350 Hz in 1 Hz increments,[10] and any number of channels from 1 to 8.


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC
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iriebill1
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Better sound through marketing (sorry Bose)

Post by iriebill1 » Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:51 am

The Toyota-priced audiophile DACs seem to all offer it or are threatening to; so we may have to pay attention as it works to more regular consumers' product.
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Post by iriebill1 » Wed Apr 22, 2015 9:17 am

Alphabet soup of less and better quality:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_audio_player_software

personally I like tape, vinyl, and hi-rez PCM, and DSD but nobody asked me (and,what's more, I know how to record and play them back!).
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Post by tjcasey1 » Tue Apr 28, 2015 9:37 am

iriebill1 wrote:Alphabet soup of less and better quality:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_audio_player_software
J-H-Christ! I just looked at that list! Who really NEEDS that many formats?

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