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MP3 vs. AIFF - Performance Differences?
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MP3 vs. AIFF - Performance Differences?

Product
Scratch Live
Version
-
Hardware
Ortofon | Serato S-120
Computer
-
OS
Platform
-
mrfett 5:34 AM - 2 August, 2004
I'm wondering if there is any difference from a processors standpoint between using AIFFs or WAVs as opposed to using MP3s. Does decoding MP3s take more resources that playing uncompressed files? Or do uncompressed files somehow contribute to increased latency since the file sizes are bigger? I'm a new user trying to figure out the best medium to convert my files to. It seems like MP3s create audio drop-outs more often than AIFs, but I'm not sure yet. Any advice would be appreciated.
feniks 2:29 PM - 2 August, 2004
this has been discussed in an earlier thread. do a search for it...

short answer is that mp3s would increase the work on the CPU as they have to be decoded before playing. AIFFs are very similar to wav files in that they are uncompressed....therefore they do not need to be decoded and use less CPU power (they also are higher in audio quality but take up much more space on your drive).
BadCompany 3:26 PM - 2 August, 2004
.wavs are much larger files, thus they require more disk access, so more resources yes... (disk access also depends on what type of file system you are using [ntfs - fat])

from my experience it really doesnt make much of a difference... cept .wavs sound MUCH better than mp3s...

im on a: toshiba A25 P4 2.7 ghz/ 512 mb/ 40gb ... no problems w/ either mp3s or wavs (wavs just sound better)
SpinThis! 4:59 PM - 2 August, 2004
just to clarify, garage in -> garbage out so it depends on your source too... converting a mp3 into an aif or wav won't make the file sound better, it'll just take up more space on the disk.
nik39 5:01 PM - 2 August, 2004
Quote:
garage in -> garbage out


Whats wrong with garage music? I like it :-)
SpinThis! 5:28 PM - 2 August, 2004
oops, garbage ;)
mrfett 6:31 PM - 2 August, 2004
thanks for the info, sorry i didn't search first. i'm trying to use traktor for some things as well, and it doesn't recognize tags in AIFFs unless you tag them in Traktor, so I'm thinking of switching to MP3s encoded with LAME's "insane" preset. again, thanks for the help!
Stuart Ramdeen 8:02 PM - 2 August, 2004
hey SpinThis!, I thought you liked my garage!

:-D