MP3 tracks vs CDs

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by Edward G.

Ps I prefer vinyl over cd when it comes down to music, Lifeflow on vinyl
is a bit too much to ask for, though..

You think ?

I kinda feel like a barbarian not really caring about sound quality...

[Edward G.]

Hahahaha, dear Edwin,
Lifeflow on vinyl, now that will be something....
A half an our on each side, -is possible-
turning it over will be an excellent ceremonial meditation practice,
and a chance to stretch my legs since I listen to Lifelow in Zazen.

I kinda feel like a barbarian not really caring about sound quality...

Don't worry about it, it is everyone's choice.
I happen to be lucky with this stereo system, it was thrown at me more or less,
and it was almost precise what I all ways had in mind...( "The Secret?" No, my dear brother...)
Anyway, some people brag about their car.....
By the way, nobody over here seams to worry about the financial crises in the world...
Meditation does take away most worries...
Ohm Shanti
Edward

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by Edward G.

By the way, nobody over here seams to worry about the financial crises in the world...
Meditation does take away most worries...

True, I am not as worried about the financial crisis as I probably should be as an entrepeneur.
still, my business could do better. If you happen to know a big job for a locksmith from Alkmaar

[Michael Mackenzie]

I would like to explain for people using the download version of LifeFlow why I have chosen to use joint stereo mode.

When anyone asks questions like "Why joint stereo mode? Why not lossless option?" they may be falling for some common misinformation regarding mp3 formatting that you will find all over the web, namely, that joint stereo always results in Left/Right channel mixing.

When converting from wav files you can choose full stereo or joint stereo. A common myth is that full stereo is a better sound conversion but when you're converting to a compression format such as mp3 full stereo gives a more distorted playback.

Beyond that, the term "joint stereo" is something of a misnomer in that it implies there is a mixing of the Left and Right stereo channels.

Under that heading there are actually two different encoding formats, Intensity Stereo and Mid/Side or "M/S Stereo". Of these two, only intensity stereo mixes the L/R channel information. Intensity stereo was designed to improve the playback quality of tracks 96kbps or less. Encoding a track with a higher bit rate than 96kbps in intensity stereo does give you progressively poorer quality sound reproduction and there is drift between the L/R channels.

However, with the exception of one older encoder called "Xing", virtually all of the current generation of sound encoders automatically encode in M/S stereo if you select a conversion bitrate higher than 96kbps, and M/S stereo does not result in sound drift or degraded sound reproduction, especially at a bitrate as high as the 192kbps that the LifeFlow tracks have been converted to.

That's why there is no technical necessity to change the formatting from mp3. I would also add, that the vast majority of people do not have the software to be able to play back files encoded in FLAC or some of these other so called "lossless" file formats.

Be assured, the LifeFlow downloadable series will bring the same benefits as the physcial CD's do.

Michael

[mwjames]

Actually almost anyone can play back lossless formats. Any iPod except the shuffle can play back Apple Lossless (ALAC). And almost any other kind of [non-iPod] player can play back FLAC, either natively or via Rockbox.

The actual lossless format provided doesn't much matter since, being lossless, they're easily transformed one to another without, well, loss.

There's already a LifeFlow CD option but its price is higher. I'm suggesting that a third option between downloadable MP3 and physical CD in terms of sound quality+price would be a welcome addition for, say, the frugal audiophile demographic. :-) Meanwhile, I'll address anything further directly to support.

[Grey]

Originally Posted by mwjames

And almost any other kind of player can play back FLAC, either natively or via Rockbox.

i use windows player and it does not play flac files. i have tried to download the plugin for it but it never works right. says it is installed but when i try to play a flac file it says i need to install a plugin. i have no idea what rockbox is but i doubt i have the technical know how to put it to use. i went to the flac homepage and these are the players they say will play flac files:

abcde, alsaplayer, amarok, aqualung, atunes, beep media player, boss ogg, cynthiune, disorder, flac-tools, giantdisc, jreceiver, media center flac plugins, mpd, mplayer, mpxplay, muine, musik, mythtv, play, ripperx, soepkip tng, symbian oggplay, thomer's music vault, video lan, xine, xmcd, xmms.

never heard of any of these. their list says many are built for linux, some for palm, some for mac, and a few for windows. some don't say one way or the other. i would not have any idea where to begin.

i am glad Michael stayed with the simple mp3. i just want to be able to use the entrainment tracks and the current download versions are something i can work with even with my limited knowledge. maybe the solution for more tech savvy people like yourself is to get the cd version and rip tracks to whatever format appeals to you.

[Jeb]

I feel there is some amount of evidence that we are getting a less than superior product by downloading. Why not just send out a CD every month and charge an extra buck or two? That way, no one will feel like he/she is being cheated in any way. Meditating with downloaded LifeFlow if there is no advantage, what's the point of the monetary outflow? I would certainly rather have the CD.