What is a good bitrate guide for mp3 files? Part 2
For voice recordings such as lectures or language lessons saved to waveforms, a bit rate of 32 kilobits per second (kbps) is acceptable, although 64 kbps may provide better quality, depending on the source.
At 32 kbps, the sound may sound “flat”, but that’s understandable. A 64 kbps MP3 file created from a voice recording should sound nearly identical to the original.
Desaturated acoustic music with simple arrangements should work fine at 192kbps bitrate. You can choose 256 kbps if the music will be played on a high quality device. Music that falls into this category includes folk, “boy band” songs, easy listening, and folk music. There are also works by many classic artists such as James Taylor, Linda Longstadt, Jonny Mitchell, and Simon Garfunkel.
To produce high-quality MP3 files of classical and jazz music, the optimal bitrate depends on the characteristics of the song. Smooth jazz can usually be copied at 192kbps to create a good balance between file size and diminishing returns, although 256kbps may sound better in a home entertainment center. A classical orchestra should be 256kbps for a portable player, but if you want to burn a CD at home or in your car, a 320kbps file might be a better choice.
For saturated music such as hard rock, metal, arena, pop, electronic and house music, 320 kbps will provide the best results. The higher the number of bits per second, the more complex acoustic envelope will be preserved.
If possible, it’s best to create MP3 files with variable bit rates. This allows the encoding program to determine if a particular frame of music requires the full bit rate. Otherwise, the program will reduce data retention for that frame, resulting in a smaller file without sacrificing quality. Forcing the program to “oversample” frames can produce artifacts.
While this article is intended as a general guide, he or she may be equally satisfied with a lower bitrate for a particular song or songs in general. Many factors affect our ability to judge the quality of music, not only the devices we use but also our activities while listening to it. For example, for those who listen to MP3 files while exercising or taking a walk, external noise can make it more difficult to tell the difference in quality. Conversely, audiophiles may prefer to sample at 320kbps, regardless of their equipment, type of music, or listening habits.
If you create your own MP3 files, there are other settings that affect quality. LAME is an excellent MP3 encoder and it is free and has many graphical interfaces as the interface for this popular command line program. LAME allows users to adjust many settings to generate high-quality MP3 files in seconds. You can also experiment with various bitrates in your source file to find the best subjective balance between quality and file size.
