Tag: best free digital audio workstation

Free Download Mp4Gain

What is high resolution?

What is the abbreviation for Hi-Res First?

High Resolution is an abbreviation for “High Resolution Audio”. Literally translated, it is “high resolution”. It is straight.

First of all, the digital music we always hear from CDs and smartphones is

Sampling frequency (kHz)
Number of quantization bits (bit)

Sound quality is determined by these two. It is easy. I will briefly explain these two.

Sampling frequency (kHz)
The sample rate (sample rate) is sampling, which is a process necessary to convert analog waveforms such as speech into digital data, and it is the sample rate per unit of time. The unit is generally Hz, but sps (sample per second) can also be used.

wikipedia sample rate

When recording sound digitally, how finely is it recorded per second? It is a unit.

Sound is the vibration of the air. You can listen to the sound by recording the vibration of the air and transmitting the recording to the speaker.

Of course, the more finely chopped and recorded, the softer the sound quality will be. The more frames per second of animation, the more viscous it is.

Generally, the sampling frequency of a CD is 44.1 kHz, which records the vibration of sound at 44100 times per second. This means that · · ·

40,000 times per second!

Number of quantization bits (bit)
In information theory and signal processing, analog data (continuous quantity), such as sampled discrete time signals, is roughly represented by discrete values, such as digital data. The number of bits used to represent a value is called the number of quantization bits, and generally increasing it to broaden the range of values ​​that can be taken as discrete values ​​reduces quantization error and improves quantization precision. .

wikipedia quantification

Earlier, I wrote that the sampling frequency (kHz) is “I am recording the vibration of the sound in increments of ●● times per second!”.

So what is the number of quantization bits (bit)? It is a unit of “how much information is recorded when recording?” .

You are recording very finely in one second, but you are only recording if the recorded content is high or low! In that case, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

It is better to record many times, but if you record a lot of information such as “volume and pitch width” during recording, the sound reproduction rate will increase.

Generally, the number of quantization bits (bit) on a CD is 16 bits. This means that each time the sound is measured, it is recorded at a level of 65,536 steps.

So what about high resolution?
Generally, I wrote that the sound source of the CD is 44.1 kHz / 16 bit, but what is the high resolution?

It is said that “96 kHz / 24 bit” and “192 kHz / 24 bit” are the main sources of high resolution audio.

It’s amazing, just looking at the numbers, it’s about twice that of a CD. Since a lot of information is recorded, the file size is also large compared to a normal CD, the difference is 6.5 times!

Now the main topic is finally from here. There are several videos on Youtube to see if you can listen to the high resolution sound louder than this normal CD sound source with your ears.

Free Download Mp4Gain


Mp4Gain Main Window


Mp4Gain Features


Free Download Mp4Gain

[For beginners] The depth is too deep! Part 3

What are Network Players and Digital Streaming Players?

A network player is a device that plays music over a network such as the Internet.

Purchased music is stored on a hard drive called NAS on the network and, once purchased, can be listened to over the Internet from a network player without having to start a computer.

The reason for putting data on the network is that the capacity of high resolution audio sources is very large. And you can listen to your favorite songs with the operability as if you were listening to music on your smartphone by accessing it with your smartphone.

Digital Audio Commentary Summary
Since the range is too wide to write in a word as digital audio, I explained from analog, digital, and hi-res.

Recently, with the expansion of the Internet, it has become possible to easily listen to high-quality music by streaming playback from a smartphone, or to listen to high-quality music at home with a network player.

Also, we are in an era where high-resolution audio sources can be carried on smartphones.

[2019 Edition] Recommended Audio Shopping Store Rankings
1st place audio buyer

Business travel area Business travel fee / evaluation Overnight support Professionals are enrolled Purchase in store Maximum quantity
All the country free Correspondence until 22:00 ◯ 1 store 80 million yen
Align everyone’s mouth from O Dia mania who has a commitment “convinced was to give me a presentation the price” eat with, audio specialist shopping store, “Mr. Kaitoriya audio”

The upper limit of same day cash purchase is 80 million yen! (Isn’t that too awesome? Lol)

We are also actively buying high-priced equipment that are enthusiastic, and I think we are the best in the country to buy expensive audio equipment.

On top of that, buying the business trip that is rushed in as little as 30 minutes can be a considerable backlog for large products like audio.

Of course, assessment costs and business trip costs are free too, so you can apply with confidence.

[Official] Audio Buyer

2nd place Otoya
Otoya

Business Travel Area Business Travel Fee / Assessment Overnight Support Professionals Enrolled In-Store Purchase Packing Kit
All the country free Until 20:30 ◯ All the country free
The characteristics are the speed of response and the stores spread across the country, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

Professional evaluation by professional eyes. Of course, the negotiations are fine too.

Of course, assessment costs and business trip costs are also free, so you can apply with confidence.

[Official] Otoya

3rd place loud sound
Loud sound

Business Travel Area Business Travel Fee / Assessment Overnight Support Professionals Enrolled In-Store Purchase Packing Kit
Some are not supported for free Until 20:00 ◯ Some are not supported for free
It is a bit inferior to the previous two stores in terms of responsiveness, but it is also a good store specializing in audio purchases.

It supports a wide range of models, from the latest models to the old ones.

It is a bit disappointing that there is only one store, but other than that it is a specialty store.

[Official] Loud sound

Click here to sort by purchase method
Store purchase in store classification
Business Travel Shopping Store Classification
Classification of home purchases
* Please refer to “[2019] Full recommended audio purchase site rating” for how to select the purchase store rating.

[For beginners] The depth is too deep! Part 2

Feedback on the digital audio player

What is a CD?
It is a device that converts the digital signal recorded on the CD into analog information that can be played from the speaker.

Some CD players include portable CD players that can be transported and radio CD cassette players that integrate CDs, cassettes, and speakers. There are also players that read SACD (Super Audio CD), which are almost four times larger than CDs.

What is a D / A converter / digital transport?
D / A converter is also called digital transport in the sense of digital / analog converter. Recently, the acronym DAC has become more common.

Whether it is an analog or digital recording, you must convert it to analog to play it through the speakers. The D / A converter plays that role, and it is an electronic circuit that converts digital signals to analog signals. Most of the D / A converters are installed in the player, but the digitized signal is restored to analog, but the sound quality changes a lot with a single D / A converter. So you can enjoy the difference in sound by purchasing it. as a single device instead of the DAC installed in the player.

The market price ranges from 10,000 yen to 300,000 yen, and if you look up, there is no end.

What is a system component?
Short for system component, sometimes abbreviated as syscon. Components mean combining, and system components mean building an audio system by combining players, amplifiers, tuners, speakers, etc.

The system component is also excellent in expandability and customizability. You can create an ideal audio environment by incorporating your favorite system, such as Type A for the player, Type B for the amplifier, and Type A for the speaker.

What is a digital player?
The term digital audio player is commonly used.

CD and MD players are also digital audio players, but when it comes to digital audio players, iPods sold by Apple and those sold by SONY and ONKYO are typical digital audio players.

Of course, smartphones also have the function of digital audio players, but if you want to enjoy as a digital audio player, the ones that support high resolution are preferable. However, the price difference is tremendous, from 20,000 yen below to 600,000 yen above.

What is a universal network player?
The universal player can also play CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, SACDs, and a wide variety of recording media. The one that is highly rated as an audio player is probably the universal network player sold by Oppo.

It is considered the highest performing record player ever and is said to have sound quality comparable to that of players in the same price range.

[For beginners] The depth is too deep!

A story about digital audio

Digital audio feedback
As a definition of audio, the playing environment of “player”, “amplifier” and “speaker” is generally referred to as audio.

And digital audio is a device that converts digitized sound to analog and reproduces it.

CD players and iPods also offer excellent digital audio.

Table of Contents
What is analog audio?
The difference between analog and digital
High-resolution sound source that takes advantage of analog and digital technology.
Feedback on the digital audio player
What is a CD?
What is a D / A converter / digital transport?
What is a system component?
What is a digital player?
What is a universal network player?
What are Network Players and Digital Streaming Players?
Digital Audio Commentary Summary
What is analog audio?
The word digital audio came up, but I will also write about analog audio.

As for analog audio, old discs are analog recording media and the equipment that can play those discs is analog audio. The analog signal is sent to a turntable, etc., it is passed through an amplifier, and the sound flows from the speaker.

Record (analog signal) → player (analog signal) → amplifier, speaker
As the name implies, digital audio converts digital recording media, such as digitally recorded CDs, to analog and plays them back.

CD (digital signal) → player (converts digital signal to analog) → amplifier, speaker
Why don’t you reproduce the digitized version digitally? I believe that. Since the speaker, which is the sound output, is analog, it is not possible to reproduce digitized information.

The difference between analog and digital
A characteristic of discs, which are analog recording media, is that recorded sound is recorded with a sense of air and presence. It is characterized by the fact that fine noises and the sound of spinning recording tapes are recorded, and that warm, deep sounds and spaciousness are created. It is around here that it is said that it is hot to hear.

As a characteristic of CD, which is a digital recording medium, data below 20 Hz and 20 kHz, which is said to be inaudible to the human ear, is truncated and converted to data. It is a frequency that is said to be inaudible to the human ear, but is actually experienced correctly.

In addition, since the signal, once digitized, returns to analog and is reproduced, the sensation of air and depth will be less than that of a record.

So why did the times change to CDs?

There are several reasons, but the first is that you need a system that is suitable to reproduce analog sound correctly, while digital can reproduce beautiful enough sound even with a low-priced audio system. Therefore, when the CD was released, the sound was clear and beautiful! The public said it, but in reality, the records have more information and they sound better.

High-resolution sound source that takes advantage of analog and digital technology.
The high resolution word I hear often these days. High resolution is said to be the removal of good quality digital and analog audio.

High resolution means high resolution, and the amount of information that a high resolution sound source has is said to be about 6.5 times the amount of information that a CD has. Since it contains information that cannot be put on a CD, even if it is not a disc, it is possible to clearly express the outline of the sound, such as the thickness and depth of all sound.

Also, the unit of quantity of high resolution information is expressed in XX kHz and XX bits. The higher the kHz value, the greater the range that can be reproduced, and the higher the bit value, the finer and smaller the sound can be reproduced. The main high resolution sound sources are “96 kHz / 24 bit” and “192 kHz / 24 bit”, and the amount of information on the CD is “44.1 kHz / 16 bit”.

The difference between CD and Hi-Res Audio source is clear when you compare them.

Of course, when comparing listening, headphones are required with a solid sound system, but in contrast to the feeling that a CD is listening to the ear, the high-resolution sound source allows sound to flow directly from the ear. to the brain.

We have introduced analog, digital and high resolution, so below we will introduce the players who play them.

What do you like more, analog sound or digital sound? Part 3

 

 

Difference between digital and analog

The sound is analog. And sound is the vibration of the air. How is this sound vibration transmitted?
For example, when a stone is thrown onto a surface of calm water, the ripples spread around it, but if
Cut in the direction of the waves and look at the cut, the waveform is as shown in Fig.1.

Air waves spread from the point where sound is emitted even in air. Although invisible to the eye, it has a
similar waveform. This is the analog waveform of sound.

Therefore, although it is digital, when such a sound waveform is recorded or communicated by phone or wirelessly, as
shown in Fig. 2, the change in the analog waveform is electrically replaced with a series of numerical values ​​according to a certain promise. ..

When recording or communicating, if you handle it as analog, it is easy for noise to enter and the sound quality to deteriorate, but when trying
the waveform of the sound as digital = numerical data, you can eliminate that worry and
maintain a certain quality. You can do various processing while maintaining it.

(2) What is convenient when it is digital?

Digital audio signals are convenient because they can be recorded and edited using a personal computer, for example.

In addition, 74 minutes of music can be recorded on a CD with a diameter of only 12 cm, and through digital compression processing
, music of the same length can be recorded on an MD with a smaller diameter.

Since digital signals can be compressed in this way, it is also convenient for storing large amounts of information.
Not only sound, but also more informative video signals can be recorded and communicated at high speed by using compression technology.

Especially in communication, a two-way digital multiplex communication can be realized communicating multiple pieces of information with a single wire.
In addition to electrical signals, laser optical communication is also possible, so communication is possible at extremely high speeds.

(3) What is the sampling frequency?

Digital signals are processed at predetermined fixed time intervals.
The sample rate (sample rate) indicates how many times a second is processed and is expressed as Fs or fs.

The sampling frequency unit is Hz (Hertz), and the
44.1 kHz (kilohertz) sampling rate means 44,100 pieces of data are processed per second.
(K represents 1000 times)

AD conversion converts a continuous analog signal into a digital signal,
measures the size of the signal at each moment determined by the sampling frequency (sampling) and converts
the result in a binary number (quantization).

On the contrary, DA conversion consists of converting a digital signal into an analog signal,
and the digital signal is read in the time interval of the sample rate and connects smoothly.

Since digital signals can be reproduced up to half the sampling frequency, how much
The higher the sample rate, the higher the playable frequency and the better the sound quality.
In familiar places, 44.1 kHz is adopted for CD and 48 kHz for DAT and mode B of satellite transmission.

Also, recent professional equipment uses high sampling frequencies (high sampling), such as 88.2 kHz and 96 kHz, and is
designed to faithfully reproduce even higher frequency sounds to improve sound quality.

(4) What is bit?

bit is an abbreviation for binary digits.
16 bit and 24 bit in catalogs, etc. they represent the number of digits of binary * that computers handle.

In digital audio, analog sound is converted to a digital signal,
but the number of bits determines how accurately the amplitude value is converted when it is converted to a binary number (quantization) after sampling.
In the case of 1 bit, only 1 or 0 can be judged, but in 8 bit (10001001), 2 raised to the eighth power, that is, 256 steps can be judged in detail.

Currently, the 16-bit mainstream has 65,536 steps and the 24-bit mainstream has 16,777,216 steps.
Now,
there is a part that does not match the actual waveform (analog waveform) and the quantized and sampled digital waveform. This is called quantization noise.
This noise is especially noticeable when the number of bits is small.

So simply increasing the F’s and the number of bits will improve the sound (closer to the original sound)
, but it will consume a lot of memory. Furthermore, in the case of digital recording, it is
It is very important to control the input level to bring out the high quality of the sound.

What do you like more, analog sound or digital sound? Part 2

The development of the Internet has fueled the boom by increasing the amount of information and facilitating the search for the product you are looking for.

Repairs are not as difficult as they used to be, and the variety of repair parts has made it easier to use than in the past.
It is true that vintages are difficult to obtain and maintain, but the market is well established.

At Audioland, we also focus on vintage shopping!
We have experienced repair personnel, so feel free to contact us for repairs.

On the other hand, the audio industry is experiencing a boom in high resolution.
Music Download Image Photo
The revolution in audio technology is the advent of CDs, but the push to push it away is “high resolution.”
Adobe has released Photoshop, an image correction and processing software, and the word “resolution” in the manual is abbreviated as “resolution.”
“Is this image sufficient for resolution?” “Low resolution” and so on.
The high resolution etymology is “high resolution printing”.

The power of high resolution is a sound source that has more than three times the amount of information as a CD and several dozen times more information than a compressed sound source such as MP3 or AAC.
It is possible to express this difference or the richness of the sound more than a CD.
By definition, if you have information specifications higher than CD, you can call yourself high resolution.
High-resolution sound sources have been around for some time, but they were not widely used because they required quite expensive equipment to reproduce them.
The widespread use of high-resolution audio is largely due to the improved infrastructure of the Internet environment.

It’s often thought that you need to buy a compatible high-resolution device to enjoy high-resolution audio sources, but you can fully enjoy it with today’s amplifiers and speakers.
There is also information that tube and high resolution amplifiers are surprisingly compatible.
At least you need to prepare a player with hard disk, network player or USB-DAC.
Of course, if it is a compatible high resolution device, it will show the maximum performance, but even if it is not, you can feel the difference between CD and high resolution.

How to hear high-resolution sound better? Aiming at the height of the clear sound …
Recently, the number of high-resolution audio devices has increased and tuning knowledge has also emerged.
It’s digital so you can let it go! It’s boring and boring! That is not the case.
It is up to the listener to save or remove the high-spec sound source.

Use an audio LAN cable
The data size of high-resolution audio sources is 3 to 7 times larger than that of CDs.
Since it contains many tiny electrical signals, the noise and vibration are more severe than ever and there is no loss.
Even if you prepare a good network player, it will be difficult to highlight the true value of high resolution if the surrounding environment such as NAS, router and personal computer is not good.
In particular, the noise suppression of cables is as important as conventional audio.

Clean the power supply
It is a fact that the waveform of the AC power supply for home use is altered.
Since routers and personal computers were not originally made as audio equipment, protection against noise is excellent.
You do not need to be qualified for electrical work to change the power supply.
Replacing the output board with audio will reduce high-frequency noise and increase the feeling of silence.
Power boxes and power cables are also available from various companies, such as Saek and Luxman.

Increase the importance of the existence of boards and insulation.
Common to audio is the vibration of the floor of the speakers. This shakes the CD players and amplifiers.
In the case of high resolution, the network player and DAC are mechanical, but the NAS has rotational vibration due to the HDD, and the personal computer also has fan noise to dissipate heat.
Put compact items like routers, NAS, and USB-DAC together on the board and use another board or insulator for large items.

Enrich the range with super tweeters and subwoofers

Super tweeter sales seem to be strong due to the hi-res boom.
It seems that the super high range above 20 kHz, which is cut off on CD, also contains harmonic components that stimulate brain waves, although it is not audible.

What do you like more, analog sound or digital sound?

The appeal of audio that cannot be talked about with technique alone

“I like the irresistible sound that flows from the gramophone”, “that listening to play in front of how to listen to the sound of the album has been fulfilled so far you also with the clients that”.
It goes without saying that the sound quality is inferior to that of modern playback equipment, but it feels more attractive than that.
I will try to blur the worldview and the allure of audio that won’t change even if technology evolves.

Table of Contents

The reality is concentrated in the technical limitations of the 1 SP registers
2 History repeats itself! Is the record boom these days real?
3 exciting vintage market
4 On the other hand, the audio industry is experiencing a boom in high resolution
5 How to hear high-resolution sound better? Aiming at the height of the clear sound …
5.1 Use a LAN cable for audio
5.2 Cleaning the power supply
5.3 Improving the importance of the existence of boards and insulation
5.4 Enriching the range with super tweeters and subwoofers
6 5 masterpieces you want to hear and compare between digital (Hi-Res / CD) and analog (recording)
6.1 Piano Concerto No. Rachmaninov # 2 [classic] / Nobuyuki Tsujii x Yutaka Sado
6.2 [Jazz] I don’t know why / Norah Jones
6.3 [Rock] Eagles / Hotel California
6.4 [Soul] Stand By Me / Ben E. King
6.5 [Fusion] Palladíum / Weather report
7 Even if the sound quality and audio equipment change, there are things that do not change.
The reality is concentrated in the technical restrictions of the SP registers
Gramophone photo
Speaking of the latest in analog, is it an SP record?
SP is an abbreviation for “standard playback”.
Discs made from the second half of 1890 were not produced in Japan in 1962 at the end.
The playback time is 10 inches and there is a limit of about 4 minutes on one side, and it is a record for a gramophone that rotates at a high speed of 78 rotations per minute.
By the way, the LP record has 33 rotations per minute, which has a wider range and less noise than the SP.
The record makes a sound due to the friction between the stylus and the board, so it wears out.
In particular, the treble fades every time it is played, and it takes time and effort to change the needle each time to enjoy it for a long time.
Recording was done using the “direct cut method” which presses the sound picked up by the microphone directly onto the recording board.
It’s a one-time recording where the performers gather in front of the mic and pick up the sound, so it’s important how to play deeply in no time.
That live feeling is a huge draw that digital doesn’t have.
Since the sound produced is recorded on the disc as is, the atmosphere of the place is recorded realistically.
In a sense, it has a more vivid and realistic view of the world than modern processed sound sources, and I think the noise and sound quality restrictions make the listener’s imagination work.
Listening to music from that era the way you enjoy it will make it even more interesting.
Modern digital audio equipment is an honor student, while analog is a naughty and badass kid.
However, the album has a very human character that analog is more attractive.

History repeats itself! Is the record boom these days real?
record image
Records have fallen since the advent of CDs, but in recent years the production of LP records has surpassed one million in Europe and one million in the United States.
The number of records produced is also gradually increasing in Japan.
Many reprints and new songs have been released regardless of genre, such as rock, jazz, and classical music.
The number of major record stores, such as the HMV record store, is gradually increasing and is a great success.
Also, the only record press factory in Asia, “Toyo Kasei”, has decided to print LPs and singles for a few years, and is said to be fully operational.
The return of the active Atalog generation, mainly in their 60s, is driving the record boom.
It will also feel cool and fresh to young people.
It’s not uncommon for teens to download music these days, and even if they hear it as a “recommended masterpiece,” it doesn’t come to mind.

A booming vintage market

The image of vintage = antiques is an old story, and now I feel that more and more people are enjoying the classic instruments of yesteryear.
In the old days, it was the talkies era like Western Electric, but Marantz 7, McIntosh MC275, JBL Paragon, Tannoy autograph, gems that couldn’t be bought at the time are on the move.