[Cin] offtopic: Digitize and record Audio via Line-In Jack or via USB adapter?

Terje J. Hanssen terjejhanssen at gmail.com
Wed Oct 6 01:31:47 CEST 2021


Mat

Thank you for your time and effort to reply:

Den 05.10.2021 21:26, skrev mat via Cin:

........snip
> === Terje:=====
> 5) I am unsure how to practically go from here to record the Audio music files.
> ================
>
> 8) Which tab/buttons for input in Audiacity (possibly tape/noise
> filters) - I could not find the PCM2902 input or see any sound response
> here
>
> I suggest to try Audacity first. In Edit->Preferences->Devices,
> Host Alsa, playback device pulse, recording default (or pulse), 1 or 2
> channels as desired.
> Edit->Preferences->Recording, record on new track (each time you start
> a recoding you get a new audio track).
> Then, on the main menu, click on the filed that says "click to start
> monitoring", this will send input to output, so if your output device
> is line out it will come out there.
> For recording, the red button starts recording, the black square button
> stops.
> The advantage of using Pulse is that pavucontrol will show recoding
> applications, you should also see the signal coming in when an
> application is recording (has opened the input channel). This can be
> seen on the Input Devices tab.
>
> You don't see the device as such, it is "abstracted" by both Also and
> then PulseAudio.
>
> === Terje:=====
> 9) Would it be reasonable to record and archive in lossless FLAC format
> and afterwards convert with ffmpeg? to smaller files format of good
> quality, typical MP3 at 320 kbps (for car usb player) and MP4A for home
> HiFi?
> ================
> FLAC is very good, it itself is lossless. Audacity can export to a
> variety of formats (File->Export), I usually use mp3 or wav.
> Note that if you do a lot of editing on a recording is it better to
> save the project, that avoid converting back-and-forth between flac and
> the interanl Audacity 32 bit floats.
> Audicity is a good editor, you record first, save the original
> recoding, then apply filters/effects/cuts etc . Like CinGG, keep the
> original intact.
>
> Offhand, I'd say you must have extremely good hearing to hear
> differences between MP3 320kbps and the original. For cars, I myself
> would not go above 128 kbps. MP3 at 320 kbps is much better than most
> home HiFi. And if the source is not digital, (but tape or cassette),
> 128 kpbs MP3 is already much better than the source material.
>
........snip

I understand and aggree with you regarding MP3 128 kbps for tape and 
cassette sources. Rather than highest bit-rate often variable bit-rate 
is used.

I just wonder what is the original recording format used by Audiacity, 
i.e something compatible for playback by other programs?

In the meantime, and before I continue with Audiacity, I recorded a few 
simple test clip (from my Audio CD through UFO202) with two small audio 
recording programs.

Of interest regarding MP3 format, "gnome-sound-recording" looks to apply 
320 kbps Variable, while "audio-recording" rather uses 48 kbps Variable 
(tool dependent). audio-recorder describes flac, mp3, m4a (aac) 44khz) 
as "cd-quality".


File format output as follows:
=======================
*gnome-sound-recorder*

~/Recordings> file *.*

Clip-5.ogg:  Ogg data, Vorbis audio, stereo, 44100 Hz, ~112000 bps, 
created by: Xiph.Org libVorbis I
Clip-6.flac: FLAC audio bitstream data, 16 bit, stereo, 44.1 kHz, length 
unknown
Clip-7.mp3:  Audio file with ID3 version 2.3.0, contains:MPEG ADTS, 
layer III, v1, 320 kbps, 44.1 kHz, JntStereo


~/Recordings> mediainfo *.* | egrep 'name|Format|bit rate'

Complete name                            : Clip-5.ogg
Format                                   : Ogg
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 103 kb/s
Track name                               : /home/terje/Recordings/Clip 5
Format                                   : Vorbis
Format settings, Floor                   : 1

Complete name                            : Clip-6.flac
Format                                   : FLAC
Format/Info                              : Free Lossless Audio Codec
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Track name                               : /home/terje/Recordings/Clip 6
Format                                   : FLAC
Format/Info                              : Free Lossless Audio Codec

Complete name                            : Clip-7.mp3
Format                                   : MPEG Audio
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Track name                               : /home/terje/Recordings/Clip 7
Format                                   : MPEG Audio
Format version                           : Version 1
Format profile                           : Layer 3
Format settings                          : Joint stereo

================

*audio-recorder*

~/Lydopptak> file *.*
2021-10-05-21:27:18.flac: FLAC audio bitstream data, 16 bit, stereo, 
44.1 kHz, 4428081 samples
2021-10-05-21:42:41.mp3:  Audio file with ID3 version 2.3.0, 
contains:MPEG ADTS, layer III, v1,  48 kbps, 44.1 kHz, JntStereo
2021-10-05-21:44:29.wav:  RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE audio, 
Microsoft PCM, 16 bit, stereo 44100 Hz
2021-10-05-21:46:39.wav:  RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE audio, 
Microsoft PCM, 16 bit, mono 22050 Hz


~/Lydopptak> mediainfo *.* | egrep 'name|Format|bit rate'

Complete name                            : 2021-10-05-21:27:18.flac
Format                                   : FLAC
Format/Info                              : Free Lossless Audio Codec
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 1 145 b/s
Format                                   : FLAC
Format/Info                              : Free Lossless Audio Codec

Complete name                            : 2021-10-05-21:42:41.mp3
Format                                   : MPEG Audio
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 31.8 kb/s
Format                                   : MPEG Audio
Format version                           : Version 1
Format profile                           : Layer 3
Format settings                          : Joint stereo / MS Stereo

Complete name                            : 2021-10-05-21:44:29.wav
Format                                   : Wave
Overall bit rate mode                    : Constant
Overall bit rate                         : 1 411 kb/s
Format                                   : PCM
Format settings                          : Little / Signed

Complete name                            : 2021-10-05-21:46:39.wav
Format                                   : Wave
Overall bit rate mode                    : Constant
Overall bit rate                         : 353 kb/s
Format                                   : PCM
Format settings                          : Little / Signed

------------
Terje

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