Selecting settings for audio mixdowns

Darrell MacInnis

Hey Everybody: A few days ago someone was discussing bits and khz for their recordings. I should have made a note of it at that time, but spent so much time reading and learning from all the posts here, I never found my way back to that specific post. Can I re-open that discussion, now.? There was recently a public lead from a client looking for a recording, specifically done in top quality (clear) mono,16bits & 44.100khz... those instructions were very clear. I'm editing in Cubase LE. My audio mixdown settings do not allow for the configuration stated by the client. So, I did a mixdown from wav to a mp3 at 16bits, 11khz (i think it was) and in mono... played it back and it was not clear and certainly not high quality. The settings I normally use on my mixdowns are 96kbit/s,44.100khz and stereo. I redid the mixdown and it sounded much better. My questions are as follows: what setting(s) are considered best for audio quality? also... if I may extend this diatribe to include EQ's does anyone out there have the trained ear to recommend what lo's, mid's and highs are best for an individual? From what I've read on this forum, I think there are more than a few of us "newer" talents who find these kinds of issues tough to resolve... while I've also noticed there are more than a few experienced talents who seem to know this stuff inside out!
My Regards from Toronto,
Darrell MacInnis Confused

Freddie Molina · Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006, 15:42 (GMT) Post subject:

Hello Darrell,

Not a problem, here are the recommended settings: Record at 16bit 44.1, convert to Mp3, 64kbps, Mono, 44.1hz that normally gives the best playback quality.
If your conversion tool does not allow this, try setting it up at 128kbps and select Mono, that should give as result 64kbps Mono.
If it still does not work, download iTunes.

Here are the links to the related postings:

http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=22

http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=62

Hope this helps.

Paxton Greene · Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006, 17:05 (GMT) Post subject:

Thanks Freddie!

Pax

Darrell MacInnis · Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006, 17:52 (GMT) Post subject: Freddie to the rescue.

Who was that masked man? Thanks for the quick response to my questions, Freddie. I've gone through the links you've provided and printed it all. Hopefully, what you've recommended will do the trick.

Regards,

Darrell