CIN3MA

"I can score any emoticon in town."

As Live365 paves the way for higher quality music streaming, I thought I should update the way I do things. In the past, I used to work with lower bit rate mp3 and archive them in (please don’t shoot me)… mp3!

Only about a year ago, I took my head out of my ass and started archiving music in FLAC. At this point, I have about 5% of the Permanent Waves library in FLAC and the rest is a bit rate mixture of mp3s. So I have been contemplating slowly re-editing and normalizing the current tracks, giving me both the optimal sound quality and at the same time the freedom to down-convert to any other Internet-friendly format.

As I have mentioned before, Live365 announced some changes which will take effect next year. One of which is that the maximum bit rate will either be 128 Kbps or 96 Kbps (MP3Pro). Considering the following facts:

• Music, on average, will most likely be played on computer speakers;
• Many listeners tune in from their workplaces where bandwidth might be monitored and restrictions enforced;
• Not all listeners have an MP3Pro-decoding player;
• Finally, the fact that 128 Kbps music takes more space on the server than 96 Kbps—meaning my track quantity ceiling will be lower.

Which format should I go with? If you guys already enjoy the current 64 Kbps sound, then I’d rather be conservative and go with 96 Kbps. Although please feel free to post your comments!

By the way, I added three new tracks which I hope you like:

• Inspiration (Angel)
• The Water Wheel (The Painted Veil)… Thanks to Sylvia!
• Distilling Roses (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Enjoy!