Mp3 quality problem

[pafkosta]

I have a few mp3 files that are in 80 kbits and i would like to convert them into a better quality sound life like for example 192 kbit instead of 80. Can anyone help me please with this.
Tks

[hulkenstrong]

80 seems low. are you sure they arent mp3pro and no matter what you reencode them with they whont sound better then the original. So bad source is always bad you cant reencode using higher bitrate and magical get better quality.

[JohnV]

One thing I always wonder:
I very seldom see this kind of questions: "I have very bad quality 350kbps mpeg4 video stream. How can I convert it do DVD-quality video." People automatically understand that you can't improve shitty video to near DVD-quality by increasing bitrate using the same source.

But when it's about audio, somehow people think that shitty source can be converted to better sounding file, although it's the exact same thing here. The information is lost forever when you encode to 80kbps audio file.

[pafkosta]

ok what you said is very nice... but if so, how can the music studios turn worst quality audio like music from the 70s and 80s into better quality if at first they start with worst quality audio.

[Teegedeck]

Because these recordings aren't bad at all! Since the 60s there's very sophisticated studio equipment - some of my favourite classical music recordings are pretty old...

And also given there was a bad old recording, there's a difference between a bad analogue source (distortions on those old tapes) and a bad digital source (pure information-loss and artefacts caused by lossy compression). Information that the encoder just dropped can't be regained; glitches in an analogue stream can to some extent be recovered. And remember, of most of those old recording there exist high quality tapes, only your scratched, old records sound bad. ;)

But you simply can't blow up your Gameboy's screen to HDTV-resolution if you know what I mean. What's not there isn't there.

[SeeMoreDigital]

I very much agree with you Teegedeck.

Digital is a great format but if the bits aren't there, you're up s**t creek if you want to make it sound better.

There are some tricks you can use but they require some serious kit - so unless you are trying to preserve the last sounds of your poor departed grandmother, it's not really worth it!

Ahhh - good old analogue!

Remember DBX anyone?

[pepipocpoc]

Hello, SeeMoreDigital.

I was just wondering what kind of tricks you were talking about ; I have some old AND bad-quality tapes (from an old teacher of mine) that I would very much like to preserve...

Many thanks if you can help.

[BigDid]

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
...Remember DBX anyone?
:) If it's the same, remember a black box, front with one big one small knobs, big was for compression/expansion, small was for sensitivity. Used that device for 2 things
- make better big tapes recording: compressing when recording, expanding when playing;
- adjust the dynamics when playing vinyls; usually compressing the classical orchestra music because you couldnt hear when piano and had to lower the sound when forti; no cheap set with remote control in the 70/80's :)
I don't remember what DBX means though?

Did