Clipping and ringing galore

[Outofsync]

Hi gang,
Ok read through everything I can find I think I understand my problem but don't know how to fix it. Please help if you can. Here is the situation I am useing an opera song, MP3 192kps, very rich high tones. Imported into WMM it sounds great exporting to DV-AVI it's a mess. Not only do I get severe clipping (drop outs and pops) but I get this "ringing" during her high notes. I don't know if thats the right term but I can't think of a better term. It just plain stinks. I tried a higher bit MP3 but I get the same problem. Now I think what I need to do is run the sound through the Normalization process I have read about that would bring the high end down, or maybe convert to a different format like wav or something else but I don't know how to do it. I played with Besweet and just downloaded audacity, I also have cool edit pro installed. I honestly don't really know what I am doing with them though. Other than that I am on track I think. Thanks for reading.

[Qyot27]

A) Don't edit with MP3 files. Decode them to WAV first.

B) Don't bother with the exported audio. Compress the AVI for distribution and attach the original MP3 to it instead.

[Qyot27]

B) Don't bother with the exported audio. Compress the AVI for distribution and attach the original MP3 to it instead.

Gah...unless there was some song editing that occurred. But if it was just straight editing, just slapping the original on there should work. You might have to set a delay if there's an intro bumper, though.

[post-it]

.. Here is the situation I am using an opera song,
MP3 192kps @ 48K, very rich high tones.

Imported into WMM it sounds great; exporting to DV-AVI it became a mess.

.. Cool Edit Pro can import that MP3 directly and convert it to a .wav for you.
WMM understands 192kbs @ 44K soooooo you will need to
1) "Convert the Sample Rate to 44K @ 192 kbs in 32bit mode."
2) "then lower the Audio Level to 72% of the original Volume Level."

.. the Clipping Sounds are because WMM can not convert the file properly.

.. the Swishing Sounds on the High-End's are a process called "IS Encoding." -yuk!

.. there is no correct solution to WMM's destroying the Audio unless you make these corrections to your Audio.

yes you are on the right track and yes you've come to the right place to find help

[Wolfy2hk]

I had the same problem, i recommend just saving it as a regular WMV., the DV-AVI just screws up audio sync.

[Outofsync]

Thanks Post-it and Qyot27, for your helping me out. I tried MP3 to WAV conversion over the weekend, including converting the sample rate. It’s worth noting Post-it that converting the sample rate and lowering the volume did help a great deal; however not without some loss in the final DV-AVI compression (understandably). I mostly did it as an experiment to better understand the processes involved. If I need to use MP3 and compress from WMM you have given me a valuable tool to do so. The audio was edited in WMM but nothing I can’t do in either Cool Edit or Audacity. I trimmed and faded the end to run short and applied a delay. I just need to do the same in Audacity and save as WAV or MP3. I have played with this by adding silence because using delay features seems to be referring to something other than what I want; that or I am applying the effect wrong. Silence works well enough though, its barely noticeable….J haha

What I now understand is that:
1. The best audio approach is never to use audio in the finished Windows Movie Maker compression if possible. But to use DV-AVI to export the video only.
2. If audio must be used in WMM use WAV not MP3
3. Best audio solution is to attach the audio in VDUB using either the straight MP3 or a WAV file attached through the streams option, which can then be finalized by compressing to whichever format is appropriate for distribution.

I have heard people say to attach the audio in VDUB as a WAV and not bother with an MP3, or as Qyot27 (btw love your avatar) suggested the MP3. So which is better; the MP3 added as a stream in VDUB or a wav added in VDUB? I just want the best possible video for you guys, since you’re the best. Thanks again.

[Qyot27]

I have played with this by adding silence because using delay features seems to be referring to something other than what I want; that or I am applying the effect wrong. Silence works well enough though, its barely noticeable….J haha

'Delay' in the sense I was using it is an option in most muxing programs which lets you set the point where the audio starts playing as sooner or later than the default. In effect adding silence to the actual file accomplishes the same thing.

What I now understand is that:
1. The best audio approach is never to use audio in the finished Windows Movie Maker compression if possible. But to use DV-AVI to export the video only.
2. If audio must be used in WMM use WAV not MP3
3. Best audio solution is to attach the audio in VDUB using either the straight MP3 or a WAV file attached through the streams option, which can then be finalized by compressing to whichever format is appropriate for distribution.

1. Correct.
2. It's not just WMM; it's never a good idea to use MP3 (or other lossy audio compression formats in general) in a non-linear editor. It applies to stuff like Premiere, also.
3. Correct. Although this depends on what the original file is in the first place. If, for instance, it's an AAC or Vorbis file, then VDubMod* isn't a good option because those formats don't play nice with AVI (both of them) or VDubMod (AAC). Use a container that properly supports the audio stream. Chances are the popular containers will also support whatever video compression you're using also.

*Since VDubMod is the one with support for a few more types of audio. VDub itself only allows WAV or MP3, maybe WMA - but with MP3 (and WMA, if that is actually possible - it'd be under the DivX ;) Audio title in that case, however), they have to have been wrapped in a WAV file, which is messy. VDubMod does it properly, although I still don't think it supports WMA unless it's wrapped in WAV - but MP3, FLAC, and Vorbis are handled correctly.

I have heard people say to attach the audio in VDUB as a WAV and not bother with an MP3, or as Qyot27 (btw love your avatar) suggested the MP3. So which is better; the MP3 added as a stream in VDUB or a wav added in VDUB? I just want the best possible video for you guys, since you’re the best. Thanks again.

See my answer to #3 above. You want to use the original file if possible, because then there is the least chance or amount of quality loss. If the audio came straight off the CD as a WAV file or it's originally in some lossless format like FLAC, TTA, or APE, then compress it to MP3 (or other format of choice, again see what I say about other formats in #3) and slap it on there or compress it through VDubMod to MP3. I tend to encode video by itself, and then add the audio after the video is compressed.