Windows 8 Sample Music
Odon Irving
I was searching Google and came across your article on computer-based audio written in April. It was an interesting article and I wanted to ask you a question about this subject. I've been using digital audio for a while now. Virtually all of my music is now in FLAC format and stored on a NAS box. I use a Windows 7 laptop to play the music. Although I have J. River, I primarily use MediaMonkey simply because I like the functionality better.
My question has to do with playing files encoded at higher bit depths and sample rates. Almost all of my stuff is in the 16/44 standard, but I have a few records in 24/96 and 24/192, which I've recently added. The problem I'm experiencing has to do with the digital interface from the laptop to the DAC that is attached to my amp. I have two interfaces, one being a S/PDIF jack in the PC that connects directly to my DAC, and the other is an M-Audio ProFire 610, which is a FireWire device connected to my PC and is in turn connected to my DAC through a coax digital cable.
Both of these interfaces and my DAC support up to 24/192, but I have to manually set the sample rate for each of the interfaces on the PC. I can't understand why the interface wouldn't just pass the file through at whatever bit depth/sample rate it is encoded at and let the DAC deal with it. Having to fix the sample rate essentially means I would have to change the sample rate in the PC every time I wanted to play a file encoded in something other than 16/44. That doesn't make sense to me. Am I missing something? All I really want is a solution where I can play files from my PC through to the DAC regardless of what bit depth/sample rate the files are in without having to monkey around with settings all of the time.
I'm referring to the sample rate setting using the MADIface software. I switch between 44khz and 48khz, and sometimes like one or the other better with different media, but I'm not clear on the best "all the time" setting (if there is one).
Some devices support SRC (sample rate conversion), but upsampling 44.1 content to higher sample rates,
does not make the quality better, you only get more data and a little higher load on USB and the PCs CPU.
Let's say I set the sample rate to 44khz in MADIface software in Windows. Then I play a Netflix movie or Youtube song with a 48khz sample rate. What happens? Does Windows downsample it to 44khz using its own algorithm? I've heard Window's algorithm is not great and can reduce sound quality.
As music player you could use i.e. Foobar2000 and MusicBee. But there are also streaming solutions available for audio, which I don't use, maybe somebody other can give a recommendation. Maybe something like roon.
For Youtube I have no solution for you. Youtube doesn't deliver lossless high quality content anyway the platform automatically converts it. I do not know to which exact format. Maybe somebody other can detail or explain this.
@JackRubinacci said:
Hello folks- sorry if this is a stupid question but how do you folks manage your samples? I have some nice drum samples that i would like to layer on top of some beats I make on my iPad...
Put all your samples on your computer, even on an external hard drive plugged in if you want.
Share that folder via your operating system, windows or mac.
Go to files and add a server to your locations - this works even if you are connecting to a windows computer.
Then you can just go to that server, browse all your samples from your computer in Files and the import files windows a lot of apps use e.g. AUM.
@urbanvanilla said:
Put all your samples on your computer, even on an external hard drive plugged in if you want.
Share that folder via your operating system, windows or mac.
Go to files and add a server to your locations - this works even if you are connecting to a windows computer.
Then you can just go to that server, browse all your samples from your computer in Files and the import files windows a lot of apps use e.g. AUM.
Yeah to be honest, I'm surprised it worked that easily too, but it did! I think I had to make its own user account on Windows and make sure the share permissions/access etc. were set properly.
-to-use-the-files-app-to-connect-to-a-network-server-from-your-iphone-or-ipad/
@Stuntman_mike said:
Off topic, but sort of on top... I wish BM3 would run samples from iCloud instead of importing them. It doubles space used. This might be a dumb question, but can BM3 can be ran from the iCloud?
But don't worry too much about the actual storage space. It doesn't really go up when you copy files. It's a confusing topic so I won't derail this thread. There's a stub of an article on the wiki that sort of starts to explain this. I need to put some time into fleshing it out.
I had to make my router assign my computer as a fixed IP or every time I booted it I would get a different one. But yah when it is all set up, very cool! For big batches of files though I have to use iMazing and a direct lightning cable connection. Lack of a proper progress bar in iOS Files drives me nuts.
Oh sorry @aleyas I see you wrote folders. ?
Although there is an Import Folder option in Drambo. Update: I see what you mean, AudioShare is grayed out in the Import Folder option... strange. Maybe a different folder system?
Readdle Documents is unique in that it supports a multitude of cloud services, file operations, slide-over view, very flexible local WiFi sharing and a nice & quick audio file player.
It also doubles as an excellent Files.app replacement for Drambo and Nanostudio 2 by connecting to them via WiFi WebDAV.
When running Cakewalk or any other software (other DAW or stand alone instance of Kontakt) it stops sound from any other program, like my music player, VLC player or web browser. After closing Cakewalk I need to disable and reenable (or just plug off and plug in) my audio interface to make all work again.
Interesting: when I have the music player opened first and THEN I open Cakewalk its OK and all works fine. But other way around - CbB first and then player - the player is silent.
And this is the screen that CbB and Winamp (yes i still use Winamp) shows me (attachment) when I disconnect and connect audio interface while the issue persist. When I hit OK in CbB this seems to fix the issue, but now the sound I get from player, web browser are about one tone down in pitch, and beside I don't want to work in 44100, but 48000. So I switch in CbB from 44100 back to 48000 and then sound in Winamp is back to normal and everything works fine ...untill I close Winamp (or web browser ect) and reopen and the issue is back.
Another thing that I've noticed: when this issue occurs I can switching my Windows default playback device from my audio interface to Windows Realtek driver and then I will get the sound of Winamp, web browser ect. fom my laptops build in speakers and CbB off course stays on my audio interface routing (as its bypass windows settings and hoes directly to chosen output).
I tried to disable my windows stock audio driver (Realtek Audio) but it does not help (it is set of course to 24/48000 like CbB btw)
Im using Tascam US 144mkll audio interface with dedicated ASIO drivers and it does operate in both 44100 and 48000
Reinstalling the audio drivers from audio interface does not solve the problem.
Any advise will be appriciated