Agreed... street performance with a cube... use whatever works.

I do agree with Joden that the file size doesn't matter. Every computer has buffers in RAM that it uses to store the file data. As recording enthusiasts, we use synths that have sample files that are many hundreds of megabytes... that gets loaded into memory so that notes played in real time can be replicated with the proper sample without much latency. No hard drive is fast enough to do this yet. So mp3 or wave, it doesn't matter.

The quality of the MP3 128kbs is much much less than the quality of a wave @ 16/44.1. In a noisy environment or on the street with a small, likely battery powered PA.... it really will not be that noticeable.

My reference to my comments comes from experience. In working with a PA system to lead P&W music at a prison ministry, with a halfway decent portable PA, I wanted to travel as light as possible so I brought my acoustic/electric guitar and my MP3 player with the backing tracks. The playback was noticeably degraded. I checked the cords, (all new cords) and the input levels and the player's output levels to try to sort it out. The following month, I had burned a CD and used a CD player and the music was crystal. I plugged the MP3 player into the very same cord... just swapped from the CD player to the mp3 player during our setup time....and yup.... the issue was the mp3. Now, with my ear buds, the mp3 sounds kicking.....

I also understand that it could have been an impedance mismatch contributing to the sound quality issue.

Can a person hear the difference between the various levels of quality for MP3's vs waves.... ? The average person on the street... probably not. To a musician with good ears...... oh yes.

However, as the quality moves up from the 128kbs the ability to discern fades rapidly. Sort of like musicians who say they can hear the difference between 44.1, 48, and 96khz sampling rates...

did I open that can of worms a bit further?

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 10/30/13 05:49 AM.
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