Hello !
Recently I started to generate for friends some live recordings of my 90's old band..(something I would describe like 'eletronic-fado-punk-polka', hearing today...We didn't know what we were doing....) .Because they are just stereo , I use to master it on 2 track common MAC programs like Wavelab, Audacity, etc (Protools is out of this question).
Well, at the time , the available device was like a portable SONY DAT recorder, which we used to record on 48/24 bits.
Digitally transferred, what is the best software / solution I can downsample the final mastered work to 44.1/16 bits .
I remember reading months ago , some place on MAC software and Audioz, people saying about a plugin or standalone software who converts it perfectly without changing pitch or length .
Thanks in advance.
Raymond

 

Check AudioFinder, DSP Quatro, Soundtrack Pro, Sound Forge, Audacity ( free), SoundConverter ( on Appstore, really cool 'lil app convert every type of audio file in an other, and sample rate converting aswell)

cheers

 

Make sure the downsampling method you use actually "resamples" in the process. Otherwise, you can lose some high frequencies, like the sizzle of your hi-hats. All of them should resample and perhaps without even mentioning it. Just listen to the high freqs after the conversion to ensure it was done correctly.

Edit: Resample is not the term I intended for this process. I'll look at mine and reply again.

 

Thank you very much all of you for your time and your answers.
In some cases - like Wavelab - , downsampling produced a time length issue, shorting the song. Of course, not a good option. At the same time, tried on Studio One and curiously by default it opened on 44.1 (even being recorded on 48). I will try to record from it straight to a CD-R - do not know still if it will work cause I use Nero burner and syll do not know about external CR recorder recognition.
I will try to use all software suggestions and I specially take care with the audio result.
I remember a remark on some plugin at MC section on Audioz, someone saying about a specific software who does the job perfectly and I will try keep on searching the threat.
A issue that I ve never faced , this process is a little more complicated that I thought, 15 years ago, when recording at 48.
Anyway, again, thank you.
All the best

 

Sonic Illusions FinalCD (Sharp settings) and Brick 1.2(mac) are unique for downsampling: almost ideal filter, aliasing are below -200 dB.
Also excellent iZOtope RX 3
Good: SoX (Latest Ableton), Weiss Saracon, Adobe Audition....

 

Check Voxengo R8Brain: http://www.voxengo.com/product/r8brain/ It's the best quality downsampler paid or free [better than Weiss 10000$ hardware SRC]. Quality of sample rate converters varies wildly between the applications [check: http://src.infinitewave.ca/ ] so why not using just one and it's free. Not to mention that it is very stable and reliable and handy because you don't even have to install it.

Cheers!

edit: I thought you needed it for Windows, sorry. Mild pump milk's post is the one relevant for you then since you use OSX. However I can bet there is free SoX SRC app for OSX and SoX is the same quality, if not better, than Voxengo r8brain. I use SoX in Foobar2000 audio player for SRC and sometimes for SRC conversion, too. They're both excellent [for Windows and SoX for Linux, too, it's multiplatform].

 

No doubt Wavelab is the best tool for this job (you already have). Before start read about down-sampling and become familiar.

 

I said youd and repeat again:
FinalCD (FREE) and Brick 1.2 (FREE; Mac OS X only) are THE BEST, THE CLEANEST: almost ideal sharp filter with high-cut 21.950 Hz (FinalCD) or a bit higher than 22k (Brick 1.2) - it means all full spectrum 99,995% ; Aliasing less than -200dB (Brick has about -255dB aliasing). Linear Phase response with same pre/post-ringing as other mentioned above, not more, not less.
iZotope RX3 with high steepness (you can adjust your high-cut with "ctrl" for fine tuning as you want - you can set it to "almost ideal filter" as you want - there is picture). Aliasing is about -180 or -170 dB.

Other converters have worse high-cuts, more aliasing'n'distortions'n'harmonics, Linear Phase similar almost everywhere (And for what this sh*t is, if FinalCD, Brick and RX3 exist??????????????????). I don't know, but I think pre-post-ringing is preferable on 22.05kHz because we don't hear it anymore (and children too), also FinalCD/Brick/RX may have pre-post ringings a bit more than other converters, but it doesn't matter. Or you prefer to cut more highs and do more aliasing??? FOR WHAT, TO REMAIN RINGINGS ON UNHEARABLE 22.05 kHz? See no fcking logic

Aliasing must be not higher than -110dB (so -100 dB worse than -110 dB), or lower - clearer.
Linear Phase saves your peak levels after conversion (if you export -0.2 dB, then downsample it to 44k, your level will be -0.2 dB; minimum phase can clip it over +0dB!).

 

Thank you all...I really appreciate your inputs...I ve just tried FinalCD and Weiss Saracon - excellent results.
I still had not much time but off hand I can say Finalcd seems to be a little more soft and seems to have the original punch and air detail.
I will try some more with different songs , transients and clipped material - both seems to have specific usage.
At the same time, it makes me wonder if it s worth having this downsampling a the very last processing protocol - I always learned since 90's it was good in terms of recording having it with teh highest available sampling (at the time, 48K) but now I ended up with this doubt....should I downsample before any mastering effect so what I hear is in fact the final result or shall work all in 48 and , as I did, resample the results just prior to the optical media transfer runni g the risk of some different result ?

Anyway, great, great inputs here and this help me a lot.
As a prize, I will avoid you all hearing my electronic-faro-punk-polka old band live in concert.

All the best

Raymond

 

-Wise old audiologist (not me)

i sign this 100% and think you can´t point to that best conversion software/plugin. it´s always 50% musicial taste. Some bad/not top notch converters sometimes do great thinks to your audio. Espacially when it comes to live recordings.

anyway... if you want to compare the technical side you can check this chart...

http://src.infinitewave.ca/


in my opinion (very discussible) never convert any audio if you don´t need to. every conversion you don´t need in the musical way is one to much. leave it as it is. no big deal to handle all of your different audio formats in 1 project of your daw. simple go 48 KHz 32bit float for your project. Mix it down and after you have mixed it.. then you can deal with the conversion... in my opinion in most cases that´s the better way..

cheers