Hi @philgaitan - Please see the following from our PRIME 4 FAQ:
The PRIME 4 and accompanying Engine Prime software support the following audio formats:
Can I ask what new user guide you are referring to? thanks
Hi Jay,
I can answer that question as I spotted it as well. It’s the Prime 4 User Guide v 1.0.2, page 7.
EDIT: Still on the downloads page - http://cdn.inmusicbrands.com/denondj/Prime4/Prime-4-User-Guide-v1_0_2.pdf
Jay,
Tobes is correct this is where I gleemed this information and where i went into this direction. If you look at the most Popular Music Creation Software out there (Ableton, FL Studio & Audition) they all support as an Out of the Box default * WAV 16-32 bit, 44.1k - 192k. If you change them to MP3 the standard option is MP3 32 bit, 44.1k - 192k CBR. If you change the format option to Variable Bit Rate you can get up to 224 CBR. All of my MP3 is CBR, it is what downloads for any and all record pools when you take the MP3 320 option. I have no idea why Denon even Mentions VBR because no one uses it. It is only confusing.
And if you change to 16 or 24bit? (32bit is not a standard even if “popular software” thinks so)
It is, to me, weird that you cannot set the mp3 to 320kbps or 48kHz. SoundForge has this for decades.
Denon gives you the option to work on its products with MP3 files encoded at bitrates between 32 - 320 kbps with constant bitrate or variable bitrate compression algorithms. Not all of our music come from record pools. One can choose to make a CD or vinyl backup or even record a live or a production mix and use MP3 format as a container. One can choose to encode at any bitrate between 32 - 320 kbps using a CBR or VBR compression algorithm. It is a personal preference and Denon offers support for it. The same way you choose to work with CBR MP3s only, there are people who choose to work with VBR MP3s only.
In our discussion about MP3 bitrates and compression algorithms, I feel that the most important aspect to be taken into account is the way audio content is mastered and then encoded for high quality playback. And here I would dare to mention two issues: replay gain and true peaks. While Denon may choose or not to implement replay gain support in its hardware and software products, it is the user who must choose the quality of the material to be played back. While many people prefer to buy music from various record pools in a compressed audio format, I prefer to buy music in an uncompressed audio format or make uncompressed audio backups from the original source (vinyl or CD). Afterwards I have the option to prepare the audio material, though normalisation and in some cases equalisation, in order to prevent audio signal overload (clipping). This requires to make different adjustment to the audio material while taking into account the final audio format container (lossless or lossy). Lossy audio files acquired from record pools are not checked for audio signal overload on playback (true peaks and clipping) and therefore audio compression artifacts may appear when digital audio signal is decoded and reconstructed in analog audio signal. In the era of high audio compression and low dynamic range in order to achieve the loudest sound (mine is bigger than yours) the occurrence of true peak artifacts is a reality and it is not to be ignored if one care about audio quality and its audio equipment well being.
Update manual to state:
Done
Not necessary. 1) CBR is a given, 2) if they state bitrates, that’s CBR. Lastly, VBR is awful. Don’t willingly convert any music to it.
Anyone who plays on big audio systems know that the experience of what you hear is completed by what you feel on the dancefloor. Lossy audio formats use psychoacoustics models to shape the sound based on what frequencies are heard by the humans, and therefore remove exactly the frequencies that should be felt in our body.
Hi All, personally I don’t feel the manual is miss-leading as there is a comma separating the ‘32–320 kbps’ & ‘VBR’ which tells me 32-320 AND VBR supported.
At the end of the day, it’s your choice to play what file formats you want, our role is to ensure our hardware supports as many of these as possible.
In answer to you’re original question @philgaitan - no you do not need to convert all files to VBR. Personally, I’d avoid VBR files as they, by their very nature, vary the bitrate/quality.
I hope this helps. Jay
There you go rhylos easy answer!!!
Hi all,
We’ve updated our user manuals for the SC5000, SC5000M and PRIME 4 to clarify the formats that are available for each product.
Please download from: https://www.denondj.com/downloads
Regards J
it’s been 20 years that I saved metadata in WAV files. For Windows downloaded audioshell id3 tag editor.
AudioShell is a freeware MS Windows Explorer shell extension plugin which allows you to view and edit music file tags directly in Windows Explorer. AudioShell supports MP3, WMA, Apple iTunes AAC/M4A/M4P, MP4, MPC, Monkey’s Audio, OGG and FLAC files.
ALL the metadata including all the tags that come to mind and even the cover, etc.
WHAT ARE YOU WRITING ??? it’s been 20 years that I saved metadata in WAV files. For Windows downloaded audioshell id3 tag editor.
AudioShell is a freeware MS Windows Explorer shell extension plugin which allows you to view and edit music file tags directly in Windows Explorer. AudioShell supports MP3, WMA, Apple iTunes AAC/M4A/M4P, MP4, MPC, Monkey’s Audio, OGG and FLAC files.
ALL the metadata including all the tags that come to mind and even the cover, etc.
God !!, how much ign…nce. Metadata was born for Wav files at least 20 years earlier. Tag 1 then Tag 2 and now with Tag 3 and already beyond it.
You know in the Wav files it is also possible to insert the ISRC codes etc. to check if you bought them or not. Do you think it’s 15 years that I only play high definition wav around clubs all over Europe. All with tags.
Many years ago I started playing with Denon DN1000-F then with a DN2500-F and from there I read the metadata on the CDs that I burned both in FLAC and Wav but how old are you? Very young I guess. Among other things, the Denon DN4500 also reads MP3s. Do you think he was born a few years after the DN2500 that already read the titles of the songs.
You really don’t read, do you?
There is NO WRITTEN STANDARD on how to write metadata into WAV. So, one app/device sees the data you put in with another app/device, but yet another app/device doesn’t or just ignores that data. That’s the big problem!
It’s been 30 years I save metadata in WAV.
Read the metadata part:
The ignorance is that you don’t even know it was never agreed upon by all the companies on HOW and WHERE to save the metadata in the file.
They all knew it and after WAV it was standardized on all newer audio file types.
“What are you writing?”
The DN-2500F was a CD-player only and didn’t even have cd-text support, so what do you mean by read flac and wav??
Yes the DN-4500 supported MP3’s.
The ISRC code has nothing to do with a recording proof of purchase. An ISRC code is assigned to every recording in order to uniquely identify it from other recordings.
