Re: MIDI files on IIgs?

[pubpc1@library.ucla.edu]

Matt Portune wrote:
>Eric Jacobs (no@no.no) wrote:
>> The difference between 8-bit and 16-bit resolution in sampled sound
>> is ALMOST NOTHING. What makes the difference in the quality of the
>> sound is the sampling rate, and consequently, the reproduction of
>
>Ummmm, no.  resolution makes just as big a difference as sampling rate.
>Try editing 1-bit at 96KHz.  Sure, it's a nice sampling rate, but
>without the high resolution, you get zippering and stair-stepping all
>over the place.  Same goes with 8-bit, and 16-bit (just less zippering
>with higher-res) Yes, 16-bit has become a buzzword, but that doesn't
>mean it's not true.  Heck, all the DAW software is FINALLY switching
>over to 24-bit.  Have you ever edited multitrack audio in a 16 vs. 24 bit
>environment?  NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE.  And I'm sorry if you can't hear
>it, but don't knock it because YOU don't hear it.

Matt, I think that you are overstating the significance of resolution
above 8-bits here.  Saying that a 1-bit sample at 96KHz is bad is one
thing.  Extrapolating that to say that the difference between an 8-bit
and a 16-bit sample is the same night and day difference as between a
1-bit sample and an 8-bit sample is an entirely different story.

You may be right in the technical aspect, but you neglect some
physiological aspects of the human ear.  I would venture to say that
8-bit resolution is very near the limits of human hearing and any
thing higher will only make token differences.  At least to my ears.
To an animal with better hearing, such as a dog or cat, this may be
different.  Put in another way, the returns of increasing resolution
diminish with increasing resolution.  There is still a difference,
however slight, between 8 and 16, but between 16 and 24?  That's
overkill.  If I weren't expecting it, I wouldn't even be able to
pick out 8-bits.

It is the same way with vision.  If you project an image on a screen
at 1 frame per second, you get a very stair-stepped effect.  As
you increase the fps, the video becomes smoother, but only up to a
point.  At 30fps, your eyes would have reached their threshold and
persistance of vision will take over.  You can increase the fps
further to 60fps, but you will see absolutely no difference in
smoothness compared to 30fps. 

-Scott G.