simple software for digital piano recording

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sue
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by sue »

You can use Linthesia
I've tried it, and it doesn't work properly... to open it, I need a midi file, well I have one but I cannot play anything, it doesn't do anything with my piano (and it is well connected because VMPK is working). I doubt I'll get it up and running.
Their website is dormant and I use this site for download https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/package/c ... /linthesia

I wouldn't exclude something amiss on my side, though :D However, it looks fabulous :-) being able to export it as a video would be also great 8).

By the way, I've tried my original approach (audacity) but with 16bit.
I guess some of the quality is gone thanks to the conversion to video, however - could you check it out and tell me whether you hear something annoying or something that generally 'spoils' the Internet content :-)
https://youtu.be/9s1SujoNMzU
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by Basslint »

sue wrote: I've tried it, and it doesn't work properly... to open it, I need a midi file, well I have one but I cannot play anything, it doesn't do anything with my piano (and it is well connected because VMPK is working). I doubt I'll get it up and running.
Their website is dormant and I use this site for download https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/package/c ... /linthesia

I wouldn't exclude something amiss on my side, though :D However, it looks fabulous :-) being able to export it as a video would be also great 8).

By the way, I've tried my original approach (audacity) but with 16bit.
I guess some of the quality is gone thanks to the conversion to video, however - could you check it out and tell me whether you hear something annoying or something that generally 'spoils' the Internet content :-)
https://youtu.be/9s1SujoNMzU
I hear some artifacts in the higher frequencies, someone with more sound engineering skills than myself might be able to tell you why (I would say it's due to poor compression?)
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sue
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by sue »

poor compression isn't unlikely... since I have to make into a video via a convertor :oops:
There is also the matter of 'boosting' the signal in alsamixer and sound volume on the piano :roll: I'm still experimenting.

And also the Grand Piano sound sounds a little bit messier. I haven't decided which sound is better, yet :roll: it pretty much depends on my mood :D
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by merlyn »

It's mostly good. The piano sound itself is convincing and that comes through in the recording. You may get better quality with a dedicated interface. One sound engineering error is in the fade out of the last chord -- there is some noise. Did you use dither? Or the noise could be due to the video compression.
sue
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by sue »

fade out of the last chord
That fade out is actually played by my own hands :wink:

There is absolutely no editing in terms of sound. It's exported as MP3 with 320kb/s (https://ctrlv.cz/GcUB) - I'm not entirely sure what the best setting is either :roll:

I used this online converter to make a video (https://mp3toolbox.net) - I've tried pitivi and shotcut and one more, but it gets always stuck...
I know it's not the best solution to make a video but I don't know any better :(
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by merlyn »

sue wrote:That fade out is actually played by my own hands :wink:
I know :) I hear a noise or an artefact at around 1:12 as the sound approaches silence. It's quiet.

The question is : what caused it? and how do you get rid of it?

So is it on the recording, or is it only there after video conversion?
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by sue »

I see,
I guess it's also in the audio itself (it's too noisy here at the moment, I can't hear anything :-D, not even my own words )
https://file.town/download/uoit1vo5habhwd135rft0glp7
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by merlyn »

OK, that's after mp3 compression. So it's probably the mp3 compression.

We're deciding if your line in is good enough for recording and it probably is.

To conclusively say one way or the other it would be helpful to hear a .wav file so we can eliminate mp3 compression artefacts. You could record held chords fading into silence as a .wav file. Then we will be able to say if it is the line in causing artefacts. (I doubt it).
sue
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by sue »

I see!
That brings up another important factor....

- what format would be the best to use? Audacity offers also some aiff (I don't have a foggiest idea what that is...). However, I guess that FLAC is the best format to avoid losing quality..? - from what I've heard..

I could use some insights on that :roll: when I think about it... I got used to using MP3 just because for its universality.

There are about 12 options that I can use, WAV 16bit PCM and WAV 16bit 'floating' PCM (I can't find the language switch...)
- I was smart :-D so I've saved the Audacity format so I can export the same audio again 8)
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by Linuxmusician01 »

sue wrote:[...]- what format would be the best to use? Audacity offers also some aiff (I don't have a foggiest idea what that is...). However, I guess that FLAC is the best format to avoid losing quality..? - from what I've heard..
Yep. Flac stands for free lossless audio codec. Only downside, like you mentioned, that it's not as compatible with all devices (smartphones, smart tV's etc.) as MP3. And it does not compress as well als MP3.
sue wrote: I could use some insights on that :roll: when I think about it... I got used to using MP3 just because for its universality.

There are about 12 options that I can use, WAV 16bit PCM and WAV 16bit 'floating' PCM (I can't find the language switch...)
- I was smart :-D so I've saved the Audacity format so I can export the same audio again 8)
I dunno 'bout the difference between PCM and floating PCM. But CD quality is 16 bit 44.1 kHZ PCM audio (= large file). If you compress/convert that to an 128 kbps MP3 audio (= small file), then tests have proven that most people cannot hear the difference between a CD and said MP3 file. My experience is that 128 kpps MP3 cannot handle the applause in live recordings. Very weird. Otherwise 128 kbps MP3 should be fine, except for people who really think they can hear the difference between 128, 192 and 256 kpbs MP3, which is a load of baloney. But don't go into a discussion w/ people who say they can: you'll end in an endless loop. Just give 'm a 192 kbps version of the same source file (or re-encode the 128 kbps MP3 to 192 kbps, they'll think the audio quality went up).
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by bluebell »

Linuxmusician01 wrote: I dunno 'bout the difference between PCM and floating PCM. But CD quality is 16 bit 44.1 kHZ PCM audio (= large file). If you compress/convert that to an 128 kbps MP3 audio (= small file), then tests have proven that most people cannot hear the difference between a CD and said MP3 file. My experience is that 128 kpps MP3 cannot handle the applause in live recordings. Very weird. Otherwise 128 kbps MP3 should be fine, except for people who really think they can hear the difference between 128, 192 and 256 kpbs MP3, which is a load of baloney. But don't go into a discussion w/ people who say they can: you'll end in an endless loop. Just give 'm a 192 kbps version of the same source file (or re-encode the 128 kbps MP3 to 192 kbps, they'll think the audio quality went up).
I noticed a bad quality of a 128 kbps mp3 file of one of my songs with an alto female voice. It sounded like a flexed/broken cassette tape. This effect wasn't audible when it was encoded with 192 kbps (from a lossles flac file, not re-encoded from the 128 kbps file :)

So I can say that - with some audio - it is possible to hear the difference between 128 kbps mp3 files and files with a higher bitrate.

I can't hear the difference between 192 kbps and higher bitrates and I doubt anyone can.

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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by milo »

I think there was a more audible difference many years ago, before the mp3 encoders got better. I remember using an awful mp3 encoder in about 2000-2002, and I was shocked at how good the audio quality was the first time I used LAME in about 2003-4. A 128 kbps mp3 encoded with LAME is virtually indistinguishable from CD audio most of the time. (Every once in a while a cymbal crash or something sounds a little off.)

I used to think that ogg vorbis had a better audio quality than mp3 at similar bitrates, but then LAME proved me wrong. Mp3 is an awesome format, as long as your encoder is good.
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by sue »

Well, I struggle even with the bit settings and so on :cry:
Anyways, here FLAC, 16 bit, 8 (the best) quality...
https://file.town/download/0z91mpwx9pmnv3v0wk4algz0v

can you hear the fragment?
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by merlyn »

Yes, I still hear it. @sue do you hear what I'm talking about? Does anyone else think it's an issue?

It sounds different now, Now it does sound like noise on the line in. It sounds like the line in is picking up signals from other parts of the computer. It would only be an issue in very quiet passages.

You could get around this by using a fade in Audacity before the noise becomes audible. You can probably see the noise in Audacity.
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Re: simple software for digital piano recording

Post by Basslint »

sue wrote:Well, I struggle even with the bit settings and so on :cry:
Anyways, here FLAC, 16 bit, 8 (the best) quality...
https://file.town/download/0z91mpwx9pmnv3v0wk4algz0v

can you hear the fragment?
The compression artifacts are gone I think.But there are still a couple of issues.

First, there is some clipping (for example, at around 30 seconds and again at 35). Clipping happens when volume is too high. You could fix it in a couple of ways, but the easiest one is to slightly lower the volume on your piano.

And there is some background hissing (you can hear it at the end, while the final chord is fading out), but I wouldn't worry about it, it's pretty normal. You could easily equalize it out, if you wanted.
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