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A fairly serious quality question here. I'd like the encoder to scale back the volume of the output before it gets decoded. The reason is that too many encoded files clip when decoded.
I'd like to suggest a way to do this without mucking about in the actual decoding code. It's the way the Waves Renaissance EQ handles it. It actualy calculates with a headroom and at a higher bitresolution. It is able to accuratly tell me how many dB I'm overshooting my output.
What I'd like the MAD plugin to do is have a control setting that tells it to pull x dB out of the final signal, before it gets CUT OFF at the 0dB Full Scale, and sent to the output plugin. I'd suggest a default setting of -2 dB. Perhaps even a clip indicator, if this is possible to display in some way in the Winamp window or another window(on/off switch in prefs).
Some of you may not hear this revolting distortion. Well I do, and it don't sound good folks. Some songs are mastered to already CLIP on the CD, though they keep that clipped signal below 0dB, as not to make the CD production plant mad(no more than 5 clipping samples on an entire CD is a RED BOOK standard provision where clipped -> 0dB I guess).
The problem with almost any damn plugin out there is that the volume in fact can only be changed AFTER decoding. Calculating perhaps with 24 + 2 bits would perhaps be advisable, buy I'll leave that to you guys.
What do you think ?
Tony
Sound Engineer and Designer - - Homepage - http://members.tripod.de/airon