One channel mixdown to MP3 is same size as the whole project?

[SF_Green]

[MattiasNYC]

@Nico5

Not everyone has the same budget and access to technology.

Sure. You’ll have to do a fair amount of work though to get me to think that a person can’t afford enough slow disk space to store wavs rather than mp3s. This is clearly not a matter of getting a playback drive for massive productions because we wouldn’t use mp3s for that, so it’s probably either just for transfer or archival. So, how much is needed and how much does it cost? You can get 1TB external for under $50, or internal spinner for under $30.

Drive space is cheap these days relative to how much us audio people need, especially when hobbying.

@Nico5

Well, I was deeply into a remixing community some years ago and therefore bumped into this issue quite deeply in the context of many projects (not just one) - so that may explain, why my take is more nuanced than yours.

Ok, well your nuanced view is noted. I’ll still recommend people use .wav for anything of value and stick to mp3 for things that aren’t.

[valsolim]

I just want to let you know that I like your analogy very much. It made my day, thank you!

[Nico5]

@MattiasNYC

… so it’s probably either just for transfer or archival.

My commentary was based on the original poster having mentioned the following requirements:

@finn.ambers

All the tracks need to be the same length

and

@finn.ambers

I would try FLAC, but format needs to be MP3 or WAV. And yes there’s a lot of silence in the tracks. Thanks for the heads up about the insert fx and strip - I’ll check them.

Those requirements did not sound like they were self-imposed - so that made me assume, the specific use case in this thread is really all about transfer, and not archival (where FLAC might have been a really nice option).

[Nico5]

@Phil_Pendlebury

… there’s always one who will try to prove you wrong on these forums isn’t there.

Sorry to have pissed you off. – That wasn’t my intent.

I was in serious thinking and explaining mode, trying to help the original poster with their specific question about why mp3 (not wav) file sizes of individual tracks with lots of silence were similar to file sizes of the fully mixed track without silences.

So I didn’t get your joke or the context that you meant – Sorry about that.

[Phil_Pendlebury]

@Nico5

file sizes of individual tracks with lots of silence were similar to file sizes of the fully mixed track without silences

That wasn’t his question. The question was, why does a single track v the full mixdown have the same size. It really only required simple answer. Although I understand you guys were all just trying to add extra info. In this case though, all he really needed was a simple sandwich.

@finn.ambers

Surely, one channel audio mixdown export does not have to be same size as the full project? Help much appreciated.

You didn’t piss me off. I made myself chuckle and ordered a sandwich so all good tbh.

No need for further replies to me though now thanks, all good honestly.

On another note, I agree with @MattiasNYC about file formats for sure. But also see your point on that too. I did some big production mixes in 2000 - 2010 for some heavy hitting labels (Ministry, AATW, Universal, Sony etc.) and you are right, amazing how much stuff is sent by mp3.

I once received a Mary J Blige vocal stem direct from the label in mp3 format for example. Even the stems for some of our charts hits were often sent by mp3. But there you go.

Right, gotta go have a great day. P.

[Nico5]

@Phil_Pendlebury

That wasn’t his question. The question was, why does single track v the full mixdown have the same size. It really only required simple answer.

I still respectfully disagree, because the original question was talking specifically about mp3 not wav - and according to your own prior post, when there’s lots of silence in mp3 - it should make a difference - yet the original poster didn’t seem to experience a meaningful difference in file size - despite there being lots of silence on the individual tracks compared to the mixed track.

@Phil_Pendlebury

2 mp3 files encoded at the same settings will be approx the same size, unless there is silence.

So that strikes me as a genuinely surprising result, unless the individual tracks encoded as mp3 files aren’t truly silent, for which I had also offered one potential explanation prior to your joking post:

@Nico5

If that format doesn’t create much smaller files from tracks with lots of silence could imply that maybe those tracks don’t actually contain true silence, but potentially some very quiet (sub audible) audio, maybe created by some insert fx (including channel strip items) on those tracks.

---

@Phil_Pendlebury

You didn’t piss me off. I made myself chuckle and ordered a sandwich so all good tbh.

Good - thanks!

@Phil_Pendlebury

No need for further replies to me though now thanks, all good honestly.

lol - nice one! You clearly have been on forums as long as I have - pre-Internet, when they were still on dial-up BBS systems, when I was still making music with sequencers on my Atari 1040ST sync’d with a Fostex 8-track

@Phil_Pendlebury

(Ministry, AATW, Universal, Sony etc.)
…
Mary J Blige

Nice !

Can’t match you on the name drops in the music biz - I worked in Fortune 100 IT - just spent all my spare money and time on music gear since forever.

In any case - thanks for the conversation and memories of days long gone by. - If I wasn’t on a diet, I’d have a sandwich now!

You don’t have to feel compelled to answer - only if you feel like it

And a great day to you, too! And continued good success on your YT channel!

[Phil_Pendlebury]

@Nico5

If I wasn’t on a diet, I’d have a sandwich now!

There’s always space for sandwich… You know you want to.

nb. Sorry about the name drops, it was just for context.

[finn.ambers]

Thanks Mattias. I’m using WAV format after reading all the help. The stems WILL be integrated later, but will be randomly added together on the Async platform, as I’m trying out their Blueprint feature to generate Digital Collections of the song I wrote: ‘Another Christmas’. It’s on all the streaming services etc, but not getting much love there. Need to find my audience for this, but proving elusive.

[finn.ambers]

Good analogy!

[MattiasNYC]

@Nico5

that made me assume, the specific use case in this thread is really all about transfer, and not archival (where FLAC might have been a really nice option).

Right, and so as long as it’s just about transfer they won’t need a fast drive really, and slow drives are cheap - or it’s simply uploads. Either way storage space shouldn’t really be an issue - hence wav>mp3.