Warping mp3 vs. wav files

[benversluis]

I must be totally wrong, but I thought the .asd files that are generated when you warp an audio file contained info like warp markers, etc. Is this not so true?

I read somewhere that if you warp .wavs, then you can pick up your DJ sets etc and take them to another system without any problems. Apparently if you try to move your mp3s to another system, you'll have to re-warp everything.

How true is all this?

Thanks for your answers!

[longjohns]

an mp3 must be decoded to a .wav file in order to play in Live. that's what the decoding cache is for.

so it would not surprise me if the mp3 warping was not easily transferrable between systems. however I don't know for sure

[benversluis]

That makes a lot of sense. I wasn't aware that all mp3s were decoded before you play them. If that's the case, then it makes total sense.

[Alextronica]

So I'm wondering how to transfer my Mp3's

I've spent hundreds of hours warping audio

I made sure to press the little save button in the clip that creates the .asd file.

If I move my Mp3 library with the .asd files to a new system, will the new computer and new Live read my warp markers?

Alex

[smisk]

So I'm wondering how to transfer my Mp3's

I've spent hundreds of hours warping audio

I made sure to press the little save button in the clip that creates the .asd file.

If I move my Mp3 library with the .asd files to a new system, will the new computer and new Live read my warp markers?

Alex

I'm quite interested in knowing this also.

[coreyappleby]

I don't believe it's true that mp3s are somehow not transferrable. the asd files should have all the info on the warping/loop/start/stop/etc metadata you've added.

a simple way to test it would be to load a new mp3 into Live, then look at the date/time on the file. If it's unchanged Live hasn't written any data to that file, so it's all in the asd.

Corey

[longjohns]

supster would know!

[Turtle-san]

I believe the key point is how you transfer the files, not whether they are mp3 or wav. To be more precise, I believe if you move or copy your files using the Ableton file browser, your analysis files will stay intact. If you move or copy them using the windows file browser the analysis files 'break' for some reason. I think that's the story anyhow....

[blackboab]

no problems here ... I transfer tons of MP3s (+ .ASD files) from my studio machine to my laptop everytime I go DJing. Never had any issues whatsoever.

[benversluis]

+1 to everyone who's answered..

I only have one system with Live on it so I've been unable to actually test this. I found it kind of hard to believe that, for some reason .wavs would transfer fine while .mp3s wouldnt.

[snakedogman]

should be no problem transfering warped mp3's as long as you keep the mp3 and the asd files together.

[michaellpenman]

ALWAYS SAVE.
But if you are djing i would never was MP3, there is so much info lost in the transfer. And this will stand out on a large system.

[audiovoid]

In theory it works. But mp3's are known to behave a little bit wackily in Live.
I've definitely had random pre-warped mp3's that , once decoded a 2nd or 3rd time, all of a sudden had their warp markers offset. Usually it was only a case of highlighting all markers and dragging the 1st one back to beat one. But I have had other strange warping related issues with mp3's in the past as well.

[michaellpenman]

If your mp3's are already warp take of the auto warp in the preferences
also i really dont understand why people use mp3s there so poor quality, you might as well use cardboard speakers and 1 gen mac while your at it

[benversluis]

If your mp3's are already warp take of the auto warp in the preferences
also i really dont understand why people use mp3s there so poor quality, you might as well use cardboard speakers and 1 gen mac while your at it

Yeah, mp3s are lossy. But I personally don't hear much a difference in DJing with 320kbps mp3s vs. wav/aiff over typical club PA.

I don't know about you, but I'm not a globe trotting DJ and the systems I play on are not exactly what you'll see at a major festival.