witch_wyzwurd
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
- Total Posts : 15
- Joined: 2011/03/10 17:02:58
- Status: offline
Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
I hope everyone in the USA had a wonderful 4th of July!
I have a mix and mastered WAV file that is going to be sold as a digital download file. When I received the file back from the production company, there was no silence at the beginning of the track. I'd like to know:
1. Should I add silence to the beginning of the track (which is meant for digital download only)?
2. How much silent time should I add (it's the only track/sold as a single song)?
3. When I export the file using Cakewalk Sonar (newest build), should I use the following options?...
Dither: None
Sample Rate: 44100
Bit Depth: 16
Anything else I might not be considering?
Sincerely,
David Mivshek
|
Zargg
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
- Total Posts : 10666
- Joined: 2014/09/28 04:20:14
- Location: Norway
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/05 19:08:25
(permalink)
Hi.
1: IMO yes.
2: I like to use approx 2 seconds silence before a song starts (depending on the song). If the song fades in naturally, I wouldn't add that much.
3: Yes. And if you are selling MP3, and "hi res" audio. Add those formats (MP3 & 24/44.1).
Others may know better.
All the best.
Ken Nilsen ZarggBBZWin 10 Pro X64, Cakewalk by Bandlab, SPlat X64, AMD AM3+ fx-8320, 16Gb RAM, RME Ucx (+ ARC), Tascam FW 1884, M-Audio Keystation 61es, *AKAI MPK Pro 25, *Softube Console1, Alesis DM6 USB, Maschine MkII Laptop setup: Win 10 X64, i5 2.4ghz, 8gb RAM, 320gb 7200 RPM HD, Focusrite Solo, + *
|
chuckebaby
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
- Total Posts : 13146
- Joined: 2011/01/04 14:55:28
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/05 19:39:13
(permalink)
I agree with Ken.
I know the Red Book standard for CDs specifies a 2 second gap.
Digital download is a little different as the tracks are not spaced apart.
Every digital download I have received does have a little silence at the beginning, is there a standard.
not really.
Windows 8.1 X64 Sonar Platinum x64 Custom built: Asrock z97 1150 - Intel I7 4790k - 16GB corsair DDR3 1600 - PNY SSD 220GBFocusrite Saffire 18I8 - Mackie Control
|
witch_wyzwurd
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
- Total Posts : 15
- Joined: 2011/03/10 17:02:58
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/05 20:25:55
(permalink)
Ok. My fault on something. I now see that there's 300ms of silence before song starts. For a "digital download only" song, does this seem sufficient?
|
Zargg
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
- Total Posts : 10666
- Joined: 2014/09/28 04:20:14
- Location: Norway
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/05 20:41:37
(permalink)
witch_wyzwurd
Ok. My fault on something. I now see that there's 300ms of silence before song starts. For a "digital download only" song, does this seem sufficient?
I would add a little more. I still think 2 seconds is about right.
Ken Nilsen ZarggBBZWin 10 Pro X64, Cakewalk by Bandlab, SPlat X64, AMD AM3+ fx-8320, 16Gb RAM, RME Ucx (+ ARC), Tascam FW 1884, M-Audio Keystation 61es, *AKAI MPK Pro 25, *Softube Console1, Alesis DM6 USB, Maschine MkII Laptop setup: Win 10 X64, i5 2.4ghz, 8gb RAM, 320gb 7200 RPM HD, Focusrite Solo, + *
|
THambrecht
Max Output Level: -73 dBFS
- Total Posts : 867
- Joined: 2010/12/10 06:42:03
- Location: Germany
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/05 21:46:27
(permalink)
We work for a lot of publishing companys.
We add always between 700 to 800ms. (Download and CD)
Classical Music a little bit more.
We digitize tapes, vinyl, dat, md ... in broadcast and studio quality for publishers, public institutions and individuals.4 x Intel Quad-CPU, 4GHz Sonar Platinum (Windows 10 - 64Bit) and 14 computers for recording tapes, vinyl ...
4 x RME Fireface 800, 2 x Roland Octa Capture and 4 x Roland Quad Capture, Focusrite .... Studer A80, RP99, EMT948 ...
(Germany) http://www.hambrecht.de
|
tlw
Max Output Level: -49.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 2567
- Joined: 2008/10/11 22:06:32
- Location: West Midlands, UK
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/05 22:29:50
(permalink)
One reason for adding a little silence to the start fo a download track is in case someone's playing a series of tracks using a media player that doesn't itself insert a brief gap between tracks or has burned the audio to a "gapless" CD.
If the previous song ends with a loud sudden stop and there's no gap before the next one's loud opening the change-over can be a bit of a jolt to the senses, especially if there's a key change involved that's less than musical. A small silent gap gives the listener's brain time to realise one track has ended and to get ready for the next.
The gap can be quite short, just enough to provide a hint that one thing has ended and another is about to start.
Sonar Platinum 64bit, Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit, I7 3770K Ivybridge, 16GB Ram, Gigabyte Z77-D3H m/board, ATI 7750 graphics+ 1GB RAM, 2xIntel 520 series 220GB SSDs, 1 TB Samsung F3 + 1 TB WD HDDs, Seasonic fanless 460W psu, RME Fireface UFX, Focusrite Octopre. Assorted real synths, guitars, mandolins, diatonic accordions, percussion, fx and other stuff.
|
witch_wyzwurd
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
- Total Posts : 15
- Joined: 2011/03/10 17:02:58
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/06 01:32:51
(permalink)
Ok. I appreciate the responses. The person who mixed/mastered said they always go with about 250ms-300ms because of short attention spans these days. They said they have thousands of songs they've done uploaded onto CDBaby without any issues. However, everywhere else I've read, plus here, says up to 900ms. Even as much as 2 full seconds. I'm going with 900ms as that meets the best of all answers I've read and when I play the song doesn't seem to be too long or short.
Thanks for everyone's help.
|
jyoung60
Max Output Level: -72 dBFS
- Total Posts : 914
- Joined: 2015/09/01 11:00:11
- Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/06 03:37:18
(permalink)
witch_wyzwurd
... said they always go with about 250ms-300ms because of short attention spans these days.
Wow... that's actually a sad statement about today's world.
DAW: Cakewalk by Bandlab (latest version) - x64VST: Roland Sound Canvas VAHardware: Roland MC50mkII Sequencer; Yamaha DGX-660 keyboard; Steinberg UR-44 InterfaceOS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
|
Kalle Rantaaho
Max Output Level: -5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 7005
- Joined: 2006/01/09 13:07:59
- Location: Finland
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/06 15:38:51
(permalink)
jyoung60
witch_wyzwurd
... said they always go with about 250ms-300ms because of short attention spans these days.
Wow... that's actually a sad statement about today's world.
Yeah. If you don't get hooked in 0,3 seconds it's a bad song anyway! 
SONAR PE 8.5.3, Asus P5B, 2,4 Ghz Dual Core, 4 Gb RAM, GF 7300, EMU 1820, Bluetube Pre - Kontakt4, Ozone, Addictive Drums, PSP Mixpack2, Melda Creative Pack, Melodyne Plugin etc. The benefit of being a middle aged amateur is the low number of years of frustration ahead of you.
|
BRainbow
Max Output Level: -83 dBFS
- Total Posts : 399
- Joined: 2004/03/14 01:39:12
- Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/07 05:20:55
(permalink)
I'mthinkingthatwithsuchshortattentionspansweshouldrefrainfromusingthespacebarintheseposts.
Cakewalk (forever), Two WIN10 64-bit DAWs: home-brew ASRock x299 Taichi / i7 7820x w/ 64GB RAM and ASUS X99A-II / i7-5820K w/ 32GB RAM, ZOOM UAC 8, Mackie ONYX 1640i FW Mixer/Interface, Mackie ONYX 1200F, Avalon U5 PreAmp, NI Komplete 11 Ultimate, EastWest Composer CloudX, Yamaha MOTIF XS8, Ensoniq SD-1 and ESQ-1, Korg M1rEX, Yamaha TX-81Z, Roland D110, Line6 HELIX Rack and Native, POD HD-Pro, POD Farm 2.5, Yamaha NS-10 and Presonus Eris E8 monitors, Yamaha Disklavier Upright Piano, mics, guitars, basses, and the cutest little tambourine.
|
Sanderxpander
Max Output Level: -36.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 3873
- Joined: 2013/09/30 10:08:24
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/07 07:14:27
(permalink)
Depends on the style, for me. For modern stuff I would think 0.3 seconds is quite enough. Most things I start from Spotify start instantly.
As for the dithering option, dithering is (or can be) important when reducing word length, in other words when you change from a higher bit depth (32 or 24 bit) to a lower one (like the 16 required for CD). Its effects are subtle but don't do it more than once, or at all if you're not reducing word length. Basically do your entire project at a high bit depth and when you make the final bounce to the lower bit depth, after all your mastering processors, dither. It sounds as if you have your stuff mastered externally. In that case I wouldn't reduce bit depth at all (nor dither) and just send the thing to the mastering engineer at your project bit depth and samplerate.
|
interpolated
Max Output Level: -74 dBFS
- Total Posts : 830
- Joined: 2015/03/26 17:34:58
- Status: offline
Re: Add Silence to Beginning of Digital Download File?
2017/07/07 09:41:48
(permalink)
Dithering isn't as important these days unless you are working with very dynamic and quiet passages where sound could be detrimental when reduced in bit-rate . I keep my things to 24-bit until I really need to reduce.
|