BTW did you hear that Chris Rea and Dire Straits are getting together, they aren't going to call the band "Chris Straights"...

Exactly 

Umm I worked on 2" tape in the 80's and 90's. We mastered to half inch. Occasionally it got mastered on DAT (less said about that the better - yuk!). Most people here knows the effects of lossy compression so you really aren't telling us anything new.


I would not want my masters to go through MP3 compression of course.
 
Recording is a different matter, the sampler they used for this record for instance might horrify you, but it still sounds great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sFK0-lcjGU
 
... the final mix (which was done just around the corner from me) was probably bounced to half inch.
And as stated over and over again of course people prefer better sample formats..

Drone7
Also, you're distorting and misconstuing my assertions, so i'll set the record straight... 'Any' uncompressed sound in the form of WAV, all other things being equal, will ALWAYS sound better than an MP3, that's what i'm sayin.
 

 
Technically yes, but if the sound of compression gives you the results you want then who cares. Given a choice between a great band performance compressed on MP3 and crap band recorded on WAV I know what I'd prefer to listen to, and that's the real point, and that rule goes from top up to bottom down during the recording process. Performance is the key.
 
Still I would always prefer to use WAV's of course....

64 bit sounds better than 32 bit 
 
Just kidding!!!

I will only use loops that are DSD recordings.  Or 384 kHz in a pinch.
 
But a friend used to use an akai 12-bit sampler to record guitar loops and drag them to the studio to lay down to tape.  I guess that sounded OK even tho I would have never used them.  He's moved millions of units in his career.  He might not have my purity but he did get the money drugs and girls.  And gold records on the wall.
 
@

what a d-bag

It's well known that the 'Masters' of anything in the world pay attention to 'detail'. That says it right there, or maybe "Quality, not quantity" might ring a bell with you. Well, need to add something else... close enough is not close enough! Ever heard that one? Well really it all depends on what your work ethic is. The ones that said "That's close enough" ended-up losing a Space Shuttle mid flight on the way to space. Space Shuttle Challenger if memory serves me correct.
 
If anyone here is on the Pop Charts, please let me know and i'll take your approach to music much more seriously? Do you like to get the job done properly or just close enough? Haven't you heard, close enough doesn't cut it, but if girls drugs and money are your aim, then yeah, some girls will go for anything, until then, MP3 isn't close enough.

I'm on Dutch pop charts, ironically. Not that I'm particularly proud of those productions :)
But their low quality has a lot more to do with my limitations than with the guitar player sending me his mediocre fills as an mp3.
When given the choice, who wouldn't pick the better source file? This whole discussion is completely overblown.

EDIT:
I've actually used samples from YouTube too, haha.
Discuss.

Gettin' all the answers you needed there, Drone?
 
Ain't no zealotry like "audiophile" zealotry.
 
Considering you're new(ish) and based on your other, more reasonable, posts/threads I'm going to assume you are probably coming from other more agressive sites like Gearslutz or the like. I like watching a good internet dust up just as much as the next lulzter but we do things a little differently around here. No one is telling you to use inferior samples, no one is claiming that MP3's are inherently better than 24/48+ waves and no one is begrudging you your personal preferences. What you have (or HAD) is/were people providing some info based on your queries and offering some personal opinions on the matter to maybe give you a wider pool of material to work with. If I find a really cool sample I'd like to use that is only available in a perhaps less than desirable format but does not have any serious sonic deficiencies (crackling, unacceptable hiss, warping, etc) then I would much rather use the sample than lose out on a the creative benefits of using said sample.
 
I know certain "audiophiles" are convinced they can hear some massive difference between quality and formats and in some cases it's true but also in a lot of cases the differences are quite literally physically impossible for even someone with perfect ears to hear. They just see the format and automatically think it's garbage therefore they "hear" garbage but likely in a blind test they likely would not notice at all. The average music listener would definitely NOT be able to hear the difference of even care (especially nowadays when everything is squashed to crap and being listened to through cheap earbuds and micro systems). Also in many cases the lower-fi quality is desirable from a creative standpoint. Some of the best loop based music IMO uses really oooold recordings that were, by todays standards, absolute crap as far as sound quality but they sound cool.
 
When I first starting out I thought like you. Everything HAD to be as high quality as possible and I would NEVER up/downsample or dither stuff before mixdown but as I've learned and experimented I realized I was only limiting myself unnecessarily and making things more difficult.
 
If it sounds good it's useable... IMO of course. ;-)
 
As far as your original questions your insistence on trying to prove your superiority over others immediately stifled the conversation and probably turned off the people who could help with some of the finer details.
 
So if you absolutely MUST have your samples be at a certain "quality" check the properties of the files. Also if something doesn't match your project settings you'll see a conversion process occur in the Transport Module's time display (it happens quick sometimes though so pay attention).
 
I still say you'd be better off finding your samples elsewhere though especially if it is THAT important to you. I consider the included content as just some starter stuff for people to mess around with and honestly a lot of it isn't really the best quality even when they are in high quality formats. Lots of noise, hiss, pops, etc in quite a few of them.
 
You bought a DAW. Not a sample library.
 
And don't bother replying if you are just going to rant about how superior YOUR way is or imply that I don't know what I'm doing. I already know I don't know what I'm doing but I seem to know enough not to limit myself over the inconsequential or attack and insult people I just asked advice from.
 
Also insisting the Baker's answer your questions NOW is poor form. This is not an official support forum. It is a peer to peer forum. The baker's just happen to pop in sometimes. If you want direct support you have to email or phone them.
 
Peace.