Sound on Sound, August 2011

ManualsBrandsSonnox ManualsSoftwarePro-Codec Plug-In (Native)

Sonnox

Fraunhofer Pro-Codec

Sonnox’s clever plug‑in allows you to hear

exactly what different MP3 and AAC encoder

settings do to your precious mixes — in a true

blind test, if you like!

Real‑time Data Compression Plug‑in

algorithms — either so that they can reduce

encoding side‑effects with pre‑emptive

processing, or so that they can select and

configure the most suitable encoding.

Pragmatic though this approach

may be, it does suffer from the fact that

data‑compression algorithms tend to be

offline processes. In other words, you have

to render your mix/master, then render

a data‑compressed version, and then

import both files back into your studio DAW

system for comparison. Fortunately, though,

respected plug‑in developers Sonnox have

now teamed up with Fraunhofer IIS, the

original inventors of MP3, to develop the

first real‑time data‑compression plug‑in,

Fraunhofer Pro‑Codec, thereby providing

a means of streamlining this tediously

iterative quality‑control exercise.

Real‑time Audio Data

Compression

The software is available for both Windows

XP/7 and Mac OS 10.5 or above, and comes

in AU, RTAS and VST formats. Authorisation

is via an iLok dongle and you can choose

mono, stereo or 5.1 surround modes. Three

tabs along the top of the window switch

between its three operating modes: online

(real‑time) encoding, offline encoding, and

offline decoding. To start with, let me focus

on the first of these, since it accounts for

the lion’s share of the feature set. The basic

concept is that you insert up to five different

data‑compression codecs into the Codec

List slots, and then use the little speaker‑icon

Monitor buttons to listen to the effect of

each on the audio that is passing through

the plug‑in. Alternatively, you can hit the

Master In button to compare the currently

selected codec with the unprocessed

MIKE SENIOR

ith every passing year, it

seems that, despite the

earnest hand‑wringing of

audiophiles the world over, more and

more of the music that consumers hear

has been mangled to some degree by

data‑compression algorithms. As such,

more conscientious mixing and mastering

engineers have got into the habit of

rendering and auditioning their work in

a variety of data‑compressed formats,

to alert themselves to the strengths and

weaknesses of different compression

The Fraunhofer Pro‑Codec plug‑in’s main real‑time comparison mode.

Sonnox Fraunhofer

Pro-Codec

£354

p r o s

A neat, quick, and easy‑to‑use tool for •

comparing some of the most popular

data‑compressed audio formats.

Real‑time and off‑line encoding/decoding •

with up to five different codecs

simultaneously.

Excellent visual analysis tools and a great •

little ABX statistical test machine onboard.

c o n s

Some popular alternative •

data‑compression codecs, such as

Windows Media, MP2, Ogg Vorbis and

FLAC, are excluded.

No off‑line batch processing. You’ll just •

have to convert one source file at a time,

I’m afraid.

s u m m a r y

Despite its limited reach in terms of the

codecs available for comparison, this is

a product that can provide mixing and

mastering engineers with an extremely

valuable insight into the impact of data

compression on their work.

ON TEST

August 2011 / www.soundonsound.com

Summary of content (5 pages)

PAGE 1
on test Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro‑Codec Real‑time Data Compression Plug‑in Sonnox’s clever plug‑in allows you to hear exactly what different MP3 and AAC encoder settings do to your precious mixes — in a true blind test, if you like! Mike Senior W ith every passing year, it seems that, despite the earnest hand‑wringing of audiophiles the world over, more and more of the music that consumers hear has been mangled to some degree by data‑compression algorithms.
PAGE 2
Blind Testing Not sure you can tell the difference? Pro‑Codec can set your mind at rest with its two blind‑testing modes: AB and ABX. The first simply lets you toggle between auditioning any pair of codecs (or any codec and the input signal) from a single button. Normally the plug‑in’s GUI makes it visually clear which signal you’re listening to, but if you don’t want that distraction, the Hide button banishes all visual cues.
PAGE 3
on test Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro‑Codec Te st S p e c • Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro‑Codec v1.0.0.4723. • Rain Recording Solstice O3 PC with AMD Phenom II X4 810 quad‑core 2.61GHz processor, 4GB DDR2 RAM, running Windows XP Pro SP3. • Tested with Steinberg Cubase v6.0.0 and Cockos Reaper v3.75. envelopes respectively.
PAGE 4
on test Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro‑Codec If you fancy blind‑testing your preferences while auditioning different codecs, try the simple AB facility (left) or, if you’re really hardcore, the statistically measured ABX testing function (right). in one go. The Offline Decode tab works similarly, accepting any of the supported encoded formats and translating them into WAV or AIFF files at 16‑ or 24‑bit resolution.
PAGE 5
The World’s Best Recording Technology Magazine This article was originally published in Sound On Sound magazine, August 2011 edition. Sound On Sound, Media House, Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill, Cambridge, CB23 8SQ, United Kingdom Email: subscribe@soundonsound.com Tel: +44 (0) 1954 789888 Fax: +44 (0) 1954 789895 Subscribe & Save Money! Visit our subscriptions page at www.soundonsound.com All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2011. All rights reserved.