Choosing Audio Bitrate Settings

时间：2023-02-05 15:06:59来源：作者：点击数：

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Note: This article does not apply to podcasting.

You select the bitrate/codec you wish to use for on-demand and live-streaming as part of your initial setup with Triton Digital, in consultation with your Triton Digital Client Success Manager, Project Manager, or Solutions Specialist. If you want to change the bitrate or codec, please contact Customer Support.

When deciding what bitrates to use for audio streaming, there is there is no “one size fits all” answer. Your choice depends on how you want to balance audio quality with bandwidth expense.

Triton Digital supports a fixed list of presets for the audio codec/bitrate/sample rate settings. The list is available at the bottom of this article.

Audio Quality

There are three factors that determine audio quality in the Triton Streaming Console:

Encoding format (AAC or MP3)
Bitrate in kbps (kilobits per second)
Sample rate in kHz (kilohertz)

Encoding Format

In general, you get better sound quality from AAC than from MP3 at equivalent bitrates, but at the higher bitrates and sample rates it takes a trained ear to really hear the difference. AAC support is fully adopted in contemporary listening devices, so Triton Digital recommends using AAC unless you know you must support some legacy players that require MP3.

Bitrate

For music, 64 (AAC)/96 (MP3) kbps is a good general-purpose setting that will sound good most listeners. This is the standard bitrate for podcasts, for example, and it sounds great on most contemporary devices, including smart speakers and mobile devices. If bandwidth cost is a concern, you might consider using a lower setting. For enhanced listening, go higher.

For talk, 32 (AAC)/64 (MP3) kbps is a good standard setting for most purposes.

Note that if you are using Station Manager you have the option of using anadaptive bitrate mountfor AAC, which changes the bitrate according to the listener’s connection quality. There are three adaptive bitrate options (Enhanced, Standard, Economy), each of which provides three connection-dependent bitrate levels. For more information, speak with your Triton Digital Client Success Manager.

Sample Rate

Sample rate is similar to bitrate in that the higher numbers generally produce better sound. Triton Digital typically uses 44.1kHz stereo as the standard sample rate, and also offers 48 kHz.

Important: be sure to match the sample rate you set in the Streaming Console with the sample rate of your source audio. A mismatch requires re-sampling and can cause a loss of audio quality, even if the re-sampling is to a higher rate. (E.g., 44.1 kHz re-sampled to 48 kHz does not sound as good as 44.1 kHz that is not re-sampled.) If you are not sure what your source audio sample rate is, ask your station’s audio engineer.

Note that some bitrate/codec/channel combinations might force the sample rate lower.

Summary and Suggestions

There is no “one size fits all” setting for audio quality. Use the suggestions listed below as a general starting point. In most cases, these settings will work perfectly well, but if you prefer to use higher or lower quality according to your needs, you can change them accordingly.

	Enhanced Music (Classical music, premium service, etc.)	Standard Music/Mixed (General pop music. Top 40, talk, etc.)	Talk Radio (Exclusively talk radio.)
Adaptive Bitrate	256/128/64 kbps	128/64/32 kbps	56/40/24 kbps
AAC Bitrate	96 kbps	64 kbps	32 kbps
MP3 Bitrate	128 kbps	96 kbps	64 kbps
Sample Rate	44.1 kHz stereo, unless your source material is 48 kHz stereo (in which case, use 48).	44.1 kHz stereo, unless your source material is 48 kHz stereo (in which case, use 48).	22.05 kHz mono.

AAC Notes

Triton Digital supports several variations of AAC, as described below.

AAC LC("AAC low complexity"): If you want to use a bitrate of 128 KBPS or higher, this is your only option for AAC. It delivers excellent sound quality.
HE-AAC v1("High Efficiency AAC v1"): If you want to use a bitrate between 64Kbps and 128Kbps, this is the best choice. It is widely compatible and provides the best overall sound.
HE-AAC v2("High Efficiency v2"): If your content is stereo and you need to be at 56Kbps or lower, this is your best choice. However, if you are doing dual-mono (same sound in left/right channels instead of true stereo), you are better off with HE-AAC v1.

Available Codecs

The lists below provide a more detailed view of the available codec presets. If you wish to use unlisted settings, speak with your Triton Digital Client Success Manager.