Today VKontakte is the most popular music resource in Russia. The amount of music in it exceeds even the number of downloaded pirated movies. Many groups even manage to be untwisted exclusively through this social network. But still listening to music in VK is a waste of time and categorical disrespect both to the performer and to one’s own ears.
Resource recently removed the restriction on the upload of files. Previously, you could only download MP3 with a maximum of 10 MB. Now the ceiling has risen, you can download already a heavy 200-megabyte track, but also only in MP3 format. These restrictions – the main scourge of music, placed on the servers of the most popular social network in the CIS.
At the dawn of digital music, you could often find MP3 files in bitrates 192, 128 and even 96 kbps. For greater compression was coined VBR – Variable Bit Rate. The encoder program, when selecting such an algorithm, automatically changes the bitrate of the file. More saturated places of the composition, she leaves at the maximum specified quality, in less saturated (or simply more quiet) – reduces the quality of the composition. Such files just take no more than 10 MB of space on the hard disk.
If you try, then this restriction can be accommodated and a multi-hour DJ set (which is often done). However, the result is a significant reduction in not only the file size, but also the quality. Up to the fact that silence can become more quiet parts of the melody – the sound will be badly worse compared to the original.
More correct, “Feng Shui” format is MP3 with a constant bitrate – CBR. At least this version of audio coding introduces basic distortions in the inaudible frequency range up to 16 Hz and after 20 kHz, sparing the main frequencies.
Although even here the codec is very important. If you turn to specialized communities, you can find out that the minimal distortion can be obtained only if you use the Lame codec of a very specific version, while decoding the sound in a CBR with a bitrate of 320 kbit / s.
A full-fledged music album in properly decoded MP3 with a maximum quality takes about 100-200 MB. The four-minute song is about 12-20 MB.
If the file properties indicate 320 kbps, this does not indicate its quality.
Today, the “transcode” is very actively spreading – transcoding from low bitrate to a higher one to indicate overestimated characteristics. In addition to recognizing audio players as 320 or 256 kbps, there is no improvement in such an operation (by the way, most often the file size remains the same).
In addition to low bitrates, other characteristics may be underestimated. Unfortunately, in most cases, you can not say anything about the properties of the file without additional tools and browser add-ons (which you can talk about separately).
Listening to music in VK is very convenient. But it’s almost impossible to find a quality recording there.
Limitations when uploading files to VKontakte servers resulted in a huge number of low-quality tracks in VBR or CBR with low bitrates. A low listening culture only increases the number of poor-quality audio recordings.
Many users deliberately download low-quality tracks for faster download. Therefore, you can listen to music in your favorite Russian social network. But it is not necessary.
You never know what you will hear. But after all the perception of music depends on the quality of the recording and the final listening file.
By the way, do not forget that the music in VK is pirated and, apart from PR, it essentially hits the purse of the performer.
Music in VK violates copyrights, which means that it is administratively punishable and in case of an unsuccessful arrangement of stars will lead to a fine.
So, despite all the convenience, listening to music at vk.com is a bad idea.
