A synopsis of the codec fora (this one and others) participants’ views and my own observations and testing of MusePack (mp+/c, mpegplus) versus mp3
[Encoders and settings as follows unless stated –
mp3 – LAME 3.90 Alpha 8 (6th Nov 2001, --dm-preset standard (Variable Bit Rate by default);
MusePack – Frank Klemm mppenc 0.90k, Standard (VBR by default).
Average bit rates are quoted in kbps from Helium2 v1.01)
MusePack Characteristics:
1. Clearly has an audible advantage coding music with sharp transients or impulses, which includes specifically, synthesiser-generated comb like waves, castanets, cymbals, etc. This audible advantage has a strong basis in theory, with MusePack not suffering from pre-echo. Examples of waves or tracks which demonstrate this advantage -
kalifornia-clip (by Fatboy Slim) (21 secs). [MusePack unknown setting bitrate average = 253, mp3 CBR 256. A senior contributor to tuning LAME settings has spent considerable effort tuning LAME for clips such as this, but the results are still obviously artifacted – no ABX required)
Castanets.wav (6 secs). [MusePack unknown setting bitrate average = 253, mp3 LAME VBR unknown setting bitrate average = 197]
2. Pipe instruments have clearer definition – Northumbrian pipes, Bagpipes, Ulean pipes, etc. Tracks which demonstrate this:
Soundtrack to Titanic (James Horner) - Hymn to the Sea (6:25) [MusePack bitrate average = 197, mp3 bitrate average = 183]
The Corrs - Forgiven Not Forgotten – Erin Shore (Instrumental) (0:27) [MusePack bitrate average = 222, mp3 bitrate average = 164]
It is interesting to note that MusePack forces the bitrate up on the transients and pipe sections to cope with these waveforms, whereas mp3 does not seem to do this. This is not a fault of either encoder, it is just indicative of the way the two different encoders work. The average bitrate for the two encoders at settings defined above is very similar across a number of CDs.
3. A census of those people that moderate or are respected by these fora, indicates that MusePack is regarded as of much better quality than mp3 at any bitrate above approx 160 kbps. That is, MusePack produces fewer artifacts at equivalent bitrate to mp3, or even compared to mp3 at 320 kbps CBR or ‘insane’ VBR settings. MusePack demonstrates transparent quality at Xtreme setting for 99.9% of samples.
4. To achieve a similar quality, MusePack uses fewer bits (disk space) than mp3.
5. Excellent psycho acoustic tuning. There is little need for tweaking of command lines such as is the case with LAME.
6. MusePack encodes at approximately 3 to 4 times the CPU speed of LAME using the quoted settings. MPC is the fastest encoder for the level of quality that it provides.
7. MusePack has a low decoder complexity compared to mp3 (and AAC).
8. There is no maximum bitrate imposed on MusePack, compared to the 320 kbps of mp3. MusePack can be used at bitrates from approx. 160 up to approx. 700 kbps. Muse Pack can be used as a very high bitrate archiving format if required.
9. Software support is limited, but suitable programs such as WinAmp and Helium2 are available.
10. MusePack is free.