I listen to a live audio/video music internet stream and record the audio on a schedule using Total Recorder. As far as I know, it only streams through Windows Media Player. I don't know what the actual bandwidth rate is but the full stream of audio/video is advertised as 200K. My guess is that the audio portion is somewhere around 48K because their audio only option is 48K.

The way I have been recording it is through Total Recorder running on a schedule, with it saving the files as tagged mp3's using lame..

I'd like to know that I am getting the best technical capture of the sound possible, using the least amount of space possible. I can't afford the disk space to keep all the recordings uncompressed. I save the 2 hour sessions at this point at VBR 192-224kbps and the files are around 162 megs in this mp3 format. They sound fine to my ear, which I am sure isn't that sophisticated, but like I said, I'd like to know, because I archive these recordings and want them around for a long time, that they are technically sound.

Any suggestions? I want to keep using Total Recorder because it has great scheduling/tagging options and it's one of the few softwares that I've broken down and purchased. The formats it allows for natively are PCM, MP3, OGG, WMA and FlAC (The flac has compression level options 0 to 8)..

Did I provide enough info? thanks

It's always best to capture the stream in its native format. Total Recorder grabs the decoded stream and re-encodes to MP3. We can provide specifics if you tell us what streaming program you're trying to capture.

I can't because it's a subscription service...

Here is what is says in the properties in WMP...

Windows Media Audio 9
64 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo (A/V) 1-pass CBR

Screamer Radio is a freeware Internet Radio player for Microsoft Windows.

http://www.screamer-radio.com/features.php

"Playback Features

* Shoutcast and Icecast MP3 Streaming
* Icecast OGG Vorbis Streaming
* WMA Streaming
* AAC Streaming

Recording Features

* Recording buffer: start recording in the middle and still save the entire song!
* Direct MP3 Audio stream saving, no loss of quality!
* Direct OGG Vorbis stream saving, no loss of quality!
* Or encode OGG Vorbis as MP3 using Lame
* Encode WMA or AAC to MP3 using Lame"

http://wiki.screamer-radio.com/wiki/Screamer_Radio_Manual

HTH,
Mike

Screamer Radio is good.

If the stream is a MMS - you can use flashget to grab it too.

i've seen screamer before but it doesn't have the other features that i need from total recorder like auto tagging and scheduling.. (I record this stream at different times in 2 hour increments)

I gave screamer a whirl though and what i might have learned from it is that i don't need to be re-encoding at 192-224vbr 44100khz...

Screamer encoded the stream at 128cbr and 48000khz mp3 and it was just as well to my ear.. So i think i may at least switch to these settings and save disk space..

Anybody have opinion of what would be the best bitrate etc to save it as?

anopther question.. I noticed in Total Recorder that I have the option of different codecs..What is better, lame of fraunhoffer?

edit: nevermind.. that was a lazy question.. search button here i come..

i have been using the search button etc but haven't found any real concise information as to what mp3 encoder I should use and which bitrate I should convert to. Right now I have switched to using Lame 3.97 and encoding to 128kbps/48khz from the stream (Windows Media Audio 9 64 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo (A/V) 1-pass CBR)..

Some say to keep it at the rate it is streamed, others say to increase because mp3 doesn't do well below a certain bitrate. I think I am just going to have to try some tests on my own..

i tested and found that i need to keep this stream recorded at around 192kbps with lame 3.97 to not hear noise or whatever that garbly sound is called.. I tried 128 fraunhofer and the noise was not detectable to my ear... i tried wma and it was fine at 64kbps but I want mp3 for the tags...

Hi!
I'm sorry for resurrecting this thread...
Is there someone who can suggest me the least hard way to capture new Black Sabbath song The Devil Cried?
Thanks a lot in advance...

A butterfly net.
"caputre" from where?

I'm sorry, but my English is not that good so I don't understand.
When you look at the link, there are 4 links to streaming audio of that song.
I want to capture the one with the highest quality but unfortunatelly I don't know how...

Try the last freeware version of nettransport.

I have to agree with Mr Gameplaya. Here's a URL to get NetTransport.
http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/pa...Net%20Transport