Ripping MP3 burned CDs to WMA format - crackling

[Soothsayer]

Would like to ask the question - I have brought some audio CDs to work, which I burned from MP3 files at home. Used Nero to burn them, but have seen this on other CDs I burned form other software programs as well...

When I rip the tracks on the audio CD to WMA format in Windows Media Player 9, I get crackling and popping on a lot of tracks. I do not notice any of this crackling when I am ripping a regular purchased music CD. The MP3s I burn are usually 192 and above, so could quality be an issue? Should I be using 320 here?

One thing I have noticed is that no matter what I set the graphic equalizer settings to, or the other audio settings for that matter, I cannot get WAM files to sound anywhere near as good as they sound directly from the CD I have burned.

Is anyone else noticiing this problem? Should I be ripping to the new lossless format they offer in the software? By the way, the only reason I am using Windows Media Player is because that is all they allow us to use, when listening to music (SECURITY).

[Sandcrab]

Why are you converting to audio files to play at work ? Wny not just burn as mp3 data files - WMP will play mp3 also (at least the version I have at work will do so).

[RACKnRAIL]

In my experience, I find mp3's very unreliable or should I say, it's the source that's unreliable. The bitrate has a lot to do with sound quality, but I've found that even the high bitrate files can be glitched or improperly tagged or even both. I simply play the files now, before I burn anything. I have found that even 128 bit files can be satisfactory. It's pretty tough though to beat a store bought cd for sound quailty. I guess as far as mp3's goes...you can't beat the price! Just listen to it first, before you burn it.

[Soothsayer]

To Sandcrab, I guess that might be the way I have to go - I know Windows Media Player will play MP3 files... I was just taking the CDs I made for playing in my car and regular CD players (that do not play MP3 format) and using those.
I could probably fit quite a lot of MP3s on one CD-RW disc and then use that to load my stuff up here at work. Could then reuse over and over as long as my CD drive at work would read it. Maybe I will try that.

I would still like to know if the translation from MP3 to WMA format does cause problems. I could see that, as Microsoft is now making a business decision to team up with AOL os something, to have their WMA format be the main one for playing and downloading. Yuck

[TheIceMan]

Well u can't have much experience of mp3's then! i have over 4000 on various dvd'rs not to mention a stand alone system which is connected to a very high quality system and i would estimate only 0.01% of all my files are unreliable, sure if you only download new stuff like chart material then you are bound to get poor quality rips and fakes but if you bag stuff that has been around for a while the quality is superb .I find 192 more than enough and i speak from being an ex-audiophile from years ago.I did a blind listening test a while ago on my system between a bought cd and a 192 mp3 disk of the same music ripped then reencoded back to cd audio and out of 8 of us no one could tell the difference and that is on a reference quality system that cost over £20,000 uk pounds. As for the crackling noise are you converting files to wav before burning manually? because if your system is converting from digital to analogue then back to digital via the soundcard as some systems have to then you could pick up interference, if you use nero to burn audio cd's it works slightly differently in that it encodes to a protected type of wav before it burns hence you don't get intereference.:shy

[Soothsayer]

To everyone who replied, thanks for the help and advice. I will probably stay away from WMA format for a while, and stick to only MP3s if I can. I do have enough experience with MP3s - I know that 320 is much better than 128. This is not the problem I am having. The MP3 files I have themselves are just fine, no popping anywhere in them. I always listen to a file before I burn it, you have to be cautious these days, too much spoofing and too many files which are just not any good...

It is when I save those good MP3 files onto a disc, making an audio CD which I would play in a normal traditional CD player. Then I would rip those tracks at work into WMA format in Windows Media Player. This is when the popping and crackling starts. I do not notice this when I take a regular audio CD from my old collection and rip those tracks to WMA. Anyway, who cares anymore. There are enough ways around it I think I can get by. Thanks again

[phalkon30]

My guess would be mismatched sample rates

Typicly mp3 is 4410 kbps, maybe WMP format is a different sample rate, and its catching inbetween where mp3 did