A game-changing collaboration between Germany-based mp3 creator Fraunhofer IIS, and pioneering plug-in designer/manufacturer Sonnox Ltd., has produced a revolutionary solution for improving the quality of online music.
“Our Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec marks the first time engineers are able to precisely audition codecs in real time,” reports Sonnox Managing Director Rod Densham. “Additionally, the Pro-Codec eliminates the time-consuming cycle of encoding a mix to mp3/AAC, previewing, tweaking and re-rendering. The entire process may now be accomplished ‘on the fly,’ freeing the engineer to concentrate on producing an optimized mix during the preview process.”
Mix and mastering engineers may now audition up to five codecs in real time within a DAW environment. The Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec plug-in enables the production of optimized mixes, and provides the option to simultaneously batch encode to multiple formats. All major codecs, including: mp3, mp3 Surround, AAC-LC and HE-AAC are supported, as are such lossless codecs as mp3 HD and HD-AAC.
Acknowledged for their innovative screen imagery and exceptional sound quality, Sonnox has now devised a novel high-resolution FFT display, which vividly illustrates the input and output difference signals and a graphical indication of codec-induced noise audibility. Bit-stream level meters clearly display the possibility of decode overloads. A-B auditioning enables engineers to switch seamlessly between codecs, or input and codec. A blind listening mode (ABX) further supports codec comparisons.
The Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec is available now for a price of £295 GBP ($495 USD), and is compatible with most popular DAWs – Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, Sequoia and Wavelab. Both Mac and Windows are supported.