VLC playbacks mp3's worse than any other player

[rambo]

Hi, I'm using the very latest VLC x64 version 2.1.5 in my Windows 8.1 x64 laptop.

When I compare the quality of CD rips, in mp3 format, of two different sources, I play them with VLC and compare the beginning over and over again, listening carefully and looking for the higher quality rip.

Yesterday I ripped my classical music CD to FLAC lossless format. Then I exported the FLAC file to mp3 using Audacity 2.0.6 and LAME 3.99.3 at 256kbps (best variable bitrate available). Then I compared both mp3 and FLAC using Audacity, and it was impossible to tell which one was FLAC or mp3, they both sounded exactly the same.

OK, that's fine. BUT this morning I played the mp3 with VLC, and it doesn't sound the same as when I play it with Audacity or MPC-HC or AIMP3 or any other player out there. I notice it overall in the silence sections, at the very beginning of one piece, when there are no instruments playing, it's supposed to sound almost nothing. Every single player plays that well, but VLC plays a weird sound, as if the file was like 20kbps only, with really poor quality.

I've recorded Windows output sound with Audacity, so that's what I'm listening to through my earphones. I'm comparing VLC with Audacity, or MPC-HC or AIMP3, cause all of them sound the same, or practically the same. Here you go:

VLC vs Audacity, 12 seconds audio file: https://mega.co.nz/#!dN5h1bAa!l-AdR_a4u ... PdGV5E6fL0

In the first 6 seconds, you'll hear VLC's playback of the end of one of my classical CD mp3 rips, and in the 6 last seconds, the very same part, but this time being played by Audacity (but it could be MPC-HC or AIMP3, cause all of them "send" the very same sound to my earphones). As you can hear, VLC is waaay worse than the others. I suppose it has something to do with codecs of audio or something like that.

Tell me what you think and how to fix this. Thanks, many thanks!

PD: I don't know if this only affects to mp3's or it's extended to any audio file, cause if the codecs are that bad, I think every single audio file will be played worse than any other player.

[Lotesdelere]

First, please don't use Mega but upload your sample file to either http://streams.videolan.org/upload/ or to Zippyshare.com (200 MB max) or to EmbedUpload.com, the latter will upload the file for you to several other hosts (use the default ones) and then post the link to the file here.


Then try another audio output module:
http://wiki.videolan.org/WindowsFAQ-2.0 ... _anomalies

And/or some other audio options:
viewtopic.php?p=339577#p339577

[rambo]

I've tried every single different output module, and they all sound the same. I've existed from VLC each time I changed something. Also tried what you post in that topic thread. Nothing. The audio does not sounds bad, it doesn't crackles or pops, it just sounds worse, like if instead of 320kbps I would have ripped my CD in 92kbps. It's noticable, as I said, in silent parts. You can hear what I mean in that sample I uploaded to MEGA, now changed to zippyshare, as you asked me:

http://www77.zippyshare.com/v/17099448/file.html

So, something's wrong with VLC codecs, I don't really know. Can you guys reproduce this issue? Just play an mp3 using VLC and MPC-HC (I have installed K-Lite Mega Codec pack too).

PD: I can't edit the link of my first comment, please, replace MEGA link with the new zippyshare link, thanks!

[Lotesdelere]

Sorry but it's the file causing problems that we need for testing purposes.

Also open Tools -> Messages (set Verbosity to 2) before you start the playback, and then paste the full resulting log here or on Pastebin.com if it's too long.

[rambo]

Hello Lotesdelere. It's not just a single and weird mp3, it happens in every mp3, specially noticeable in classical music, when there are instrumental pauses and gaps where instruments doesn't play anything. Anyway, here you got my ripped track:

http://www43.zippyshare.com/v/19160844/file.html

I mean, if it happens to this mp3, it happens to every single one, cause this mp3 is not "damned" or something like that, you know.

Debug:

main debug: adding item `Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3' ( file:///C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.

%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,%20Allegro%20Vivace.mp3 )
qt4 debug: Adding a new MRL to recent ones: file:///C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,%20Allegro

%20Vivace.mp3
main debug: processing request item: Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3, node: null, skip: 0
main debug: rebuilding array of current - root Playlist
main debug: rebuild done - 1 items, index 0
main debug: starting playback of the new playlist item
main debug: resyncing on Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3
main debug: Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3 is at 0
main debug: creating new input thread
main debug: Creating an input for 'Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3'
main debug: Creating an input for 'Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3'
main debug: using timeshift granularity of 50 MiB, in path 'C:\Users\THISPC~1\AppData\Local\Temp'
main debug: `file:///C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,%20Allegro%20Vivace.mp3' gives access `file'

demux `' path `/C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,%20Allegro%20Vivace.mp3'
main debug: creating demux: access='file' demux='' location='/C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,

%20Allegro%20Vivace.mp3' file='C:\Users\ThisPC\Desktop\Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3'
main debug: looking for access_demux module matching "file": 12 candidates
main debug: no access_demux modules matched
main debug: creating access 'file' location='/C:/Users/Professional/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,%20Allegro

%20Vivace.mp3', path='C:\Users\ThisPC\Desktop\Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3'
main debug: looking for access module matching "file": 20 candidates
filesystem debug: opening file `C:\Users\ThisPC\Desktop\Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3'
main debug: using access module "filesystem"
main debug: Using stream method for AStream*
main debug: starting pre-buffering
main debug: received first data after 0 ms
main debug: pre-buffering done 1024 bytes in 0s - 1000000 KiB/s
main debug: looking for stream_filter module matching "any": 6 candidates
main debug: no stream_filter modules matched
main debug: looking for stream_filter module matching "record": 6 candidates
main debug: using stream_filter module "record"
main debug: creating demux: access='file' demux='' location='/C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,

%20Allegro%20Vivace.mp3' file='C:\Users\ThisPC\Desktop\Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace.mp3'
main debug: ID3v2.3 revision 0 tag found, skipping 26623 bytes
main debug: looking for demux module matching "any": 63 candidates
es debug: detected format mpga
main debug: looking for packetizer module matching "any": 21 candidates
main debug: using packetizer module "mpeg_audio"
mpeg_audio debug: MPGA channels:2 samplerate:44100 bitrate:128
main debug: selecting program id=0
main debug: using demux module "es"
main debug: looking for a subtitle file in C:\Users\ThisPC\Desktop\
main debug: looking for decoder module matching "any": 39 candidates
main debug: no fetch required for Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60, 1st Movement Adagio, Allegro Vivace (art currently

file:///C:/Users/ThisPC/AppData/Roaming/vlc/art/artistalbum/Beethoven/Symphonies%20Nos.%204%20%26%205%20Beethoven/art)
main debug: using decoder module "mpeg_audio"
main debug: looking for meta reader module matching "any": 2 candidates
taglib debug: Found embedded art: 3 (image/jpg) is 22784 bytes
main debug: using meta reader module "taglib"
main debug: removing module "taglib"
main debug: `file:///C:/Users/ThisPC/Desktop/Beethoven%20-%20Symphony%20No.%204%20In%20B%20Flat%20Major,%20Op.%2060,%201st%20Movement%20Adagio,%20Allegro%20Vivace.mp3' successfully opened
main debug: Buffering 0%
main debug: Buffering 8%
mpeg_audio debug: MPGA channels:2 samplerate:44100 bitrate:128
main debug: Buffering 17%
main debug: Buffering 26%
main debug: reusing audio output
directsound debug: Opening DirectSound Audio Output
main debug: Buffering 34%
main debug: Buffering 43%
main debug: Buffering 52%
main debug: Buffering 60%
main debug: Buffering 69%
main debug: Buffering 78%
main debug: Buffering 87%
main debug: Buffering 95%
main debug: Stream buffering done (313 ms in 1 ms)
qt4 debug: IM: Setting an input
directsound debug: Windows speaker config: Stereo and stream has 2 channels, using 2 channels
main debug: output 'f32l' 44100 Hz Stereo frame=1 samples/8 bytes
main debug: looking for audio volume module matching "any": 2 candidates
main debug: using audio volume module "float_mixer"
main debug: input 'mpga' 44100 Hz Stereo frame=1152 samples/1053 bytes
main debug: looking for audio filter module matching "scaletempo": 14 candidates
scaletempo debug: format: 44100 rate, 2 nch, 4 bps, fl32
scaletempo debug: params: 30 stride, 0.200 overlap, 14 search
scaletempo debug: 1.000 scale, 1323.000 stride_in, 1323 stride_out, 1059 standing, 264 overlap, 617 search, 2204 queue, fl32 mode
main debug: using audio filter module "scaletempo"
main debug: conversion: 'mpga'->'f32l' 44100 Hz->44100 Hz Stereo->Stereo
main debug: looking for audio converter module matching "any": 12 candidates
main debug: no audio converter modules matched
main debug: looking for audio converter module matching "any": 12 candidates
mpgatofixed32 debug: mpga->f32l, bits per sample: 32
main debug: using audio converter module "mpgatofixed32"
main debug: conversion pipeline complete
main debug: conversion: 'f32l'->'f32l' 44100 Hz->44100 Hz Stereo->Stereo
main debug: conversion pipeline complete
main debug: looking for audio resampler module matching "any": 3 candidates
main debug: using audio resampler module "samplerate"
main debug: End of audio preroll
main debug: Decoder buffering done in 24 ms
main debug: inserting 88 zeroes

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

I would disable audio time stretching in the VLC audio preferences. Also try with VLC 2.2 prereleases.

[rambo]

Disabling time stretching didn't do anything, the issue still persists.

[Lotesdelere]

Make sure the playback speed is set to 1x.

You can also check if it behaves the same with the 32 bits version of VLC.

[rambo]

Of course it is x1.00.

Could you guys download that file I uploaded to zippishare and see what happens?

I really think it's not me, it's VLC, it doesn't matter what computer or VLC version you have.

[Lotesdelere]

No playback problems so far for me, but I'm not using Windows 8.

Try to reset the preferences:
https://wiki.videolan.org/VSG:ResetPrefs

And please, also check if it behaves the same with the 32 bits version of VLC.

[rambo]

I don't have any "problems" neither, the sound is just worse. If you don't compare VLC's sound to anything, you'd say it's working nicely. But the thing is that using MPC-HC, AIMP3, Windows Media Player and Audacity, they all sound the same and better than VLC.

I'm gonna try the 32 bits version, and I'll post back.

[prometheusd]

This is true! I listen to recorded interviews all the time and the sound quality is much better with Audacity. It's not as clear with VLC. It is usually bearable, but it makes A WORLD of difference if a person is mumbling. Crisper sound with Audacity. Please fix!

[jayR]

In the past, I didn't use much VLC. But recently discovered that VLC has the best sound. I can hear this using high resolution DAC and planar magnetic headphones. I have about dozen media players, including Audacity. All not good, except VLC and Windows Media Player (WMP). For some songs, WMP sounds better. But for others, VLC has the best sound quality. Of course, you need to setup properly to get the best sound quality.