[asterisk-users] Call Recording audio file quality query

[Ishfaq Malik]

On Tue, 2011-02-08 at 05:40 -0600, Sherwood McGowan wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 8, 2011 at 5:09 AM, Ishfaq Malik <ish at pack-net.co.uk>
> wrote:
>         Hi
>         
>         We're getting requests coming in for higher quality audio in
>         our call
>         recordings. We currently use MixMonitor and everything is
>         being saved in
>         it's native 8000Hz, 16 bit wav format.
>         
>         I have seen information on using Monitor and specifying a
>         conversion to
>         mp3 when the call ends and the 2 channels get mixed but surely
>         the 2
>         channels are already saved as 16bit 8000Hz wav files so the
>         quality is
>         lost already?
>         
>         Is there any way of making high quality recordings of call
>         content?
>         
> 
> Have you ever heard of the saying "You can't polish a turd" ? 
> 
> It doesn't matter if you have an app capable of recording 196Khz 24bit
> recordings (or capable of upsampling to that sample rate)...if the
> call itself is native at 8Khz 16bit, you'd just be making a bigger
> recording file with no literal improvement in quality. 
> 
> You can't create more samples of audio from nothing. it's like taking
> a new box of, say, 50 paperclips... Now, go get an empty box that says
> it contained 250 paperclips when it was purchased... Now, throw all 50
> paperclips from the little box into the big box marked 250..now,
> imagine REALLY REALLY hard that you think you can perceive about 5
> more paperclips somewhere all mixed up in the
> jumble...(Extrapolation)....
> 
> that, my friend, is an over simplified metaphor, but in essence it's
> close enough to get the point across..
> 
> Sorry bud :( If you don't believe me, I can refer you to my old audio
> production school ;-D )
> 
> Slainte!
> the Mick
> 
That answer was pretty much what I was expecting. Just wanted to make
sure.

-- 
Ishfaq Malik
Software Developer
PackNet Ltd

Office:   0161 660 3062