New to MTU...(BIN vs MP3/CDG) HELP!!

[cableguy]

Is there anyone out there that can help explain IN LAYMAN terms what this stuff does??

Here is my situation....I started putting all my Karaoke library on the computer, man this was not easy. I ended up buying a program calls Roxbox along with their Ripping tool. Everything works fine for what I need it for. I started working on my next batch of songs to get ripped and I started getting bad video errors, dots, lyrics being left behind causing it hard to read, etc. I started browsing around the internet and stumbled on MTU, after reading they seemed to have the solution to my problem. Microstudio and a new external burner. According to their site everything that is happening to me, Microstudio and the burner can fix. I got it the other day and started using it. I got it to start ripping, but it rips and converts to a "BIN" file...I do not know what this is. All my music has two files per song (MP3 & CDG), this one has only an BIN file. Here are my questions...

What is a BIN file compared to the MP3/CDG I am used too?

I don't think I can use both type files...can I?

My hosting program (Roxbox) only see's MP3/CDG, is there a way to used Microstudio so it will created MP3/CDG vs BIN?

Will Microstudio work with other programs (like Roxbox) or will it only work with their Hoster program?

Hope someone can help, this conversion is costing me a small fortune!!

[mindonstrike]

I'm not familiar with roxbox. MicroStudio rips to the raw uncompressed files called bin.
If roxbox ca't convert to mp3g you can use Songverter to convert to mp3g which can convert most everything to everything.

MS will play mp3g as well as several other formats but thats where any similarities to roxbox ends.

Sam

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by cableguy

What is a BIN file compared to the MP3/CDG I am used too?

Sam answered this one, but to take it one step further BIN files is a full size file the same format as what is on the CD itself with combined audio and graphics. An MP3/CDG (or better know as MP3+G) is split with the graphics in the CDG file and the audio compressed in the MP3 file. I will say that MP3 is probably the worst compression format to use as there is a lot of loss to the audio sound quality.

Originally Posted by cableguy

I don't think I can use both type files...can I?

Microstudio can play both of those formats and several more, but it only imports in the BIN format.

Originally Posted by cableguy

My hosting program (Roxbox) only see's MP3/CDG, is there a way to used Microstudio so it will created MP3/CDG vs BIN?

To convert them to MP3+G if your program can't do that you can use Songverter which is a new program by MTU to convert files between formats.

Originally Posted by cableguy

Will Microstudio work with other programs (like Roxbox) or will it only work with their Hoster program?

Microstudio is designed to help you work with you karaoke and audio CDs and files. I am sure you read the whole blurb about it before you bought it. It isn't designed to do shows as the graphics (lyrics) window will not move to a secondary monitor (TV), nor does it have songbook printing capability.

All of the karaoke show programs have unique features that are good, but you have to decide which features are important to you and go with that program. I will say as a user of Hoster and I have tried several of the others, that I have found none better for quality of audio, graphics and ease of use.

[bryant]

Originally Posted by cableguy

Is there anyone out there that can help explain IN LAYMAN terms what this stuff does??


What is a BIN file compared to the MP3/CDG I am used too?

I don't think I can use both type files...can I?

My hosting program (Roxbox) only see's MP3/CDG, is there a way to used Microstudio so it will created MP3/CDG vs BIN?

A Bin file is a combination of an mp3 and a "graphics" (g) file. This file is used universally in burning karaoke songs to disks.

An mp3 file is simply a compressed audio file.

A cdg file usually means the the karaoke file that exists on the CD itself. It usually rips to another format to your computer.

An mp3/cdg is probably mistated by "Roxbox" and most likely means mp3/g, which is the combination of and mp3 with the graphics file. MTU products works with all the above and can convert from any of those to other formats as well. An mp3/ file is usually converted to a bin file before it is burned onto a disk, where it appears as a cdg file on the disk itself.

MTU products are excellent for all these tasks and conversions and great explanations on how to go about
doing all of it. You can't go wrong with MTU in your case.

[ddouglass]

[QUOTE=bryant] A Bin file is a combination of an mp3 and a "graphics" (g) file. This file is used universally in burning karaoke songs to disks.[/quote]
Not quite true as a BIN file is not compressed at all and MP3 is.

[bryant]

Yes, that's right, typically a bin file runs around 50 mB, while an mp3 plus graphics file around 4 to 6 mB large.

maybe it's a wav file plus a graphics file in some combined form.

[cableguy]

WOW, thanks all for the info!!

So what do I use a bin files for? Are they just for converting purposes or are they used for shows?
(Some one said the bin file size is large, others said audio quality is better in a bin file than MP3G)

Is it best to use a bin file or MP3+g? Or are they all supposed to be MP3G after they are converted to a BIN?

Or do I convert all my MP3/CDG files to bin?

I guess I am trying to figure out what the right method is to use. Like I mentioned in my first thread, I have couple thousand already ripped to MP3/CGD, lot of time and money already spent. The reason I went to MTU is the issues with the video I am having on the newer stuff I am ripping. It sounds like I have got to start from scratch and convert everything to a BIN file or not?



What suggestion

[bryant]

I think a lot of us use mp3/g files or a zip file that contains them. Like we said, bin files are way too large to store thousands of. If you're mp3/cdg files are tru mp3/g files, you will have no trouble with Hoster products. Although MTU's Karaoke Hoster convert's those mp3/g files to their own proprietary file for use in "Hoster" only.

Answer: Keep your mp3/g files and continue to use them.

[ddouglass]

Cableguy,
I think the real question you have to ask yourself first is am I sticking with the current program or am I looking for something better.
If you are going to stick with your current program, then your song files are all going to need to be in MP3+G (zipped or unzipped) to play in their player. However, judging from the problems you have had and that you have bought Microstudio already, I personnaly would start over and import all of them through Microstudio to get the best quality audio and graphics (BIN) then convert them to MP3+G using Songverter. You may have to work in batches if space is a problem, since the BIN files are from 30-40 MB each. Once you have converted them to MP3+G then the size drops to 4 - 10 MB depending on how much compression you use. Compression ratio will also effect quality in that the more you compress the file the more loss you have.
If you are considering using Hoster, then you have several options open to you. You can import directly into Hoster from the CDs (best method)or from the Hard Drive. Hoster also compresses the files but doesn't have any noticable loss of sound qualityand also has the graphics included and not in a separate file. Those files will also end up being the same size range as the MP3+G. Hoster can import and play most of the known file types so no matter what format you purchase a song in Hoster should be able to deal with it (CAVs formats excluded currently).
Now to answer you other questions. First a BIN file is an exact copy of the individual song track on the CD. The only difference is the last 3 characters in the name. On a CD if you look at it with Explorer will be track1.cda, track2.cda, etc. On the hard drive it will be named with more information and the extension BIN, but the content is exactly the same. Thus Microstudio copies the file from the CD to the hard drive and renames it. The advantage here is that Microstudio imports or copies very cleanly because of its error correction capabilities. So you use the BIN file to clean-up the import and reduce the graphic and audio glitches.
Then if you want to use your current player program you have to convert (reformat) each song file to MP3+G or they won't play. Microstudio doesn't do this but Songverter does and a whole lot more.
Sorry for getting so long winded, but I don't want to try to give you half explanations. Hope this helps.

[cableguy]

Dale, Bryant,

Thanks allot, you both have answered my questions to a tee!

I was getting lost with the bin file and what to do with it, now I know. It needs to be converted to a MP3g in order to be used...

I will take both of your suggestions and I am going to re-rip my disks using MS, and then convert them all to MP3 using Songverter....then I should be able to use the files with any program....right?

After this is done can I back them up on CD's (to have back up clean copies)? And what do I use...MS?

What kind of CD's should I use? (DVD)

I do have a Hoster Lite registration, I bought it about 10 months ago. Is Hoster Lite decent enough for me to get a fell for the program?

Cableguy

[ddouglass]

Hoster Lite will do everything the full Hoster will except create song books, import from a singer's own CD and will only install on one computer instead of two. I would advise you to get the upgrade which should be free.

If you are going to try Hoster Lite, I would import them through Hoster from the CDs rather than using the MP3+Gs. First you get a cleaner import and you skip two extra major steps.
Then if you decide you like the other program better all you have to do is use the Hoster files (KMA) and convert them with Songverter to MP3+G.

KMA is Hoster's format which is a compressed format that is based on a Windows Media Player format with additional information added.

[bryant]

And Microstudio will make copy disks of those tracks as well.
MTU sells an excellent set of CD disks you can use. They are much more reliable than the typical store bought brands at wal-Mart, etc. Try'em out.