Solve : flash drive capacity?

1.	Solve : flash drive capacity?
Answer» Is there an approximate rule of thumb as to how much music time can be STORED in flash drives per GB? The specifications seem always to quote so many hundreds of songs - I want to store a collection of spoken word cassette tapes. Well, manufacturers say that their flash drives can hold X number of songs, etc. but if you read the fine print, it says that they are assuming every song is about 3MB, so if each of your tapes are about 3MB each, the number should be pretty accurate. You might get more out of the drive space if you use small cluster sizes, when formatting the drive. Opt for 512 byte cluster sizes. Files are stored in "clusters" on a drive and using large cluster sizes result in "slack" or wasted space. The last BIT of data in a file usually doesn't run to the edge of the last sector in the cluster that it's using, resulting in some wasted space. No other data can use the left over space in the sector. However, there's more "overhead" when processing the data when using small cluster sizes, so the trade off is in speed reduction. Using large cluster sizes enables better speed, but more space is wasted because the amount of slack in the last sector of the cluster is larger, which as I said, other files cannot take advantage of, resulting in more wasted space over all, when comparred to using smaller clusters...The amount of "time" you can store depends on the bitrate, as well as the compression method used. a 5 minute MP3 encoded at 128kbps usually results in a 5MB file, so if you use 128kbps MP3 files, you can usually consider 1MB=1 minute. If you prefer a lossless format, a 5 minute FLAC compressed file usually comes out to around 35MB or so (so around 7MB a minute), quite a lot larger. SINCE there isn't really a "sampling" done on it as there is on MP3 you can record in the same clarity you would get from a pure waveform. (note that a minute of waveform sound usually comes to several MB, depending on the bitrate and so forth) Quote from: BC_Programmer on April 14, 2010, 05:52:25 AM The amount of "time" you can store depends on the bitrate, as well as the compression method used. a 5 minute MP3 encoded at 128kbps usually results in a 5MB file, so if you use 128kbps MP3 files, you can usually consider 1MB=1 minute. If you prefer a lossless format, a 5 minute FLAC compressed file usually comes out to around 35MB or so (so around 7MB a minute), quite a lot larger. Since there isn't really a "sampling" done on it as there is on MP3 you can record in the same clarity you would get from a pure waveform. (note that a minute of waveform sound usually comes to several MB, depending on the bitrate and so forth) too long, didn't read But anyway though, that's interesing... I never download or store music so I'm not use to this kind of thing.. Time to brush up a little on audio technology...I say "approx" because I got those from my winamp library; Aerosmith's "you see me crying" in my library is a 128kbps MP3, and it's 5:12 in length, and just over 5MB. my FLAC was "Fireworks" by the tragically hip, which, while 4 minutes long weighs in at around 35MB. my 128kbps MP3s were ripped years ago when my machine couldn't reliably play a higher bitrate (350Mhz processor); more recent rips are 320kbps, and even more recent I rip to FLAC, since it sounds unbelievably better, even when I use my comparatively crappy laptop sound. Of course, not all 4 minute long FLAC files will be 35MB... just as not all 5:12 128kbps MP3 files will be 5MB; a completely silent track would be only a few bytes or kilobytes regardless of length for almost all compression algorithms, for example. In this case, if it's being used for voice recording, 64kbps is usually quite usable. First, LET's assume you already have a method of converting the casette tapes to audio files; if so, you should get quite usable audio quality from 64kbps. In which case, you can generally expect to store about 2, maybe 3 minutes per MB. a audio-casette is about 30-45 minutes per side, so two sides would make an hour and a half or so, which would take about 60MB, which quite a margin for difference from compression and so forth. Thanks for all the replies to my query. I must admit that most of the info given went right over my head! No wonder the maker's spec is given in comparatively simple terms. I've just ordered a tape-to-mp3 transfer device and my thinking is that when the cassette tape content is transferred to my PC (Windows Media Player), and shown as x minutes in length, then I would have some idea of the size (in MB) flash drive to get for storage. I have a fair idea now and trial and error will tell me more when I start using the gadget. Thanks again to all. Quote from: silkie on April 14, 2010, 12:43:40 PM I must admit that most of the info given went right over my head! Click START, (the shinny pearl thingy) click Computer, rigth-click on the thumb drive, click "format", select what file system you want to use. I recommend FAT 32 if you plan on using the drive in old versions of Windows, Linux, or MAC OS. Under Allocation unit, select the 512 byte option, and click format. Be sure there is no data on the drive, that you don't want to LOOSE...

Answer»

Is there an approximate rule of thumb as to how much music time can be STORED in flash drives per GB?

The specifications seem always to quote so many hundreds of songs - I want to store a collection of spoken word cassette tapes. Well, manufacturers say that their flash drives can hold X number of songs, etc. but if you read the fine print, it says that they are assuming every song is about 3MB, so if each of your tapes are about 3MB each, the number should be pretty accurate. You might get more out of the drive space if you use small cluster sizes, when formatting the drive. Opt for 512 byte cluster sizes. Files are stored in "clusters" on a drive and using large cluster sizes result in "slack" or wasted space. The last BIT of data in a file usually doesn't run to the edge of the last sector in the cluster that it's using, resulting in some wasted space. No other data can use the left over space in the sector. However, there's more "overhead" when processing the data when using small cluster sizes, so the trade off is in speed reduction.

Using large cluster sizes enables better speed, but more space is wasted because the amount of slack in the last sector of the cluster is larger, which as I said, other files cannot take advantage of, resulting in more wasted space over all, when comparred to using smaller clusters...The amount of "time" you can store depends on the bitrate, as well as the compression method used. a 5 minute MP3 encoded at 128kbps usually results in a 5MB file, so if you use 128kbps MP3 files, you can usually consider 1MB=1 minute.

If you prefer a lossless format, a 5 minute FLAC compressed file usually comes out to around 35MB or so (so around 7MB a minute), quite a lot larger. SINCE there isn't really a "sampling" done on it as there is on MP3 you can record in the same clarity you would get from a pure waveform. (note that a minute of waveform sound usually comes to several MB, depending on the bitrate and so forth) Quote from: BC_Programmer on April 14, 2010, 05:52:25 AM

The amount of "time" you can store depends on the bitrate, as well as the compression method used. a 5 minute MP3 encoded at 128kbps usually results in a 5MB file, so if you use 128kbps MP3 files, you can usually consider 1MB=1 minute.

If you prefer a lossless format, a 5 minute FLAC compressed file usually comes out to around 35MB or so (so around 7MB a minute), quite a lot larger. Since there isn't really a "sampling" done on it as there is on MP3 you can record in the same clarity you would get from a pure waveform. (note that a minute of waveform sound usually comes to several MB, depending on the bitrate and so forth)

too long, didn't read

But anyway though, that's interesing... I never download or store music so I'm not use to this kind of thing.. Time to brush up a little on audio technology...I say "approx" because I got those from my winamp library;

Aerosmith's "you see me crying" in my library is a 128kbps MP3, and it's 5:12 in length, and just over 5MB.

my FLAC was "Fireworks" by the tragically hip, which, while 4 minutes long weighs in at around 35MB.

my 128kbps MP3s were ripped years ago when my machine couldn't reliably play a higher bitrate (350Mhz processor); more recent rips are 320kbps, and even more recent I rip to FLAC, since it sounds unbelievably better, even when I use my comparatively crappy laptop sound.

Of course, not all 4 minute long FLAC files will be 35MB... just as not all 5:12 128kbps MP3 files will be 5MB; a completely silent track would be only a few bytes or kilobytes regardless of length for almost all compression algorithms, for example.

In this case, if it's being used for voice recording, 64kbps is usually quite usable. First, LET's assume you already have a method of converting the casette tapes to audio files; if so, you should get quite usable audio quality from 64kbps. In which case, you can generally expect to store about 2, maybe 3 minutes per MB.

a audio-casette is about 30-45 minutes per side, so two sides would make an hour and a half or so, which would take about 60MB, which quite a margin for difference from compression and so forth.

Thanks for all the replies to my query. I must admit that most of the info given went right over my head! No wonder the maker's spec is given in comparatively simple terms.

I've just ordered a tape-to-mp3 transfer device and my thinking is that when the cassette tape content is transferred to my PC (Windows Media Player), and shown as x minutes in length, then I would have some idea of the size (in MB) flash drive to get for storage. I have a fair idea now and trial and error will tell me more when I start using the gadget.

Thanks again to all. Quote from: silkie on April 14, 2010, 12:43:40 PM

I must admit that most of the info given went right over my head!

Click START, (the shinny pearl thingy) click Computer, rigth-click on the thumb drive, click "format", select what file system you want to use. I recommend FAT 32 if you plan on using the drive in old versions of Windows, Linux, or MAC OS. Under Allocation unit, select the 512 byte option, and click format. Be sure there is no data on the drive, that you don't want to LOOSE...

Solve : flash drive capacity?

Discussion

No Comment Found

Related InterviewSolutions

Reply to Comment