(AllHipHop News) Some social media users began questioning if SoundCloud suspiciously switched its audio quality from 28 kbps MP3 to 64 kbps Opus. A representative for the company informed Billboard the actions were actually part of regular tests which are conducted by other streaming services as well.
“We always appreciate feedback, but these reports are inaccurate,” stated a spokesperson. “SoundCloud has not altered its approach to audio quality. We have been using the Opus codec (among others) since 2016, and we regularly test different combinations of encoding and streaming to offer listeners a quality experience on any device.”
The rep continued, “Furthermore, we store all content from creators at its originally uploaded quality level so we can continually adapt to advances in encoding and playback.”
Twitter posts from New Jersey producer Direct played a part in the public scrutiny directed at SoundCloud. His January 3 tweet was retweeted over 2,000 times and received more than 4,000 likes.
“Soundcloud recently changed their streaming format from 128kbps MP3 to 64kbps Opus. This drastically reduces the audio quality and can introduce strange artifacts,” wrote Direct.
He later posted, “I want to avoid spreading misinformation as much as possible. Opus 1.2 at 64kbps should sound equal or better than mp3 at 128kbps, but on Soundcloud it does not. Leading me to believe it is an older version of the codec. This could be addressed in the future.”
SoundCloud recently launched a new “home experience” that consists of curated recommendations and personalized playlists. Hip Hop Supreme, The Upload, SoundCloud Next Wave, and The SoundCloud Playback are among the playlists available on the platform.
