Mono recordings ripped in stereo

[connor17]

Hi, fellow pirates.
I've downloaded a lot of music from TPB along the years, and I mean a lot. I like classical music and jazz, mostly. The 50's were a golden age in the recording world, the best conductors and orchestras were in their peak. So a lot of the best recordings of classical music are in mono (stereo began in late fifties).
Over the years I began to notice a curious thing, all this recordings were ripped in stereo. One of my latest upload is in mono, is the first in the list:
http://thepiratebay.se/search/walter%20m...ied/0/99/0
The recording is from 1948, the other torrents are from another concert of the same work made in 1951 (in mono too). My rip is 149 MiB, the others are 290 MiB, they are ripped in stereo (double size).
This is not rare, on the contrary, is the norm. I have not seen yet one single mono recording properly ripped, this is, in mono. Why is that?
The other day in another thread one fellow pirate asked about ripping programs, and the first answer pointed towards EAC, "the best program".
Well, EAC is a piece of junk that can't rip mono. Of course, you must rip in secure mode (over an hour and a half to rip a cd), because it makes a "more perfect rip". All this is nonsense.
Why so many people use EAC, and tell others to do so?
Because EAC is mandatory in private sites.
EAC is not better than other programs, in fact, it is worse. I use Freerip for ripping CDs. It's a 2 MiB free program that can do things that the uber-awesome EAC can't, like rip mono CDs in mono.
EAC is mandatory in private sites not because it's a better program, but because of the log files. Private sites make rules, and those rules generate more rules, and people end up in a Kafka style environment.
There is no point in telling people in a public site erroneous things because of ill reasons of private sites.
To all those pro's of private sites that sometimes look down to this poor public sites and maybe are reading this, let's make an experiment.
Look for a rip of a mono recording (early fifties) in your private site, of classical or jazz music, or whatever you find. Play the file with VLC, go to codec properties, there you'll find that it's rip in stereo.
This nonsense reaches paroxysm when you see mono recordings ripped in "high definition" stereo.
If someone who reads this finds a mono recording ripped in mono (play the flac file with VLC and go to codec properties) please post the link here, I'm really curious. Thanks.

[kjf]

Because there is no such thing as a mono CD.

The Red Book, which defines the technical standard for CD formats, establishes CD-DA as 2 channel LPCM audio.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with dropping a channel during the ripping process. I'm just explaining the likely reason why almost everything is stereo. Because either the original uploader intentionally preserved the format of the source, or simply because they never considered that both channels were identical.

As to the rest of your post, you really have to pick a topic and stick to it.

[connor17]

Because there is no such thing as a mono CD.

The Red Book, which defines the technical standard for CD formats, establishes CD-DA as 2 channel LPCM audio.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with dropping a channel during the ripping process. I'm just explaining the likely reason why almost everything is stereo. Because either the original uploader intentionally preserved the format of the source, or simply because they never considered that both channels were identical.

As to the rest of your post, you really have to pick a topic and stick to it.

Hi.
I'm not talking about CDs, but about FLACs. The redbook is not the topic.
If you open a mono flac file with Audacity, you will see only one channel, not two, that's why it's half sized. If you burn to cd that mono flac file, then the cd will get two identical channels, but that's not the point here.
My point is that people use files bigger than necesary, that's all (in this case, double size).
The EAC thing is because I think people give things for granted and don't look what's better, that's all.
Of course, people will do whatever they want, I'm just giving a point of view.

[kjf]

It doesn't matter of we are talking about FLACs, MP3s or WAVs

The point is, they are likely sourced from CDs and those are always stereo. Every CD ripping software title on the planet will default to ripping tracks as stereo files unless told otherwise, and it is very rare the person doing the ripping is fully aware the original source for the CD was mono and adjusts their settings accordingly.

Those who are aware may still choose to keep the rip stereo only because the source for the rip was stereo.

Red Book IS the topic, because that dictates there is no such thing as a mono CD, unless you are suggesting people are ripping from something other than a CD.

[connor17]

It doesn't matter of we are talking about FLACs, MP3s or WAVs

The point is, they are likely sourced from CDs and those are always stereo. Every CD ripping software title on the planet will default to ripping tracks as stereo files unless told otherwise, and it is very rare the person doing the ripping is fully aware the original source for the CD was mono and adjusts their settings accordingly.

Those who are aware may still choose to keep the rip stereo only because the source for the rip was stereo.

Red Book IS the topic, because that dictates there is no such thing as a mono CD, unless you are suggesting people are ripping from something other than a CD.

OK, I think I understand what you're saying. The CD is the source.
I think the source is the original 1948 monoaural recording, and the CD is just a media, that stores digitally (in two identical channels) that recording. So a flac with one channel is 100% true to that original recording.
They are two different approaches to the subject, and both are valid in my point of view.

[-nelly-]

I think the source is the original 1948 monoaural recording, .....

Now you have it. CD is digitalized. FLAC can't even re-produce the original (No surprise there). Once a reproduction is made. The best you can hope for is the current best.
HD Audio throws the RedBook out of the window but is still a reproduction which has loss

[connor17]

Hi everyone.
I made two threads, this mono-stereo, and the 24/96 one.
Both have the same aim: I think people use music files bigger than necessary. That's all. I'm not in an audio format war.
I have a bad ADSL, and size matters. I only want to show a more efficient way of sharing music, in my modest opinion. I'm no expert at all.
I know some people fell antagonized in this audiophile world, but that's not my intention.

[NIK]

I have a bad ADSL, and size matters.

Size matters to you. And to some other people.

But it doesn't matter to everyone.

People to whom size doesn't matter are entitled to share just as much as you are.

You are not entitled to dictate how anyone else can/cannot share.

If you want smaller files, they're available. They're called mp3's.

If they want higher/highest quality files, they're available, they're called .flac's.

The state of affairs is long standing, widely understood, and isn't going to change.

[connor17]

Hi everyone.
OK. I think a forum is about trying to understand other people points of view, about empathy. If people feel patronized is a complete fail. That's the case here.
I think the problem is that I thought that the topics of these threads were interesting. The truth is that no one gives a fuck. If you talk to someone about something he doesn't care, he feels patronized.
I've learned something about all this: don't try to be a smartass.
My intention was good but, who cares?

[kjf]

Except you haven't exactly presented your topics as a discussion. More as a rant against those who aren't following what you believe to be best practice.

I am not disagreeing with you, but trying to explain what you are finding here.

If your goal was to open this as a discussion about what you are finding, then you should present your topic as such.

Hi, fellow pirates.
I've downloaded a lot of music from TPB along the years, and I mean a lot. I like classical music and jazz, mostly. The 50's were a golden age in the recording world, the best conductors and orchestras were in their peak. So a lot of the best recordings of classical music are in mono (stereo began in late fifties).
Over the years I began to notice a curious thing, all this recordings were ripped in stereo. One of my latest upload is in mono, is the first in the list:
http://thepiratebay.se/search/walter%20m...ied/0/99/0
The recording is from 1948, the other torrents are from another concert of the same work made in 1951 (in mono too). My rip is 149 MiB, the others are 290 MiB, they are ripped in stereo (double size).
This is not rare, on the contrary, is the norm. I have not seen yet one single mono recording properly ripped, this is, in mono. Why is that?

You should have stopped right there. You explained your background and asked your question.

Since then, you have attacked anyone who promotes or uses EAC. You have criticized private site rules. You have stated that anyone uploading high resolution audio is just being inefficient and is wasting your bandwidth in doing so.

You make bold statements, and then call it patronizing when others respond in kind?

Perhaps instead of feeling patronized, you should recognize them as "other people points of view" and try to understand and empathize accordingly.