Hello and merry Christmas.
I am sorry if this has been answered already - I looked but could not find the answer.
I want to edit some MP3 files but I want to retain the quality - what are the suggested export settings to do so?
Thank you and God bless, Shotcut Forum.
It depends on how sensitive your ears are. Some people don’t like lossy sound and can detect lower bitrates. Other people are happy with just about anything. I usually export all my MP3s with 320 kbps bitrate and 48000 Hz sample rate. For me, MP3s are of negligible size when compared to all my huge video files, so the highest settings are desirable to maintain quality. A more moderate setting would be 256 kbps and 44100 Hz, fairly standard. You can go as low as 160 kbps without most people throwing a fit, but it’s entirely up to you and your sound quality desires.
If you want to know the existing bitrate of an MP3 you are starting with, you can right-click on the file and click on “Properties.” Then click on the “Details” tab and scroll down until you see “Bit rate” under “Audio.” Then you can opt to match the existing bitrate in your export if you wish.
Sorry, that instruction applies only to Windows/PC. I’m sure similar information exists on Macs and Linux.
Some people like OGG or FLAC audio formats better. I don’t personally care much, and I’m happy with MP3. They are more universal. I still have an MP3 player I use occasionally, and it’s nice to be able to throw anything I want on there to listen on the go without draining my phone. Plus stupid phones don’t have audio jacks anymore, and I’m not a huge fan of bluetooth earbuds. My MP3 player is good quality, metal housing, durable, and has dual audio jacks. Tiny, fits in my pocket without feeling bulky, battery lasts forever.
If you like using Shotcut for audio editing, by all means do so. Because of it’s easy cutting and fading, it’s not a bad choice. Plus, it supports a RIDICULOUS number of formats for audio and video. However, if you are working with only audio and no visuals, Audacity might be a better fit. I usually use it for audio-only editing. There are many other audio editors, but Audacity is free and has been around forever.
Merry Christmas to you too, and Happy New Year. And God bless.
Hello, and happy New Year.
I am sorry for my terribly late reply.
Thank you for going into such detail about the “kbps” and the instructions about how to view the “Bit rate”. You helped me to have a greater understanding of how my iPod works. I just wanted to edit some files before I put them on mine. It’s nice to know there are other people who are fine with MP3 files. I’ve heard of lossless and I believe there is more to be heard when using those files but I really enjoy my iPod and if I got into FLAC files then I’d have to get nicer headphones and for me I enjoy the somewhat worse sounding quality of the packed-in earbuds - I grew up with them and I for some reason just never had a problem with them.
Anyways, thank you very much for your help! There are a million ways to export files in ShotCut which is wonderful but for me I only need two - the best for a movie file and the best for an audio file, ha-ha! Your insight gave me the confidence that I can edit these audio files and not mess up the quality.
Thank you again and thank you for wishing me a merry Christmas, a happy New Year and for saying “God bless”. 
export using a high bitrate like 320 kbps and the same sample rate as the original audio.
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