After the issue lately has come up a couple of times in several forums, some words on the principle of watermarking may be helpful. Digital watermarking describes the process of embedding additional data into some digital document, like author or copyright information, without decreasing the document’s value. Taking it one step further, you wouldn’t want anybody besides you to see that embedded data, which is achieved by using a special watermarking technique called steganography, meaning hiding information within a digital document. I’ll use the term watermarking synonymically for both the general and the hidden approach thereafter.

MP3
Speaking of audio documents, aka tracks, the document type in question is mp3, as this is the common exchange format. MP3, or more specifically MPEG-1 Layer 3, as it is correcty called, is a lossy compression technique and file format, based on two internal compression steps. The first one takes into account certain properties of the human auditory system (HAS) to discard a certain amount of the original data.

When we hear a loud signal of a certain frequency, a second signal of similar frequency but lower amplitude taking place at the same time is masked, meaning we hardly perceive it. In a similar way, there also are timing masking effects. The MP3 encoding algorithm uses these properties of the HAS to reduce the stored data, while trying to keep the same perceptable audio quality. The user can ultimately determine this degree of perceptable quality by choosing a certain bitrate, which expresses the number of bytes the encoding process can use for storing a certain time interval of the source audio stream. By this, the audio data is packed into little pieces of data, called frames, which as a sequence make up the MP3 data stream. This also allows for streaming audio data on the internet as in IP radio.
In a second compression step, a more conventional zip-like compression is applied, which is called Huffmann-coding. This step works on redundancy left in the data and makes up for another 20% data compression.

Therefore, a MP3 file consists of a sequence of frames, each containing 32 bit header information and an audio block, which is made of Huffman codes. In many cases this frame is 1152 bytes long.

Watermarking techniques
There are several ways to embed the secret information into a music file. The technique to use depends on differerent criteria, like perceptual transparency, watermark bit rate, robustness, security, and computation cost. By deciding how to weight those criteria, certain algorithms pop up, while others don’t match those criteria.

One heavy criterium may for example be the need to keep the watermark even after a certain number of re-encoding or even digital-analog-digital transfer processes. To apply with that, a algorithm must hide the information deeply inside the sound data, which can easily lead to perceptable artifacts. The same is true for a huge number of bytes to be hidden.

But if , one the hander, one just wants to embed information on the receiver of a 320″, there’s no need to use one of those bulletproof, computational complex methods. Instead, changing the least significant bit (LSB) of certain elements in the data stream to store fragments of the secret text is a sound way, and there’s a number of (free) implementations.

All these methods, however, share one drawback, as they need to take action during the encoding process. There’s no (simple) way to embed data into an mp3 without re-encoding, because of the two-fold compression used and stored in the file. If you’d mess around with the Huffman codes, you’d generate seriously perceptable artifacts.

Consequently, to embed a watermark on the fly, like before sending a 320″ over AIM, you have to re-encode the original WAV. On modern computers this shouldn’t be much of a concern, taking just about 10 seconds.

And just to let you know: We do use watermarking! Hope you do so, too, soon!

Update: As pointed out in the comments, the following information may be a hoax. …some interesting new features for audioediting, project exchanges etc…

If you start producing or if you look for some nice beats, then you have the chance to
a)just sample your heroes and copy/layer their work (easy & boring) or
b) find your own definition of groove.

This might take a long time period to get hold of the right sounds and finally – loops. Most upcoming producers do the same beginner-mistakes…too many kickdrums per bar, just straight hihats, a snare with a huuuge reverb, the loops are not cutted 100% correct and so on…to get your drums tight and fatloud, u need to know some detailed technical facts about effective use of equing(a full present sound of every element like snare, kick…)/compression(You want to make those sounds go “PAM” instead of “POOSH”)/tube(warming)/layering the right collection of sounds and so on (avoid a muddy summary)
…all we do is DRUM & BASS, so “Drumwork” is a central theme for a good rocking tune and responsible up to 50% for a tune that should make you dance. (except mixdown, bassline and stabs).For some inspiration -> groove…all you want to do is to imitate the funky-10hand-5feet-drummer.

Here is a little collection of advices, how you can add some funky spice to your static drumwork.
In general: The funk of drums emerges from the notes between kick and snare, so pay some xtra attention to the low beats on snares & hats, they give your loop the “living” feeling.
Concerning the videos/link/media: I know it is rock tempo, but you can easily raise the speed of the examples and there you go!

The guy looks wasted, but the videos are good for learning the basics of a funky beat and you can see the notes he plays…all you need to do is to put them into midinotes, use your sample kit of choice..voila :)

http://www.onlinedrummer.com/

n.phect & dizplay “Beautiful Bytes” album sampler [Basswerk 24]

“Two Neurofunk smashers on Basswerk, Germany’s top Drum’n'Bass label.
Heavy basslines, wild percussions, dark & futuristic sounds, featuring Phace resp. Complex – and a great, loud cut by Simon@Exchange.

This vinyl release accompanies the forthcoming album “Beautiful Bytes” by n.phect & dizplay, which contains further explorations of Drum’n'Bass expressed by nphect & dizplay’s repertoire of successful tunes, in form of 13 fresh tunes / special mixes of previous hits.”

Basswerk infos & booking:
info@basswerk.de
++49-172 213 6238
Distribution via Groove Attack.

Album release end June 2006.

Audio files
Side A: phace, n.phect & dizplay – Deep Throat
Side AA: n.phect feat. complex – Mofo

Lately I’ve come to stumble upon the pile of tunes we have produced since late 2002, laying around in some folder on my hard drive. Out of curiousity, I sorted them by date and went through that list. From the earliest stuff to the one we’ve finished yesterday, there are around 70 tracks. Wow.

As producers, we once in a while step back and try to find out what directions our production skills make, comparing them to older stuff. And, as you would expect, we feel we have done a good job, starting with very badly sounding tunes, lots of spectral filth and awkward arrangement, to the much more sophisticated ones of today. But, and that is interesting news for every upcoming producer I guess, there was neither a switch, from which on the tracks were just tight, nor was it a pure linear development. Instead, we’ve found we improved our skills in smaller steps, each plateau containing a couple of tracks. Therefore, production skill development happens in waves.

These waves seem to be caused by the sum of

• small improvements in overall skills (sequencer, arrangement)
• different plugins (and the knowledge how to properly use them)
• improved hearing (comparing your stuff against well-done production)
• new source samples
• feedback from other producers.

To summarize, skill improvement is the consequence of small learning steps in production elements (techniques & samples) and feedback (from others and via A/B comparison with well-produced tracks). So, if you want to improve, learn and get feedback. I can’t stress that enough and am very grateful to those people who have really helped to making it to the next wave, and in sum to where we are now. And, to make the connection to my earlier post, without the connectivity of the internet, this short feedback cycles wouldn’t have been possible.

Wave 1 (2002)
Our very first steps (Slagroom, Cyclone, Bloodwork).
These tracks were first experiments, but from the feedback we received we gained a huge lot.

Wave 2 (2002 / 2003)
Tracks from our first demo CD (Rotor, original Tsunami, White Shark, …).
Anthem-like tunes, containing a lot of rave and big-scenary sounds. We passed this CD to about every label we knew of, getting a lot of feedback and a first signing, Rotor on Protogen.

Wave 3 (2003)
2Rok, Logout, Radium
Very ravey tunes, rough, fast-paced drums, lots of techno-influences. Helped to make contacts with German headz.

Wave 4 (2003 / 2004)
The Syndicate, Velvet Morning, original Nostromo, Cell Death
The first “big” ones, different styles, trancy elements, but also hard-hitting stuff. A huge gap to Wave 3 in terms of quality, releases on Basswerk, connecting international labels.

Wave 5 (2004)
Inside The Hive, Bot Funk, Stripshow, Nanodust, White Russian original, Columbia, Mofo
Further improving our skills, very good feedback from Noisia and Phace, slowly moving from rave to Neurofunk, also some vocal bits and heavy smashers.
Wave 6 (2005-2006)
Queen Of Night, Fantasy, Brute Force, Tsunami Re-Edits, Motor, Don’t You See, You Can Go On rmx, White Russian final, Inside The Hive VIP
Defining our style, Neurorave. International releases and stuff for our “Beautiful Bytes” album

Wave 7 (now)
Deep Throat, Slith, Outpace, Freak Wave, Campaign.
More stuff for the album, Renegade Hardware, and the latest choons. Getting more streamlined, hard and dark, but still grooving. I think we’re currently re-focussing on the sounds which originally brought us into DnB. Wormhole and Inside The Machine.

Released on Full Force (Luxembourg).

We felt it was time for a nphect & phace collab to bring some german funk statement. Stampeding drums alongside a growling basspart, both ripped into pieces caused by deadly hi-processed stabs and modulated psychobreaks. An uncompromising wall of sound blows up the speakers. The soundtrack of pure cyberfunk.
Clip: phace & nphect – Confront

On the flip, a bleeping neurotic roller, like a ride on a lightning. Fast-paced drums and an uplifting bassline combined with grinding lead-sounds make an irresistible party tune. Get ready to move your feet!
Clip: nphect & dizplay – Brute Force

Promo text:

German forces meeting together to create a pure neurofunk monster “confront” a heavy beat and the usual phace science fiction darkness are making this a tune one of the most twisted pieces of funk to date. The mysterious atmosphere and that unique deep bassline won’t deceive any of the phacefunk-lovers.
Brute force is a track that always works on any dancefloor. Its driving groove will get any crowd jumping. Techy beats and funkfueled reeces make this track very unique.
Djsupport: Cause 4 Concern, Phace, Noisia ,Mayhem, Phace, Optiv, BSE, Upbeats, Paul Reset, Pyro

Check redshirt’s blog, he’s the creator of the great sleeve artwork!

Update: We’re getting a lot of great reviews, check yourself:

Full Force recordings, a young half luxenbourg / uk based label, with a new quality release. phace, probably the master of simplicity that works, and nphect, which always fills his tracks with a load of interesing percussion stuff, have been working togheter and the result is a headbanging adventure. confront, a stroming bassline which goes to the lowest low end, uses surly every sub in the rig and some of the most interesing and wierdest percussion loops are going cook every dancefloor until the masses are boiling! if u like straight n hard neurofunk there is no way around this release! (www.drumandbass.ch – though they got the producers’ names wrong)

Phace return from some masive tracks on labels like subtitles & renegade hardware to team up with n phect to deliver a dark, tearin neurofunk monster with heavy beats & grimey sci-fi twisted basslines. On the flipside is a fast paced dancefloor smasher with a driving groove from n phect & dizplay. Support from cause 4 concern, phacem noisia, mayhem, optiv, bse & upbeats. (www.htfr.com)

After reading some comments by fpoole, domlen and The Green Man, I came to think of a solution for the problem of decreasing value of music in DnB. Some elements in the chart I posted earlier are reality which we obviously can’t change, like AIM and evolving technology. These are great things, but they have their downsides, too. So to change anything, you have to identify the variable bits in the diagram and tweak them a little.
In fact, I think now, there’s just one thing, which would help a lot, as its consequences touch so many other elements.

Play more hits. Play the best instead of the newest tunes. Not in a radical way, just use more of them in your sets.
Why that?

• Not only relying on the technically newest stuff breaks up that short actuality period of a tune
• Therefore, tunes may become hits, being more widely spread and therefore better sold
• There would still be lots of new tunes, but now quality would be the key factor, not short-term hipness
• Labels could concentrate on that, too, and thereby increasing the quality of tunes in your local record store
• In the club, non-headz would enjoy the parties more easily, and so increase the listener base

Yeah, it all sounds way too optimistic, but I think you understand what I’m after. And, don’t you agree?