Overview
For research, simulation, and algorithm development purposes, Signalogic is developing MP3 encoder and
decoder programs in MATLAB. There are several reasons for this, including:
allow comparison with C/C++ versions for debug purposes
simplicity and brevity of MATLAB code allows better insight into algorithm performance, and areas where the
MP3 algorithm can be a) optimized and b) improved
provides a well-documented and well-supported learning environment for graduate research
students working on the MP3 project at Signalogic
In late 1999, Signalogic requested and received MATLAB MP3 decoder source code from Frank Schaefer, a graduate research student at
Technische Universität Dresden (see
More Information below). This code had a number of problems,
mainly that it only ran without crashing for one (1) .mp3 file: the "funky.mp3" file posted on the Fraunhofer website. In
addition, even then the code still did not produce correct results; displaying the output data in .wav displays in
Hypersignal-Acoustic software showed gaps and other
inconsistencies. Zaheer Hussain Syed, a Univ. of Texas MSEE student working on the MP3 project at
Signalogic (see Signalogic MP3 team) has since made the following bug-fixes and improvements:
Handling variable file length was included. Previously, the MATLAB decoder could only handle one
file of one length.
The feature of passing the file name from the command window was included.
Added frame-discard when not enough main data is present by introducing two flags, namely 'bytes_to_discard'
and 'sig'. Moreover a variable called main_data_end1 was included to keep track of the end of maindata.
Included the variables subblock gain and mixed_block_flag in the Side information block, which applies
when the window switching flag is zero. This avoids a program crash when this condition is fulfilled.
After determination of side information: shifted the calculation of start(2) and start(1) above the
calculation of main_data_start. Added a variable 'new' to substitute the function of start(1). Then
substituted start(1) instead of start(2). This takes care of files when the main_data_begin of Frame 1
is not zero.
Corrected a copying mistake in the linbit elements to handle mono files.
Fixed the calculation of region1Start and region2Start for handling mono files. Moreover it takes care of
files with sampling frequency other than 44.1 kHz.
Added wav file write to code to store output.
Included initialization of table_select, region0_count, region1_count and scale_l to avoid any miscalculation
in handling mono files.
Included region1_count calculation in the block when the window switching flag is positive.
The MATLAB decoder has now been tested with several mono and stereo .mp3 files, both MPEG 1 and MPEG 2, and results
compared with the C/C++ version running on Win9x/WinXP/Win2k PCs.
The MATLAB encoder is not yet complete.
The MATLAB decoder source
code is available for evaluation, research, and academic purposes. To obtain the source code, send e-mail
to dspinfo and describe your purpose and the
nature of your research. Due to the pressure applied by Fraunhofer (FhG) and the fact that recent legal
cases involving Internet website disclaimers have shown that merely clicking on a button that says you "agree" is
insufficient, you may be required to fill out and sign a form and fax to Signalogic indicating that you will
use the Signalogic MP3 MATLAB source code only for evaluation, academic, and research purposes.
More Information
For more information about the MP3 MATLAB source code, send e-mail to:
Frank Schaefer
Technische Universität Dresden
Mannesman Mobilfunk Stiftungslehrstuhl Mobile Nachrichtensystems
D-01062 Dresden
Germany
49 351 463 4176
dspinfo
Signalogic
9617 Wendell @ Skillman
Dallas, Texas 75243
USA
(214) 349-5551
