Generation loss
Careful planning was required to minimize generation loss, and the resulting noise and poor frequency response.
One way of minimizing the number of generations needed was to use an audio mixing or video editing suite capable of mixing a large number of channels at once; in the extreme case, for example with a 48-track recording studio, an entire complex mixdown could be done in a single generation, although this was prohibitively expensive for all but the best-funded projects.
This implies the exclusive use of lossless compression codecs or uncompressed data from recording or creation until the final lossy encode for distribution through internet streaming or optical discs.
Before digital technology was widespread, a record label, for example, could be confident knowing that unauthorized copies of their music tracks were never as good as the originals.
Generation loss can still occur when using lossy video or audio compression codecs as these introduce artifacts into the source material with each encode or reencode.
In digital systems, several techniques such as lossy compression codecs and algorithms, used because of other advantages, may introduce generation loss and must be used with caution.
Thus careful planning of an audio or video signal chain from beginning to end and rearranging to minimize multiple conversions is important to avoid generation loss when using lossy compression codecs.
Some lossy compression algorithms are much worse than others in this regard, being neither idempotent nor scalable, and introducing further degradation if parameters are changed.
While directly copying a JPEG file preserves its quality, opening and saving it in an image editor creates a new, re-encoded version, introducing subtle changes.
Social media platforms like Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, automatically re-encode uploaded images at low-quality settings to optimize storage and bandwidth, further compounding compression artifacts.
[3] Repeatedly downloading and then reposting / reuploading content to platforms such as Instagram or YouTube can result to noticeable quality degradation.
