MP3 Audio
A Music Revolution in the Making
The Problem With WAVs
Long before MP3 people used WAV format to record and play their favorite music.
The trouble with WAV files, however, is their enormous size.
A two-minute song recorded in CD-quality sound would eat up about 20MB of your hard drive in the WAV format; that means a ten-song CD would take up more than 200MB of space.
MPEG
The sad file-size problem for music downloads has changed, thanks to the efforts of the Moving Picture Experts Group, a consortium that develops open standards for audio and video compression.
Its most popular standard, MPEG, produces high-quality audio (and full-motion video) files in far smaller packages than those produced by WAV.
How does it Work?
MPEG filters out superfluous information from the original audio source, resulting in smaller audio files with no perceptible loss in quality.
WAV, on the other hand, spends just as much data on superfluous noise as it does on the far more critical dynamic sounds, resulting in huge files.
What is MP3?
MP3 is short for MPEG 1 Audio Layer 3
It is the latest of three progressively more advanced coding schemes, and it adds a number of advanced features to the original MPEG process.
Among other features, Layer 3 uses entropy encoding to reduce to a minimum the number of redundant sounds in an audio signal.
What is MP3?
Thanks to these features, the MP3 standard will take music from a CD and shrink it by a factor of 12, with no perceptible loss of quality.
Is it Legal?
The MP3 format itself is legal; it's what you do with it that may get you in trouble.
All the copyright laws that apply to vinyl records, tapes, and CDs also apply to MP3. Just because you're downloading an MP3 of "Changes" rather than copying it from your friend's CD doesn't mean you're not breaking the law.
Will I Go to Jail?
As for pirated MP3s, will you go to jail for downloading them? Probably not.
If you want to make MP3 versions of your own CD collection--for your own personal use, of course--that's perfectly legal, since you already paid for the CDs.
But distributing MP3s to other people via a CD that you make yourself or via the Internet is crossing the line.
Where Can I find MP3s?
Search Engines
Sites dedicated to MP3 files:
2look4
Filequest.com
Audiofind
Remember that it's still illegal to download the copyrighted variety.
MP3 Libraries
These file libraries, which typically categorize songs by genre, are the best way to find legal MP3s.
Most of the songs listed on these directories are by new artists hoping to get their music heard through the free MP3 format, or by big-name musicians who have licensed their songs for MP3 distribution, or else the songs are older ones that are no longer under copyright.
MP3 Libraries
Sites include:
MP3.com
Emusic.com
listen.com
What Do I Need To Play MP3s
The Hardware
To play MP3s, the first thing you need is a machine that can handle them.
All that space-saving compression requires a lot of processor power and RAM.
At least a Pentium or a Mac PowerPC processor, with 32MB of RAM or more.
A 16-bit sound card (most PCs already have one installed) and speakers or a set of headphones. (A good speaker set with a subwoofer is your best bet.)
Software Players
There are dozens of players out there, these are some of the better ones:
Winamp--the most popular player
Sonique
AudioCatalyst
MusicMatch Jukebox
RealJukebox.
How do I Make My Own MP3s
The first thing you need is to have your favorite CD spinning in the CD-ROM drive.
Then you will need a CD Ripper
CD rippers are programs that extract--or rip--music tracks from a CD and save them onto your hard drive.
Once the tracks are "ripped" you need to encode them.
Encoding
To turn these byte heavy WAVs into MP3s, you need an MP3 encoder.
Many CD rippers have MP3 encoders built in (such as MusicMatch Jukebox and Real Jukebox), or you can download a separate encoder utility, such as MP3Enc.
When selecting a ripper, steer clear of those that extract CD tracks in real time via your sound card.
They use analog audio recording, which has a reputation for clicks, pops, and hisses;plus, they take an eternity to extract songs.
Encoding
Always use rippers that support digital audio extraction.
Keep in mind, though, that some older model CD-ROM drives don't support digital extraction.
In this case you will need to use the analog method.
What About Quality
The tracks can be near CD quality if you use a very high rate of encoding 128 kbps or higher.
A file recorded at 16 kbps will sound more like AM radio--or worse.
There is always a trade off between file size and quality--the same is true with MP3s.
So…You Want to be Hip?
Then you have to take your MP3s on the Road
How Can I Take the Music With Me?
Portable MP3 players look just like a little personal radio, complete with headphones.
Instead of playing cassettes, CDs, or FM radio, however, these little marvels play MP3 files stored in RAM.
Most portable MP3 players come with only 32MB of onboard RAM.
That means you're limited to just a handful of MP3s on your portable player at any given time.
Taking it With Me
The key to overcoming your player's limited capacity is adjusting the bit rate of your MP3 files.
For instance, you can fit about 35 minutes of music recorded at 128 kbps.
If you bring your compression down a few notches to 80 kbps, you'll get 56 minutes, while 64 kbps (still reasonably good in terms of audio quality) gets you 70 minutes.
Streaming MP3 Files
Streaming MP3 Files
Streaming MP3 files offer listeners instant gratification.
They let you play music files directly over the Web--right after you click an audio link--so you don't have to download the file in its entirety before playing it.
Many MP3 players, including popular choices such as Winamp (Nullsoft.com) and Sonique, support streaming audio.
Finding streaming MP3 stations on your own, however, can be difficult.
Streaming MP3 Files
MP3Spy is a program that tracks every single Shoutcast (Nullsoft.com) server on the Net.
Tuning in to these servers is simple. Just scroll through MP3Spy's genre list to find a style of programming you want to hear, click once to pull up a list of servers, and double-click to start listening.
First, be sure to have Winamp installed.
I Want to Start My Own Internet Radio Station
Be an Internet DJ
It is possible, using Nullsoft’s Shoutcast server to start your own Internet based radio station using nothing more than your personal computer with an Internet connection.
If you are interested you can explore more about this at http://www.shoutcast.com/download/broadcast.phtml.
Before long, you are on your way to being the next Howard Stern!
Shoutcast
Streaming is bandwidth intensive, so if you're not using a T1 line or a cable modem, you should stick to Shoutcast servers that are broadcasting at about 24 kbps or less (MP3Spy will list the bit rate for each server in its list).
If you have a 56k modem and you try to connect to a 128-kbps Shoutcast server, be prepared for a very stop-and-go listening experience.