So what is MP3

At this point in the book, we keep it simple. However later sections will provide much more detail. .
MP3 is a digital (computer readable) file that represents sound (be it music, voice or other sources). MP3 involves compression to reduce the quantity of data needed to represent sound with the objective of little loss of quality. It achieves compression by filtering out redundant and irrelevant parts of the audio signal that human hearing does not perceive.


Today we have more than one type of compression format. MP3 is just one of several standard digital music formats. MP3 tends to be used as a generic term for all types of digital music formats but it actually represents the most popular and specific format from a choice of several. Formats are described in detail later but they include AAC, OGG Vorbis, WMA and others.

Most PC software takes care of all the technical details of compression and decompression by using a CODEC (coder / decoder), or if you prefer compression / decompression, to convert data from the Audio CD to a compressed format that is then decompressed for audio playback. Although it possible to take more control over some of the coding if you decide to get technical [x-ref] usually it is not necessary.


You could of course rip music from your standard audio CDs in an uncompressed digital representation. These would be stored on the PC with a .WAV extension (short for Wave). Wave files are good for manipulating the sound but are bad for storage and bandwidth as these weigh in at nearly 10 megabytes (mb) per minute (with a bit rate of 1411.2 kilobits per second (kbps) of stereo music) of music. So not only do they require lots of computer disk space but even worse .WAV files will take around 10 tens longer to download on the internet than ‘near CD quality’ MP3 files.

WAV files are uncompressed Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) files sampled at 44,100 Hz using 16 bits for each stereo channel, thus 44,100 x 16 x 2 = 1,411,200 bps.



Figure 1 : An graphical view of a sound file for a single channel of just over 10 milliseconds.

So will the plain old CD will become a relegated media? Your main home computer (as homes tend to have several) can even now become your home entertainment centre hosting all of your music, film, photos and games. The enormous flexibility and convenience that digital music provides mean it will be the most practical means to enjoy your music and manage your growing catalogues and playlists. Of course the music industry would prefer that it was not so. They dream of fully personalised interactive radio stations replacing the need to acquire music. Play anywhere personal play-lists may replace personal music collections, providing many added features such as personal recommendations.

♪♫ As will start to amass a vast collection of digital music you may start to investigate new and alternative sources of music and that’s where this book can save you time, save you money and increase your listening pleasure. The author has spent over seven years trawling the web for music sources of all types. In this text are the tips, tricks and traps associated with your growing your collection of digital music.

♪♫ Music on the move! Here are reviews of practical, portable players for needs whether you are walking, exercising, gardening or maybe working.

The consumption of music is changing. Listening to radio music broadcasts and browsing the record store shelves are now an unnecessary activities. Music that matches your tastes can be discovered most quickly and effectively using the internet and a PC. Music of your liking can be acquired conveniently and inexpensively from the internet. Enjoying the delights of your growing digital music collection can become an even greater pleasure.

It’s all here in this book. It covers discovering, collecting, cataloguing, play list management and CD making. Most of all this gives you a unique insight in to many ‘alternative’ sources of music. Whether you just want to get the best from an iPOD or break free and take control of your music library, let this comprehensive collection of reviews, tips and tricks be your guide. Discover a whole new world through digital music.

MP3 is a fun media. It can provide you with much more freedom to enjoy your music. You get many benefits from holding your music in digital format. However, there are some pitfalls that this book will help you avoid. If you are one of the few who has never converted an audio CD to digital format then this book with take you through that as a first step. Before we start ripping CDs and downloading music, first a quick review a few essentials basics on digital music.

Intro to MP3

When people first encounter MP3 either by making their first internet download or ripping their first CD, it seems delightfully simple. As time passes and the music collection grows, problems occur, doubts start to emerge and questions start to arise…

Building you own digital music library can be much from fulfilling and rewarding that covering a wall with shelves of stuffed with CDs. Digital music has so much more potential and it is vastly more accessible. It shouldn’t be complicated! Unfortunately a proliferation of standards, combined with ceaseless debates about quality coupled with confusing copy protection mechanisms can shatter one’s faith in this brave new world.

The book is about having fun with this digital media. There plenty of free music on the internet but some sources are illegal (but don’t appear to be) and others are out to slip spyware on to your hard disk.

This books sets out to make it easy, to make it fun and to turn you in to an MP3 expert. It will answer you questions and suggest exciting opportunities. The guide will help you answer the following questions:-

♪ Which format should I use to rip my CDs?

♪ What quality (bit rate) is best?

♪ How should I organise my music files?

♪ Am I buying digital music from the cheapest and best quality source?

♪ Some of my music files don’t sound right, why it that?

♪ What’s the best PC Audio playing software for me?

♪ Is there an easier way to burn a compilation CD?

♪ Where on the internet can I find music that I really like?

♪ Should I backup my PC? How?

♪ Can digital music files contain spyware or other forms of malware?

♪ What other software can I use to organise my music files and playlists?

♪ What happens if I convert one format to another, does it degrade the quality?

These are just some of the questions answered in this book.

♪♫ More and more people are beginning to adopt the digital music lifestyle. You don’t have to read this book from cover to cover to enjoy digital music and join the party. Just dip in to those parts that interest you when you want or need to do so. It is highly recommended that all readers read the introductory chapters, in particular the sections on formats, quality and organising your music. This especially applies to those who are buying music subject to copy protection mechanisms (Digital Rights Management) which applies if you buy from some sites including iApples Music Store (iTunes), Microsoft’s MSN, OD2 sources and many other sources.

Right now unsuspecting soles are downloading music from iTunes or other mainstream download sites that incorporates copy protection mechanisms that restrict the use of their music. What’s more the quality of these mainstream music files is below the standard that many audiophiles would accept. This book will help you avoid buying music that are subject to DRM.

♪♫ You are witnessing a revolution in the making and one that can enrich your life The options to acquire, store, access and enjoy your music is changing rapidly. This revolution is create accessibility to more Artist right around the world. The consequences are greater consumer choice, support for more emerging artists, improved consumer access and ease to review and purchase music. Whilst digital music sales still on represents only a very small part the total sales market these are climbing rapidly. In the USA in 2005 downloads increased by 166% over the previous year.[1] A similar growth was reported in the UK. It might have been much steeper had it not been for copy protection mechanisms that are applied for the four main music labels.

Some analysts and record companies predict digital sales could reach 25% of revenues in five years.[i] Forrester predicts legal downloads will account for 33% of the market within five years.[ii] The Author suspects both these figures are greatly understated and by 2012 maybe half the music sales will be digital, at least in Western Europe and the USA. Why? Improved accessibility, lower prices (eventually), improved quality, ease of use and digital home entertainment systems. But most important of all will be the pervasiveness of portable music devices including our mobile phones.

In the UK legal download sales have already topped 26.4 million tracks in 2005, which is a 357% increase on 2004. Weekly UK digital music sales now regularly exceed 650,000 tracks. At the end of 2005 downloads represented 70% of weekly singles sales! This compares to just 25% this time last year.[iii] At the end of 2005 the number of legitimate music download sites increased to 350 with at least 200 in Europe. There are also hundreds of free distribution sites and thousands of artist sites offering free full length tracks of digital music.

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[1] http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/pdf/2005yrEndStats.pdf

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[i] IFPI DIGITAL MUSIC REPORT 2005: FACTS AND FIGURES. http://www.pro-music.org/musiconline/news050119c.htm.

[ii] http://www.computerbuyer.co.uk/?news/news_story.php?id=85585. March 2006.

[iii] British Phonographic Industry “Festive cheer for singles as downloads go uploads in 2005 : 19^th December 2005”. www.bpi.co.uk.