Get Sponsored

What are the mp3 files How to make mp3s Programs you need to make mp3s Which program to use and how

What are the mp3 files (Brief and simplified)

MP3 stands for MPEG 1 Audio layer 3 format and it is a digital sound data format. MP3 format was developed in order to help us to store and transfer large sound files. The mp3's goal is that it can compress the sounds very efficiently,y without significant loss of quality. To understand this, think that a near CD quality mp3 file is about 10 to 12 times smaller than the original CD data.

MP3 files are generated from sample sound files (like .wav or .raw), by an algorithm developed from the Fraunhofer Institute IIs. This algorithm can produce mp3s at various compression ratios. The compression ratio is described by the bitrate of the mp3 file. The larger the bitrate is, the less is the compression (large mp3 file), but the better the sound quality is. The bitrate ranges from 8 Kbps (Kbits/second) to 320 Kbps. The best balance between quality and file size (under the current Internet connections' speeds) , is achieved at 128 Kbps. The majority of the mp3s you will find over the Internet are of this bitrate. 128 Kbps mp3s are compressed at about 12:1, but the amazing thing is that the quality of the sound is so good, that you can't hear a difference from the original CD output.

It is now obvious, how the mp3 format made possible the transfer of CD quality full length songs via the Internet, something that would be a nightmare for the audio CD tracks. Practically an 128 Kbps mp3 uses only 1 MB per minute of sound while an audio CD track uses about 10 MB of space per minute. Lower bitrate mp3s are used for streaming audio transferring. This means that you hear the file in real time, without needing to save it first (like RealAudio).

For more detailed information about mp3 format you can visit Fraunhofer Institute FAQ.

[Back to the top]

How to make mp3s

Making mp3s is very simple. The only thing you have to do, is to follow the two steps above.

1st step - Copy the song (track) from the CD to your hard disk in ".wav" format
The songs are stored on the audio CD (as samples) in a format that the computer does not normally read. So you must first copy (rip) them to your hard disk in a common sample format. This is the .wav format. To do this you need to use a program called CD Ripper or grabber. (More about the rippers in the next section).

2nd step - Encode the .wav file to the mp3 file
After you have copied the song, in .wav format, to your hard disk, you must use a program called encoder to convert it to the mp3 file. (More about encoders in the next section).

[Back to the top]

Programs you need to make mp3s

1. CD ripper or Grabber

It is the program that reads the song from the audio CD and writes it to your hard disk in the .wav format. The grabber is different from a sampler. The second reads the analog output signal from the CD player and converts it to digital .wav file. The sampler makes two conversions. From digital data on CD to analog CD output and then from the analog CD output to the digital .wav file on your Hard Disk. This way the sampler makes a lower quality sound file than the original. On the other hand, the grabber reads directly the digital data from the CD and stores them as a .wav file on your Hard disk. So the .wav file that the CD ripper produces, contains exactly the same information that is on the CD, without any loss of quality at all. This .wav file is huge (about 10Mb per minute of sound), so it's difficult to store and transfer it.

2. Encoder

It is the program that converts this .wav file to the final mp3 file. It compresses it about 10-12:1, so the mp3 file is small enough (about 1Mb per minute of sound), to be easily stored and transferred through the internet. The good thing is that the loss of quality is so small, that you can't understand the difference with your ears.

More detailed information and instructions to use for each program are available at the Rippers and Encoders pages.

[Back to the top]

Which program to use and how

There is a variety of rippers and encoders to choose from. However they are not all the same but there are some basic differences between them. One obvious difference is the operating system under which they are running (MS DOS, Win95 or NT) and another one is the interface of the program (Command line or Graphic User Interface). Besides the above, there are some specific differences for each kind of programs. All the rippers are not compatible with all the CD ROM's drives or their drivers and this problem can easily turn to a nightmare. The encoders on the other side, are not all making the same quality mp3s and some of them are costing an arm and a leg, if you want to make 128 Kbps mp3s.

Specific characteristics of the rippers and the encoders and guidelines that you should follow to successfully make good quality mp3s, are on the Rippers and Encoders pages of this site.

[Back to the top]

LinkExchange Member