Introduction
MP3’s are without a doubt one of the most talked about subjects in the industry right now, from Napster vs. RIAA gossip to the latest portable hardware players. More and more of us are beginning to use them but don’t know as much as we’d like to about this audio compression format. What exactly is an MP3? Where did they come from and how can I make my own? These questions and many more will be answered shortly as we explore the world of MP3 hardware and software.
What are MP3’s?
MP3 stands for MPEG Layer-3 and is an audio compression format. This audio compression format allows high compression (small file sizes) without losing high quality sound. MP3’s rely on something called perceptual coding to obtain small file sizes yet keep their excellent quality of sound. The goal of perceptual coding is to achieve fidelity perceivable by humans. Basically inaudible information is being removed. Why store data of things we can’t hear?
So how efficient are we talking here? A normal CD-quality stereo signal will store 1.4Mbits of information per second. MP3 encoders can typically achieve a compression ratio of 1:12. This means a 5-minute song that would typically take up over 50 Mbytes could now be stored in a little over 4 Mbytes! That’s what I call putting the squeeze on.
At this point you might be wondering where all of this advanced technology came from. I asked a few people myself and the most common answer was Winamp (one of the most popular software MP3 players). Many people don’t realize that MP3’s have been around since the late 80’s when Fraunhofer IIS developed the algorithm that was eventually standardized into ISO-MPEG Audio Layer-3. It just happens that MP3’s become popular due to programs like Winamp.
MP3 Creation
Any sound file can be converted into an MP3 but most people will convert CD music (uncompressed .wav format) or wav’s recorded from a microphone. To do this, you’ll need an “MP3 encoder” program. There are various programs available on the net for free or at a small charge. These programs will vary from a simple Winamp plug-in to a fully detailed MP3 program that’ll let you configure quality vs. compression. Obviously this will change the file size but the trade-off isn’t too bad.
In an attempt to show how easy it is to make an MP3 yourself and the options involved, I’ve taken a few screenshots while in the process.
The software I’ve chosen as an example is Nero by Ahead Software. This software is typically known for its CD burning capabilities but now for its MP3 encoding/decoding as well.
MP3 Creation, Continued
In this first picture you’ll see the basic MP3 encoder options and then some. I’m using a CD as my source (AKA “ripping” a CD). I can select all or some of the tracks as well as the file format to save as. A couple of buttons offer even more options. The important one is the format options button.
Here’s the good stuff for those of you who are familiar with encoding software. First and foremost, you’ll notice that the creators of this encoder are the same folks who invented the MP3 format. Next you’ll see the various format options range from bit rate to encoding quality. 50MB songs sampled at Fast encode quality and 128k-bit rate was shrunk down to a little over 4.6MBs. The same file with a 160k-bit rate was 5.7MBs while a highest quality at 160k-bit rate weighed in at 10MBs. The quality of each was excellent but obviously some of us prefer the higher-grade sounds for when we replay them on high-end sound systems. Either way, the options are here for you to configure as you wish.
This is just an example of one encoder as there are many available that have from a line command interface to a GUI somewhat like the one Nero provides. People have varying preferences so the best advice I can give is to go out and try a few before settling down with one.
Software MP3 Players
Most of you should be familiar with the software that actually plays MP3 files. Nowadays many software MP3 players are available for free download; even Microsoft’s Media Player now supports MP3s. I’ve taken a screenshot of one of the most popular software players, Winamp, so that you can get an idea of what they look like.
The player is capable of playing wav files, CD’s, and MP3’s. Don’t let the basic controls fool you however. Winamp has many built in features that allow for plug-ins that allow for special visuals, GUI modifications and even file conversation capabilities! It’s definitely worth looking into.
Portable MP3 Players (Flash based)
Two companies decided to send along MP3 players some time ago and since decided to use them as good examples of the general types of portable hardware MP3 players available.
The first example is from Yuan who sent me their 64MB flash-memory based MP-300 portable MP3 player.
This unit comes with a USB cable (for data transfers and power), earphones, rechargeable batteries, CD of software and a one-page manual. This is probably one of the more inexpensive MP3 players on the market and you’ll see why. The player offers the basics and does it well. The benefits of it are that it stores 64MBs of music (about 12-13 songs at 128k-bit rates), it’s portable, rechargeable, does obviously not skip with movement, can record voice samples, treble/bass control, has 6 hours of power on the batteries (I could only get 3 hours with my testing), and is upgradeable with a 128MB module as well as a decent LCD display.
The MP-300 comes with software that lets you play, create and store MP3s. The software can play MP3’s just like any other software MP3 player but stays pretty basic. Creating MP3’s is also very simple but does the job fairly well. You won’t get near the same options as we saw in our fancy MP3 encoder with Nero however. To store MP3’s on the actual unit, you’ll need to plug the MP-300 into your USB port (where it can charge itself as well). Keep in mind that you’ll need to install the proprietary software before plugging in the unit in just anywhere.
The biggest drawback of the flash based players in general is the limit storage space. 12-13 songs (with the 64MB version) might be enough time for a good workout, especially since it won’t skip with rigorous movement, but 64MB of storage doesn’t cut it for a long trip. Having no easily accessible devices to change the music in the device is not a good thing. If I could have modules I carried around with all the various music, that might be ok but even that would be annoying.
Overall I think this device is best suited for those who don’t mind the limited storage and/or use it in an environment where the device will be rattled constantly (i.e. during a workout). At a little over $100 this isn’t a bad deal but competitive products available in the US might a little bit pricier. I wasn’t quoted memory upgrade prices but I don’t think those will be too cheap as I’ve seen competitive products sell something similar for a decent price tag (like 64MB for about $60-70).
Portable MP3 Players (CD based)
Our second player is a hybrid CD-based player from ENCiNO called the Voyager.
A package like this will come with the CD player, rechargeable batteries, and mini-jack to RCA converter cable, earphones, and power adapter. The Voyager looks like your average portable CD player and it can be but it also is able to play CD-R or CR-RW disks with MP3 files on them. This means you can have about 650MBs of MP3’s on one CD. Using our 5MB per song average, you can store about 130+ songs or over 10 times more than the flashed based player. MP3 CD’s can have directories along with the MP3 files for easier navigation as the unit can skip directories.
If you’re worried about the occasional bump in a car or while walking, don’t worry too much as the unit has a 60 second buffer. This worked well for some things but it’s not as forgiving while jogging, the buffer definitely has its limitations.
Keep in mind that you’ll need your own CD burner to copy MP3 data files to CD so that you can use this. Without this ability, you can’t make your own MP3 CDs. With the cost of $169 for the Voyager and about $100 for a decent IDE CD burner and about $1 per blank CD, the investment isn’t a small one but hardly unreasonable.
The clear advantage of this unit is the enormous amount of MP3 storage space it offers. I personally feel that this is the way to go as long as you have the CD burner to compliment it.
The obvious disadvantage compared to a flash-memory based player is that the initial costs is going to be higher and the ability to go running, jogging or any other “shaky” environment is limited.
MP3’s Morally Wrong?
There’s tons of press on MP3’s as Napster and RIAA battle over whether or not the unrestricted sharing of MP3’s should be allowed on the net. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Napster, it’s basically a file sharing community. Users are able to trade multimedia files without any restrictions. It brings up strong debates over where we should draw the line when it comes to the pirating of songs through the MP3 format. Should we do it once someone is caught sharing a controlled piece of music or should we stop people from sharing information in general? RIAA claims that Napster should create such a database to monitor this entirely and avoid the problem altogether. Well the reality of this is that users will change to another Napster-like program or develop new name architectures to avoid these “monitors” of sorts. Sharing of the files will not stop and I personally see no sense in what RIAA is trying to do. The people trading or sharing the music in question should be the one’s responsible for their actions, not Napster or anything like it.
Conclusion
With the strong interest in MP3’s, the industry has picked up the ball and is moving forward at a rapid pace to keep up with the demand. Typical players like home CD/DVD players, car stereo CD players, and portable CD players (like the Voyager) will soon begin to ship with MP3 playing capabilities as a standard feature. Not only hardware but also software is on the move as newer audio formats are being explored that offer even more than we have now. All in all, MP3’s have charged up what was becoming a rather bland audio industry.