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GUIDE
TO MP3 MUSIC
by
Peter Faris QC January 2005
DISCLAIMER
RE EBAY
I buy a lot on eBay US and eBay Australia. Prices are competitive
and cheaper. Nothing in these pages constitutes a guarantee that it is
safe you YOU to do the same. Caveat emptor -
let the buyer beware. Make sure you know what you are doing. Don't complain
to me if you get it wrong.
WHAT
IS MP3?
MP3 is not the coming thing in music - it is here. It is replacing CDs
as a method of storing and playing music.
The basic principle is that as all CD music is digital, it can be read
by computers and computer programs.
MP3 is a compressed digital music file.
"mp3"
is the file suffix - thus the music file is called Danny Boy.mp3.
HOW
DOES COMPRESSION WORK?
The real significance is the degree of compression. Music files on commercial
CDs are not compressed. A 4-minute track would be roughly about 40 megabytes
(mb) (these figures are approximate). When converted (compressed or ripped)
to mp3 format (at 128) would be about 10% of that or about 4mb.
A commercial music CD has a capacity of about 500mb so can contain only
about 12 tracks (approx 12x40).
When compressed
to mp3 and burnt onto a new CD there is a capacity for about 120 tracks
- imagine a 120 track CD. That is what we are talking about and it is
simple and cheap to do. Even more advanced is burning to a DVD (capacity
4.7 gigabytes or 4,700mb which permits nearly 1,200 tracks on one disk.
An album runs to about 65 mbb so you can put about 8 complete albums on
one CD.
As CD drives/burners are a standardl feature of all personal computers,
any music CD can be played through the computer's CD drive and listened
to by speakers or headphones attached to you PC soundcard.
MP3s take the next step. The music files on the CD are ripped by special
software which converts them into mp3 format and stores then on your PC.
This eliminates the need for the music CDs once they have been ripped.
You now control both the data and the media. You simply store all your
music on your computer and play it from there (as I do).
(Alternatively,
you can copy the mpf files to an Ipod player or similar)
I have my whole (CD) music collection (at the moment thousands of songs)
on my PC and play great music through a $600 sound system.
HOW
DO I RIP?
To "rip" (convert) your music CDs into mp3 files
You will need -
- Commercial
music CD.
- CD-ROM
drive.
- Free
software - download and install dBpowerAMP
Music Converter 11.0 . (Downloads may need free WinZip
to open the compressed file).
Rip in 4
steps -
- Download
and install dBpowerAMP. It will place 2 icons on your desktop. Remain
connected to the Internet (so that the names of the tracks can be downloaded
from freeDB).
- Insert
music CD in CD drive.
- After
a few moments of reading the CD, dBpowerAMP will load automatically
displaying the album and the names of the tracks it has located at freeDB
on the Internet.
- Select
the tracks you wish to rip (default is all selected) and click the Rip
button - it normally takes 40-50 seconds per track to rip and should
save at C:\Converted Music\.
The best way to store your music on Windows is to use the existing My
Music folder under the My Documents folder. Before you rip, create a new
folder under My Music. Give it the name of the Artist and/or Album e.g.
Bob Dylan. Before you rip, go to Options on the dbPower menu and select
that new menu as the destination for this particular album. Whilst you
are there, check out the other options.
HOW
DO I BURN?
What does "burn" mean? It means that, once you have
ripped the music onto your computer as mp3 files and stored on C:My Music,
you can now burn or copy your choice of songs to CD which is then playable
on your computer.
Your CD drive
in your computer must be a CD burner. Most are. If not, get a new one
(inexpensive).
The best
burning program is Nero.
You will have to buy it unless it was bundled with your computer CD burner
(it may need an update - check the drop-down menus). At the moment, it
is about $18 on eBay Australia
Burning procedure
- Install
Nero.
- Insert
blank CD in drive.
- Start
Nero. Select the folder where your mp3s are stored. Drag and drop your
choice untill the disk is full. Burn. Remove burnt disk and label.
- Insert
newly burnt disk and open Windows Explorer. Go to CD Drive and test
by playing songs (with Winamp).
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE & PLAY MP3 MUSIC?
SOFTWARE - All you need is one free
program called Winamp. Windows also
installs Windows Media Player but I much prefer Winamp.
HARDWARE
- This is more complicated. In the end, only the most highly technical
audiophile can tell the difference in quality between commercial CDs played
on expensive hi-fi equipment and mp3s played from your computer through
a good soundcard and a good set of amplified speakers.
The basic hardware components are a PC soundcard and speakers. An amplifier
can be added. Headphones can also be used.
The hardware source of the music can be the computer harddisk drive (HDD)
or a CD/DVD disk with mp3s burned on it.
There are also portable mp3 players such as Ipod (checkout MP3.com).
SOUND
CARD - Every computer has a sound card installed.
Look at the back of yours and you should see three outputs for jacks.
Most soundcards are cheap ($30). Better soundcards produce much better
sound.
Check out
the sound card reviews at CNet.
I have a
Creative SoundBlaster Live!. Top of the range is Creative Audigy2 costing
a lot.
Check out
the SoundBlaster website
. Also look at Which
Sound Blaster is right for you? at CNet. When you understand the models
and the US prices, have a look at eBay
Australia. Caveat emptor. Search "sound blaster". As I write
(Jan05), there a number of models from about $150 to $300 AUD. My favorite
bucket-shop Computer World has
them up to $330 for the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum.
If you buy
a card, fitting cost would be about $50. Get the best soundcard that you
can afford.
SPEAKERS
- Check out the speakers ar your local compter shop. Also, go to your
local audio shop and enquire how to connect your computer to your home
audio system.
Speakers
(without amplifier)
Often computers come with a cheap set of external speakers or you can
buy them for $15. Better speakers could cost up to $100. IMHO, speakers
without amplifiers are not worth using.
Speakers
(with amplifier)
To properly enjoy your mp3 music, you must have an amplifier.
I have a
top range amplifier and speaker set (Cambridge Megaworks THX 5.1) costing
about $550. This is an elaborate set of 5 satellite speakers and one huge
woofer which also contains an amplifier. Sets like this range from about
$150 to $600 (starting at two speakers). This gives me surround sound
(as in a home theatre). If you enjoy your music, this is the solution.
Alternatively, my son has an Audigy soundcard connected to a good quality
commercial amplifier (the sort you buy as part of a hi-fi system) connected
to two large, high-quality hi-speakers. If you already own such equipment
then all you need to connect it to your computer soundcard is a cheap
AV cable from Dick Smith's.
Check out the Home Audio section at CNet
and its Speaker
Reviews and PC
Speakers.
Creative
GigaWorks S750 is probably top of the line at $999 but probably cheaper
on eBay Australia where it
is $799. Caveat emptor.
As I write
this at my holiday home, I am listening to Rod Stewart on a 5-year old
Yamaha YST-MS30 - 2 tweeters, 1 woofer and an amplifier. Cheap but fabulous
sound. They are listed as an "older model" at Yamaha
and seem to be no longer sold. EBay
Australia has lots of listings of various speakers. Caveat emptor.
Get the best
speakers that you can afford.
CD/DVD
DRIVE & BURNERS - You can store your mp3s
on your harddisk drive or burn them onto CD/DVD disks. To do this you
will need a CD burner ($80) or a DVD burner ($200).
Because I work late at night, my family insists I use headphones. I have
an excellent set - Sennheiser HD210 (about $120). My son uses them with
his portable mp3 player.
HEADPHONES
- Sennheisers
are the best IMHO. I love mine. I can work on my computer at home late at
night with my music collection blasting through my Sennheisers and I do
not keep my wife awake! I bought mine ta JB HiFi. Get the best headphones
that you can afford.
PORTABLE
MP3 PLAYERS - Portable mp3 players serve a
similar function to the more familiar portable CD players. Most people
have seen an IPod. Usually they are very small (the size of 2 match boxes
and coat $100 upwards depending on the amount of memory. There are no
moving parts (good for jogging) and a cable is supplied to upload mp3
files from the computer to a memory chip in the player. Songs can be changed
with every upload.
More expensive units replicate tiny computers and contain a small harddisk
drive.
AUDIO
DVDs - this is the latest technology. If you
have a DVD burner then you can burn over 1000 mp3 songs onto one disk.
They need to be carefully classified otherwise you cannot find the file
you want. Apart from your PC, very few players will play mp3s from DVD.
CAR
-Replace your car radio/CD player with a later model which will
play mp3s from CD. Cost about $180-$400 plus fitting of about $80.
IS ALL THIS LEGAL?
I don't know.
This is the subject of much legal controversy all over the world.
Largely the controversy is driven by the fact that the Internet enables
these small mp3 files to be quickly transferred in circumstances called
"piracy".
Millions of songs are available for free download and traffic is enormous.
The magnitude of this is difficult to comprehend. No matter what the record
companies (or the Court for that matter) say, this is all totally out
of control. The toothpaste is out of the tube and cannot be put back in.
Personal
Disclaimer
I do not support piracy and discourage others from doing so. If we do
not pay the writers and makers of music then soon we will have none. There
has to be a better system. Slowly the record companies are realizing the
bleeding obvious - if you can't beat it, join it. It will not be long
before music is sold and delivered over the Internet at (say) $1 per song.
There must be a commercial solution. The Courts canot help.
Legality
It probably depends where the music comes from. Plainly if you copy the
music you have purchased on a CD into another form (mp3) for non-commercial
purposes it is difficult to see a Court holding that to be piracy.
At the other end of the scale, downloading free songs from the Internet
is illegal.
Everything in between is unclear.
POST
QUESTIONS
If
you post sensible questions I will do my best to answer.
All prices in Australia
dollars. |