Choosing bitrates
The bitrate or average amount of data required per second of music determines the audio resolution of an MP3 music file. The higher the number of kilobytes per second (kbit/s), the closer in sound quality the MP3 is to the original source — and the larger the file size. The bitrate you use when compressing your MP3 files depends on the quality you want and the space you have to store it. An MP3 digital file created using the mid-range bitrate setting of 138 kbit/s creates a file that is about 1/10th the size of the original CD. Common bitrates are:
• 32 kbit/s is equal to medium wave of AM qualify
• 96 kbit/s is equal to FM quality
• 128-160 kbit/s is the standard bitrate quality. The difference can sometimes be obvious in bass quality.
• 192 kbit/s is digital audio broadcasting quality and is becoming the standard bitrate for MP3 music. However, not everyone has the ability to discern the difference in audio quality.
• 224-320 kbit/s – near CD quality. The audio is nearly indistinguishable for most CDs.
Importing music to your MP3 player
A higher bitrate may mean better quality, but you need a superior MP3 player and headphones to hear the quality. It doesn’t help to compress music to 224 kbit/s and listen with a low-end headphone and player that can’t replicate the sound quality and bass response. The Sansa® e200, for example, delivers superior sound play back and classic multimedia functionality in a small package that fits in the palm of your hand. It is available in 2GB, 4GB, and 6GB and can hold anywhere from 500 to 15,000 songs – depending on the compression.
• Downloading – Most Internet download sites are primarily concerned with facilitating faster downloads which means keeping MP3 files as small as possible. These sites usually offer MP3s at 128 kbit/s, which is a nice balance between sound quality and convenience. The music sounds “good enough,” and even a small 1-gigabyte portable player such as the Sansa® Clip can hold about 32 hours of 128 kbps MP3s, or roughly 480 songs – assuming the songs are about four minutes in length.
• CDs – Change the default settings of your PC’s media player. Almost all of these programs let you adjust the MP3 resolution from the standard 128 kbps up to at least 192 kbps. Many let you customize the setting by typing in your own number.
• Purchasing music online – While most sites only offer songs at 128 kbps, some offer tracks at a higher resolution. Many of these higher-resolution tracks also come without copy-protection, giving you the added advantage of enjoying your purchased downloads in more ways and on more players. Many of these tracks are offered at 256 kbit/s resolution.
Three more options for encoding MP3 files:
• Constant Bit Rate (CBR)- Bit rate is not changing – is still same.
• Average Bit Rate (ABR) – Bit rate is changing, and the quality of sound is better than in Constant Bit Rate.
• Variable Bit Rate (VBR)- Bit rate is changing real time during the song (between 96kbps and 256kbs if you choose the higher quality and again a slightly bigger file).
MP3 files can be encoded from your CDs through a tool like dbpowerAMP (or another encoder of your choice) with the different bit rate and different encoding. Start from 96kbps up to 128kbps, which combines reasonable playback quality with pretty good compression (giving you room for more tracks). 44.1kHz is usually the default setting in most MP3 converters. Other sample rates may cause the sound to play slower or faster.
Caution on compression
Extremely high and low frequencies usually get discarded with even slight compression. Although considered inaudible, they reinforce harmonic frequencies that “shade” the sound, giving it much of its fullness and presence. Further compression can diminish the differences between loud and soft passages, decreasing dramatic impact. Extreme compression – down to 64 kbps and lower – can completely flatten the sound, making it harsh and muddy. By contrast, MP3 files of 192 kbps, 256 kbps or greater preserve most of the sonic information of the original WAV file. Acoustic instruments tend to keep their natural warmth at these resolutions, and electronic instruments sound fuller while retaining their punch.
Organizing your MP3 music
Jukeboxes are software programs that let you record, organize and tag your music. It’s perfect if you have a large music collection that’s scattered not only on your computer but also on CDs. Free jukebox programs include:
Media Monkey
• Organize and tag your music
• Automatically look up and tag album art and other metadata
• Manage 50,000+ files
• Play MP3 music and other audio formats and never worry about varying volume
• Record CDs into MP3 music files plus OGG, FLAC and WMA digital files.
• Convert MP3 music files into other file formats
• Create playlists and music mixes quickly and easily
• Synchronize to your MP3 players easily
• Convert tracks on the fly
J River Media Jukebox
• Connect directly to your MP3 music player
• Play all popular music files and audio podcasts
• Rip, burn and encode multiple digital files including MP3 music for private use only
• Create custom playlists and smartlists
• Extensive tagging capabilities
• Automatically look up CD and album art
• Rip and burn at full speed for private use only
• Print custom CD labels and covers
MP3 Tagger
• Rename files based on the tag information
• Replace characters or words from tags and filenames
• Import/export tag information
• Create playlists and more.
Other great free software programs to help you organize and enhance your digital music files include:
• Audio players – the default audio player software on your computer may not be versatile enough. VLC Player, Winamp and Songbird let you sort and play most formats on your Windows computer smoothly.
• Rippers and converters grab digital audio from CDs and copy the audio digitally — not through the soundcard. This enables you to make perfect copies of the originals. Free rippers include Audio Grabber, FreeRip and Exact Audio Copy.
• Audio Editors help you create and mix your own tracks. While the free software editors do not offer the same features as the professional ones, Audacity and Wavosaur do offer some basic recording and sound effects.
Now you’re organized and ready to go!
Once your music is downloaded, organized and tagged the way you want it – it’s a no-brainer to transfer it from your computer to your portable player through your USB port. It’s also easy to add to your playlist! Now just relax and enjoy the music.
Geoffrey.Cruz | 
10 15th, 2008| 
