With the right
software and hardware, it's easy to use MP3s to turn your computer into
a virtual jukebox, create audio files that are nearly indistinguishable
from the original source, make compilation discs from your CD
collection, and share music with your friends. The problem is that there
are so many choices to make and settings to tweak that it's easy to get
overwhelmed by all the options.
This guide will show you what to look for when you're comparing the
software used to create MP3s, what features your hardware should support
to get the best performance, and how to configure everything so it works
as efficiently as possible while still producing great-sounding MP3
files.
Software Encoders
Just because the software you have plays MP3s doesn't mean it has the
ability to create MP3 files. For that you need an encoder, which is a
program that reads the data from the music source and translates it into
MP3 format based on a number of settings you establish before the
recording begins.
Some MP3 encoders are available for download online, while others can
be purchased here at Halfvalue.co.uk in our software store. (Some
software that's available as a free download limits the number of MP3s
you can encode or might be missing such "bonus" features as an equalizer
or ability to print CD covers.)
MusicMatch JukeBox is excellent at ripping and recording
MP3s.
Establishing the Settings
Good MP3 encoders give users total control over the way they create
MP3s, but there are so many choices to make in this process that things
can be confusing at first. The main concern is the bit rate, but there
are a few other settings you'll want to pay attention to as well.
Bit Rates and
Sampling Rates
Few things affect MP3 audio quality as much as its recorded bit rate.
This is a measure of the number of Kilobits per second (Kbps) used to
store the audio. More Kilobits per second equates to higher-quality
audio--but also to more space necessary for recording and storage. On
the CDs you buy at the store, the audio is recorded at a standard bit
rate of about 1,411 Kbps. The standard bit rate for MP3 recordings is
128 Kbps, although some software allows you to record at higher or lower
bit rates.
In our experience, recording at a higher bit rate isn't worth the
extra space, as the audio quality doesn't increase dramatically until
you approach CD audio bit rates. Recording at 96 Kbps is a decent
compromise, resulting in more compact recordings that sound like FM
radio broadcasts. Lower bit rates, like 64 Kbps, should be used only for
recording talk radio, voice memos, or other voice-only files, as quality
suffers greatly. It's comparable to a tinny AM broadcast or a telephone
call, depending on the quality of the original recording.
Don't confuse the sampling rate with the bit rate. The sampling rate,
measured in kilohertz (KHz), is the number of times per second that the
original sound source was sampled during recording. CD-quality audio is
recorded in stereo at a sampling rate of 44.1 KHz. No matter what bit
rate you use to record audio, it will never sound better than the
original source. A 44.1 KHz stereo recording converted to MP3 format at
a bit rate of 128 Kbps will always sound better than a 24 KHz mono
recording converted at the same (or even a higher) bit rate.
Transfer Rate
The transfer rate refers to how fast data is sent to your MP3 playback
hardware. If the software you are using lets you control the transfer
rate, simply leave it on the highest setting. If you experience any
problems downloading to your MP3 player, taking the setting down a notch
and slowing it down a bit will often help. Note that this setting has
nothing to do with the audio quality of your MP3 files; it just affects
how fast you can send files to your MP3 hardware (or upload them to your
computer).
Ripping vs.
Recording
If you are making MP3s from tunes on a CD, you'll want to invest in
software that "rips" rather than records. Ripping is the process of
copying digital data directly from a CD so that nothing is lost in the
translation. A recording plays the audio from the CD through the
computer's sound card and then records that signal in a digital format.
Since the original signal has to be converted to analog format and then
back into digital format, distortion and other anomalies are easily
introduced.
Recording also takes longer than ripping, as the speed of the latter
is dictated entirely by how fast your hardware can read the data from
the CD. Faster CD-ROM drives can rip an entire 74-minute CD in as little
as five minutes, while it would take a recorder 74 minutes to handle the
same amount of music. Some recorders use technology that cuts the
recording time in half, but ripping is always much faster and, more
importantly, less prone to errors.
Many people new to MP3 recording think they need a CD-Recordable
(CD-R) drive to rip audio files, but that isn't true. You just need a
CD-ROM drive that supports Digital Audio Extraction (DAE), but be aware
that not all drives that support this technology are good at ripping
audio. Finding the perfect CD-ROM drive for your particular system setup
is purely a matter of luck, but certain manufacturers like Plextor have
established a reputation for selling outstanding drives with fast and
reliable DAE capabilities.
Successful extraction also depends on a number of other factors,
including the speed of your computer's processor, the type of connection
your CD-ROM drive uses, and the amount of system memory (or RAM)
available to the recording software. Both recording and MP3 conversion
are processor intensive, so a faster CPU will generally lead to
consistently good recordings. More RAM helps for similar reasons.
True MP3 fanatics swear by CD-ROM drives that use a SCSI (Small
Computer Serial Interface) connection instead of the more common EIDE
(Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics) interface used by most CD-ROM
drives (and hard drives). SCSI does offer zippy performance and takes
some of the load off the CPU, but modern EIDE devices have practically
closed the gap. If you plan to convert hundreds of CDs to MP3 format you
may want to consider SCSI components, but most users can get by
perfectly fine without making the extra investment SCSI requires.
See
Drives.
Rip Directly to MP3 or to
Other Formats
Recording and ripping software typically creates a WAV file on PCs,
which must then be converted to MP3 format. A WAV file is basically a
direct copy of the original CD audio data and therefore takes up about
as much space as the original recording, but the format has many
advantages. The foremost benefit is that the WAV to MP3 conversion
process is done using the computer's hard drive, processor, and system
memory, leaving the relatively slow and unreliable CD-ROM drive out of
the equation. It's also easy to use your MP3 software to tweak the WAV
file so the converted MP3 sounds better. For example, it is possible to
boost the overall volume of a weak-sounding WAV file so the resulting
MP3 file is louder, or to apply a filter that removes background hiss.
Making changes like this when ripping directly to MP3 format is much
harder, as you can't really tweak the file, and it requires a lot of
tedious trial and error to get the sound right.
Good rippers can translate the original digital data directly into an
MP3 file. But unless you have exceptionally fast hardware that is suited
for ripping, it's best to create a WAV file first, then convert that
file to MP3 format. Our MP3 files have rarely come out exactly as we'd
hoped when we converted audio directly from a CD to an MP3 file.
On the Macintosh, an AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) file is
what gets ripped from a CD onto your hard drive, but the conversion
process (and reasoning for choosing this method) is the same as
described above.
Labelling Files
One of the nicest things about MP3s is that each track can have a
detailed label applied to it--but you do have to be careful. There are
many labelling standards in use, and you'll want to use those that are
compatible with your MP3 playback software and hardware. We recommend
keeping an active connection to the Internet and using MP3-creating
software that is compatible with Gracenote (formerly known as CDDB).
Gracenote maintains a vast database of song information that
automatically recognises CDs and MP3 files and tags the audio files with
the artist name, album title, track title, length, and other data so you
don't have to type it in by hand.
Some MP3 hardware can import Gracenote labels, but others require
that you enter the information in plain text mode or some proprietary
format. Whatever labelling system your hardware and software has, be
sure to use it. Leaving MP3s unlabeled always leads to chaos when you're
trying to decide which songs to send to your portable MP3 player and
then again when you try to play them back on the MP3 device.
Ripping Tips
A little system preparation really pays off before ripping audio. It
helps to shut down all non-essential programs that are running before
starting the process in order to free system resources and avoid system
burbles that can lead to glitches in the audio. Once the ripping begins,
it's best to stay away from the computer until the procedure is
completed. Don't launch or work with other programs or you risk
overtaxing your system components and introducing errors into your
recordings.
Another way to keep the system running smoothly during recording is
to defragment your hard drive. Defragging the hard drive reorganises all
the data so there are no stray sectors of data floating around that the
drive heads have to go out of their way to access. This keeps the hard
drive running at peak efficiency and can enhance the performance of all
the programs installed on your computer, not just the ripping software.
On the Mac, you'll need to use a commercial utilities program such as
Norton Utilities to perform the defragging.
Defragging should be done at least once a month, and perhaps more,
depending on how often you install programs to and uninstall programs
from your computer. If you are using Windows, click Start, select
Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and then click Disk
Defragmenter. Make sure all other programs are shut down before you
follow the prompts to begin the defrag process. Prepare for a long wait
depending on the capacity of your hard drive, the amount of information
stored on it, and how scattered everything is.
If you are getting a lot of errors while ripping songs, try reducing
the ripping speed. Some drives just can't handle the highest speeds they
are advertised to rip at, and there's little you can do aside from
cranking the speed down one notch at a time until you find the drive's
sweet spot. Again, a little tweaking early in the process will make
things work better for you later, leaving you free to download, rip, and
rock to your heart's content. --by T. Byrl Baker, halfvalue.com
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