How to Get Started With MP3s

MP3 is short for "Motion Picture Experts Group 1, Layer 3." An MP3 is nothing more than a file format, much like ".doc," ".exe" or ".jpg," that compresses files - specifically music files - without sacrificing quality in any noticeable way.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• MP3 Players
• Portable MP3 Players

1. Understand that converting CD tracks into MP3 files makes them a fraction of their original size. A CD track weighs in at about 50MB if you save it to your hard drive, while an MP3 of the same song will hover at about 5MB.

2. Know that a file of this size, though more than a match for a floppy disk, transfers over the Internet with relative ease. Suddenly music lovers and Web junkies the world over are able to swap music files with glee and abandon.

3. Grab yourself an MP3 player. In order to listen to these nifty files, you'll need software - which, these days, comes in many flavors. Most players are available for both Windows and Macintosh users. In fact, both PCs and Macs ship with players built in: the Windows Media Player or QuickTime 4 for Macintosh.

4. Recognize other crowd pleasers, available free over the Internet: RealPlayer, AudioCatalyst (both are available for Windows and Macintosh), Winamp (Windows only), Audion and SoundJam (Mac only). Some of these players are free; others are shareware. Don't fret - the most expensive is $40.

5. Understand that your computer is not the only place to play MP3s. There are several small, portable hardware devices available from a variety of manufacturers. The Handspring palmtop computer has a Springboard module which will store and play MP3s, and various manufacturers are working on in-dash car MP3 players.

6. Shield your eyes from the bright future of MP3. For the music industry, the combination of the MP3 file format and the Internet is comparable to the advent of the phonograph record.

Tips & Warnings

• Winamp is a great option for Windows users - it is very customizable and integrates well with Windows. Best of all, it's free!
• For the Macintosh, Audion is an excellent choice. It is a great shareware product ($18) and the developers are open and willing to respond to user e-mails and feature requests.
• The recent legal actions brought about by the recording industry against illegal MP3 downloading (distribution of music without royalties) will likely be remedied in the near future as record companies discover how to make money in the face of this new medium.
• Please respect the copyrights of artists and their licensees. If you want to distribute MP3 works of art, please get appropriate permission from the copyright holders.

on 7/31/2006 Once you create an MP3 disc to be played on a home/car player, don't forget to burn/record the disc by using the Disc-at-once method and not the Track-at-once. This prevents those low-frequency lasers from skipping while playing... specially at the end (outer border) of the disc.

on 11/22/2005 If you plan to buy and use multiple MP3s on your computer, as most people do, plan to invest now into an external storage device - a rather hefty one. Think of it as you would a CD case. After all, you'll be storing all your music in it.