All you need to know bout MP3…and no more.

MP3, the hottest 3 letters this part of the century except S*X and HOT itself. The three letters which took the music industry by storm and shock. Want to know more. Get ready to MP3.

What is MP3?

For the gross ignoramuses , MP3 stands for ‘MPEG 1, Audio Layer 3’ . It is a digital format for storing music files on the computer just like your .wav s (waveform files) or .ra s (real audio). So what’s so great about it. Well what sets it apart from the other file formats is that it gives you CD quality music and taxes your hard disks much less when it comes to space. A typical mp3 has a compression ratio of 1:11 making a 50mb wave file under 5mb in mp3 format. In simple terms it means that you can store ten songs in as much space as it took for just one and still not compromise on sound quality (good no!).

Well now that I’ve got you excited enuff, lets move on to the finer points.

So what do you need to MP3…….

Well not much actually, a MP3 player, . Mp3 files (obviously) and a computer (preferably a Pentium). The best part is that but for the last one, the rest are free.

But where do you get the .Mp3 files from. Well you have 3 options:

1. The Internet (the ultimate source).
2. From a CD…..
3. Or best, make some on your own….

The Internet is the single largest source for all the .Mp3s you want and all the related software. Since this revolutionary concept came into existence, scores of websites dedicated to .Mp3 software have sprung up in every nook and corner of the WWW. A lowdown on the best sites…….for your ears only.

If you are looking for western music, hop, skip, jump and log on to www.audiofind.com.

Here you will find all the .Mp3s you need indexed by artist and also lotsa .Mp3 information and other related software. In other words, this site is simply…. the best. And if your ‘dil maanges more’ , you can choose from other popular sites – www.mp3.com, www.songs.com to name a few. There are no good sites yet for Hindi music buffs but a few popular tracks are available . A thorough search and a good search engine would come in handy for this purpose.

    If you are wondering whether you can listen to Mp3 files online (i.e. streaming audio), the answer is that u can provided you have a super fast connection or an ISDN line.

Your next option is either to get a .Mp3 CD or to buy, beg or borrow a simple audio CD and extract .Mp3 files outta it. The first one is a relatively simple task – go to a shop, shell out the money(the difficult part) and get the CD bozo. There are many .Mp3 CDs available but they are usually found at shady places and are mostly illegal stuff. If u still want to run the risk (as if there is any) , catch the next bus to Lamington Road and get yourself a few. Each .Mp3 CD has approx. 100-150 songs and comes in the range of 350-500 bucks (how much u get it for depends upon your bargaining skills – as mentioned earlier, these are illegal stuff and usually don’t carry any listed price). If you want to play it safe or if you have a lot of audio CDs (as distinguished from .Mp3 CDs, these are your simple audio CDs which you use in your CD players and contain music in .dat format), get a CD encoder or ripper and extract the .Mp3 files of your choice from them. A CD encoder is a simple software that allows you to extract .Mp3 files from any audio source and also to create .Mp3 files of your own by using a microphone. You can download a CD encoder/ripper from any of the sites mentioned below.

Now, that you have the .Mp3 files, you need an Mp3 player to listen to them. The most popular one is easily WinAmp (www.winamp.com). Others that come close are MusicMatch (www.musicmatch.com), Sonique (www.sonique.com), winplay etc.

( All the Mp3 players and encoders mentioned above are either freeware or shareware and are available at their respective sites. You can also download them from shareware sites like www.download.com and www.tucows.com)

Now that you know all you need to Mp3, a little tidbit on the hype and hoopla that Mp3 has created.

No doubt, Mp3 is a boon for music lovers but it is also an indication of the oncoming doom for the music industry.

The ease of piracy, which it brings along with itself, has shocked the entire music industry. The almost CD quality music and free availability are the two most potent reasons for giving music industrywallas sleepless nights.

As if that is not enuff, some companies (Diamond multimedia and Creative Labs being the foremost) have come out with portable Mp3 players which resemble a Walkman and can store Mp3 music which can then be listened to just like a walkman. It must be remembered however that Mp3s are also governed by anti-piracy laws. For your reference,

You are not taking the law in your hands provided:

1. you encode songs off of your own CD's and keep them for yourself
2. obtain written permission from the copyright holder of the music
3. or the music is available with the copyright owners consent

So, its not only MPs (Member of Parliament) but also MP3s that are shrouded in controversy.

Anywayz, happy MP3ing.

Compiled by Rajat Kohli.